To double check I was ready, Micky D took me for a lap with my wheelie walker and it was a PB, another indicator I’d be right in the outside world!

The physio had signed me off yesterday, the general doctor was in agreement if we did some bloods that came back ok, the surgeons assistant wanted to check my CT scan first and check my wound (photo for those interested with the dressing off!). And then they’d ask the surgeon if he was ok too. Which I knew he would be.

All seemed to come back ok. And by 330pm we were finally allowed to leave.

The wound is around 7cm but done with sutures and should fully heal or be hidden by old age wrinkles! The device put into replace my discs should give me an extra couple of centimetres height! No wonder my neck feels stretched and I’ve been upgraded from a small to medium neck brace!

I’m still on soft foods - because they have to move your oesophagus and voicebox out of the way and cut through the neck in the throat area. So it’s quite tender to swallow and cough etc. But already Jen and Mick are doing better than the hospital for dietaries! Had some Vietnamese fried rice and soft noodles for dinner and eggs, salmon and Avo on crust less bread for breaky. Things are looking up!!

Sunday night was treatment night and that was the most attention I’d had for the whole stay in hospital. The nurses wanted to come see how it worked etc and learn more about it. One even asked to take one of the plasma bottles away to read up more! The other who usually works on the oncology ward then read my file and noted that the staff should have all been wearing masks around me given covid and other infections are rampant in the hospital. She raised it with her leader and they said they had stuffed up there. A bit late now to protect the immunocompromised. Noted for next time though. She told me what to say for any future admission! The new protocol was introduced Monday morning but hit and miss with who chose to follow it. Baffling really.

Overall, very happy to be out. Still heading in the right direction. I think the only thing I missed last night was my motorised bed. Such a shame I had to move out of Caba and put mine in storage!

My next goals within this rehab phase are:
- a few 5min walks each day. Eventually doing this every 2 hours.
- need to get up every 30mins and move.
- new dressing on Wednesday (done by Sister Downing!) and remove completely on Friday.
- start some physio.
- Dr Reece to review the wound around the 2 week mark.
- Surgeon review 13th Jan (around the 6 week mark), scans 2 days before to check how surgery has gone.