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[Page 97]
operation with him and take 5 minutes to brush up on Pancreatitis. 6.00 p.m. operation. I had been sedated all day heavily I believe. I believe they were all worried about me. I was 11 stone when I took sick and the day Dr Curlie told me I could get up and go to the bathroom 10 days later I had no idea but when I saw myself in the mirror I said you old witch. When doctor weighed me I was 7 stone, he told me not to be surprised you have lost a lot of weight.
Anyway one day he came in and said "Edith I believe you want to ask me some questions", "yes please doctor I do. Will you tell me the truth about what has happened and why?" "Yes I will. Well to start with when the diagnosis was what I thought it was Pancreatitis. I knew you were not a drinker of alcohol and it is unusual in a woman, it's mostly in men and alcoholics at that", but he read up a book which told him that 2 woman in every 1,000 can get it, anyway he said. "I did not have much time. I had a tube to operate like a small hose to clean your inside out, and it washed nice and clean and to repair the pancreas gland was very tricky, but had I gone ahead and taken the gaul bladder out we would have lost you so you are all stitched up very roughly as now you have turned the corner and on the road to a long and I mean very long way. Now in about 6 months time I want you to come to Sydney and I shall operate on you down at the Seventh Day Adventus Hospital and that is not far away from where Yvonne lives and I operate down there so many times a year and I will be going down in May school holidays. Now we shall talk about that one later on after you have gone home. Now if you are very good I will let you go to the bathroom tomorrow", so I thanked him, but he still came twice a day to see me, a very fine doctor and a very fine young man, also a very clever doctor.
Well next day I got up and nurse took me to the toilet, well doctor told me I would get a shock when I saw myself as I had lost a lot of weight (so much fluid came away, he did tell me how many litres but I have forgotten, but I know I was 11 stone before I got sick, and nurse weighed me and I was just over 7 stone when I saw myself in a mirror I said "you old witch I don't want to see myself any more". But I gradually got stronger but not much when I went home all I did was lie around, as a clot had appeared in my groin, and doctor had it bandaged from my foot right up into the groin and I had to keep off it. Well all the girls took it in turns to stay with me for what ever time they could spare and they used to bandage my leg. One day I said to Harold "can't I sit out on the veranda with my leg up and let me hose all around and can soak the gardens and grass and you come and move me every so often", yes" so this he did and it was beaut to think I could do something useful. We belonged to the library and Harold used to go and get me Dr Wrights books. Well I read all about it in his books and all about Harold's troubles etc.
We were going to Beryl's that Christmas but that was all called off so when she went home she took the cake, pudding and gifts with her, and she had a bad accident not long after she left her sons place in Canberra. The car was a write off, but what got home with her I have no idea.