"The whole process from start to finish was amazing"

I was invited for a knee surgery and acl reconstruction, grafting and a half knee replacement at Cannock Chase Hospital. The whole process from start to finish was amazing. All the staff were very knowledgeable and put me at ease. I saw Mr Mughal, the consultant, who very quickly identified the issue with my knee...a number of scans were completed and I was put onto an orthopaedic waiting list for surgery.

I was recently seen by Dawn my pre-op nurse who was very knowledgeable. She answered a lot of questions that I had and we talked about spinal sedation which I was very apprehensive about following a previous hytectomy surgery, I did not have to make a decision until the day of surgery, which was great as I did not feel pressurised into making a decision. All the information was very clear and precise, information leaflets were readily available. 

Upon the day of surgery and proceeding days I was attended to by the most amazing team of people... from the reception staff, to the nursing team, nursing auxillaries, medics, consultant, anaesthetist team, physios, Occupational Therapy Team, domestic staff, pharmacy team, Porters, xray team etc, etc....every member of staff I encountered was lovely.

I have worked for the Trust for approximately 25 years. I was treated with the utmost of confidentiality, respect and as a patient. I cannot speak highly enough of the whole team. Just know that you are all an asset to the service....I was initially apprehensive about having the surgery but when I arrived that feeling soon left.....it was a very strange feeling to be a patient in an area where I've worked but I was so grateful for the expertise of the whole team.  On the day of the surgery I opted for a spinal sedation with minimal sedation and the whole experience was amazing and allied any fears I'd had from a previous surgery at a different hospital. 

I believe I underestimated how painful the surgery was but I think I was maybe being naïve, but with the right pain relief I am now managing. I'm glad to say I returned home after 3 nights in hospital...it was lovely to get back to my own bed (the ward beds were amazing - just been changed to a new design by Medstrom -they were very comfortable and could be set lower than a normal hospital bed which is great for shorter people 😉).

They always say you get your best recovery at home. I'm going to miss the amazing team of people who supported me through my hospital Journey, can't thank you all enough.....the rest is now down to me...I've been doing my physio, drinking plenty of water and taking my pain relief....hopefully in 3 months I'll be like a new woman and can return to my activities within the not too distant future.