Day Two – Post Surgery

After leaving my husband looking pale and nauseous yesterday, I was very glad to find him looking much more alive and well this morning.

Turns out the anti nausea meds actually made him feel worse so he did have a pretty rough night….thankfully that seems to have all passed, and he was able eat some food at lunchtime.

He still has the drainage tube in, but there is hardly anything draining out, so the nurses think the doctors might remove it tonight.

Warning…graphic image coming up…

The pain isn’t too bad…he is only on Panadol now…but he is having awful problems with the hiccups, which are definitely not good when you have had abdominal surgery!

We did some laps of the surgical centre and it must be a funny sight…my husband walking along in his pjs, holding the drainage bag, while trying not to hiccup!

This is the first time my husband has been admitted at this particular hospital, although we have visited many times for scans etc.

Yet every time I have been there, I always feel that I am stepping back in time….and today was no exception.

It started as a military hospital in 1941, and then became a repatriation hospital in 1947…and it is still known as the Repat, despite becoming what is now known as Austin Health in 1995.

Strangely, many of the old buildings remain….

Although most seem to be deserted now, and in various state of disrepair….

As I did the long walk from the car park to the main part of the hospital, I didn’t see another soul….all I could hear was the echo of my own footsteps…

And I half expected to see a ghostly figure or two wandering between the buildings…or maybe playing bowls on the deserted green.

It’s quite a strange place, full of contrasts….however, the facilities in the main buildings are good, the nurses are taking great care of my husband, and he is in a ward that is as quiet and comfortable as a hospital ward can be!

So all in all, things are going well, and hopefully I will be able to take him home tomorrow!