I went into Geelong Hospital last Friday to get a lump removed from behind my left ear.
It was a long, boring wait beforehand, already wearing the surgical gown thingy and the compression socks. Then I'm wheeled into an antechamber of sorts, cannulated; I blink - and I wake up in the recovery ward with a sore neck and a tube coming out of it.
It was very difficult to sleep the first night, as I wasn't able to get comfortable, the lights were on all night in a nearby utility room, and an alarm went off every five minutes or so. I did manage to doze, which was enough, it seems.
The Saturday was long, with a visit from Mum and Dad in the morning for an hour or so to take my mind off things. I was compelled to keep fiddling with the drainage tube to make sure it wasn't all building up in the tube - cutting your parotid saliva gland in half tends to send it into overdrive for the next day or so! Caitlin and Aidan visited in the evening on the way to drop C off at a friend's party, which was also nice. Mum brought a chunk of cake she made, since I 'missed' the bake sale the hospital had the day before.
I did a few puzzles, I read a bit, played on my phone and iPod and did a bit of knitting. Snoozed away Saturday night and was eventually released Sunday arvo; since the drain had dried up there wasn't much point keeping it in me and me in hospital!
It doesn't hurt that much; it's just uncomfortable, and my ear is numb - side effect of them having no choice but to cut through the nerve. Luckily the rest of my face is fine. I missed Daisy and Asha heaps, and will keep the card that Mum and Caitlin made them 'sign' forever.
