One week after the operation and I have sure learned a lot about having surgery. I did a great deal of research into not just what would be done, but where it would be done and by whom. I was also well prepared by my surgeon and others for what was to come. Nonetheless, you really have to go through it to appreciate experiencing a major procedure.I had two hips resurfaced. The first thing I learned was this leaves you with no good leg to stand on (a new experience for me?), which can make things a little harder. I appreciate even more keenly now the work of the nurses and doctors and other staff at the hospital for making me comfortable and helping me to adjust to the challenges of working through how surgery has affected and will affect my body.I also now know the value of having access to help like a nurse anesthetist when you are managing pain post-surgery. Sure, no one would promise a pain-free experience. But, the management was well done (I should know, as one of my jobs back home is to help patients with pain management). The nurse also recognized the need for a balance between comfort and getting on the road to recovery.I commend all of the staff, from the porters and service personnel giving a friendly and empathetic nod as they passed my room, to the managers and executives who would ask how I was doing and what they could do to help make my stay even better. Furthermore, the nursing and medical staff attended to me with compassion and empathy.A shout out to my fellow patients who are on the journey with me, from the man here with his wife who was looking to solve a hip problem to improve his quality of life (kind of like myself), to the sweet lady who reminded me of my mother right when such a reminder was important.There were tears when I left the hospital. Those who attended to me should be proud of how their caring made a difficult time not just endurable, but enriching. Each of the last few days of physiotherapy, mending, and getting back to a normal existence has brought a new challenge. But, progress and support from the physiotherapist and surgeons has helped make each day better than the last.Of course, the GHC staff has been there all along the way attending to our every need expediently, coming late in the night to check a dressing issue, and always asking if there was anything else they could do. The personality, friendliness, and affability of the people here have become important parts of my recovery. For example, you meet informally for breakfast by the pool with your surgeon before your surgery. And people here are interested in more than just your health. Rather, it’s a social atmosphere where people eat together while sharing stories, jokes and laughs.The shared sense of community and encouragement from everyone urging you to get better, the compliments from hotel staff cheering you on, other visitors chatting and asking about your story—as a patient, the support from all of these quarters means a lot.Recovering in this way has been far better than being hidden in a corner or being isolated from society. I am not sure what the perfect way to spend the first week after surgery is, but I can tell you that I can’t think of anything that has been missing. This is all helped by the dedicated work of a lot of people. I look forward to the next week until I head home.I’d like to thank Dawn, Kelly, Ed and Miriam with GHC, Drs. Jim and Joe, and the wonderful hospital and staff here in Providenciale. There are countless other names, but I have to specifically mention Jolly as she had the most contact with me, and the most responsibility for making the memories of a hospital stay all happy ones. Thanks also to Fraser the physiotherapist, the resort staff, and even guests here and residents of the area for their well wishes in my journeys around town. This healthcare experience has been vastly different than any I have experienced in my entire life—and, so far, there have been none richer.I especially look forward to incorporating what I’ve learned here about how to treat patients into my practice now that I have had the opportunity to walk in their shoes.
