When I was very young, as a child in the 1940s, we lived on the coast and my mum was a
tremendous believer, as people were those days, of keeping in the sun and I spent
much too much of my childhood in the sun. I think because I've got fair hair
that's what really caused my problems and I think there's an awful lot of
people from my generation who have suffered,
rather like people in Australia and South Africa who have suffered,
because people of that period didn't realise how bad it was to be in the sun so much.
Yeah, they're very good, very good like that. Excellent, yes.
And they sort of talk you through everything and, quite rightly,
they treat you...they don't treat you as though you're an idiot,
but they tell you everything from basics upwards you know.
So from that side of things, it's pretty good, or very good, very good.
And they always explain to you what they're going to do
even though I've been through this routine so many times,
they still saying 'now we're going to do this and do that'. And when the whole thing is over they always
say to you... tell you what to do and they give you a bit of paper
saying what to do when you get home and how to look after the wound and so on and so forth.
But as I say, they always brief you beforehand.
On the day of the surgery I rolled up here and you always have to wait a bit because it's
very busy and so on and you read a book or do whatever you want to do.
And then one is...you're told the time has come
to do the operation on you, and you go in there and one puts on one of those extraordinary gowns
that they love and hospitals which I can never get. You put your arms in first and
you have to tie the neck up, you know, and I can never get them on so I always have to get
the nurse to do it for me because I'm so stiff. And then you go in and..and even for just
something on your face, which is what I was having, you still have, obviously you
take your shirt off and so on, and put this gown on.
Really I suppose you go down and lie on one of those
medical couches as it were. And they adjust it and make it comfortable and so on.
And I always found myself talking away to the doctors and nurses and asking them
what they're doing and where they've come from
and what their backgrounds are. I quite like talking to them.
And then they, I suppose the next stage really is they sort of dab you with various liquids
and then they give you an injection and the, I mean I always find the injection is, again there's nothing to
be terribly frightened of. They're so good now, the anaesthetics and they take
effect very quickly. I mean I think what people dread is that they sort of jab you and then
they sort of prod you with a pin and they say 'can you feel it?' you know after they've put it in.
And you say no, and I think what people always dread is that they'll start sawing away
and you'll feel it you know, because the anaesthetic won't have worked.
But basically I mean one just lies there
and, obviously keeping as still as you can and because the anaesthetic is painless but
it is, as I say, I found it rather interesting to know what they were actually doing.
You need to be quite patient, particularly this big one on my forehead, I mean I can't remember
how long it did go on for, but it's a slow business, not so much the actual cutting out of the thing
but the sewing you up, it's a very slow intricate needlework. It's like doing a very fine
tapestry or something. Fascinating.
I sometimes find that these sort of operations that I've been having here for these little rodent ulcers,
there's no, they're not uncomfortable or sore or painful after the event.
I mean you have to look after them and as I say you have to walk around with these
plasters or bandages on you, which is rather embarrassing if they're on your face!
But otherwise, certainly it's not painful or uncomfortable or anything like that.
Very happy, absolutely thrilled. I mean this one on my forehead, I don't know if you can see, but I mean it's
extraordinary, there is, it was about that about that size, this flap that they lifted up and then sewed back in.
I'm relieved not to have this rather annoying pimple type thing you know?
Which was red and sore and
occasionally bleeding so it's a great relief to be shot of the beastly thing.
They did a wonderful job getting rid of it. I thought they might do something frightful but so far so good! [laughs]
Yes I mean I would certainly, if people are worried about or wondering about whether to
go ahead with this kind of surgery I would certainly say yes for goodness
sake do again can get good advice and you'll be well looked after and I'm sure you'll benefit from it.