New Things at our place

Its taken us a while to get around to reorganising the front of our property after the neighbour's tree annihilated our fence and letterbox  - Steve panelbeated our old letterbox so if you'd sent me a letter I'd still have got it. I see we have still got some Junk Mail even though we have put up a sign. I must check - I think the sign must be on the letterbox to count.

I've given in and bought a kneeler for doing the garden. Its not so much the kneeling part I will use, but the handles to hoist myself back up. Of course I am hoping to work on my tummy muscles once the stitches come out - but I feel that maybe I would decide to do just a little gardening and not be able to get back up until Duncan got hungry and came looking for me with a "When's tea?"

Going Private

I headed off last Wednesday for my operation at Chelsea. There were only 2 operations that day, plus a couple of procedures. It was nice to have the surgeons and anaethetists waiting for me - rather than the 3 1/2 hours I waited for them in the public system. The operation took the expected 2 hours, but it took me quite a while to come to. A nice cuppa in bone china was served with shortbread biscuits.

The gowns as you can see below  a bit better than the public with snap fasteners rather than strings. Here I am settling down to a night of holding the remote and thus watching a cake decorating program, the news, Married at First Sight (my first viewing - but its easy to pick up.) and a home decorating program.

The meal was of a very high standard - I ate my dessert first (fresh plum and custard tart) then the chicken and mushroom lasange.

One of my friends thought that keyhole surgery involved one hole, and another friend who had recently had a hernia recently boasted "And I had to have 4 holes" But that's not why we took the picture - my room didn't have a full length mirror and the nurse  was trying to tell me which ones were bleeding, and suddenly we hit on the idea of taking a photo! There are a couple you can't see for modesty sake.
The surgeon wants me to keep it bound so that the mesh beds in well. To this end he provided me with this large binder. It takes two of us to get it on, and I think Duncan is starting to ponder "for better or worse, in sickness and in health..." I find myself grunting a bit with effort  in this and just cannot stand it in bed at night.

Industrial strength

What gets me is that after my last hernia op none of this information was given to me. As you may now I did wear "shapewear" to hold my hernia in but was never advised to continue to do so afterwards.

This is a very firm one  - purchased from Ezibuy

   I find this one more comfortable than the binder and as it loops under the bust and doesn't rub the stitches in the holes. I had to use this one once the binder was spotted with blood and looked a bit yucky.

Jockey Shapewear from Farmers

At night I just use this light one. I have to sleep on my back all the time, although I think it will be only a day or two until I can turn on my side again. I am supposed to stay bound up for 6 weeks.

I will be interested to see what Pat is advised, Heather- of course it really depends where the hernia is. I am going for the best possible result so trying to be good. Can't lift things off the floor yet and of course no heavy loads.

So all in all - far better aftercare with followup appointments (tomorrow) rather than in 6 weeks time at the public hospital.