"Going the extra mile"

When I had my spinal surgery just over a month ago, I was terrified. I had a traumatic labour in Feb last year and have since been diagnosed with PTSD and PND. Whenever I come to the WHH, I always seem to bump into a lady called Kathy. She was on the pre surgery team, prepping patients so that they were ready for surgery. I told her about my worries and she promised that she'd come down to theatre with me to hold my hand until I fell asleep. The anaesthetist also came along to reassure me that everything was going to be alright.

When it was time for surgery, both of them linked arms with me and took me into the surgery side room to administer my anaesthetic, the whole team was fantastic but Kathy and that anaesthetist have really stuck in my head. Kathy wiped my tears away as I got upset remembering the year before as the anaesthetist played me Bob Marley whilst using an ultrasound to find my veins (I'm very hard to cannulate. )... the whole team put me at ease. I couldn't have felt more looked after or cared for.

When I came back round I was in recovery, the team there was fantastic. But a lady called Kim really stuck out. The next day, Kathy came down to warn me that they'd be taking the morphine away and due to the trauma from the year before I ended up having a panic attack. A healthcare assistant came over to me and I thought she was really quite rude which left me feeling incredibly low and upset. I fear that my upset about the HCA might have fallen on Kathy's shoulders, but I really hope it didn't because she was literally my saviour those couple of days. Kim came back to see me whenever she could to make sure I was getting the support I needed and adequate pain relief. I didn't get the chance to thank these three people, but they are all worth their weight in gold and an asset not only to the WHH, but to the whole of the NHS. I hope one day I can bump into you and thank you all in person.