Anyway the suprapubic catheter is now in place and, hopefully, Pete will be much more comfortable in future.
The day went exceptionally well, with no histrionics or anything from Pete. We had to be there for 10am and went straight through into the ward. I was allowed to be with him all the time (well, all except for when he went into theatre, obviously!!) which was good although we had to have the curtains round as it was the mens ward and females weren't usually allowed that far in. They started on paperwork more or less straight away and then took his temperature and blood pressure and then he got changed into the very attractive gown (I'm sure you have all seen them) and onto the bed. They had said he was last on the list and it may be about one and a half to two hours before he went into theatre. But Pete seemed ok with this and then promptly went to sleep so that helped the time pass for him. By the time he got on the bed it was about 10.40am so I settled in for a long wait, but the surgeons came in about 11.10am and he went in about 10 minutes later - so not long at all in the end. I came home and got a call at 12.20pm to say he was back on the ward and was fine but the surgeons wanted him to stay for two hours so he couldn't go until 2pm, but I was welcome to go back and sit with him. So back I went and he was dressed and drinking a cup of tea. He then dozed off and on again until it was time to come home, and everything has been fine. He has not complained of any pain and seems quite happy. I have to remove the leg bag after one week and insert a 'flip flow' into the tube, this means he will let his bladder fill as normal and just flip the 'switch' to empty it down the toilet. I'm not so sure about this as he has had a continuous flow catheter to make sure his bladder empties properly - I may have to consult the oracle (my sister!!) about this. But it will be nice to be rid of the leg and night bags.
I am so glad today is over as it has been on my mind for days and I have worried about it endlessly. Pete has not really shown me how he felt but I am sure he has also worried about it.
Once again I have to say the staff were fabulous on the Day Surgery Unit, their patience was endless and they kept popping in to keep Pete up to date with the situation and to make sure he was alright. They were very professional but very friendly at the same time. As an extra bonus one of the nurses on the Unit used to work on the ward I worked on, so a familiar face was welcome and we had a good chat and laugh, she always had a smile on her face and hasn't changed at all.
I'm out with the Lovely Ladies tomorrow evening - looking forward to that.
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