Recovery day 6

The recovery process is a bitch. I had never expected it to be so long.

After 5 days I can take off the plasters and shower normal but not as normal because I can't move my arms too much to reach my back etc, but at least it's better than the past week when I had to cover the plasters with cling wrap to waterproof the area.

I still can't sleep on the side properly and sleeping on my back makes my lower back ache. 

I still can't move or walk too quickly because the movements makes the injury move up and down too.

I still need to wear the compression vest everyday and it makes me want to throw up. I don't know if its the antibiotic or the compression vest.

I still can't go to the gym, although I can go out for short walks.

and most of all, I still can't drink alcohol -_-

BUT I'm glad the timing couldn't be better. Nobody's at home most of the time, work has been handled over, I can recover and rest without anyone disturbing me. 

The doctor says it take 4-6 weeks to fully recover omg. Now I'm having doubt if this is really worth it.

Recovery Day 2

Day 2, I went back to hospital to remove my bandages and drainage tubes, I didn't even realize that there were tubes inside my body urgh. The doctor just pulled these tubes out of a hole beside my nipples and tapped it up. 

After the doctor removed the tubes I had to wear a compression vest which was quite tight and uncomfortable. Bathing is a bitch. I had to avoid my chest and the parts with bandages, I learnt to cling wrap my chest before showering.

Again, I had to sleep on my back the whole night, very uncomfortable for my lower back so I sat up for a few minutes and went back down again. 

Body reset - Surgery

Since I started gyming I have always wanted to find some way to do those fat freezing/burning things to get fast results but it's always too expensive. Then one fine day I was casually reading online and I actually found a solution. I could actually get free liposuction from company insurance!

Timeline

13 March - Went to polyclinic, referred to SGH 

24 March - First consultation at SGH clinic

10 April - Did ultrasound to determine the fat areas

21 April - Second consultation at SGH clinic

27 April - Consultation with SGH plastic surgery clinic

12 May - Pre-surgery tests

22 May - Surgery! Liposuction!

I was kinda sceptical that's why I went the SGH route which took a long time. If I went the private hospital route everything would have been done in a week but the bills would probably like 10x more. I wouldn't want to risk it if I couldn't claim insurance.

While I was lying on the bed I felt pretty excited because this was my first surgery and it really felt like I was in Grey's anatomy or hospital drama series when the nurse pushed me into the operating theatre. Everyone was wearing the operating theatre uniform and there was this doctor overseeing everything and saying cool stuff like give me my this and that. Then I was transferred to the operating platform, IV poked, breathing through the mask and suddenly I was losing consciousness...

I don't know what they put in the anesthetic gas but I had a really wonderful dream and I felt really happy lol. And then I woke up in pain. 

The pain was like... I was slashed with a samurai sword lol. The nurse asked me on a scale of 10, I said 8. I was clenching my teeth all the way and the doctor gave me morphine through the IV. 

SO COOL my first morphine lol. Apparently, I was still in level 6 pain and the doctor gave me more, and I asked for more and she said I was given much more than a normal person already. Making full use of my first morphine haha. She said I was very awake surprisingly even though I had so much morphine.

The pain subsided but I was still very dizzy like I was drunk without the high, and I could only take short breaths and my vocal cords hurt because they insert the breathing tube into my throat. My whole chest was strapped with bandages and two drainage tubes dangling at the side.

Then I was transferred to the recovering ward where I was slipping in and out of consciousness, the nurse gave me some biscuits and milo and I realised I haven't had any food for the last 24 hours. Eric came to pick me up, really thankful for him for being so dependable. He got my meds, I changed, then slowly pushed me on the wheelchair to the taxi stand where we took grab home.

I was kinda weak but able to walk, I guess I was just hungry. I reached home, changed, nobody took a second look at me, heated up some fried rice and went to bed. I couldn't shower because of the bandages. Operation sneaky was a success.

The Dandelion Dynasty

Since Feb I have started reading The Dandelion Dynasty saga, starting with the Grace of Kings. I had actually read it 8 years ago but I saw that the last book Speaking Bones was just published at the beginning of this year so I picked it up again. 

I thought Book 1 was long. Books 2,3,4 were even longer and thicker, I want to faint. I couldn't even bring the books on the plane because it was too huge - I had ebooks on my Ipad.

Surprisingly while I was reading book 3 and 4 on the train, strangers actually talked to me and asked me about the book. Holding a thick book on the train is a conversation starter.

Anyway first book is super epic and had a lot of background stories, second book was more world building, very naggy at parts but the ending was quite epic. Third book was not bad at the start but boring at the end.

I'm at the fourth book now, I think it's my favourite one because it reveals everything. The whole story is like a tamed version of Game of Thrones, in Ancient China, super epic with unexpected twists. I can't wait to finish it but it's still so long -_-

Bangkok 2023 body reset

I wanted to do a trip to Bangkok but April was Song Kran, May was the Labour day + golden week holiday and the two weekends after golden week were polling day so no bars will be open, so I thought, why not go on weekdays.

On Tuesday night I checked Air Asia - they were always the cheapest for BKK, booked for the coming Monday. $194 all in. Cheap. As long as it's below $200. I thought I could stay at Neab's but then again it's so far from the city center so I booked a hotel he recommended. 3 nights for $200. Cheap.

I took train to the airport, bus to T4, ate lunch and boarded. 

Reached, took bus and BTS to Thong Lo, walked to hotel. I thought the hotel was quite decent for the price. I went to book a massage near the hotel, went to Emquarter to eat greyhound cafe, bought dessert, put the dessert back in the fridge in the hotel and went for massage. 

The massage was so good, my body cracked all the way. She was really good and I really love Thai massages. I ate the dessert back at the hotel and felt super bloated. The hotel was beside 2 main roads so it was super noisy. Now I know why it's so cheap. I checked the Standard which I stayed previously and it was $300 per night without breakfast lol.  

Anyway I had food poisoning. I had massive diarrhea at 5am, I suspect it was the unhygienic hotel fridge. Anyway 11am went to Erawan shrine, then Central world to meet Neab at Roast. I have zero appetite for anything although I haven't ate anything since yesterday. We walked around, I bought boost and kept going to the toilet - luckily the toilets were clean, and bought some charcoal pills, went back to the hotel to rest for the day. And then I just slept the whole day until the next morning lol.

I felt better already, things were coming out at the right places although black coz charcoal. Went back to Central world for Thong Smith boat noodles which I really craved. 

And Big C supermarketing... then back to hotel to put down my stuff and walked to meet Neab at the Commons. We had greyhound cafe, I had some tom yam dumpling soup, then had highballs.

Poon and her friend came to join us and they saw some Thai celebs whom I had no idea lol. Anyway great drinking. I like this highball bar.

Next morning we met at Emquarter for sushi lol. My appetite came back so I had thai milk tea and bought some snacks. Neab drove me to the airport coz it was along the way to his place, then back to sg. 

This trip was super random but going to Bangkok is like going to Orchard Road. I've been there so many times and so familiar with everything there it's the same. 

First time I had such bad food poisoning in Bangkok or anywhere else. It was like my whole body did a reset. I slimmed down a bit, my strength and stamina went down and my digestive system was a bit weird after that.

Anyway I got a feeling this year I'll back again with Angus the noob. I want to eat a lot of Thai food.