The Operation

hello again, everyone! i hope you had a lovely christmas time, and i wish you all the best for the new year!

so, picking up right where i left off last time, i had my operation on the 18th! i'll not lie to ya, my head was a bit away with it the day or two before. i was genuinely a little scared, not too much, but a little, i've never had an operation that i can remember before, see. so, on the wednesday night i wasn't allowed to eat much, just had a small sandwich wi cheese, i think. i had to be in the hospital at 7:00am on the 18th, so didnt stay up too late on the wednesday. we went over and i got to put on one of them lovely backless gowns, though i was allowed to wear my boxers, so that was ok. then a nurse came and shaved my arm, and basically just had to lie in bed then the rest of the morning in this ward waiting. it wasn't too bad, i slept a bit, and i knew one of the interns, mandy, working in that ward, so i chatted to her a bit too.

then an orderly came to take me round to the surgery at about 12:30. twas funny, cos so many people in the hospital knew me, either from the churches we work in, or we've met them through living at the hospital, or some recognised me from being Joseph in the nativity play at the hospital's Christmas celebration. i was brought into the first preparation room, where Stefan and Stefan, i found that funny, did some prep, and then brought me to the next prep room, right beside the surgery. a doc there hooked me up to the iv, and then dr rascher and the head surgeon lady came out to say hello to me. the fun part was that their faces were covered in blood specs from their last surgery, very encouraging to see! i was then brought in and had to lie with both my arms outstretched, like a cross shape. then i was put under, general anaesthetic.

i woke up and asked where i was, and they said i was in the "wake-up room", and then i asked if it had gone well, and they said yeah. they then carted me round to the ward i'd be staying over in, where Barry and a girl we know Maxi were waiting. i was still really groggy, but Barry let me talk to my dad using his mobile, i don't remember the conversation, and dad says i wasn't making much sense, lol. then also, i remember Barry leaving, but I've no recollection of Maxi leaving, and thought i'd falling asleep on her, but apparently we had a full conversation, none of which i remember, lol!

i woke up properly at about 7ish, and i wasn't allowed to eat or even get out of bed, i was meant to pee in a bottle thing in bed, but i just waited til the nurses went away then went into the bathroom anyway. then after 8 the team came and visited me, and they said lots of people had asked about me, and some had come to visit me, but i was still in surgery, and they had to go on. i'd brought my laptop with me, and watched two films that night.

i'd been told that i was allowed to then go on the friday, and was sitting in my bed waiting, when a doctor came. she checked my chart, said everything had gone well, that my cast would be changed again on tuesday, and i could go home after that. i was just like, "n-no, i'm meant to be goin today..." so she called dr rascher, and he told her the deal, and that was no problem, and i was allowed to leave at about 2pm. i later found out that dr rascher, who's one of the head surgeons, an attending if you watch scrubs, had not told the head-head surgeon, who was the main surgeon on me, that he was gonna let me leave on the friday, and that had she known that, she wouldn't have allowed it. but everything was fine, i was in a bit of pain the first few days, and travelling on the train and plain home was a little difficult, but it was ok, i made it!

so, i went today to the doc again today then for a checkup, and he was happy with everything, he said the wound was looking very good, he took the stitches out, and put on a new cast, which i've to wear another 3 weeks, then i'll have to do some physiotherapy for a while. i'm not allowed to go skiing, and i'm not allowed to play footy until at least march. here's the fun part, though: the metal screw in my hand is permanent, i'm gonna have it til i pass through the pearly gates!

thanks for all your prayers for me and the operation! God answers prayer, and he kept me safe throughout, and everything's gone as well as it possibly could have gone, so i thank God for that! and i thank all of you for all of your support. even though i wasn't able to see my family around my op, and that was hard, for them too, i knew i was on all your minds, and you were all supporting me, even from afar!

God bless you all, whoever you are, wherever you are! :o)