"Pre-anaesthetic advice"

I am writing concerning what seems to be misleading correspondence received from Bunbury Hospital and the associated aspect of a pre-anaesthetic appointment, as yet unresolved and now urgent, relating to my upcoming scheduled surgery.

In a letter I received a few months ago from Bunbury Hospital, I was informed about my ‘Pre Admiss Pre Anaes’ telephone appointment. The appointment went ahead and the Admissions RN was helpful, as I’ve always found her to be. However, the appointment did not include the promised pre-anaesthetic component. Apparently the letter I received doesn’t reflect the situation in Bunbury Hospital but ‘can’t be changed’ because of its applicability to other WACHS sites. Whilst I understand the benefits of standardisation, when appropriate, it seems the letter leaves prospective Bunbury patients misinformed, confused and with no clear pathway to the next step in the patient journey.

With my surgery upcoming, I was yet to hear from the anaesthetist about if and when I needed to stop taking low-dose cardio aspirin. If 10 days before surgery, as some sources suggest, that would be in a couple of days time. From what I understand, failing to stop the medication within the right window carries risks of complications during surgery or in recovery, or may prompt surgery to be postponed. I believe unnecessarily stopping it early has other risks such as clotting and a subsequent cardiovascular or cerebrovascular incident. Rock and a hard place for someone such as myself, lacking authoritative direction on the matter.

The letter from Bunbury Hospital also stated in capital letters ‘You will recieve a call from a private number'. I have received a call from the same mobile number, a week apart and at a similar time, which I did not answer, suspecting a telemarketer or scammer. In hindsight, perhaps that was the anaesthetist attempting to make contact, but the call was not coming from the expected ‘private number’.

Where does that leave me? Following the aftermath of surgery (the surgery itself exemplary) at Bunbury Hospital a few years ago, I am already feeling anxious and unsafe at having to return there. Exacerbating my distress is the frustration that, despite multiple efforts to find out what to do about my low-dose cardio aspirin prior to surgery, I am yet to receive a straight answer to this essential question in a timely manner.