SAULT STAR COLUMN: Navigating my surgical journey

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My first post-operative night in the Intensive Care Unit at Health Sciences North in Sudbury was a learning experience. I was in and out of my sedated world’s reality and don’t remember most of it, except what I have been told. 

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That was Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, after a six-hour surgery and all the procedures that went with it, before, during and after. But a lot of final updates had to be completed several weeks prior to the surgery to ensure I was healthy enough to go through with it. 

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As the big date with my surgery fast approached, my daughter-in-law Shannon drove me to Sudbury for more preoperative testing. One of those appointments was about two weeks before surgery, while the other was about two weeks prior to that. 

I had tests with each encounter, but with the first one I had to use a wheelchair to get around the hospital, which was a very large teaching facility. When I entered the surgeon’s office for follow up, he was surprised to see me weak, thin and in a wheelchair. 

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I explained that the chemotherapy and radiation I had completed recently really did a number on me. The radiation to my chest had caused so much inflammation to the esophagus as it was aimed at the tumour. I couldn’t eat or drink because of severed pain and burning. 

The weight and muscle mass just melted off my frame, and I looked the part. I had three encounters at Sault Area Hospital with sudden onset of atrial fibrillation. I was admitted to the emergency department each time and administered intravenous magnesium and potassium. 

I was released within twelve hours, stabilized but weak and frail. My surgeon in Sudbury picked up on my health status during my first consultation and expressed concern about the upcoming surgery which was going to be a major life changing surgical intervention. 

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The surgeon was most likely aware of all of this, as he would have access to my medical notes at Sault Area Hospital. But I believe he was following up to ensure I had the mindset to have this surgery. 

My response to him was a positive one in a sense that I had made a decisive and informed choice to have the surgery. I wanted the cancer gone, extricated from my body, and I was aware of the risks. 

I also knew what I had to do as a patient to challenge these risks and work toward a positive recovery. We agreed the surgery could go ahead as I had a healthy frame of mind. 

My daughter in law Shannon drove me to Sudbury the day before my surgery and we stayed in the Travelway Inn right beside the hospital. The morning of the surgery we walked over to the surgical day care department for six am. 

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I no longer needed a wheelchair and wanted my surgeon to know that as I was so emboldened by my progress. I was also humbled by the fact that this esophageal cancer was caught very early thanks to the onset of serious symptoms that could not be ignored. 

After all the preliminaries were secured, Shannon and I were taken to the operating room where we waited in the hallway. At eight o’clock sharp, I was called, and I walked into the room under my own steam, with a clear mind and faith in my surgical team. 

Six or seven hours later I woke up in ICU bed one. My daughter-in-law was told in a report about how I did through the surgery, that it all went well, and I would likely be drowsy and not too responsive until all the medication and anesthesia wore off. 

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She told me the next day that this wasn’t the case, I was awake talking and asking for my phone while surrounded by monitors, pumps, intravenous lines and chest tubes. 

I do not remember any of this, and that’s a good thing because I would likely be a bit embarrassed. But early on my first post-operative day, I was awake and ready to take on the world by doing what I was asked to do by my caregivers. 

Being a nurse, I had the reality of seeing the health care system from the inside out rather than the other way around. So, listening to what I was being told, asking questions and if I didn’t understand was what I did. 

If something hadn’t seemed right, asking for direction or confirmation wasn’t unreasonable. But once I was comfortable with my decision, I moved ahead with confidence and a positive approach. 

The doctor patient relationship is a collaborative one, or it should be if patients have access to primary health care. It requires a back-and-forth dialogue as well as feeling supported. 

After four nights and three days in the ICU, I was moved to the surgical floor and a new journey began. 

Patricia Baker is a Sault Star district correspondent, columnist and retired Sault Area Hospital nurse    

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