Yesterday was one of the most bizarre days of my life.
I will try and explain, as succinctly as I can, and cut a long, detailed story as short as I can.
For the last decade or so, I have been stone deaf in my left ear, emanating from an infection I got in the Far East whilst on bsiness, which destroyed my eardrum.
Despite 3 reconstruction operations, and lots of hard work, various surgeons failed to give me back any degree of hearing.
I gave up on it about 7 years ago.
However, this year, a Surgeon at Ysbyty Gwynedd got interested in my case, and ordered various scans.
He concluded that he could 'quite easily' re-attach the bones on my inner ear, to a new ear-drum....it would be a day-surgery case, and there would be an instant result with few if any stitches. ''A bit of ointment and I would be good as new''-BRILLIANT EH?
He quoted more than a 70% chance of full hearing recover. It's pretty easy stuff these days, and ''I do a couple of these a month'' he said.
This was brilliant news, because in the past, the 3 month recuperation period that I went through twice, was debilitating and frustrating.... and ultimately disappointing. I could never face that again.
Buoyed by this Surgeon's comments, I went through months of pre-op assessments, and dropped some weight in order to get my blood pressure to the required level for anesthetic.
So, yesterday, I checked into Ysbyty Gwynedd, at 8am, as requested.
It was another 5 hours before I was 'admitted', and then placed in my bed and fastened into my fashionable operating gown.
Another hour later, all my tests were done.... and the Anesthetist came along to give me the 'pre-med' injection.
Oddly though, the surgeon never came. I didn't think too much about that.
Feeling suitably fuzzy-headed, they wheeled my into theatre.
There, I drowsily asked about the surgeon, and the 'consent forms' .... a puzzled looking Anesthetist said he would fetch him for me.
The surgeon, fully gowned and gloved-up walked in. It was a DIFFERENT surgeon! My surgeon, (the Consultant) was on extended leave apparently, and this guy was a replacement. Hmm, no problem I thought.
But then, he began to outline a very different procedure he was about to ''attempt'' which may improve my hearing to a slight degree. It involved a LOT of incisions, a LOT of stitching and packing, perhaps take cartilage from my other ear to create new bones, 3 months of no flying, no swimming etc...... and 3 months before I would know if there was any success!
WHOA THERE, I said........ I urged him to take a look in my file, where a the 'other surgeon' had placed a simple drawing of what should be done. He shook his head and said in broken English. 'Not seen that, and NO, that won't be the thing we do, it will be a much more complex procedure than that'
I looked across to the waiting Anesthetist, and he looked mightily uncomfortable and noticeably embarrassed.
That was it for me..... off the trolley I climbed.... I'm outta here!
So... I must have looked a sight as I trooped back to the ward, with my AR#E hanging out of that gown, getting dressed, and leaving the hospital. The Nurses gathered round, muttered to each other and felt incredibly sorry for me.... but were careful not to say too much, for 'professional reasons'
I wonder if anyone else has ever got that close to being operated on, before being forced to pull the plug on it?