#post surgery diary

[starlitxvoid]

Day 3 post surgery: I will kill for cheese

[nina76trema]

After Surgery Diary #2

This is day number 3. The first morning after my surgery I woke up to my new inflated face and a period starting 8 days earlier than expected.

"Thanks!" I said to that little bitch that is my uterus.

"Oh, don't even mention it! - she replied with fake concern - It is really important to not be pregnant right now."

I know well that she just likes to kick me when I'm on the floor. But Fairy M was with me and I took it rather sportly. Fairy M is the liquid treasure British nurses give you generously when you have a serious boo-boo. The first time I received a syringe with no needle from a nurse during my previous stay in an NHS hospital my Italian Catholic mind exploded.

"I complain about the pain and you actually give me something and it's the Good Stuff?"

Where are the eye-to-the-ceiling-plus-long-sigh-plus-I'll-see-what-the-doctor-says? Where is the good old Catholic "we are born to suffer", aka "suck it!"?

Where am I that I suffer and you relieve from my pain? Ah, the Pope won't have it! Ah, you heretics! "is there something wrong?" Said the nurse. I sucked my liquid morphine and I said thanks with a smile (that time I could do it). The nurse told me that I could have more if needed it. I took notice.

So, I said Thursday morning fairy M was still with me and I took my early period with grace. I just asked a nurse for pads and she gave me what I needed it. I walked wobbly back to my bed and I was fine, the world was fine. The night before I had woken up more than once feeling my face on fire but I was fine. I felt sick but everything was fine.

Around 11.00 am on Thursday fairy M was gone, I had not eaten yet, they wanted to discharge me without giving me the sick note I requested, nor the new brace elastic in place of the one broken, and my husband texted me that he could not find parking at the hospital. I was ready to make a scene. I totally get the fascination of M addiction. For half a day the fairy gave me the psyche of a Zen monk. It would take me 30 years of meditation to go back to such a state of easy detachment.

I attached myself to the memory of the easiness I felt between Wednesday afternoon and early that morning and I made it through Thursday with no scenes. I was also able to get all the things I needed to start my convalescence: medication, my 3 weeks sick note, and extra brace rubber bands from the consultant... once settled at home I was even able to sit at the desk and write a post.

Thursday was still OK.

Friday I gorged down a purple protein smoothie of my own concoction. Purple is a healing colour. So they say.

Friday had the decency to be over in 24 hours.

Today I found that dreadful colours are slowly trickling down my neck, under my skin. My husband says some of my traits are starting to come back. When I look at myself in the mirror I still feel that on a feminine beauty scale that goes from 0 to 10, I am Romano Prodi.

Today, though, I was able yet again to sit at my desk and put together a post. I feel more present. The period is slowing down and with all the painkillers I'm taking for my jaw I hardly notice it's there. (Take this, uterus!) Also, I'm gorging down the Earthsea novels like they were a protein shake. My bottom lip is alive with busy bees making honey. No sense of touch from lip to chin, only some stinging from time to time and this bzzz bzzzz bzzzzzzz sensation. Oh, they are doing so much honey!