I have made it home after surgery to remove my Granuloma. The surgery was successful. The Granuloma was removed completely without leak of brain fluid or damage to any of the nerves to my face. While in a little discomfort, I am not in nearly as much pain as the surgical and nursing team had warned me of. Nothing that Paracetamol can’t keep a lid on, and I get more comfortable by the day. With the double whammy of my pre-existing neurological tiredness, and the residual tiredness after a general anaesthetic, I am extremely groggy requiring frequent naps. However, with the naps interspersed with plenty of brisk walking with Allie as my patient escort and guide, and all the wonderful food she is making for me, not to mention the delicious homemade Brownies that were waiting for me on my return, I am slowly starting to gain in strength once again day by day.
My stay in St John’s hospital in Livingston was most pleasant. With the expectation of a huge ward, poor food, no fresh air and exercise and a lot of pain in an enormous hospital I had never been to, I went armed with an excellent quote from the Roman Poet Ovid. He once wrote: “Have patience and endure: this unhappiness will one day be beneficial”.
I can happily report that my expectations were completely misplaced. I was beautifully looked after and woke to find myself in an extremely quiet ward with just two other patients. I was next to an open window with plenty of blankets, so had plenty of fresh air but never felt cold. As can be seen from the photos, the food was most excellent and my wound is healing well. I had only two moments of consternation. Firstly when deciding that I would like to read, I discovered that my ear had been lost under a huge pad. My glasses just weren’t flexible enough to accommodate me. Secondly was when asking if I might be allowed to take some exercise along the corridors of the hospital floor I was on. Getting my blood moving would surely help prevent post-surgical clots and help speed my recovery. Quite correctly, I was only allowed to walk if I had a mask on. Missing an ear I had the same conundrum as with my glasses. I had to resort to pulling across the curtains around my bed and conducting the Rosemary Conley pre-aerobics warm-up exercises. I was very thankful for the time I had spent with Rosemary and Davina during my pre-op self-isolation. As I did the shuffles and cross steps and half jacks and foot and body rolls, and other exercises whose names I had forgotten, with my arms fully engaged too, if anyone had looked up through the window from the car park below, I must have looked a sight with my head in a dressing, in my pyjamas and slippers as I danced around the small space around my bed to tunes in my head, waving my arms around in step with my legs, to help me keep my balance like the tail on a monkey. I started slowly at first to avoid losing my balance or stressing my wounds, but as I grew in confidence so I progressed a little from the warm-up level to the getting warmer level. With my heart rate raised a little and now quite dizzy and groggy I took to my bed. With some pain now growing a little in my head the nurse, who on her hourly observations was delighted with my blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature, gave me some painkillers to keep a lid on the pain. Content, I drifted to sleep to be woken for supper. It was brilliant. Who said hospital food was bad. They even came round with chocolate biscuits and fruit juices or tea or coffee before bed, and breakfast was almost as good too. After a little more shuffling around my bedspace with Rosemary, I was discharged into the tender loving care of Allie.
Back home I was delighted to hear of and read all the lovely messages from you all over so many different means of communication. Thank you so very much for all your thoughts and prayers. I have been beautifully looked after in hospital and am now being beautifully looked after by Allie and am getting more comfortable. There was little need of patience or endurance and certainly no unhappiness as Ovid suggested. Indeed, it is a delight to have the nagging worry, of the additional neurological damage done if the Granuloma had been allowed to erode the bone plate, removed completely.
I keep fighting and every day hundred’s of thousands fight for survival around the world. Please help me to save and rebuild lives through the Disasters Emergency Committee by challenging me to keep fighting with just £1 per month.
https://www.beatthebeastchallenge.co.uk/index.php/sponsor-archie
Keep smiling
Yours aye with love and gratitude,
Archie xx
