I am due to have an operation shortly. It’s my fourth attempt, for reasons which need not detain us. As a result I keep coming across stories about routine operations – and mine is very routine – that have gone horribly wrong.
I did query the necessity for my operation with a consultant (and several other people). After an ultrasound and an ultradiscussion we agreed that the minimal risks of the operation outweighed the slightly less minimal risks involved in not having it.
Like the rest of life, there is no way of being sure. It’s a bit of a gamble – a gamble weighted heavily in my favour, but still not a sure thing. By which I mean, it’s not the only horse running.
A friend told me she had a foolproof method of knowing whether I should go ahead or not. More than one method, actually. The first involved making interlocking circles with my fingers, and the second involved standing still. The third involved a pendulum. I have not tried any of these. When you start depending on fingers and pendulums (or is it pendula?) things are getting serious in all the wrong ways.
I also tried prayer, which is getting serious in the right way, but I have not yet received a definitive answer. I am going ahead until God tells me not to. I don’t know how He might do that, but clearly He could.
Anyway, I have just received a phone call from the hospital. At first I assumed they were postponing again, but it turned out they were just checking things that had already been checked. I don’t mind this. The more checks the better in this sort of situation.
They did want me to take a lateral flow test, though. Once I’d remembered what it was, I said I already had one. I got it from Morrisons. But it seems I have to get a proper Government one. I made a call, answered some questions online, and I believe it’s on its way: I hope it gets here in time.
If you read another of these articles, it means it did, and the operation went ahead, and I survived. If not, it was nice knowing you. I love you all.