Martijns late appendix
Here’s a very short quick update by me. I just spend the whole day in the hospital. Not for me, but for Martijn. He had had a stomach ache for two days and it had gotten really bad yesterday evening. When we woke up at 7 am, it still hurt a lot, so I suggested that we go to the doctor. We did go to his family doctor and she suspected it was probably an inflamed appendix. She sent us to the hospital and we went there immediately. They helped us very quickly and they took some blood and a urine sample. We had to wait for about 2 hours in this small examination room for the lab results. The surgeon wasn’t convinced that it was a really bad infection, so he also ordered an ultrasound scan. That scan clearly showed that his appendix was inflamed and they said he had to be operated. I was really upset when I heard this. I knew it was one of the possibilities, and one of the most likely ones, but I was very shocked that it had to happen. The most awful scenarios played through my mind. I know that general anaesthesia is always a bit risky and I was just too afraid that Martijn would die somewhere during the procedure. I know it’s a standard procedure, but people always make mistakes, even surgeons.
The surgery was scheduled somewhere between 4 and 6 pm. His mother and sister were with him, so I left him and went home to eat a bit and to gather his clothes and stuff that he needs so that I could bring it to him after the operation.
They didn’t do the surgery until 10 pm. That was a very tense hour for me. I watched some TV, and that helped quite a bit. After the TV shows I prayed the rosary and while I was in the 4th decade, the surgeon called me that the operation had succeeded and that there had been no complications. I was very relieved when I heard that. Martijns appendix wasn’t punctured, so they just took it out, did some self-dissolving stitches, put a band-aid on it and it was done. I was really relieved. Five minutes later I got another call from the (male) nurse of the intensive care unit where Martijn was that everything had gone all right and that the operation had succeeded. I pretended I didn’t know that yet, I just reacted to the information he gave me, and while he was talking, I heard Martijn talking in the background. So the nurse saw that he was waking up already and he handed the phone over to Martijn. I was so happy to hear his voice! He sounded really drunk, but he was happy the operation was over and that everything was done and we just chatted for a couple of minutes. He even told me one of the nurses in the operating room also has a ‘lazy eye’ like him. He sure hasn’t lost his speech abilities and his wit. I am so glad that the operation went well and that he recovered from the general anaesthesia. He needs to stay in the hospital probably till Saturday. I hate being here home alone. I’m going to bring him his clothes and belongings early in the morning and I can visit him for about 3 hours in the evening. I don’t know what I’m gonna do all day tomorrow. I got tomorrow and the day after off work. I’m very happy about that. I hope I can do some homework, or else I’ll just rest. I haven’t had a good night sleep in 2 nights and today was a very emotional day for me. I don’t know how many times I have cried or how many tears I have shed, but there were lots of them, but I’m very glad to say they were completely useless.
Sick and tired, Cleo
Here’s a small quick update by me. I’ve wanted to write earlier last week, but I just couldn’t find the time. And I should be in bed right now as well actually, but I thought I’d postpone that for 5 more minutes so that I can write here. These last 3 days I’ve felt quite bad actually. I got a headache on Sunday when I came from church and it got worse and worse. I couldn’t eat dinner at night and I just felt really bad. I stayed at home from work yesterday, for the first time in 3 years, and I just watched some TV, I slept some more and I did some homework. I planned to go to Pilates this morning, because I was feeling a bit better, but then when I woke up I felt like I was going to have another head ache and I was really tired. I hadn’t slept well last night. So I cancelled Pilates and I went back to bed. I slept till noon and I went to Brother Ignatius later in the afternoon. I really enjoyed our being together. I feel like I’ve learnt a lot and I also dare to ask him some controversial questions, like why Protestants don’t have a pope, while the basis for it is in the Bible. We also talked about Martijns family. I’m glad we didn’t cover my family yet, because that’s a very long story and it always gets me a bit emotional. I told my new colleague about my family last week and when I told her everything in a nutshell, it sounded like a bad story of a soap opera. I had dinner with Martijn at the university and I went to my first class, Linguistics. I was so tired during that class that I decided to skip the next one and I just went home. I asked one of my classmates to copy her notes for me and I went home. And now I’m here, typing this story while I should’ve been in bed by now.
