A mother has spoken of her frustration after getting her operation cancelled while lying on the operation table after confessing she'd recently eaten two Tic Tacs, Birmingham Live reports. She had been waiting for a tonsils removal operation for "10 long years".
Taking to Mumsnet to anonymously share the disappointing experience, the mum wrote: "Today I had my long awaited operation that has been cancelled four times. I arrived at 7.30, to be told I wasn't due in theatre for four hours and that I wasn't allowed to go anywhere. I had a couple of Tic Tacs as I was STARVING."
After being taken into theatre and having a drip placed in her hand, she was asked if she'd eaten anything prior to the surgery, and she confessed that she'd had "a couple of mints in the waiting room".
She added: "The anaesthetist said we can't go ahead, then the surgeon started saying to me we should take this opportunity to reassess the situation as tonsillectomy is a big procedure and can be very painful." Following some questioning about her "inflamed tonsils", the surgeon said she didn't need them removing at all.
The anonymous poster said she had managed to hold it together after hearing the news "on the operating table with a drip in my hand", but "burst into tears" once she had left the room. She said: "I was dismissed immediately and told maybe I don't really need the procedure. I wished I had kept my stupid mouth shut. I'm way too honest."
She had believed that eating the Tic Tacs would be fine because she had read online that "the nil by mouth procedure" before receiving an anaesthetic was "quite outdated".
Other Mumsnet users did not reserve much sympathy for the mother, with one user, AardvarkParty, writing: "I'm sorry you weren't able to have your operation but you only have yourself to blame. What a colossal waste of time for you and the hospital staff!"
Another user, Howabsolutelyfanf***ingtastic, wrote: "The rules I posted above are from the NHS website and they even say that chewing gum should be avoided. I think you are being unreasonable."
LIZS wrote: "Aspiration during surgery is a genuine risk and can have nasty, possibly fatal, consequences. Sorry but you only have yourself to blame and it must have been very frustrating for healthcare professionals involved."
One user took a sympathetic view. MistressoftheDarkSide wrote: "I'm really sorry this has happened to you - and understand your frustration. I can't imagine that two Tic Tacs, which would essentially dissolve almost instantly into nothing would have been enough to render you high risk for the op though. I hope you get another opportunity soon and wish you well x".
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