True bravery

Sometimes people, who you work with, can truly surprise you. It's not just a bunch of flowers kind of surprise, but something more. Huge. Bigger than Mount Everest. One such special person (you know who you are) did more that anyone expected. Probably surprised him/herself too. Incroyable! 
Make no mistake, they say. Well, "some" people apparently thought they could drive this brave person crazy, but he/she put stop into it by saying no to bullying, no to being a coward and no to unreasonable demands. It was "them", who made a mistake by taking it all for granted and wanting more, greedy selfish bullies! One bully in particular was nasty, with appalling vocabulary, abused his/her power and simply had to be stopped. This colleague of mine, one of my favorite persons stepped up and said no more, is one of the bravest persons I have ever known. By doing what she did, she also helped others, who face the same problem at work every day. He/she proved that there are people willing to help those in need, all you need to do is ask.

It was one of "them" bullies, who at the end could not face my brave colleague in one of the meetings, but sent a representative instead. Who's a coward now?! 
The other one of "them" suddenly could not look anyone in the eye and sat behind the desk all dark and depressed, guilt shining through every action and word. Yeah, what goes around comes around.
If you are being bullies, do what needs to be done. Speak up and say something. Talk to someone, who can help. No one needs to be a victim of such bullies anymore and by "just doing it" as Nike advert says, you are no longer a weak fool, who can be kicked around. 

Now seeing my colleague every day gives me a reason to smile. The way this was handled was just awesome! All respect to you. What an embarrassment for the bully.

It won't happen to me. Never.

Textbooks talk about stroke, heart attack, cancer, pelvic organ prolapse, broken bones, intra-cranial bleed, spinal injury, depression etc. So much stuff can go wrong with our bodies. It's another story then if any of above ever happens to any of us at all. Some lucky ones can probably live their lives without a lot going wrong. 

Textbooks can write all they want. Some of them are written by jerks, who never ever fall ill or even break a fingernail. Some others.. I guess they understand little. What I totally hate is that utter crap they write about "patients, who must do this and that etc", but it's not always that crystal clear. There are patients, who feel they have the right to question stuff medical person wants them to do. Provide this specimen and then lay down so we can examine you. Not so fast. Hell yeah, you'll have to question it, if you break a fingernail and they want you to lay down. Uh-oh, surely not because of fingernail. But you get my point. 

My original point was that some of this stuff will hopefully not happen to me, ever. Of course, when they say "been there, done that" they ain't talking about whitewater rafting, but about medical "issues". I can cross cancer off in my bucket list. Pelvic organ prolapse too! Yikes! How on earth did that happen? 
Then I get that good ole textbook out and read, and read and freak out. What the f...k. I'm not having that sorta problem. I'm a superhero. But this, if it's really what they say, grade I-II uterine prolapse, it's got to be fixed. Yesterday. Textbook tells me it's gotta be fixed. I'm not comfortable thinking one day soon grade II becomes grade III and IV and what then. Totally understandable that people want their problems and issues fixed. Lucky that we are not living in Stone Age anymore and fixing and repairing things is often possible. Lucky too that e.g. this prolapse thing can be fixed.
I still think it can't happen to me, but here we are, another day, another dollar. Dollars will no doubt help me in choosing the right person and hospital to treat this and fix it once and for all.

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (Director: Tarik Saleh)

How to survive post-operative phase AKA those non-productive days after operation Part 1

Rule number 1 is "Take it Easy". No matter how much you want to take that vacuum cleaner out and clean the house. Leave those black dog hairs on the floor, as long as you can navigate your way from bedroom to restroom and kitchen. Hopefully you have family and friends around, who can help you. It does not always mean that the shorter the hospital stay, the easier it is to recover. Not necessarily so at all. First few days are ok and fine to stay in bed for the most part of the day, but then I notice there are things that need doing, such as taking that vacuum cleaner out. Unfortunately, or fortunately mine is still in the box, unopened, gift-wrapped and taped, stapled, so I could not possibly get it out without help. Doggy hairs are still on the floor and they remain there until I can do something about it. Good old dustpan will do in the meantime.
I'm not a good typical compliant patient. This is why I overdid it yesterday. There were places to go to, people and animals to see and I simply had to do it all. I was still up at 11pm, got woken up by "Chewie" the dog (he was once called Charlie, but because he loves to chew, he is now Chewie) at 6am, took him out for potty break and nearly passed out. Came back in, drank water, fed Chewie and took a nap on the living room sofa.
Take it easy becomes a golden rule 1. It has purpose and a meaning, it's not there just to tell you to take a vacation and go out partying. It's there to help to flush anesthesia toxins out of the system, kick constipation in its butt, keep painkillers at hand, take long showers, eat well, drink a lot of water and sleep, watch TV, fall asleep in the middle of a good movie, wake up dazed and confused, hungry, thirsty and in pain... Aarrrrgghhhh! Those moments asleep on the sofa become very precious, because healing really happens when you are asleep and with a bit of luck pain won't wake you up. My dog sleeps on the floor next to me, keeping an eye on me. He takes care of my exercise requirements, which are just short walks outside, but little by little I can add extra minutes and yards and make them longer. Without the dog, I don't think I'd be outside much.
Take it easy- but yes, do something. Do it and then plan to be back on the living room sofa for the next few hours. Enjoy being non-productive, because those days when you have no choice (i.e. back to work, school..) are on their way. I have 5 more days left and I'll enjoy them as much as I can.

PS: Dried prunes are great for constipation... and dude, please don't throw me overboard...

  

  

Out of hospital

What a day. 

  

As always, my fondness toward hospital has not grown, in fact it is heading into the very opposite direction. It's a that usual routine for healthcare workers, who see stuff happening; people come and go, have their procedures and operations etc. Once again I've come to realize that it's a very unique experience for a patient.
I felt helpless, lost, scared and did not want to be there. Needles=pain. Hospital gown= humiliation and embarrassment. TED stockings= new fashion statement. I was just so lucky that there were many friends, who kept me company and popped in when I was in recovery. Couldn't have asked for more. Nevertheless, going to the operating room was not a pleasant journey and it doesn't get easier. Experienced OR visitor, such as undersigned, should have no issues, but yeah go ahead and try it yourself. Then tell me what you think.
I have no veins, at least none that unskilled healthcare workers can poke and practice on. It was the anesthetist, who finally managed to find one. Felt a lot better, when first drops of Propofol reached the blood circulation. 
I'm back home now and can't get enough of my new black Labrador boy. He is called Charlie and he is gorgeous. Healing happens at home, not in hospital bed, if that is an option and I am grateful that it was ok for me to go home back to Charlie.

"Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free." - Stephen King