Recovery Days
I am three days post surgery, and recovery is going ... patchily, but I am getting there. I had my gallbladder removed and an umbilical hernia repaired on Monday at a public hospital near my home. The Australian public health system waitlist, for anyone unfamiliar, often moves slowly, but once it gets going, it goes for gold. I got a call last Thursday to tell me my number was up for Monday, and the whole process cost me around $70 out of pocket (for my discharge medications). We are incredibly lucky to have access to quality care that doesn't bankrupt us in this country. The hospital staff were, without exception, lovely - professional, kind and thorough, and really helped me manage my anxiety effectively . They listened properly to my concerns and my underlying health interactions and as a result, the increased congestion, asthma and nausea I feared were either avoided or minimised. The anaesthetic doctor in particular was wonderful, painful bruised arm notwithstanding (not her ...