Here are some tips from a Hospitalized Chairman!

On Friday, April 29, I felt a serious pain in my abdomen. By the end of the day I’d had emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder.?

I was in hospital for eight days, three of which were spent in Intensive Care.?

Globally, more than 310 million major surgeries are performed each year. According to the World Health Organization, complications after inpatient operations occur in up to 25% of patients. That’s what happened to me.

I wasn’t nearly prepared enough for the situation I suddenly found myself in, but thinking about it a bit in advance would certainly have helped. That’s why I have decided to share my experience. If some of this information is useful to just one person then it will have been worth it.

Here are some observations and tips I’ve picked up in the last week:

In ICU, you are not the boss anymore - You are just a body. You are completely in the hands of the medical staff. Their goal is clear and focussed: To get you out and back to your life. You have to help them as much as you can. In order to do that, you have to try understand what is happening, and not hesitate to ask questions. What is the objective? What are we trying to achieve? Medical material, drugs and healthcare personnel can perform miracles, but if you can also find ways to mobilise your own resources, and participate actively to the effort, there is no doubt you will progress faster. Not to mention it will keep you busy and focused.

There are a lot of tubes! - After surgery, you need multiple channels open to pump in or extract out. At any one time, I had at least seven tubes sticking out of me, including: A catheter in my neck with multiple entries for medication; Another catheter in my arm; Another in my hand; A pipe from my nose to my stomach to collect fluid; A drain in my belly taking away the blood from the operation; A urinary catheter; An oxygen tube to help me breath.?When most of these tubes go in, with any luck you are heavily sedated. But when they come out… Well. Let’s just say you have to be brave! There is no room for embarrassment or complaint. This equipment and medication is here to help.?

Say yes to slow - Suddenly, you are moving way more slowly. Every action or movement you have taken for granted your whole life becomes a challenge to overcome. You will feel 20-30 years older! Surgery puts a huge strain on your body. You have to be patient and determined if you want to go back your normal daily life (putting on your clothes, taking a shower, etc…).

You need a new set of KPIs - You are not in the office any more. Objectives are no longer about growth, margin or pipeline. My KPIs became extremely simple: keeping down a single sip of water; taking myself to the shower without help; a video call with my wife and son, where I tried to create an illusion of positivity, and not add to their worry.?

For me, while in intensive care, the biggest challenge of all was getting out of bed and standing up without any help. The chair in the corner of the room became my ultimate target.?

Little things will become big - I didn’t eat solid food for five days. The first sip of tea, the first cookie - they are huge moments. Almost like victories.

Keep moving - No food, no sleep, pumped full of painkillers. It is incredible how quickly you will lose your strength while horizontal for several days in bed. But even stuck in your bed, even with tubes sticking out of you, even with all that medication, you can still choose to contract your muscles and move around. I regularly took a few minutes to contract my leg muscles so I will be better prepared and stronger when the time finally came to get out of my bed.

Use your thinking time wisely - Faced with all of this (and in particular, confronted with your own mortality), it is impossible not to overthink things, to fret and worry, assess and reassess every aspect of your life. Accept you will have moments when you are very down, but try to stay brave and positive. Stay strong. You will make it. Trust in the medical professionals, medicines and equipment. They are all designed to get you out of there in the best possible shape.

Try to sleep - It is hard. Sleeping through mild discomfort is not easy, but when you have countless tubes coming of your body, it can become impossible. It was certainly the case for me, and I couldn’t sleep for three days. Most intensive care units are open wards so you are not alone. There is no business class here. Your neighbors are fighting their own battles which can be noisy and distressing. Their machines beep incessantly. So do yours. For some reason, on a reflex, I thought to bring the blindfold and earplugs I usually take with me on planes. They have been a very precious resource.?

You will know what it is like to beg - For food (your medical situation may require that you eat not solid food for several days); for water; for a shower.

Pain relief in 2022 is amazing - No one has to endure unbearable pain any more. The key point is to make sure you report your pain as accurately as you can. There will always be a solution available.

Your mobile phone can be a lifeline… - It is your link back to your old world. The ‘normal’ world. Films can be a welcome distraction and music can both appease you and give you strength. For me, special thanks must go to Gregory Porter, Manchester Orchestra, Peter Gabriel and Simple Minds who have all helped keep me positive and calm.?

…but it can also be a problem - If you have been hospitalized suddenly, most people won’t know. They will continue to call and text. You will have to postpone all your calls, even if they are extremely important.?

Try not to break the ‘no work rule’ - I broke it only once. I made one solitary call to one of our clients. His name is David. I can’t disclose the exact reason I chose to keep that specific appointment, but I explained the situation, so I’m sure he understands! It may well have been one of the strangest calls he has ever received… because with sleep deprivation and all the medication, I was as slow as you can imagine. David is the only person in the whole world who can claim he has had a business meeting with an 80-year-old Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard!

Share news with the people that matter - Obviously my family knew my situation, but the APO Group staff knew nothing. My closest collaborators probably noticed something was not normal. They were left to wonder and speculate. That was a mistake. If there is a ‘next time’, I will be open and straightforward with the whole team. They deserve to know what is happening.?

So, there they are. My tips for what to expect if you suddenly find yourself swapping the boardroom for the ICU.

For those that are interested, here are some thoughts on the highlights (and lowlights!) of the last week:

Most concerning moment: The look on my 14-year-old’s face when he came to visit me for the first time.

Number of new (little) scars on my body: six (four on my belly, one on my neck, one right on my nose)

Highest level of pain: Removal of surgical drain.

Most discomfort: The nasogastric tube.

Weirdest piece of medical equipment: Internal jugular central venous line (a 20 cm tube going from my neck to my heart.)

Number of times I had to tell myself to “be brave”: Countless.

The most mood challenging/distressing part: The morning routine. Each morning at 6 am, I was given a painful injection in the belly, followed by three doses of antibiotics, followed by a blood test puncture in the arm.

The most fearful moment: When the nurse said to me “I will not lie to you… This one is going to hurt…”.

Biggest relief: The first shower!

Most anachronic event: While I was feeling particularly low, I received an email through my personal website from the VP of a New York listed company asking if I was open to discussing a possible merger and acquisition…?

Most symbolic moment: Putting my wedding ring back on. It was removed for the surgery - almost the only time I have ever taken it off in 23 years of marriage.

Best moment: When my wife joined me in my little hospital bed and gave me a hug. For 15 long minutes I felt almost like I was back at home.

The most joyful moment: When the doctor announced me I could go home 24h earlier than previously announced.

Most comforting thought: I knew that if was incapacitated for a long period of time, or if I had died, the company I built would continue to operate, my staff would still have a job, and my loved ones would still have a livelihood.

That is it. Those were some tips from a Hospitalized Chairman!

Thank you very much to Amadou, Sami, Robins, David, Onofre, N’Gunu, Antonio, Nuno, Olivier, Nelson, Raul, Loanette, Lisa, Lynne, Tom, Nastassia, Chinedu and Emmanuel for their messages of speedy recovery. It did helped me.

Thank you to Frank for the great support, as always.

And of course, a big thanks to my doctors, Joao and Joana, and their entire team of nurses, nursing assistants and housekeepers. To me, they have all been the embodiment of professionalism AND humanity.

I’m expected to fully recover by the end of May.

May the Force be with you, at all times.