Recovery on track

The rest of the country may have been lashed by gale force winds and rain last night, but with the Cardiff flood plain shielded by the western escarpment, we got the rain but wind noise was hardly noticeable in the night. The sky was blue with just a scattering of clouds. I slept in bed, not particularly well or long, with a chair jammed beside the bed to use for support whenever I needed to get up in the night. Acute gut pain has subsided and went away once I was able to empty my bowels, slowed down for a couple of days by anaesthetic I guess. 

I was thinking last night about celebrating Mass next Sunday - would there be a risk of not being able to drive or being strong enough to conduct the service the way I usually do? I emailed Fr Stewart and shared my concern with him. This morning he emailed me to say that Fr. Chris would cover for me. He and his wife are often in the congregation at St German's when I'm celebrating and he has no locum duty to perform. I'm OK with that. The congregation is worshipping in the church hall until the heating is fixed. I admit that I would have liked that experience as I've never before done that there. If I'm fit to drive by then, I may just go and sit in the congregation.

After breakfast I returned to routine Monday admin tasks and Sway preparation, as I could sit comfortably upright again to write. Clare made a deliciously tasty curry for lunch which went down very well surgical intrusion has not upset my stomach, I'm glad to say. 

I walked for half an hour, slow steady while Clare was out for another Optometrist appointment. The wind was strong, but not unbearably cold, as the air temperature is about 10C. I haven't got my usual stride back nor did I expect to. I didn't know when I would tire. Half an hour's very fresh air left me feeling good and not the least bit wobbly. Hopefully I can build up my walking distance incrementally in the coming week, aware that it'll take more time to recover than I might like. The surgery called while I was out to arrange a blood pressure appointment on Candlemas day. It seems odd there's no post-op follow up appointment, as was also the case after the fifth round of bum surgery. Unless you realise something's wrong and ask for help. No chance to thank the medical staff after recover either. Quite impersonal in a way. It's a strangely impersonal world we live in when it comes to medical treatment on the NHS today.

Before supper I had a shower and with Clare's help changed the four wound dressings All are in good condition, dry, no inflammation, very neat. The largest one is in my navel, surrounded by purple bruising. It's no surprise under the circumstances. No suspicion at the moment that the wound may leak, as I was warned in the pre-op briefing. I'm extra careful to avoid stressing stomach muscles and this wound. I plan to keep plasters on to protect the wounds for a few days longer and there are signs that healing is occurring naturally. Then it's safe to expose them to air, and wear clothes over them.

After supper, I watched a couple more episodes of 'Bones' before heading for bed early.