"A true team acting above and beyond the call"

I recently visited Forth Valley Hospital for a hemicolectomy (bowel cancer operation) and I was terrified. It was my first surgery and the closer I got to the hospital the more I wanted to run away and just go home.

I ignored the thought but as soon as I arrived in Ambulatory Care and was shown to room 3 in the Day Surgery ward, I began to feel better as the staff had such an air of confidence and compassion, I knew my new temporary home would be a good one. Everyone I encountered during my 4 day stay operated faultlessly and despite being constantly busy would stop what they were doing and attend to my needs and concerns.

The surgeons were nothing like the way they are often portrayed on TV and were open, warm and happy to spend time explaining my situation and the procedure that they would perform. They behaved in exactly the same way after the operation and erased my fears throughout my stay.

The nurses astounded me with their levels of knowledge and they could explain treatments and procedures in depths I would have expected from doctors.  Nothing was an issue for the domestic staff and they constantly checked I had everything I needed. All of this occurred as the staff were receiving the news that non-emergency surgery was being cancelled and they would be redeployed elsewhere until the ward that they had spent 12+ hours working in each day for years would re-open. It was very emotional watching the theatre nurses and doctors coming to the ward after finishing their shifts to allow their colleagues to have a break as it appeared to me that they weren't getting regular breaks due to staff shortages. A true team acting above and beyond the call. It was harrowing but heartwarming.

I’m no stranger to hospitals and medical facilities as I have been a type-1 diabetic for over 30 years and have lived and worked all over the world, but I am compelled to compose this review in an attempt to demonstrate my gratefulness for the staff who took me through what I imagined would be the most worrying experience of my life, and to offer some hope to anyone who is about to undergo major, or any other, surgery for the first time.  I am an engineer, have no connection to the NHS and have nothing to gain or lose from leaving this review. Thank you for reading it.