When John Browne felt a stabbing pain below his stomach while more than 110 miles from home in the North Sea, he had no idea what was in store for him.
Over the next 24 hours, the father-of-two endured a pain so severe began fearing the worst – and wondering what would happen to his wife and children.
But after being airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the Inverurie oil worker was immediately put at ease thanks to the dedication of the doctors, nurses and porters.
Last night he praised their efforts, and said they were so inspirational he had developed a new appreciation for life.
Mr Browne’s ordeal began last Saturday, when he was trying to get some sleep on a boat in the Forties oil field.
He said: “I’ve never felt pain like that in my life.
“It was just a constant, stabbing pain, it was so severe I couldn’t think of anything else.”
He was airlifted to hospital late the next night, and medics quickly diagnosed him with appendicitis and scheduled an operation.
“From the moment I got off the helicopter to when I was discharged, the help and attention I got from all the staff at ARI was phenomenal,” Mr Browne said.
“Everybody had so many people to deal with, but they always had a smile on their face and time to listen to what I wanted to say, if I asked for anything then they were always willing to help.”
Mr Browne admitted that although it was a routine operation, he and his family were still scared.
“It was the scariest part of my wife’s life, the idea of losing me, she was genuinely scared I might die,” he said.
“I felt panicky when I was told by the staff that I was going in for an operation, because I’ve never had one before, but they did such a good job at making me feel calm, especially the staff in ward 505, particularly Helen and Lauren.”
The father-of-two said he kept running through what could have happened if he had not made it off the boat in time, and that he admired staff for dealing with emergencies so calmly.
“Those people have to go through that hundreds if not thousands of times, and they have to remain positive and happy constantly for all of these people in the darkest moments of their lives.
“And then they have to go home to be mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and deal with their own problems in their own lives.
“I feel genuinely as if I have a much more positive outlook on life because of the staff at that hospital.”
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