Miss ya, Ben.

Goodbye Ben. I will miss you very much, my friend. *hugs*

I am praying for you Ben and hope you are feeling ok.

Hope you are still on the mend and taking it easy.

Dont write back if you are feeling unwell...just wanted to drop a note to let you know that i'm wishing you well.

LOL...I hope your Doctor does not hold your sassiness against you!

I cant say that I have ever had that kind of pain, other than childbirth. But even that is over with in just a few short hours and there is not much "healing" to be done.

33 Staples!!! Ouch ouch ouch...one day at a time.

Dear val, I am back using two fingers. The day following my last message found me back in hospital with what are secondary infections. So in dread was I of being admitted again that all the initiated processes were the subject of my keenest scrutiny. I had an anti-biotic drip dripping once a second and I watched it with my third-eye willing it work a miracle. A doctor glad-toothed me saying "You remember me, of course, I discharged you yesterday". "Sorry", I answered, "I don't remember you - I was discharged by a sweetheart nurse". "She couldn't have followed the procedure without my authorisation". "OK", I retorted, "How come I have had to return so soon? He stalked-off and I turned my attention back to the other drip.

Four hours later and one damned expensive taxi-ride I was home again. During that night I found the immobilising pain was gone and I could hack and cough, and heave myself out of bed with none of it. Thanks be...

Today I went back to another place in the city for a dressings change; tomorrow the original surgeon will use his staple-removal tool to remove the 33 staples and comment on how well everything is going (at 300 words per minute).

For your gentle hugs, dear val, my gratitude.

Ben - getting better.