23 November 2004
out of hospital
yer, forgot to tell you all I'd be in hospital for a few days, getting my right ear hacked to bits in a bid to have my eardrum reconstructed. Lots of blood and stuff, but at least I got some morphine and tons of codeine sulphate. The woman in the bed next to me kept me awake both nights with Exorcist-type noises (from a low RRR-RRR-RRR to a frightening AAAHHHHRRRRRR, with copious vomiting in between). But a couple of lovely visitors from time to time too....
So next time you see me, try and avoid talking to my right ear, as it's stuffed with junk for three weeks and I have no hearing. Also my tongue on the right side currently tastes like a robot. Still, the nurses were very sweet, even if they did originally give me a child's gown to wear (come on, they're embarrassing enough as it is). I was particularly impressed by the Muslim woman across from me in her attempts to not remove her hijab under any circumstances - not easy when you're having an ear operation, but she did her best.
On the plus side I read Thomas Bernhard's 'Extinction', which kept my mind off things nicely. By the time I went in for the op (24 hours after check-in) I was suffering severe coffee withdrawal, which was a headachey bitch, but apparently quite common. Afterwards, my heels hurt like hell, this is apparently from lying flat out and unmoving under a GA, kinda like a corpse. This time I did actually dream under the anaesthetic, but can't remember what it was. I wasn't particularly happy to wake up again tho, especially as I was brutally cold and shivering ('yes, get me a blanket! what do you think?!')
NoiseTheoryNoise on Saturday was pretty good, particularly red-haired k-punk, and it was sweet of course to see other bloggers Glueboot (cheers for pint, shopping-girl!) and Mark Sinker. Also met the lovely Kodwo Eshun, who I let in for free after he cunningly guessed my online identity. A weekend filled with hearing-related events....plus a drink in Shoreditch at a communist banker's flat where someone managed to accidentally push a cat off a 30-ft high wall. It broke its back legs, but a nice man from the emergency RSPCA came and took it away. A bit fucked-up tho.
Right, I'm off to go home to sleep. None of this probably makes any sense, but oh well, they messed with my balance and reality centres! and my ear is bleeding again. Lovely.
So next time you see me, try and avoid talking to my right ear, as it's stuffed with junk for three weeks and I have no hearing. Also my tongue on the right side currently tastes like a robot. Still, the nurses were very sweet, even if they did originally give me a child's gown to wear (come on, they're embarrassing enough as it is). I was particularly impressed by the Muslim woman across from me in her attempts to not remove her hijab under any circumstances - not easy when you're having an ear operation, but she did her best.
On the plus side I read Thomas Bernhard's 'Extinction', which kept my mind off things nicely. By the time I went in for the op (24 hours after check-in) I was suffering severe coffee withdrawal, which was a headachey bitch, but apparently quite common. Afterwards, my heels hurt like hell, this is apparently from lying flat out and unmoving under a GA, kinda like a corpse. This time I did actually dream under the anaesthetic, but can't remember what it was. I wasn't particularly happy to wake up again tho, especially as I was brutally cold and shivering ('yes, get me a blanket! what do you think?!')
NoiseTheoryNoise on Saturday was pretty good, particularly red-haired k-punk, and it was sweet of course to see other bloggers Glueboot (cheers for pint, shopping-girl!) and Mark Sinker. Also met the lovely Kodwo Eshun, who I let in for free after he cunningly guessed my online identity. A weekend filled with hearing-related events....plus a drink in Shoreditch at a communist banker's flat where someone managed to accidentally push a cat off a 30-ft high wall. It broke its back legs, but a nice man from the emergency RSPCA came and took it away. A bit fucked-up tho.
Right, I'm off to go home to sleep. None of this probably makes any sense, but oh well, they messed with my balance and reality centres! and my ear is bleeding again. Lovely.
