Reparation

Surgery. My favourite pastime! Why do I keep picking the weird things? Why can't I just get a mole cut off? Or contract something contagious?

Well I thought it would be fairly easy NOT to have alcohol leading up to surgery on last Friday. Then the boredom set in.

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After the big cricket weekend, my legs were tired of compensating for the torn hamstring I'd suffered 2 weeks earlier, but I was determined to wrap up some loose ends at work before the surgery to repair ALL THREE HEADS OF MY HAMSTRING TORN OFF THE BONE!

#EFFINGHAMSTRING

I managed a few hours to prepare for 2 weeks out of work on Monday. On Tuesday, I was gifted with fresh food by a mate going out of town, and of course a couple bottles of wine. For my troubles. And pain. We drank one together and I opened another. For the record, the second one did NOT need to be opened. It really tasted GOOOOOOD. And I was really BOOOOOOOORED. Besides, for a week, I'd been looking at stuff like this:

Seriously? How much can a person take? When I get back on my feet, I'm going to start working on much bigger stuff. Stuff that makes a difference. Theatre, outdoors, writing, photography along with my work skills should be able to make a dent, right?

Ok, I finished that bottle on Wednesday and was good on Thursday night because, you know, surgery on Friday. Let's not be hungover for surgery. Wouldn't want to sleep through it or anything.

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I had to fast from 8am and be at hospital at 2pm. I was #5 of 5 on the ortho's schedule. I had time to go to my private room, changed into the luverly gown the hospital provided. Stared out the window. Watched TV. Annoyed Kurt with my Facebook posts. Catering came through and rolled her eyes at me and declared "SAMMICH!" when I said I hadn't been to surgery yet. Watched more TV.

Finally at 7:30pm, they came to get me. I watched the surgeon mark the correct hip, and then felt panic as I started to succumb to the anaesthesia without telling a really good joke. It was about 8pm.

I woke up around 11 being wheeled back to the room. I'm pretty sure it was the growl of my empty stomach that woke me up. Of course, I'm looking forward to this SAMMICH! Now I don't expect this to be the best SAMMICH! in the world. In fact, I'm hoping for a bit of ham, cheese, mayo on slightly dried out white bread with a tiny piece of wilted lettuce, that's basically been sitting at the nurses station since I smelled dinner come through at 6:30. But I be like:

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Did I get my #EFFINGHAMSTRINGSAMMICH? Nope. Night Nurse Camille (and she was brilliant) decided I needed to try a biscuit first. The kind of biscuit that dissolves in tea, but not in your mouth. The kind you give to babies. 

Seriously? I haven't eaten in 16 hours and you want me to eat a baby biscuit??

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GIVE ME THE #EFFINGHAMSAMMICH!

I'm actually surprised I didn't make myself sick wolfing down that biscuit so I could get that SAMMICH! 

And it finally arrived!! 

It wasn't even all HAM! It was 4 different multi-catering sammiches! One part veggie/ salad, one part ham, one part egg salad and one part indescribable meat. I only managed Parts 1 and 2. But I made them leave it in case brekky was late. Or horrible. Or both.

The pain meds arrived and I floated in and out of sleep for a couple hours, but much noise in the hallway kept me awake, and Brilliant Night Nurse Camille had to check on me every hour. Then she brought me earplugs and I slept through the next two.

Around 6 it got busy enough to be awake and by 8 brekky arrived and by 10 Ryan the physio. Georgia the Day Nurse said I was getting out if I could master the steps, so I raced on the crutches down to the steps and Ryan cleared me with flying colours.

Finally got a decent meal by using the crutches to beg a restaurant to serve us brekky after noon.

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Went home to start the healing. Day 3 completed and so far:

• Getting around on well-adjusted crutches
• Christmas shopping online!
• No alcohol has been consumed since Wednesday
• Only 5 prescription pain pills
• Pain is bearable, though I can tell my other muscles are compensating
• Finished 1st season of Gilmore girls - again (x 5)
• Normal "routine"
• Lying in bed is more comfortable than sitting
• Already sick of pre-cooked food
• Bored panda.....

I reckon by Friday, I be like:

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It's been one month since my birthday and the start of this experiment. In some respects it feels like a year has gone by. I think the experiment will continue. I'll always be looking for better balance. I've got a few weeks to make adjustments. Sometimes the world just tells you to slow down.