During the meanwhile..

So, I am still here, rather sore and grumpy but otherwise okay. Gall bladder operation on Friday went well but there were certain complications as they found my bile duct was blocked. Much to my consultant's bewilderment I steadfastly refused to develop jaundice and I was therefore released the next day to go home with a tube and drain sticking out of me and it was arranged I would come back in on the Monday for a further procedure to unblock the bile duct. I believe it is called an ERCP or something similar!? Anyway Monday I went back into hospital and had the procedure which basically involved sticking some camera probe thing down my throat and having a look at my bile duct. Thoroughly unpleasant, I don't recommend it. Bile duct was found to be very scarred at the end so they widened it. Upshot is that it seems likely that it had probably been partially blocked for some years proving yet again that I am a freak of nature.

I'm home now, no tubes, just three stab wounds in my abdomen and a hole in my side and some truly spectacular bruising. I have to say that all the medical staff at both hospitals I was at were lovely, particularly the nurses who made a tremendous fuss of me, admired my tattoos, sat with me when I was awake and in pain during the night, called me pig headed when I insisted on getting out of bed just after the first operation to go to the bathroom, fed me lots of painkillers and gave me a custom made material bag to carry my drain around in when I was out of the hospital so I "didn't scare anyone". Nurses rock! They also put up with so much crap from their patients. I hope I didn't make their jobs more difficult then they already are.

Special thanks and love also to gnommi for coming to see me on the Friday night just after the operation as my gall bladder had just arrived in her pathology department. I hope some of my conversation made sense and I look forward to seeing the gall stones! All the nurses were suitably impressed that I knew one of the Higher Powers in Pathology :)

I just wanted to say to thanks to everyone who took the time to leave me a message of support or wish me luck because I did read them all and your posts cheered me up a lot when I was feeling really horrible. Reading LJ/DW/Facebook on my trusty Crackberry late at night is a good way to distract yourself and it is at times like this when you realise who your real friends are. Funny how people, some of whom I have never actually physically met, are more help and support then so many of my so called RL friends. Such are the wonders of the digital age /irony.

Anyways, I'm back at home now, recuperating and hopefully the interweb fairy will be along soon so keep an eye out.