Post-op

The op was on Monday andI only left hospital on Thursday. That's 5 days including Sunday. Discovery would throw a hissy fit if that happened here :-P.

My new ear didn't hurt, it was the 3 ribs that hurt. And they hurt A LOT!! That should be no reason to not have the op though!! The trick is to get out of bed the day after theatre. I walked to the cafeteria for some yummy French hot chocolate and also in the garden a little bit. I also sat in the recliner that was beside my bed ( good for the back which hurts because you sleep funny because of the rib pain).

The TV only had one channel (in French) even though the clinique's website said they had 28 including international channels. The hospital did have wifi (or weefee as they call it in France). It cost 6€ a day, which is worth it since it's uncapped! I could then skype and go on facebook on dad's tablet. Being the local bookworm though I spent a lot of time reading.

The nurses are great even though you speak half English half French, and don't give you attitude like some SA nurses I've had. The one nurse was grumpy sometimes, but I think it was because she was on nights that whole week.

Discharge was simple, and there were no long queues. And they ladies at the front also organised us a taxi so that we didn't have to take the métro back to our apartment :-)








Drains

I wasn't the only one who had an operation

Feeling a little shakey

The night before surgery all was well and I wasn't too nervous. The nurses gave me atarax to sleep. It used to knock me out when I used to take urticaria (hives) which I got from augmentin, but it didn't work this time.

The next morning however I felt extremely nervous. This always happens when I'm in a hospital I've never been to before, it also happens when I have a new surgeon. This time there was both!!

*Insert breakdown here*

It also didn't help that mom and dad were not allowed anywhere near theatre. I had to say goodbye in the ward. Not. Cool. At clinique bizet the theatre level is only accessible by inserting a key into the lift.

I swear entering the theatre complex was like entering some kind of inner sanctum. Once you get to the theatre level the porter uses a special disk to enter the theatre complex.

I must say the theatre staff were incredibly friendly and that calmed me down. Better than some people That have looked after me here. Theatre was GINORMOUS!! Our theatres are not even close in size!! I don't know what they do with all that space!!

I was in theatre for SIX hours, because Dr Firmin had to deal with all the scar tissue around my microtia.

In France, you stay in recovery until you are fully awake, and your nurse is happy with your vitals. So much better than when ward nurses come check on you every 5 minutes. I was in recovery for two hours, even with a TIVA (total intravenous anaesthetic..,.done with Michael Jackson's milk :-P). I think it would have been longer without the TIVA. I had such a sweet nurse...and for some reason I remember she was pretty too :-). I was so out of it and I don't remember having pain in recovery.

Draps and betadine

The reason you get admitted the day before is because of infection control.

Upon arrival at the ward, you are handed a red bottle of betadine. I remember thinking "HUH what is THIS for?? They usually only use it in theatre!!" It turns out that this will replace soap during your hospital stay. A nurse explained that I MUST bath AND wash my hair with it that night as well as the next morning before theatre (ew.). Also everytime I had a bath post-op I had to use it (I was only required to wash my hair with it those two times).

When we enquired about getting towels we were told to "utilisé le drap" (use the sheet!!!!!). The whole time in the hospital I had to use a sheet to dry myself. It was weird at the time, but dad figured it out quite quickly (being the germophobe he is :-P). Germs like to live in the fluffy bits of towels (it's true, I did my own research) and in a hospital setting, there can be lots of funky germs floating around!!

By the way Clinique Bizet has the best rating a French hospital can get for infection control. Clearly their different ways of doing things is working :-)




Betadine




Le drap

Admission to Clinique Bizet

Dr Sokoloff will send you straight from his office to the hospital (two streets away). Remember, this is 2-3 days pre-op. the purpose of this visit is to sort out paperwork...so much nicer than here, where you stand in long queues on the day of admission!!

The people at admission do speak fairly good English so communication is no problem. This is also when you pay for your stay. Dr Firmin's PA will advise how much to pay.

In France, you are admitted at 16:00 the day before surgery. It is quite nice because you can get used to your surroundings so you don't feel too anxious on the day of surgery, because you will know how things work.

J'aime Paris!!!!!

IF you are able to afford to spend a few days pre-op in Paris, I would recommend it!!!! I LOVE Paris!!!!!
After surgery, the ribs are quite sore, so tourist attractions are not good because of the loooong queues you have to stand and walk in.

I went to futuroscope a day after discharge, and while I loved it, I was in a LOT of pain and my rib incision started to ooze. Not. Good.

If you don't have money for this, after the op I would recommend taking slow short walks in the area where you're staying. Walking around Paris is something special!!




Eiffel Tower (yes I took the photo!!)




Futuroscope (note the bandage!)




Sacre cœur




Arc de triomphe

The French-Russian with the awesome bike

Dr Firmin works with a great anaesthetist by the name of Dr sokoloff. You have to speak half English half French with him, but the guy knows his stuff and will look after you / your child well.

In France things work a little differently. You are required to see the anaesthetist at LEAST 48 hours prior to surgery. I quite like this, because you are less anxious and so will remember all the questions you need to ask, AND you won't have to rush through medical history.

Also before leaving for France Dr Firmin's office will ask that you get some bloods and a chest x-ray done. It's standard practice there and it is to make sure that all is well when you go to theatre :-)

Now, about that bike... He had a bicycle in his office that looked a little different to your typical bike (it looked quite cool actually!!). We asked about it and he said it was ELECTRIC!! Too cool!! I want one... Where does one buy one in SA?? Hmmmm...

Parlez-vous Français?? / Do you speak French??

If you are going to Paris for an ear op, I would suggest that you learn a little bit of French. Nothing too complicated. Just hello, how are you, my name is.. etc. if you start speaking English straight away, chances are the Parisian will ignore you. If you start with bonjour comment allez-vous they will probably gladly help you if you speak English afterwards. The best way to learn is if you get the 24/7 tutor app for your apple device. I'm sure there's an android version as well.