My Sleep Apnea Surgery Experience – Surgery Day

Earlier on, I had started sharing my recovery journal from my sleep apnea surgery. I had hoped that by documenting the recovery process, I could also help those who are about to embark on a similar journey to be mentally prepared. 

I realised that the experience journal wouldn’t be complete without the actual surgery experience. Again, I wanted to share this experience to help dispel fears and concern for those contemplating to take the surgery route to solve their sleep apnea problem. This is more of shedding light on what to expect, rather than medical advice.

This is what I went through for my sleep apnea surgery. It consisted of 3 procedures to widen my breathing passageways in my nasal cavity and at my throat. Throughout this operation, I would be under general anaesthesia (GA). And because of it, I would also be warded for a day in the high dependency ward for post-surgery observation.

Pre-Surgery Preparations – Preparing for the Big Day

On the Friday prior, I received an SMS instructing me to report to the surgery clinic at 6.45am. As such, I woke up at 5am to start preparing for the big day. 

The night before, I had started fasting. Though I admit I had a rather festive meal to seal the day, as I knew it would be weeks before I would relish in savoury rich food again. I also showered with the lotion given by the hospital. We were to lather it all over our body and leave it on for 5 minutes before washing them off. In the morning after, we had to repeat the shower process.

I was advised to bring minimal stuff, as there would be a period of time during surgery when the belongings would be safe kept by the staff. This is especially a headache for people reporting for surgery alone. I chose my handphone charger and powerbank, as well as a pair of slippers, shower gel and dental kit. And thankfully, all fit into my pouch!

Arrival at the Hospital and Pre-Surgery Procedures – The Countdown Begins

I reached slightly earlier, and waited around until the clinic opened. Compared to the last time when I had the pre-operation diagnosis, I was quickly processed and ushered to the inner sanctum of the clinic.

I was asked to change into the operation gown, which consisted of 2 layers. I also changed into a pair of disposable slippers and a shower cap. We were to put our personal belongings into a tamper evident bag like that used in the airport’s duty free shops. Our details were printed on the bag. We could still use our phones while waiting for our turn. When the time comes, we would dump everything in the bag and the staff would seal it in front of us.

Then, I was led to the bed on which I would be pushed to the operation theatre. All the staff was concerned that I would feel cold, but they underestimated my heat generating capabilities! A nifty blanket was really all I needed.

I was pushed into a waiting room, where nurses confirmed my identity and type of surgery repeatedly, and to fix all the monitoring devices onto me. The anaesthesia doctor/nurse also came by to fix the tube to my hand, where the medication would be pumped into my body. That tube would also stick with me (literally!) till I got discharged from the hospital.

Surgery and Recovery – Going Under the Knife

I was next pushed into the main operating theatre, where I moved to the operating table (by myself, since I was still mobile). I managed to sneak a peek at the wall clock and did a time check at 8.28am. After making sure that I was comfortable (they tried to put the tube blowing hot hair under the blanket again, to which I rejected) (they also fixed an armrest by the bed to prevent my hand from slipping off the table), the nurse pressed the breathing mask onto my face and asked me to breathe through my mouth.

When I next regained consciousness, the surgery was over and I was in the holding room where they monitored patients recovering from GA. Unlike the last time when I had the pre-operation diagnosis, I couldn’t regain full consciousness while I was in the room. I kept slipping into sleep. I remembered at one point of time the nurse asked if I wanted to pee and was handed a urinal. But I just couldn’t do it despite feeling my bladder bursting. I was either unable to control my motor actions fully, or was just too anxious at having to pee in front of all the nurses.

Giving up, I laid back in my bed again hoping the GA would wear off quickly. Before I knew it, my bed was moving and I knew I was to be pushed to my ward where I would recover from the surgery.

Funny enough, even though I didn’t have a clear mind, my body was still rather active. I could shift myself onto my bed at the nurse’s requests, and shift my body around for her to put on my clothes; I was both in control and helpless. I managed to see that I was at the ward at 3.30pm. Wow! 7 hours had passed! Eventually, I requested to pee again and this time succeeded. It was my first time using a portable urinal, so I made a mess and had to change to a new set of pants again. Oh gosh… 

Post-Surgery Observations and Recovery

In the next few hours, I slipped in and out of consciousness. Or rather, my brain was so groggy, I couldn’t stay awake for more than 10 minutes. My memories of the ward became snippets. 

Snippet 1: A nurse came by and set 2 jugs of iced water by my bed. She said the one with the porcelain cup was for drinking, and the disposable cup was for gargling (should I feel something stuck in my throat). 

Snippet 2: A nurse (not sure if she was the same one) came by to tell me that I had dressing up my nose, so I should breathe through my mouth. I couldn’t really comprehend her at that point of time. All I knew was that I couldn’t breathe through my nose, so I was breathing through my mouth already.

Snippet 3: The patient opposite me was all ready to be discharged, but the doctor had yet to sign the papers. So he and his family were blasting videos on their phones. Did I regret choosing ward B1? Nah… I’m quite immune to noise and the GA was making me sleep no matter how much of a racket they were making.

Snippet 4: A nurse came by to bring me my belongings that I had handed over to them prior to the surgery. That was when I could get access to my handphone. However, I took another nap before I regained enough chakra to tear the bag open to get my phone. My ACP nominee messaged me that he had received SKH’s SMS informing the details of my ward.

Snippet 5: The clan of the patient diagonally opposite me gathered at dinner time. 

Snippet 6: The guy on the bed beside me started talking on the phone to his colleague. That was when I knew the reason he was warded and it sounded like his company treated him badly. But oh well…

Initial Challenges and Discomfort

My dinner came. I thought they had skipped my dinner since I just finished surgery. My meal consisted of strained vegetable soup, orange juice and soya pudding. It was simple, but trust me, I couldn’t finish it. Pain from swallowing aside, it was difficult to try to swallow stuff when I could only breathe through my mouth. There was a lot of coordination required to ensure I didn’t accidentally breathe when the liquid was in my mouth. I choked a few times earlier when I tried to take a few sips of water. I ended up just taking a few sips of the soup and finished the orange juice to get essential vitamins into my body.

The nurse had fixed a gauze bolster under my nose to “catch my bleeding”. The bolster always ended up bloody after I drifted off to sleep. Why? When awake, I could consciously control my breathing. Somehow, when I fell asleep, my mind would switch to breathing through my nose, which of course I couldn’t. The suffocation would eventually wake me up, and that was when I realised my bolster was blood soaked.

The gauze was fixed onto my face with the medical tape. Each time the nurse replaced the bolster, it felt like a layer of my face was also ripped off with the tape. Even the nurse noticed that my face was reacting badly to the tape. Unfortunately, she still had to change the bolster and fix the tape on my face.

Parting Words

Sadly, the GA was not wearing off 6 hours after my surgery. I struggled to stay awake, but the throbbing headache would send me back to lalaland. Despite mentally preparing for what was to come on surgery day, I was still wasted by the anaesthesia. Thankfully, I was under the professional hands of the medical team, who took care of me when I was at my most vulnerable. And that was how I spent the first day of my surgery.

Read on for more of my journey detailing my decision to take on the surgery, the preparation for discharge from hospitalisation and my recovery journal.