Michelle 'ecstatic' to be home after same-day brain surgery
A FORMER bus driver who was successfully discharged home from hospital the same day she had major brain surgery has thanked the “fantastic” medical team who looked after her – and may even be inspired to now work for the NHS as a result.
In a regional first, Michelle Steers (55) underwent a craniotomy to remove a benign meningioma at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital led by consultant neurosurgeon and Fellowship-trained specialist brain tumour surgeon Mr Veejay Bagga plus a team of nurses, theatre staff and anaesthetists.
The four-hour operation involves removing a small part of the skull to reach and remove the tumour and typically requires a postoperative hospital stay of two to four days.
But Michelle, who lives in East Dene, said she was “ecstatic” to be back home exactly 12 hours after having her surgery, thanks to a pioneering approach undertaken at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
“I can’t tell you how good it’s been,” she said.
“It’s been absolutely brilliant.”
Michelle was also supported by an enhanced recovery programme which included early mobilisation and counselling to minimise post-operative stress.
The surgical procedure is not performed anywhere else in the region and this was the first time a patient undergoing this type of complex brain surgery had been successfully discharged the same day as their operation at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – the only other centre in the UK known to have achieved this is Southampton.
Michelle was diagnosed with meningioma – a common brain tumour that starts in the delicate tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord – in December last year.
But the journey to have her operation has not been easy, with Michelle, a bus driver for 20 years, having to give up her job as she’s not currently able to drive.
“My whole world fell apart,” she said.
“I was having constant, pulsating pain in my head, headaches, earaches and my speech was affected, too.
“It was my choice to have the surgery – it potentially could have been left where it was – but I felt I couldn’t carry on as I was.”
Michelle says she now feels “brilliant” and is starting to look for work again – and even thinking about applying for jobs in the NHS.
“It’s like I’ve never had a brain tumour – I can’t even see the scar, it’s so tiny, and they didn’t even have to shave my head due to the surgical technique they used,” she said.
“The operation was fantastic – it was like having a tooth pulled.
“I’m so grateful to the team.”
Mr Veejay Bagga said: “Removing even the simplest of tumours in and around the brain has risks, but everything went as planned and there were no complications.
“The tumour was in a favourable position and Michelle was fit and well going into the surgery, meaning that – with the right support and counselling both before and after surgery – we were able to mobilise her early and get her home on the same day.”