Monday 23 April 2018

Not Really Back Yet...

...but I am allowed to read/write for short periods, and so today I am at my computer for the first time. I have set a timer so that I won't stay too long; it is still hard to read anyway, which is why I won't come visiting your blogs for at least another week. I miss reading your posts, though, and hope you are all well.

This is just to let you know I'm alright. The operation went well and I had no nausea or other negative effects from the full anaesthetics. I was "out" for about 2 hours. The last 15 minutes pre-surgery were the worst, and the first day felt a little unreal. When the patch over my eye was removed for the first time on Saturday morning, I was tempted to shout "leave it!", as it felt so well protected. But the eye needed of course to be looked at, and drops were administered every hour. By Sunday, I was gaining confidence and walking without the patch.


My stay in hospital was 4 days. There were 4 beds in the room, and I must admit much as the other three ladies were nice, they were also noisy - especially at night, when their snoring was as if you were sharing a room with a group of overweight truck drivers.
One of them left the day after my OP, the other two left on Sunday morning - having the room to myself until I was released Monday around lunch time was heavenly!


My bed was the one with the yellow tulips on the bedside table.


















OK came visiting on the Saturday and Sunday, he drove 150 km just to spend a few hours with me! My sister and my Mum also came visiting, brought flowers and chocolates. The guinea pig was a gift from my sister, to keep me company. 

My family and friends were (and still are!) the loveliest people on Earth, looking after me so well. At the hospital, everyone, regardless of their function/job/position, from the woman wiping to the floor to the doctor who operated my eye, was friendly, kind and made sure that in a potentially rather unpleasant and maybe painful situation, you were still feeling as well as possible, and treated like a human being, not just "the epiretinal gliosis in room 206".

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you and all of them!

Back home, spring had turned into summer (I call it "sprummer") for a full week - we had nearly 30 Celsius on Sunday afternoon! I am officially allowed walks, as long as I don't overdo it. Going for an ice cream was NOT overdoing it in my opinion ;-)



View from my kitchen window, as OK saw it when he spent the weekend at my place

More soon (also the rest of the photos from our spa break) when I am allowed more computer time.

22 comments:

  1. I am so glad everyone is taking such good care of you! Thank you for the update. Take care and try not to overdo while you recover. xx

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer! Not easy to hold back, as I am now in my 2nd week at home and have so much time on my hands...!

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  2. Oh, I am also glad that you have been given such wonderful care! That Ok is more than okay by me, I love that he made sure to visit even if he could only stay for a bit! And that photo from your window? That should be a postcard! Lovely! Try not to get too hot during your sprummer, keep cool with the ice cream. Take care! x von herzen love my present and card!!! Thank you!

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    1. The view from my window is even better now, with the big lilac tree in my neighbour's garden blossoming lavishly in all three colours - dark violet, lilac and white.
      Glad your card and present arrived, I was hoping you'd like it!

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  3. So glad to hear your surgery went well dear and wish you a speedy 100% recovery, with better vision to enjoy the beauty of Spring.

    Happy you were so well cared for - you are precious!

    Hugs, Mary

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    1. Such kind words, thank you, Mary!
      Hugs back!

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  4. Good news that you're on the mend, Meike. I hope your recovery is quick and that you're back to normal soon. Oh, and I love the guinea pig!

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    1. Thank you, Frances!
      The guinea pig now lives on top of the headboard of my bed, next to the light blue teddy bears.

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  5. Pleasedto hear that you sound to be on the road to full recovery. That ice cream will do you no harm at all. I love the guinea pig - he should help too.

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    1. Thank you, Pat! I miss your posts and wonder whether I will ever be able to catch up with everything "my" bloggers have posted during these 3 weeks.
      The guinea pig is a she - don't ask me why, I just "know" she is.

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  6. I am so happy to hear that things went so well. So glad to hear of how well you were cared for by the medical staff, and that your family and friends are the loveliest on earth. We can tell from all you have written about them over the years! Oh, the guinea pig is dear. What will you name him, I wonder? Don't overdo anything and just continue to recover and heal.

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! The guinea pig's name is Rosamunde Rulez, because she has a tiny pink mouth (rosa Mund in German).
      Not overdoing things is getting harder every day, now that I feel almost back to normal but am not yet allowed to live like "normal".

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  7. Ok, now I think the guinea pig is not alive........I feel a bit silly!

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    1. My sister and I used to have 13 guinea pigs when we were kids - unplanned... only the first two were given us by our aunt who insisted they were both female!
      With the way I live these days, always out for work and away most weekends, a pet would simply not be feasible. And of course no pets are allowed in German hospitals ;-)

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  8. Glad to hear you are on the mend Meike, it sounds as if everyone looked after you.
    Take it easy and don't overstrain xx

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    1. Thank you, Karen! Take it easy is good advice but not that easy to follow ;-) But I am doing my best and won't start my game, even though I miss my Sims!

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  9. I laughed a lot at the thought of you knowing what 'a group of overweight truck drivers' sounded like. I trust you have never shared a room with such a group. Of course that's me being sexist. They could have been overweight female truck drivers. Oddly in all the times I have been in hospital in the last seven months I have never shared a room (our wards usually have 6-bed rooms or single rooms) with people who, to my knowledge, snored.

    I'm so glad that you are making progress and I hope that you continue to do so.

    The trees and bushes outside you kitchen are growing!

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    1. Thank you, Graham!
      I snore, too, but I hope not quite as loudly and persistently as the three ladies in my room... You're right, I do not have first hand knowledge of what overweight truck drivers sound like at night, whether male or female. I do have a bus driver in my circle of friends, but we have never shared a room!
      The trees and bushes outside have "exploded" in terms of growth and colour over the last week, it being so warm and sunny.

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  10. Such good news!!! Thanks for taking the time to post.

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  11. I'm glad your operation is over and you are on the way to recovery. You must be feeling very glad about that. I must say that the icecream looked pretty amazing, and the perfect treat! :)

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    1. You should have seen the piece of walnut cream cake I had this week while resting at a café in town with my Mum! :-D
      Yes, I am very glad about it all, and much reason for gratitude.

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