Goodbye 2012

Well friends, I cannot let the end of 2012 pass without pondering how it all went. I have to say, 2012 was a long year. At the beginning of 2012 I was still rather bloated and in a lot of pain. I had a laparoscopic surgery in March where I expected endometriosis to be found and cleared. Unfortunately, a new malady was found and, where possible, cleared. Fibroids were the cause of my period pain this time. For treatment I had two choices: I could live with it or I could have a hysterectomy. It took a couple of weeks to come to a decision but, as soon as I had another period, I knew I had to have a hysterectomy. I was at wits end and needed to wait three months for relief.

Meanwhile, during my recovery from my first surgery of 2012, I organised to go to the US using the money my father left me. Emotionally, it was an intense trip. It’s so hard to do and see and say everything that I want to within just a few days. Having said that, I had a wonderful time and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Thanks Dad.

In June we celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. I didn’t go to London but I did enjoy all the festivities from the comfort of my own sofa. Brits don’t normally make a big deal about patriotism but, on this occasion, it was an astounding success. It made me proud to call England home.

Shortly after the Jubilee, my sister and her boyfriend came to visit. What a wonderful time we had! England, despite periodic rain, has rarely looked so lovely. I did my best to keep up with her but, I’m sorry to say, she has more energy in her little finger than I have in my entire body.

The London Olympics and Paralympics was an amazing experience. I saw the Olympic Torch go by in person. My husband and I went to see the Men’s Road Race event in person – because 1) it was reasonably close, 2) we didn’t need tickets and 3) we could say that we were there. I absolutely loved the whole atmosphere of the country during the Olympics.

The wait continued for my hysterectomy. Rarely has a mere 3 months felt more like 6 years! In some ways, the wait was a good thing as I was able to do a number of things to lessen my recovery time overall. By the time my date arrived I felt fat, bloated and uncomfortable. I will never forget the sensation of constantly needing the loo – my uterus was so full of fibroids it was pushing on my bladder and bowel. They removed 2 kgs of material in my surgery – so I’m not surprised that I was uncomfortable beforehand! My time in hospital passed without serious incident. Afterwards I had a nasty stomach bug – which did nothing to shorten my recovery time! However, the rest of my recovery time passed without incident.

Coming back to a normal routine and finally feeling better has proved to be more of a struggle than I’d hoped. After my dad’s birthday this year I’ve had problems with depression. I think, after all the struggles I’ve had – not to mention two surgeries in the space of just a few months – my body may just be recovering from the various traumas in its own way. You know how it goes when you’ve been really stressed for a few months and then, as soon as you get the chance to relax, you come down with a cold? I think my depression may just be the same sort of thing. I’ll feel better overall once I get over my “cold”.

Let’s hope that everyone has a happier, healthier 2013!

Happy New Year

Foxy