In Sickness and In Health!

On Monday, I finally have my cholecystectomy, after a year and a half of waiting; it has been a long road getting here, but I am glad it won't be too long before it's finally over. I was speaking to a friend recently, who has also undergone surgery to remove their gallbladder, and they were honest in their reactions. I had to agree that the pain, resulting from a failing gallbladder and the formation of stones, is like nothing I have experienced before. Without swearing, it is the most intense agony, worse than anything you can imagine. For them, it was a relief getting back to a semblance of normality, after suffering for years. I don't care how painful this operation is, I just want the damn thing out!

Over the last few days, I have had to have a number of tests done, attending QA Hospital to have blood taken, ensuring I am OK to have the procedure on Monday. As someone who hates needles, I don't think I did too badly, not fainting once. Yes, there has been an occasion when I did pass out during a blood test, but thankfully this time, I was OK and managed to get through relatively unscathed.


My first visit to Laparoscopy was on Monday, and yesterday I received a call from the Hospital, asking me to go back to have yet more blood tests, as the last one of five hadn't been accepted; the label was written out wrong and rejected by the laboratory. Luckily today, I was heading back to QA for my PCR COVID test, so with little time to spare, I ran to the outpatients department to have the sample retaken. It was important to have it done, since it would indicate my blood group, should I need a transfusion during surgery. After an apology from the head nurse, everything was done in preparation for Monday, and I could finally relax.

I have to be at the Hospital at 6.30am on Monday and have been told to bring an overnight bag with dressing gown and slippers. I expect to be in for most of the day, although my consultant told me I was first on the list. Keyhole surgery is the preferred method to remove the gallbladder, but because It has been left so long, nobody is quite sure how much damage has been done and whether or not I will need further or more intensive treatment.

I have started a three-day period of self-isolation, from today  before my op. Legally, I have to do this, in order to protect me and those I come into contact with in Hospital. I have had to do this many times during the pandemic, so I am well-used to it. I have jumped through hoops to get this operation done and will not take any risks now. Also, I am taking a lateral flow test every day until Monday, and I am hoping my PCR test comes back negative, which I will have confirmed or not in a few days.

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In Australia, Darrell has had his second vaccination, one of the rare twelve percent of the Australian population that has; both of us can breathe a sigh of relief where this dreaded virus is concerned. Of course, this doesn't mean he is in the clear yet, and he won't really know how much protection he has, until he flies to the UK later in the year. We are all constantly told, that the vaccine will only help prevent serious illness and doesn't stop people actually getting the disease. The hope is, Darrell will remain safe during his journey, at a time when very few people are allowed to leave the Australasian continent.

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There is still much uncertainty surrounding Darrell's return; after speaking to him over the last few days, it would seem his Mother's cancer could be causing some problems in other areas of her health. Up until now, she has been undergoing chemotherapy to treat her condition, but it  is also responsible for the Anaemia she is currently suffering from. As a result, she has been told to stop the chemo to bring it under control.

Neither of us are sure how this will affect her overall health and whether it will delay Darrell's return to Britain. We are both well aware of the importance of him flying back within a set timescale, in order to keep to the terms of his Indefinite Leave To Remain visa. What we are not so sure about, is what will happen if his Mother's health deteriorates, and he has to remain in Australia, beyond the two-year limit required by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate here back home. Once again our life together remains as bumpy as ever, as we try and find solutions to a problem, not of our making!

For now, I am focused on my wellbeing and the surgery on Monday. I am struck by how much our health has been playing a part in mine and Darrell's life together, in recent times. We are both getting older and things are certainly not going to get any easier; so for now, we will just keep muddling through the best we can, as we always have. One day, the sun will shine again, and we can get back to living life in the way we always used to!