Long story short - It's Feb 2024 and I have recently had knee surgery involving an ACL reconstruction and a meniscus repair. First appointment was the pre-assessment. As always, got asked what the go is with my skin and I was thinking "Well, when it comes to the medical condition question, I would have told you it's psoriasis."

The nurse had red flags given the amount of lesions I had at the time, despite them being in remission, there were a fair few that were dotted red. She had concerns of the healing process, high risk of infection and if a lesion via key hole were to leak into my blood, it could cause a severe flare. After a quick chat, she brought in the surgeon that will be operating on me (we'll call him Surgeon A) to have a look. Without any hesitation, he immediately gave me a date for surgery. The nurse said I will have to be on antibiotics either both before and after surgery or just after and to try manage my skin as best I can. 

And lastly, gradual sun exposure and now remission. The spots are flat and just shows you where the lesion was. This is great for me! I feel comfortable enough to wear t-shirts, as my forearms are clear and don't look so angry. 

SURGERY DAY - 

My admission time was lunch time. I was starving, nervous, anxious and waiting. When the time came to be prepped into my hospital attire, I got asked the medical condition question and she was also red flagged. The nurse had said she wanted the surgeon/doctor to come out and have a look to see if they'd like to proceed. Well, 3.5 hours later, another surgeon (we'll call him Surgeon B) takes one look and says: "Nope, no, if I had seen you at your pre-assessment, I would have sent you to a dermatologist first."

Surgeon B pointed to where they needed to do the procedure and to him, my spots looked red. Emphasising to someone who maybe isn't well educated on psoriasis (not everyone is I know!) that the pigmentation means remission, it was still a flat no. He then took a photo to show Surgeon A who gave him a straight no too. So, here is me, sitting there frustrated and confused as to why they gave me the go ahead in the first place, to cancel me just over half an hour before I was going in.

Not. Happy. Jan!!

They have a protocol to follow where patients see the Hospital's dermatologist before upcoming surgeries. This is to see if they can better the skin as best they can. No one had discussed this with me! To top off fasting for about 16hours, they had given me a script for cream I already use. I was furious! You fill out medical forms for them to read, stating what medication you take, for them to not read it?! In this heated moment, I was frustrated at the incompetence of Surgeon A, that Surgeon B ended up copping the sh#t end of the stick from me. 

Despite frustrations, eventually calming down, I was grateful that Surgeon B saw me and explicitly informed me of the risks and why they didn't do it that day. The nurse told me little snippets but his information was more thorough. I was told my surgery was going to be booked within a month after meeting with their dermatologist within two weeks from cancelled surgery day. 

AND WE ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER....

PSYCH! 

Well do I have news for you! 1 week later I get a call from the Admissions Office. They have a new date for me, 1 week from the call, 2 weeks after my cancelled surgery. I said "Are you sure?" due to them wanting me to see their dermatologist first and the receptionist said the doctor gave it the okay because of the cream (Enstillar Foam) I'm using...

FAST FORWARD -

IT'S SURGERY DAY!

I was admitted at 7am, dressed within half an hour and taken to the pre-op room. A doctor had come within 30-40minutes to check me out. He had a look at my skin, we had a little chat and I showed him what a flare up looks like (that photo above from alcohol consumption). He said he wanted to show Surgeon A and get back to me. He didn't return and instead I met my anaesthetist and the nurse that would be with me throughout my surgery too. Guess the ball was rolling then! I had a dose of antibiotics before I went under and before I know it, it was sleep time.

Now picture that TikTok or Reel voice saying..

"A FEW MOMENTS LATER!"

POST SURGERY -

We did it. My skin is still the best it has ever been, not even a flared spot where they operated *touch wood*. We are feeling good. The only thing at the moment, the big slice below the right side of the knee, is still opened after the stitches had dissolved. Probably the most sore out of them all and it may just take a little longer to heal. 

Overall, it was a bigger deal than I expected. The first cancellation and big fuss caused me more stress for a few days. I never realised psoriasis affected circumstances like these and the seriousness of it. It's better to be safe than sorry because psoriasis is one of the most UNPREDICTABLE things EVER! I'm glad we've made it and I'm so proud of my skin for pulling through.