"Overall positive, with one negative"

I was admitted, at very short notice, to the Churchill to have just over half of my thyroid removed. Suspected, and later confirmed, thyroid cancer. From the first ultrasound, to the cancer specialist follow-up phonecall, plenty of information was given regarding what might happen and why, so I wasn't at any point very anxious about any part of this, although I had never had major surgery before.

Everything on the day of the surgery was fine, bearing in mind restrictions and special measures taken for Covid19, except for when I went in for the general anaesthetic. Having never had GA before, I did not know what to expect.

The anaesthetist was not very friendly - which is not a problem in itself, but when the cannula was put into my hand it was really uncomfortable, and the discomfort didn't go away, so after a couple of minutes I mentioned that it really hurt.

The anaesthetist said, so you want me to do it again? I said I didn't know, because I wasn't sure if it usually was painful or not. She seemed to get very annoyed with me, and said - right, I'll just do it again then, and left the room without listening to me trying to ask her how much it was meant to hurt.

By the time she came back, I really didn't want her to do it again, as she seemed so cross (not the emotion I want from someone sticking things into me!). When I tried to tell her, she talked over me and started ripping open the new cannula, until I raised my voice and said strongly - stop!. She rolled her eyes saying - oh for god's sake, then told me she was putting the mask on and that I would fall asleep very quickly. I felt sorry for the young man she had assisting her, he looked quite terrified of her as well.

So, the thyroid surgery itself seems to have gone very well, the wound slightly tender for a few days, but no strong painkillers needed, the before and aftercare team were brillant and the surgeons clear with information and advice.

I was really surprised that the only traumatic part of the whole experience was being anaesthetised. As a resilient person, especially as I study health psychology and am very aware of how fear and anxiety can affect the experience and outcome of surgery, I feel it is important to feed this back, here, and hope that professionals take note. Ideally, part of early training would be retaining an air of compassion and professionalism at all times when with patients, even for those higher up the healthcare ranks.