"Tonsillectomy"

I had bacterial problems with my tonsils/throat (Quinsy) which required removal. I arrived at Raigmore Hospital the ward and got ready and signed the required forms. After the tonsillectomy I felt some discomfort and pain, which was to be expected but after nearly a week I was still struggling to eat and drink but I had to attend a work thing down in Greenock. The morning after arriving in Greenock I woke up to get ready to attend my work thing, so I took my antibiotics and painkillers with some water but after struggling to swallow I then felt like I was going to be sick, so I rushed to the toilet but to my surprise it was just blood coming out and it wouldn’t stop flowing (about 15 minutes), meanwhile my partner noticed something was wrong so tries phoning for an ambulance which wouldn’t arrive for a while so once the blood seemed to have stopped I put on some clothes and we phone a taxi to take us to the nearest hospital (Inverclyde).

Once there the staff were brilliant, I got seen to very quickly and had cannulas put in to both arms and some medicine administered. I then got told I was being taken by ambulance to Glasgow (Queen Elizabeth University Hospital) to see the ENT specialists there, once inside I had to wait a little while as it was very busy (understandable) I then get seen and told I was being kept in for observation (24 hours) as they believed that there was a clot that had burst causing my bleeding. Throughout the day I was well cared for by the nurses and staff who kept making sure everything was ok and medication was administered throughout and that I had water and tea or coffee. My parents who have family from Glasgow travelled down as they were worried about me having to stay in hospital with nothing but the clothes I turned up in, so once they arrived they were updated about me and I said that I’d feel better if I had my stuff from the hotel in Greenock brought to me.

At about 10/11 o’clock at night they arrive back at the ward and I finally had a change of clothes, so I tell them that I’d like to go for a shower and get changed before going to bed, when suddenly my mouth just starts filling up with blood again so I get the cardboard cup and it starts filling up quickly. My parents then press for assistance and very quickly the room is filled with doctors and nurses, one of the doctors grabs a tool and tells me that it’s going to be extremely uncomfortable and to try stay as still as possible while he’s pressing the tool against the bleed in my throat, after what felt like ages and a lot of blood lost (nearly a litre), I’m sweating profusely to a point they bring a fan in to cool me down. Once the doctor managed to stem the bleed and I am lying back on the bed I have fluids getting administered rapidly while they get me booked back in for surgery, after some quick formalities I’m wheeled down to the theatre, once in the theatre room the doctors are talking me through what’s going on and what’s about to happen then I’m put under general so they can do what they have to.

I then wake up about a couple of hours later and once back in the ward the doctors and nurses are explaining what has happened and the work they have carried out. They told me that they had to redo the work and asked questions about the original tonsillectomy, which I thought was strange. After all that I felt so relieved as I couldn’t feel any pain in my throat and even managed to drink some water hassle free but with little discomfort which was a massive difference than when I had the original work done. It’s now been months since the surgery and it’s been incredible as I have had no problems at all with eating, drinking, breathing or sleeping, I apparently don’t snore as loudly or often anymore. This is all thanks to the ambulance paramedics at Inverclyde, the doctors and nurses at Inverclyde hospital, the doctors, nurses and surgeons at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.