I have one big scoop for you, I bought a Nintendo DS last Saturday! A black one and I also bought the Nintendogs game, the Dalmation and Friends version. It is so much fun. It’s really great. I chose a golden retriever for my first dog and her name is Cleo. I can actually call her through the microphone and I’ve already taught her some tricks. I’m saving money in the game now to be able to buy a second dog. I might get a Dalmatian, but I’m not completely sure yet. The dog on the picture above isn’t my dog, but she looks a bit like her. I also bought the Starwars III game and the Harry Potter game. The only other game that I still want to have is the new Sims Pets game, but that isn’t released yet, so I’ll have to wait another month for that.
Well, this is a short update of my life and I hope to talk to you soon.
Yesterday, Priest, Work, SQPN future
Yesterday I started with my Pilates class. It didn’t go too well. I was still very sleepy and I couldn’t do one exercise, the ‘Roll over’. I got very frustrated about that.
In the afternoon I actually did my homework and I did everything I had planned to do. That’s pretty special for me; I didn’t even play Guild Wars.
In the end of the afternoon I had a meeting with the priest of the church I attended for a while. Yes, I know, it’s the church I have attended for the last few months, but I’m not planning to go back there anymore. The priest invited me to come to the introduction meetings of the Neo-Catechumenal group on Monday and Thursday. That was basically all he offered. He said he couldn’t forbid me to get the preparation by the Brothers, but he wasn’t a big advocate of it. He says you have to be a part of the community in the preparation for the Holy Communion. He also advised me not to participate in the Confirmation class on Saturdays. He said I would be rushing things too much and that the next opportunity would be in 2 years time. I think he’s right on that part, but I’m just not too happy with it. I was really disappointed that he only guided me towards the Neo-Catechumenal community and I’ve really decided I don’t want to do that. It will ask even more time from me and I don’t want to invest that at this moment. Perhaps I will in a couple of years, but not right now. I want to learn and study the regular liturgy, and for my extra catechesis I go to the youth group at Friday nights. I don’t want to have even more groups and extra catechesis on Saturday night. I do want to spend some time with Martijn.
Martijn and I went out for dinner last night together with his father, his partner and Martijns sister. We went to a Greek restaurant. We had really nice meal and a nice time together.
Today I worked with my new colleague. It went pretty well. I was still a bit tired, but we worked well together and she has done most of the photo work.
Tomorrow I’ll have to work again and I’ll have 45 minutes class in the evening, Language Lab.
I also read today that the next Daily Breakfast podcast is about the future of SQPN. I haven’t listened to this podcast yet, I’m gonna do that tomorrow morning on my morning commute. I just want to say that I’m pretty anxious what that’s going to be like. They want to go commercial and get ‘incorporated’ or something. It means they’ll grow bigger and bigger, and the cosy, intimate feeling of the podcast will get lost, I’m afraid. These are just my feelings, and I don’t have anything to base it on, but I’m very afraid that that’ll happen and that I’ll lose my favourite podcasts. It’s like a sacrifice I have to make for the greater good, for all the other thousands of people who will discover Fr Roderick’s good work. We’ll just see what’ll happen in the future.
Today, Tomorrow Pilates, Priest, Dinner
Today is my grandmother’s birthday. I sent her a card with 2 sunflowers on it. I thought that was kind of cheerful.
Today I worked with my colleague at work instead of with my boss. It was a bit of a relief. It wasn’t too busy. I don’t expect that much work this week. Most of the people have gone on vacation earlier and it’s too early to buy Christmas and Sinterklaas gifts yet. We did make a lot of passport pictures today.
I do have some real news. I have an appointment with the priest of my church tomorrow. I sent him an e-mail regarding my preparation for the Eucharist and Confirmation. We talked over the phone this morning. He invited me to come to the Confirmation preparation on Saturday. After this preparation, the bishop himself will probably administer the Confirmation to the people in November. I really like that idea. I’ll just see what the meeting will be about tomorrow. I need to ascertain that there is no case of any Neo-Catechumenal influences in this course and otherwise I’m fine with it.
Tomorrow I have Pilates class, I have the meeting with my priest, I need to do some homework and I’m going out for dinner with my father in law, his partner, my sister in law and Martijn.
