Less than a week before "D" day of my operation I get a call from my surgeon. He tells me:"I have good news for you!". Good news? What could possibly be "good news" from a person who is about to cut your insides to pieces and then puzzle it back together again? My brain quickly interprets that as it could be nothing else but: "You don't have to do the surgery again because we juuuuuust developed a pill yesterday evening which you could take for a couple of weeks and lose all the weight that way!"
Yeah, so no such thing. Instead it went more like this:"Well, usually, if I have to call patients it is to tell them that I have to postpone their operation. On your planned operation date of next week Monday I have had to reschedule my work and perform an urgent, very invasive cancer surgery, so I would not be able to do yours. But as I said, you are lucky, I can do yours earlier rather than later! How's this Friday? Can you can arrange your life around it?"
Gulp!
Me:"well, of course I understand that the cancer patient has all priority, and by all means, yes, please go ahead. I will have to talk to "The Boss" though regarding Friday as she will be traveling. I promise to call back within a half hour."
Gulp again! And there goes my last weekend of pigging out...hahaha, I thought! I had so planned to go and have a fondue here in Switzerland, and have a McDonalds or two before that is cut out of my menu for months to come!
But had to set priorities straight. I had not heard mentioning of any another definitive alternative date during my short conversation with the prof if I chose not to do it on the Friday. I rather had the impression it was more a "do it now.....or maybe some time in the future" choice. So my choice, personally, was made up immediately. Like Mae West said:"Those who hesitate come last". By the way, not that i am such a big fan of Mae West or anything, just noticed some poor twitter soul post that this morning and thought that would look cool on my blog right here! Admit it, before you read this explanation of why i inserted it, you were subconsciously admiring my ability to come up with a fitting quote, eh? Anyhow.....
Now it was time to break it gently to wifey. Poor thing has had a couple of career changes in last years, now again building a new career,with a hubby who isn't doing much except for being in hospital and recuperating, she has a big trip planned for work, and now I have to go and tell her that whilst she is on a transatlantic flight, I will be having a possibly five hour operation. Again... I was more concerned about her willingness to accept this now yet again, rather than being concerned about the operation itself. She has been a jewel, a diamond amongst women, and has after all made it possible for me to undergo this operation. For me, therefore, it was of the utmost importance that she felt somehow comfortable in this whole situation, in for her, most non-comforting circumstances. I think, yes, the usually cool me, would have gone bonkers, if I would have had to go flying for work whilst my wife was having a quite invasive surgery.
There is a big difference though. In this case I have been contemplating such or likewise surgery for years really. I was so relaxed about this surgery, firstly because I was mentally ready for it and secondly because I was very confident in the surgeon and the nursing team. After all, I had experienced the whole team just last year when they removed my gall bladder whilst treating me for a pancreatitis, and trust me, if you ever do need to get operated on, this is the place you want to be!
So with all the sales skills I have, the diplomacy of a professional and with one of the hardest sells of my life, I was able to convince my wifey that doing it, that operation whilst she was traveling, was the best thing to do. I had a sell, I convinced her and I was happy!
Called the prof back and told him it was a go ahead! Date was set, would go in on Thursday evening, that is, wifey would drop me to the hospital on her way to the airport, virtually tuck me in, and then it was up to me.
I also knew I had Sarah I could count on, Mr. Dias who would do anything to help out and my wifes staff at work who could be a rescue team if need be. My wife also pleaded for my brother to come over just for the operation so there would be somebody who is at ease in the French language, family, just in case things would go wrong and any decisions would have to be made. And last but not least, my mummy would be there days after the operation for the extra tender loving care if need be. I was in good hands!
Knowing my brother would be there, knowing the good professional team was available, it set my wife's emotions just over the brink of leaving me in good hands whilst she travels. People have told me i am brave to willingly do this operation without having an acute need to do so, I say I was not the brave one, for me it was no more than logic, the brave ine was my wife, and hats off to her!
Checked in, got shown to my room and my bed. You would have noticed there wasn't that much funny about this process, as nothing really seemed funny, this was real, it was serious!
Only curious fact was that i happened to land in exactly the smae room and exactly the same bed as last year's operation, to me that was a good, comforting sign. I was ready now!
Tough goodbye's with wifey, lying alone now, on my hospital bed with my hospital shirt on, browsing what the TV could bring.... Yep, this was serious, no laughing matter at all!
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