"Friendly interaction helped to keep me in good spirits"

I spent 5 days in Surgical 2, at the Causeway Hospital, following my bowel surgery. I was very well cared for by my surgeon, the surgical staff, nurses, student nurses, nursing assistants, catering team & physio. I was in a small ward (6 beds), the friendly interaction with staff and other patients made the time pass much quicker, and helped to keep me in good spirits. 

The evening before my surgery, one of the surgical team spent time talking my husband and I through the whole process, even creating a diagram to simplify the main points! They gave me lots of time to ask questions and talk about any concerns. On the day of my surgery I was taken a little earlier than scheduled, the nursing staff were great at helping me to remain calm and talking me through the various steps that would happen before I had my general aesthetic. 

My surgeon came to see me shortly after I woken up to explain that everything had gone to plan. He also followed up with my husband and I the next morning which was really appreciated. 

I had a small setback the evening after my surgery and it meant that my catheter had to be re-fitted, this was a real low point but the nurses who helped me through this were very supportive. A couple of days later the catheter was removed again and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to go to the toilet, but one of the nurses game me some good advice and calmed me down which really helped the situation! 

I’m terrible when it comes to needles and getting blood out of me isn’t easy, but each time blood was taken successfully on first attempt! 

My experience on the ward was really positive. The staff had a professional, relaxed and friendly attitude towards me and the other patients. My husband was allowed to stay with me a bit outside of the visiting hours, this flexibility meant he could still spend time with me and get home in time for the children coming out of school. I’m very thankful for the care I’ve been shown in Surgical 2.