Ironical...

So life was becoming predictable and boring, so I went from a daily to a weekly blog report. Big mistake. It all broke loose this week.

The six week mark is a big one. It symbolizes the bottoming out and from here on apparently it is now a time of building back to full health. So we will see. Friday was six weeks.

I have just had a shocker of a week. It started last weekend when I began to feel out of sorts. Nothing in particular,  just flat and lack luster. By early last week it continued to deteriorate to the point that I called the liase nurse Jeff. As it has turned out, this link with the Prof and the specialists has been invaluable. Jeff explained that the body is recovering from serious trauma and not to expect too much of it. Give the body a chance to work out what we had done to it.

I rang Jeff on Tuesday, it was late as I really felt silly calling and left it until I was just compelled to deal with my feelings. After quite a chat, Jeff said he felt it would be a good idea to come in and speak to Piers, one of the specialists who assisted in my op and looked after things while the Prof was away. 

What was the issue? I didn't know. I just felt awful. Unmotivated, flat as a tack, and I struggled just to answer the mobile, and often didn't. I was so out of sorts.

Jeff managed to get me a time on Wednesday, just got in minutes before everyone was heading home and Wednesday was Piers only consulting day. So I was rapt to get in. I like these guys, they really seem to care and have been so professional.

Tuesday night, suddenly I have the squirts...a decent bout of diarrhoea. I had gone to the farm Tuesday afternoon to try and perk up. Remember I was well and truely heading back into work stuff, including looking at a couple of houses. I went into the sales meeting on Tuesday morning and spoke to the team, I was so flat I just left straight after and headed for Black Beauty2, essentually bed. It was all I could do to call and cancel my appointments. 

I was not in good shape and I felt I had to escape town and head for the farm. Sylv had her hands full but I felt I needed someone around and Suz agreed and was able to head up later in the day to keep me company. We had our own cars but I was so flat Wednesday morning that I got Suz to drive me to Flinders Medical Centre. Sylv and the girls have been playing tag team looking after me and I really am unsure how all of this would have been without that support...a very big THANK YOU to them.

It was an hour and a half wait,  so from a 10.30am appointment it was nearly midday before we were seen. I was just grateful to have someone to check things out. As it turned out I saw Jeff, who os the co-ordinator but also a senior nurse and great value, and then Piers. By this time the dirhoria was quite a concern as my weight was pretty light, and I really am just skin and bones at the moment.

I am still on daily injections of Clexaine and it is challenging finding a fatty spot to inject, really challenging. My weight has dropped another 2+ kg this week down to 65.9 kg. 

Notwithstanding the above, my progress has actually been pretty good. The rib pain has settled a lot, and although my chest is still as tight as a drum, it is not actually pain, it is just really uncomfortable. Piers informed me that I need to get used to it, it may not improve!! Also my right hand side chest is totally numb in a band about 60mm wide, again, get used to it, it may not improve.

The good news: I got clearance to have a spa, I was sealed up. Hooray. I have been hanging out for a spa to try and loosen things up a bit. 

Anyway, where is all this leading? 

I think I was hooked on the morphine. I looked up google and it takes at least 3 days to come off Morphine and I was back to one dose per night and none during the day. I have subsequently now totally gone off Morphine. By Friday my mood was improving. I still had the runs and was loosing weight, but I sensed my mood was improving. 

I am now convinced looking back on things that it was an addiction, and now I am back on track. When I think back on changing pain killers a few weeks ago and going across to morphine I was instantly better. I started doing work stuff and was feeling really great, relatively speaking. The morphine was becoming less affective in relieving the pain, and I was needing it less but kept taking it. Having now googled it, YEP...pretty sure that was the issue. I have chatted with the girls about this, who would ever want to get hooked on drugs, it is just shocking, and so debilitating.

The weekend and Saturday, still diarrhoea first thing, and I was getting so weak.  I started eating and kept eating all day, small amounts and bland but virtually on the hour.

I missed out on a great mates 50th birthday party Saturday night (Joe Borrelli), I just wasn't up to it.  Sorry Joe and Anne. I was meant to be doing one of the speeches, and to Sylv's credit, I wrote it and she read it for me. What a champion. So yet again, Sylv held the fort for me. 

Today Sunday night I am feeling so much better. I think/hope the diarrhoea has settled and I am force feeding myself. Joe had a second family 50th event for family at Willunga at Fino restaurant (magic restaurant). Sylv and I were invited and I must say, it was the perfect day for me. The food just kept coming out all afternoon and that is the ideal scenario for me at the moment. Grazing all day suits a tiny stomach!

Tonight Sylv and I "doctored" up the bed as suggested by the Prof. According to others who have gone before us, providing you have an empty stomach...about 4-5 hours after eating, and have a brick under the legs at the top of the bed creating a slope, it will be enough to stop reflux. Well we now have a sloping bed at the farm as well as in town. Tonight we go live and see if this will do the trick. Sleeping remains the most elusive thing for my recovery...fingers crossed.

So there you go, an eventful, unexpected week. A week I am pleased to have behind me. A week where I learned I am still a way off working to appointments. A week that reminded me of the enormity of the operation that I had put my body through.

Thanks for your interest...being sick sucks. I send my love to Mother Teresa  who is going through some shit stuff too. 

Happy Birthday to Simon B our vineyard manager and of course to Joe for his 50th today.

PS...great effort by the Crows, as a Power supporter, I am happy to back the Crows against the Vics  - it would have been great to have an SA team in the grand final...what a great game.