I am now stitch-free!

I have had requests for more information on my operation. I guess I didn't say too much, although the gory details arent all that exciting. I had these tumour-y things in my stomach, which I hasten to add WERE NOT CANCEROUS, which the doctor cut out. Along with my gall bladder and a chunk of my liver. Hopefully I will suffer no more reflux problems. Curiosity satisfied? Good.

29 April

I am feeling pretty good; met with friends today in the park and played "Guillotine" a card game that one Chris in Australia introduced and got me addicted to, and which another Chris bought and sent to me. Lots of fun in the sun.

This evening I was inspired to whip up some mushroom soup. Far more successful than my pumpkin soup (pumpkins here have pretty much no flavour at all - very disappointing things, and nowadays I go for sweet potatoes instead), the recipe is available on my food blog. Gotta love a country where you can buy mushroom stock cubes.

25 April

Much to my disappointment I didn't get my stitches out, although they released one of my holes from beneath the bandages: where the drain had been. I now have a dent, with a hard patch just below the skin (hopefully that will soften with time). I have to go back next Monday.

On the way home, to treat myself after the blow of finding out that a) my stitches weren't going out and b) that even after they have gone it will be two weeks before I can enjoy a soak in a bath or a swim (sob), I bought some flowers from the local mid-week vegie market. Spectacular tulips with frilled edges in quite impossibly bright colours. You can't help but feel cheerful when looking at blooms like these!

20 April

I haven't quite known how to write this, so I am going to start it with a plea: please don't be mad at me! Then an apology... sorry I didn't tell you all earlier.

You see, I have just spent a week in hospital. I did know before hand that I was in queue for a stomach operation; its been on the books for a while, but I wasn't expecting it to take place until later in the year. But less than a week before Easter I got a phone call from the hospital informing me that instead of my operation taking place in July, I would be going into hospital on Easter Monday, to be operated on Tuesday. Also, instead of the consulting specialist that I was expecting to operate, the head of surgery and the professor and head of digestive surgery would be doing the operation.

Suffice it to say that life got very complicated at this point. Less than three working days to try to sort out all my work and for my poor office to try to find someone to backfill me for the next two months. Arranging a friend to pick me up from hospital, and other friends to visit. Trying to pay all my bills and arrange life so I could come out of hospital smoothly etc. Cancelling my flights to Edinburgh etc.

The operation, as I had understood it, was on my stomach. But when I awoke I found a jar on my bedside containing gallstones. When the doctor came, I asked him what was going on and he explained that they had also removed my gall bladder. Right. I see.

Then, as the days in hospital progressed, I wondered (since I have 6 holes in my belly) if they might have taken out anything else. For all I knew they might have taken out my appendix or tied my tubes or something! On the last day when the head of surgery came to see me (and tell me that the surgery had gone like a dream) I asked him what exactly else had they taken, and he explained that they had removed a slice of my liver as well. Apparently they are doing some paper or another and to back up their theory they needed to take both the gall bladder and piece of liver. Sheesh, would have been nice to know before hand! He did say "Please permit me to apologise on behalf of the hospital for not communicating better to you, all of the details of the operations". Such a comfort don't you think?

Currently I am at home for a few weeks recuperating and enjoying a diet of pure mush. Seriously - no solid foods for a month, I am on a strict babyfood diet. Its now day 5 and I would kill for something, anything crunchy!