Not the January I Ordered

What a start to the year. I came home from hospital at the beginning of this week, after an emergency operation.

On 10th January, two days before work started, I had to be rushed to hospital for extreme stomach pains. They operated that same afternoon. For two weeks after that moment all I knew was pain, delirium, the side effects of morphine, vomiting, and confusion. It’s only after I got home, that the picture began to emerge for me and my mind started to come back.

Turned out that I had two hernias, one of which was a “strangulated” hernia, which means it was wrapped around the bowels, grown through the walls, etc. Furthermore, some of the strangulated sections were dead and had developed gangrene. They had to cut out portions and rejoin what was left of my intestines.

Then, within just a few days, the wound turned septic. The staples had to be removed and the wound opened up and left open to clean it out continue to do so every day. It is still open and will remain so until healed. Could take months.

Anyway, I was sent home this week, but I had to find a nurse to come in every day for the foreseeable future – even if it does take months – to clean and dress the wound with sterile products. I can’t describe what that feels like.

Cleaning up a wound that’s been stitched is one thing – but an open one that one can so easily infect – or damage - is scary. It’s about seven inches up the centre of my tummy, and about two inches wide. When one cleans inside it with a saline solution and a swab, you easily move a thumb and forefinger around with space to spare, cleaning all sides and angles to the depth of about a thumb. Then you fill it with sterile gauze and cover it all up. I have to be so careful about everything I do – but it sucks; I wish it could be closed up. Anyway, it won’t be closed anytime soon – I only have to see the clinic once every two weeks, which indicates that they basically want it to heal all the way like this.

I shouldn’t start work until March, but I can’t survive if I don’t. I’m definitely not supposed to ride the bike for the next month – but I have to, to get to work. However, the good part of the bike is that it really is very light; nothing to strain me. I was told to buy a retaining belt for my wound, and sit on the bike very, very carefully – nothing funny!

So …. With that, I’m starting on Monday, for limited hours a day. Haven’t tried the bike yet – it’s done nothing but rain since I got the belt!

Anyway, that’s my sad and painful tale. I hope your year had a better start.

On a very bright note, my neighbour in the flats turns out to be a professional nurse, and she has offered to clean and dress my wound every day,which is a wonderful blessing!