May 16th 2023

I slept through the night until 7 a.m. without needing the morphine pump, no pain woke me up. Breakfast was served, and the usual medical care followed: antibiotics, thrombosis prevention, and a few other medications. Surgeon Dr Flückiger, Head of Foot and Ankle Surgery, and Dr Zimmermann, Chief Physician (https://orthopaediesonnenhof.ch/fachbereiche/fuss-und-sprunggelenkchirurgie/team), come to see me to give me an update on the operation. It had gone more or less well, but the case remains complex and will likely require further procedures.

Shortly afterwards, Mr. Heimgartner the plaster specialist came to fit a cast. The technique has changed a lot since my last cast over thirty years ago on my wrist. It’s not exactly comfortable, but definitely much less unpleasant than before. I’ll need to wear this cast for the next three months.

By late morning, I was transferred to a “regular” room, still in isolation. The hospitality manager came by to discuss meal options for the days ahead. There was a wide selection, so everyone could find something to their liking. At lunchtime, I took the opportunity to call Deniz, my colleague from Kurdistan whom I’m helping settle in Switzerland. He was preparing clothes and everything I’d need for the hospital stay. Ironically, one of his first internships had been here at Sonnenhof, and today he works within the same hospital group, the Lindenhof Group, which is renowned for its excellent facilities.

Around 2 p.m., Deniz arrived and we spent the afternoon together. Later in the day, I was taken for a CT scan of my foot. When I returned, dinner was served, I’d chosen Nasi Goreng.

I watched a bit of TV before falling asleep around 11 p.m. A calm day, pain-free.