July 11th, 2023

The weekend passed quietly. My room, facing southwest, gets plenty of sunshine and, thanks to the balcony, it’s very pleasant… at least as long as the temperatures remain bearable. But in recent days, it’s become a real furnace. The blinds are down, the door closed to keep out the hot air, and the fan is running full blast. Despite all that, it’s far too hot!

On Saturday afternoon, Musa, Deniz’s uncle, came to visit me. It was a very touching gesture on his part. He insisted that, in Kurdish culture, it’s perfectly normal to visit people in hospital.

I started feeling pain where the drain is inserted in my neck. The nurse called for an anaesthetist, who came to inspect the situation later. The verdict: no changes unless the pain worsens.

On Sunday, my surgeon came by and we discussed the rest of my stay. I am continuing the antibiotic treatment. On Friday, I’m due to get a new plaster cast, and on Saturday, the stitches on my scar will be removed. If all goes well, I should be able to go home on Sunday. That would be ideal, as René, my colleague from Cologne with whom I was in Patagonia last autumn, is coming to spend a few days in Switzerland. He arrives on Friday and will visit me in hospital. On Saturday and Sunday, he’ll be in the French-speaking region, so if I can get home on Sunday, that would be perfect.

And today, my mother came to see me, and we spent the afternoon on the balcony.

Monday morning, the pain around the drain increased. There was visible inflammation, so the nurse alerted the attending physician, who decided to replace it. Shortly after lunch, I put on the familiar hospital gown and went to the recovery room, right next to the operating theatre. An anaesthetist was waiting for me there. He explained he would insert a new drain near my left clavicle, using ultrasound guidance, just like the first time.

After disinfecting and applying local anaesthesia, he located the vein, but when he tried to insert the drain, the vein ‘moved away.’ He tried several times without success. Even under anaesthesia, I felt some pain, bearable but unpleasant. He kept explaining what he was doing as he went along. Finally, he found another vein under the clavicle, and this time it worked. He measured 13.5 cm for the drain insertion, a strange sensation in the chest. He then stitched the drain in place, cleaned the area, removed the old drain from my neck, closed the wound and put on a bandage. A radiograph was then done to check the correct positioning, and I was taken back to my room.

Meanwhile, Deniz had arrived and was patiently waiting for me on the balcony. He brought me some clean clothes and a lovely bouquet of flowers. My room now looks like a little garden, it’s wonderful! He also showed me some photos of my balcony at home, which is nicely flowered too.

Then Deniz decided it was time I got out of my room for a bit. I noticed his work in the hospital is already influencing how he acts. I took my scooter, he pushed the drip stand, and we took the lift down. We left the hospital, walked along a small street lined on one side by parks with elegant villas hidden behind trees, and on the other by beautiful bourgeois facades. I discovered a very posh neighbourhood I hadn’t known before. We took a long stroll in the shade, but despite that, it was very hot. Back in my room, I had my meal on the balcony, but the heat was overwhelming. The sun was strong, and even with the blinds, it was hard to stay out there.

Around 7.30 pm, Deniz left for home, and I got ready for a tropical night. The news announced it was the hottest day of the year, with temperatures reaching 35.5°C in Switzerland.

Sleeping in those conditions wasn’t easy. But at least the new drain is much better placed and far more comfortable than the old one. I slept until 6.30 am. When I woke up, they took my blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and oxygen levels, everything was normal. After breakfast, I had my first antibiotic infusion, and an hour and a half later, a refreshing shower.

Today, Deniz is doing his trial day at Viktoria. I’m looking forward to hearing how it goes. After lunch, I left my room and settled in the Lounge, where the air is a bit cooler.