The hosipital has stupid nurses that like to yank on your cathetor, which will lead to infection later on.

The food was inedible at "recovery house" the hospital food however was good. Their idea of privacy is to come into room at any time reguardless if door is closed without knocking.

If you dont bring your own antibotics you will get assigned some that "Wouldn't be given to a child let alone an adult"

basically for 5 days and nights i got treated really bad, starved and dyhdrated i managed to get to Ruths place where i recovered for three days then went home to a real doctor and got real antibotics to take care of the massive infection i had.

Oh btw no feeling worth snot down there.

If you can go somewhere else.

I did it alone, nobody came throughout the whole of my stay because it was a long way from South Wales and my friends don't drive. Fortunately a very good and caring friend came to collect me and drive me home. Without her, things would have been infinitely more difficult and I heartily thank her again for her help and kindness. (When my Skype is working again I'll skype you J----!)

As to the surgery, well, in all truth it wasn't all that painful.

I had one intravenous painkiller for the first night to help me sleep then I managed quite adequately on ordinary paracetamol tablets for the remainder of my stay. Both the nursing staff and Dr Phil Thomas were impressed with my resilience and they kept checking me every hour for the first day because they were surprised I was in so little pain. The nursing care was excellent but I did 'go private'.

In the UK private medical care is of a fantastically high standard and the Nuffield clinic in Brighton England proved for me to be second to none. It cost me £11,500 sterling for the surgery and nine-day stay plus another £500 for incidentals like the surgical consultations and transport.( Car for the consultations, then train up to Brighton for surgery - I had a lift back to my home with J----.)

The journey home in my friend's car was not as arduous as my friend and I anticipated, indeed I sat in the front passenger seat for the whole journey, only briefly stopping once to relieve myself. I think my friend was mildly impressed but I'm an enduring old bitch. I'm not tough or strong but I survive on the forest-floor of life like a persistent low-life fungus.

I was up and walking two days after surgery and discharged six days after that. When I got home I was dancing on the stage at Wow Bar in Cardiff ten days after surgery. Then I was cycling within a month though that was a bit uncomfortable at first. I did try cycling fourteen days after surgery but decided to return home after a mile because it was too uncomfortable. I think Dr Phil Thomas was a bit annoyed with me when I went for the eight-week check up but after inspection he conceded there was no damage at all. I complimented him on his surgery and he eventually laughed but not before scolding me and accusing me of giving his surgery a baptism of fire. I replied that it wasn't hurting and never really had been seriously painful after that first night, so I functioned on the basis that -if it ain't hurting it ain't damaged'-.

Since that day I've ridden my bike every day I can - weather permitting. I had to change the saddle though and I now have a female saddle with an extra deep slot in the centre. (That's a road-bike saddle and much harder than a street-bike or mountain-bike saddle.

Surprisingly I have found my 'girl-bits' to be more sensitive in the saddle than my old 'boy-bits' and most of the male club members (Port Talbot Wheelers) were surprised to learn this. The girls weren't and they grinned as they welcomed me to the delights of female biking!

One side effect is that I'm finding it harder to keep my weight down what with the hormones and stuff.

Happy cycling girls,
Bev
xx