On the mend – 10th April 2018

10th April 2018 

Hello one and all and my thanks for looking in again after such a long break.  The last time I wrote I was looking forward to going into hospital to have a prosthetic shoulder replacement to repair the damage caused when I binned my bike. 

The whole experience was actually quite straightforward.  Karen and I turned up at the hospital, la Chataigneraie in Beaumont, a suburb of Clermont Ferrand, on Sunday 18^th February as requested and registered, which took 10 minutes at most.  Then it was down to the ward where I as shown my own room and I settled in.  I’d already shaved the area and showered in an antiseptic wash that morning so I was good to go but that evening I had another wash down in antiseptic and was told that I’d be under the knife at 08:00 the next morning. 

That night I slept like a log having absolutely no concerns about what lay in store for me.  The truth is the worst thing that could have happened was that I wouldn’t come round from the anaesthetic and given I go to bed every night hoping I don’t wake up that wouldn’t be a bad thing.  You have to live the life of a paraplegic to fully understand just how awful it is and I hold no truck with those who say ‘life’s for living’ when they don’t know what it’s like not having any kind of life that involves total incontinence or ability to do anything for yourself – and I mean anything – without whatever it is you want to do being facilitated for you.  Anyway, I was woken at 06:30 and was made ready.  An hour later I was under the gentle hands of the anaesthetist while he stuck a couple of big needles in my shoulder – one a local and the second a nerve block to manage the pain post-operatively.  At 07:45 I was lifted onto the operating table and watched the operating team getting things ready and at 08:00 I was in the land of nod.  You can see the results of what happened next below, excuse the quality – I took a photo of the x-ray with my phone.

I woke up at 10:30 in the Intensive Care area, normal procedure after an operation and not because I was in any danger, feeling a little bit groggy but I soon came round and looking forward to something to eat.  The anaesthetist came in to see me at lunchtime to make sure I’d no adverse reaction to his ministrations and commented on how well it had all gone.  The surgeon had been true to his word – it was a routine operation as far as he was concerned and it hadn’t taken long, although a little longer than the hour he had originally advised.  I spent a comfortable day resting and Karen and I were amazed at how easy it had all been.  The fact that I was absolutely pain free helped no end.  That evening the surgeon popped in to say it had all gone well although it had proven to be a little bit more difficult than he had expected and he’d been busy for an hour and a half!  

I spent two days in Intensive Care but I was in my room on Wednesday, still feeling very comfortable.  My dressing was getting changed every day but the wound only leaked from its drain for a couple of days and healed very quickly.  The incision had been closed using staples (you can see them in the x-ray) and I have to admit to being a little concerned about how that would feel when they came out as I’d had no experience with anything other than stiches previously and I can remember them hurting like crazy when they were pulled out in the past!  But that was a problem for ten days in the future.  The nerve block worked for three days but any discomfort was readily dealt with by a paracetamol and never caused me any trouble.  On the morning of Monday 23^rd February I was picked up by a taxi and taken to le Mont in Auzances.  When I say taxi I don’t mean some clapped out old Toyota private hire car or even a spanking new black cab.  No, this was a properly adapted minibus, complete with spaz ramp at the back. 

Ambulances and patient transport are all done differently here in France and this probably needs some explanation but even if it doesn’t I’m going to.  If, heaven forbid, you have an accident here the Sapeurs Pompiers attend the emergency.  These guys and gals first role is as Fire Bobbies but some are also fully trained paramedics and so attend as first responders.  They would treat the injuries at the scene and then get you to the nearest Hospital Accident Department.  There is a large Ambulance industry, most places have a local Ambulance firm who transport people to hospital on request in cars, minibuses or stretcher carrying vehicles.  They are supplemented by Taxi firms who have specialised vehicles for people like me.  It seems convoluted but it works.  Anyway, back to the story. 

The taxi driver was a great bloke, he knew exactly what to do with regard to me being released from le Chataigneraie helping with all the paper work and the bill (I had to pay 300€ – not a lot really when you see what they did, although the bill that went to the insurance company ran to three pages!)  He obviously knew the road and where the speed cameras were – there’s no way I’d have done the drive that quickly even when I had my legs – and I enjoyed a relaxed if speedy two hour drive to Auzances.   Karen and I had arranged to meet at le Mont and the driver stayed with us through the admission process there (another ten minutes) until I was safely delivered to the Rehabilitation ward on the first floor.  Karen and I then had the afternoon to get me settled in and get the lie of the land before the rehab started the next day.  

So then, my impressions of the French hospital service so far have been really impressive, but why shouldn’t they be given that those who look after us in hospitals anywhere do so because they care for people.  The treatment I had at le Chataigneraie was as professional and considerate as any I have experienced in the UK.  The medical, nursing and auxiliary staff were top-notch, kind and always smiling.  Every member of staff I met during the course of my day had a smile and a welcome for me, the food was great.  The detail of my impressions of my time here in le Mont will follow in my next blog, but for now suffice to say that I’m now typing with both sets of fingers, which was impossible before the operation and physio so it’s safe to say that things are going well.  In truth I was a bit dubious about whether having the op was going to be worth the trouble, but not now.  Anyway, enough for now, I’ll speak again soon. 

Thanks for tuning in, more next week 

Jem