Removal of hardware
Well.....
During Christmas 1998, the plate in my leg started to give me a minor amount of trouble. My knee (in true Team.Lard fashion) also started to ache.
As such, I arranged an out-patients visit to the same consultant who performed the original operation (Mr. Witt) where he agreed the metal work should be removed and the knee examined using an arthroscope - a small camera (with its own light source, Elaine says!) on a tube that they stick in a hole in your leg! (She didn't say that bit!)
He suggested the delay would be somewhere between 3-4 months so I left thinking it would all be over by the 1999 TT.
A follow-up call to his secretary in April suggested it would more likely be 6-8 months from then! I wasn't very happy about that but agreed to go on a 'cancellation' list - similar to a driving test, waiting for someone to cancel and stepping into their shoes. I gave my home phone number, my work number, my Mobile number - every possible method someone could contact me to make sure I didn't miss an opportunity
A further follow-up in August started out badly with his secretary being very off-hand and telling me "..there were people in far worse condition than I was.." but after a lengthy discussion, she informed me that a cancellation had arisen that very morning (co-incidence?) for the 16th September 1999 if I wanted it...
Of course I wanted it!!!
Thursday, September 16th 1999
The day arrived and, despite having had a vicious cold the previous two nights, I was awoken by a phone call at 09:10 from the admissions department advising me there was a bed available for me and that I should arrive around midday.
Packed, showered etc and left at 11:45 for the 15 minute walk to the hospital. Arrived just after midday and just as it was starting to pour with rain.
Although they wanted me there at that time, my bed wasn't actually ready so I was asked to sit in the day-room. which I did.. ALL afternoon..
First of all, I had lunch in there...
....Then I was visited by the junior doctor to ask me questions...
....A second visit from her to take a blood sample....
....A visit by the surgeon who was going to carry out the operation (not Mr. Witt) to tell me what was going to happen and see if I had any questions.... He didn't seem to take me very seriously when I asked if the cut would be along the existing scar as "..I didn't want tram-lines up my leg or 'bootlace' stitches.." and commented that "..I looked the sort that would be worried about what my legs looked like.." --- Don't know what he means.. ME? Vain?? His Registrar also assured me my legs would "..look as good as they did at the moment.." Not sure what he meant either<G>
....Next came a visit from a student nurse to take my vitals (blood pressure, pulse, temperature & oxygen Saturation (SaO2) and ask me more questions....
....A brief excursion to an empty ward bed so the junior doctor could give me an examination (chest, breathing etc..) and an even more brief visit by an anæthetist - not the one that was going to be in the theatre tomorrow, he was too busy! - to check I wasn't going to die if they gave me a general anaesthetic.
....and then I had supper in there!
Finally got into my own room at 18:30 - 6½ hours after arriving at the hospital. Various things were blamed.. The previous patient hadn't left in time due to the transport group.. There is a separate group that does the cleaning of rooms etc.,
Feels pretty strange being 'healthy' and in hospital - not sure what I should do and what I shouldn't:) so I just settled back, watched TV in my room - although only black & white (cos somebody had nicked the remote control which set the colours!), read my book and made a few phone calls....
Friday, September 17th 1999
Woken at 07:00 for vitals again and breakfast at 07:45 - of course, I wasn't allowed any as I was due to be operated on soon - well, mid afternoon but then I found that I had been brought forward from number 4 to number 3 on the list so should be around lunch time.
At 12:30, the porter arrived to wheel me off to the theatre - a strange room (which I don't remember from last time) full of oxygen masks and needles! Anyway, duly prepared, I was asked to breathe deeply and on the third breath I just remember my face going all 'prickly' and that was that... Out like a light.......
Came round in recovery at about 15:00. Can't remember too much until I got back to the ward. Then it was a hive of activity and all I wanted to do was sleep:)
When I eventually came round, my leg was bandaged but I felt no pain. Next to the bed, in a plastic bag, were the Meccano bits I'd been carrying around for nearly 2 years:)
My hand hurt from the Cannula - the plastic tube selotaped into the back of my hand - which had the drip and a morphine pump which I could use to administer my own pain killers.. 
Saturday, September 18th 1999
A new set of nurses today.. After discussions, it was decided that I should wait until at least Sunday night or, preferably, Monday morning before I leave hospital. This was to ensure I had no other side-effects from the drugs and to give the doctor a chance to check the wound.
I settled back into a restful day of doing nothing...
The physiotherapist arrived around 14:30 and was surprised that I wasn't up and walking around - I had been told by the nurses to wait until I had been seen by the Physio before I tried walking - Can't win sometimes :)
Day was brightened up a lot by a visit from Alan and Steve. They stayed all afternoon before taking some of my things back to the flat then going into the west-end for a meal and a quick trip to a few pubs... Hmmmm...
Spent the night watching rubbish TV (except for the Tom Cruise film "For A Few Good Men")...
Sunday, September 19th 1999
A good night's sleep but not a lot to do during the day.
Alan again came up from Southampton and stayed with me for the afternoon. That was the only good part about Sunday!
Monday, September 20th 1999
Visited by the registrar around 09:00.
He asked the nurse to remove the dressing (something she wasn't too keen to do - think it was more work than she imagined... At one point, she had suggested to me that it might stay on until my visit back to the hospital in 2 weeks time!)
Squeamish people should skip the next paragraph! He explained that they had cut down either side of the original scar tissue so that there wouldn't be any 'tram-lines' or a very wide band of scar tissue. He said they were happy with the operation to remove the metalwork and that the examination of the knee had revealed some scar tissue which they had removed.
He did say that this would be discussed more during the appointment with Mr Witt - Could be a problem??
After he left, I prepared to leave but had to wait for a certificate (which gave me 2 weeks off work!) and for the clerical support group to arrange an out-patients appointment. That got boring so the nurse suggested they would send the appointment to me.
I left and got home around 10:40 - the start of another period off work (although thankfully not so long!)