Organ donation

I was in a certain amount of shock and things that were slightly uncomfortable was that I found it difficult to eat, because obviously everything had happened in the tummy region. So my digestion wasn’t, you know, I wasn’t really having much of an appetite. And there was a certain amount of coming to terms with what had happened. I just remember having, sorry it’s hard to explain, an almost  kind of a deep experience about the whole thing, just something deep because I agreed to do something, and I trusted in something, so something else took place, which has remained with me ever since actually.


I was ready to go home. I was ready to rest and have food at my own time, not when the food came around in the hospital. And I had better food actually in hospital, that’s the reality. I could say, “Well I feel like a little bit of fish or something, potatoes.” I could actually say that because there is a menu in hospital but, you know, they’re cooking on such a big level.

I spent five weeks, something I’m going to have. I think it might be slightly wrong, something like five weeks in my friend’s house. Then I went to Denmark for a week. So somehow about two months, you’re still recovering for a few months after that. But two months, allow time. But it’s not like, it’s a case of really being ready, you’re up walking in a couple of weeks, shuffling around.
 

I came home by train, train and car from the station and then I was at home, pottering around. I spent a fair amount of time lying down or in bed. Obviously it was a bit sore at times and I needed some reasonable strength painkillers, but it wasn’t a big deal.

I got a bit constipated, which I think is always, and I know from what people tell me, that’s always something that is a bit of a nuisance and always gets people down a bit. And it was just quite interesting to have the experience myself. So I look on it as a kind of learning experience and it didn’t last that long. But, for a few days, I think it was probably the symptom in a way that troubled me most. Even more than the pain.

But I actually got better quite rapidly. I went out to lunch, a half hour’s drive away, the next weekend on the Saturday. I can remember I didn’t have much appetite still at that stage, but I was fit enough to travel. And in fact, though I probably shouldn’t have done, I actually went and did a clinical session about a week later, after the operation. And I think, probably in retrospect, I wasn’t entirely well. I don’t think I did anything dangerous. I’m sure I was fine. But anyway, so shortly after that I started driving again. So I was driving within a fortnight and I have no doubt that I was quite safe to do so. It was quite comfortable.
 

I went through a period of, it was kind of isolation because, even when I came back to this house, his friends were actually abroad on holidays. So we were in the house alone with somebody caring for us.

And so it was just a totally new experience. The neighbourhood we lived in was very quiet, perfect. Beautiful, comfortable, low house with a big garden. So it was easy to sleep and relax and rest.
Then the people whose house we were in returned from their holidays. And I got on with them very, very well, and I just continued to make progress, you know walking the dog, just going for walks and eating, sleeping, resting.

And eventually the doctor gave me permission to travel. And I flew to Copenhagen for a week and then I went to Greece for two weeks. And I stayed in my friend’s house because he was still recovering. So I actually stayed in his house in Greece, on this Greek island, and we spoke on the phone. So it was an unusual circumstance, but it was so, still if I think about it, it was so powerful.