Early call from Dev. The network strengthens. He was bullying me to stay with it and I appreciated it. Robert’s appraisals have been found by his wife. She has sought advice and has left him, having been told he is a violent member of a cult with a split personality! His house has also been burgled, but Robert is taking it all in his stride. Kuldip has been beaten up by one of his mental patients. It’s all happening.
Two days ago Karaj had given me questions to ask when we spoke about the operation. They revolved around my future mobility and the convalescing details of the operation. Yesterday, when the consultant visited on her rounds, she told me I have no alternative to the operation because the disc has slipped so far out that the consequences of not performing the operation are not worth considering. Whilst the operation is delicate, it is a standard one and because I have age and fitness on my side I should make a complete recovery. After the operation all my symptoms will gradually disappear, and I can return to work within 4-6 weeks.
It occurred to me after the doctors’ visit that, had they had the scan results on time i.e. Friday, they would never have allowed me out on Saturday. So, after all my worrying and fretting that I was the creator of all the potential obstacles which could have prevented me from attending the group [Karaj: MF], things had in fact worked out perfectly. Have faith.
Today Karaj told me to focus the healthy energy to the painful regions and to carry a strong belief that I will return to work with him. I should do this at all times in the run-up to and after the operation. He and Kuldip accompanied me as I was being transferred to a different hospital. They followed me there and wished me well before I went into theatre.
[Karaj: I wanted you to be healthy and not make your stay in hospital a normal way of life.]
In theatre I created a good relationship with the surgeon and the anaesthetist by asking questions. The surgeon showed me the scan pictures and I could see clearly that the disc at L4/L5 needed to be removed. The operation lasted just 90 minutes. Because of two or three nicks made accidentally in the outer covering of the nerves, I was instructed to lie flat for five days to prevent the spinal fluid from leaking out.
I felt an immediate improvement in my sensations because of the pressure being taken off the nerve. From now on it is just a matter of time until the nerve recovers fully. Sunil visited and brought me a couple of our newsletters to read.
[Karaj: It is not a matter of time. You need to plan your recovery.]