I had the pre-assessment appointments at the treatment centre on Monday. Initially I saw an HCA to do usual observations, and then the pre-assessment nurse. I then saw the anaesthetist to plan how he is going to knock me out. Needless to say we had some interesting discussions about options, given my spinal problems and lack of feeling in my right foot. Having rated nail removal as one of the most painful things we experience (comforting!) he said he would use a general anaesthetic, and usually supplement it with an epidural or ring block around the toes or ankles. Given my spinal cord issues he felt an epidural wasn’t viable as he couldn’t be sure my spinal cord was in the right place in the lumbar region, and so there was too much risk trying to inject next to it. There is also a chance the drug itself will have an adverse effect. Toe or ankle ring block it is then.
Having decided I’m perfectly ok to go ahead with a general anaesthetic, he said I would get a call in the next few days with an offer of a date for surgery, which he expected to happen in the next 6 weeks.
Sure enough, I got a call yesterday and have been booked in on Friday 5th October. I was planning on taking that week off, but will take the week after instead to give myself plenty of time to recover. It will be a good chance to do some house packing as well.