If you recall, at the end of my ‘About that minor operation’ entry, I wrote ‘to be continued’… the reason is, I wanted to share with you my greatest ‘takeaway’ from the experience i.e. the operation.

Well, apart from the obvious, which is I had my cyst removed… I am reminded of the fact how lucky I am to have my hubby. I stayed at the hospital from Thursday to Sunday. And that was how long Jamie was at the hospital, at my side. He slept on the floor, padded by two sleeping bags, answering to all my whims, and taking in all my whining. He fed me, brought me water, and cleaned my bedpan when I could not walk to the toilet due to the surgery wound.

And, during this time… my resolve to stay on in my chosen profession (a modern-day matchmaker) strengthened because I realized how the entire experience at the hospital would be so different if I did not have my beloved hubby by my side as I work on my recovery.

Many people have commented that I have recovered rather speedily, and maybe… just maybe, it’s the power of love.

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June is a month of weddings. Have been invited to 4 weddings this month, but unfortunately, I can only make it to 2, due to the operation.

Weddings are such interesting affairs. Weddings are also a reflection of the couple’s character.

 

The first wedding I attended… Wow! That was such a beautiful wedding… so much thought has been put into it, down to the minute details. Love the pictorial seaside wedding ceremony… and this is the first wedding that I have been to where each and every guest is given a ‘Program Book’. The program book tells you more about the bride and groom, photos from their wedding ceremony in Japan (the radiant bride is Japanese), the seating plan (this is amazing… they listed down the names of all the guests on 33 round tables) and lastly, the menu. When it was stated in the profile of the groom that he’s a perfectionist, I can’t help but laugh. Because only a perfectionist can conjure about such a perfect wedding.

 

The second wedding that I attended was the wedding of an old friend. We knew each other since primary school. The entire wedding took a more laid back tone, as in you can see the couple being thoroughly relaxed. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that this was the 3rd wedding dinner they are having… so this was really a piece of cake! :) Love the little skit the put up for the guests, where they enacted their proposal scene with a twist. The bride took on the role of the groom and vice versa. It was hilarious! They two are truly gifted. Told my friend that she and her hubby should really consider going into comedy acting if they ever think of giving up their day jobs as a pharmacists!

Congratulations Jeremy and Akiko!
Congratulations Irene and Albert!

May your love last for all eternity!!!

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On the road again, after a long long rest and recovery period. Truth is, it’s not that long. Almost 3 months. But to me, it seems like an eternity.

Think you should know by now that I am a person who cannot sit still. Am dreading my confinement period, which traditionally the new mother is not supposed to leave the house for one month. Well, we will see how that goes. Maybe I will be so tired recuperating and looking after the babe that I will be more than happy to just stay at home.

Oh, and I did promise you that I will tell you the gender of the babe. Well, what do you reckon? Any guesses? Any bets? Come on, don’t be shy… you have a 50:50 chance of getting it right… :)

Ready?
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It’s (probably) a boy!!!

  

At the doctor’s office.

Me: So doctor, will we be able to find out the baby’s gender today?

Doc: Well, let’s try… Ooh… look what we have here. (moving the pointer to an area) I guess it’s pretty obvious ya? We shall keep it a secret between us.

Hubby has this smug look on his face. (Haha!)

At the end of the consultation…

Me: So doctor, just to confirm, it’s a boy right?

Doc: Well, from the looks of it yes. (smile) But these things can never be 100% confirmed until you are actually holding the baby in your arms.

Smart doctor. Covering all his bases.

If you are wondering if we have always wanted a boy or a girl, well… we really did not mind as we plan to have more than one child, but we did have this tiny weeny hope that the firstborn would be a daughter. But, knowing now that babe is going to be a boy, we are overjoyed as well.

I always believe that things happen for a reason. At least now, I can breathe a sigh of relief as the pressure of producing an “heir” (to appease older folks) is lifted. :)

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Quite a number of you have asked me what was the operation all about, and does it affect my pregnancy… thanks for your concern! To put your mind at ease, baby is ok. The post operation wound has been healing quite well.

Well, basically the minor operation is to remove an ovarian cyst. I have no idea what a cyst was until the doctor saw it during our first prenatal checkup during the ultrasound scan. I believe I must have had this cyst for awhile, since it’s quite big… but I had no idea it was there till then. The last we had the checkup, it’s 5cmx5cmx7cm.

Pretty scary ya? Anyway, for precaution sake, my doctor advised me to remove it in case it ruptures during the pregnancy, and that might induce labour, and as a result pose serious risk and danger to the baby.

So ladies… if you have not gone for a thorough ‘women wellness checkup’ for sometime, do not delay it any further! Just pick up that phone and make an appointment today. That’s what I have been telling all my girlfriends, especially those who are getting married, who are planning for a family. Cysts are only detectable via ultrasound scan, and usually do not have any symptoms.

Ok, enough of gory stuff.

Prior to the operation, many of my friends asked me how do I feel about it. Am I worried? Am I scared? Well, frankly, I did not put too much thought into it. It is the first time that I have to be admitted into a hospital, and the first time I am having any surgery done.

The way I look at it was… it is something inevitable. It is not as if I can get out of it if I am too scared to do it. So either way, I will have to proceed on. Hence, I did not think too much about it.

I told my friends, “Well, I think I will start worrying when they wheel me into the operation theatre…!” They replied, “Well, wouldn’t that be a little bit too late?”

And so, it was time for the surgery. Jamie, my parents and my mum-in-law (who came from Singapore specifically to lend me support, so wonderfully sweet of her!!!) went to the hospital with me. After admission, the hospital staff sure know how to make you feel like a patient almost immediately. Haha! I was transformed from a healthy person to a patient with one gesture, that plastic tag that they hook on to your wrist…!

The nurses got me ready for the surgery. And I changed from my clothes to the hospital’s blue gown… you know the type where there are ‘ribbons’ at the back for you to tie to cover up your modesty.

Before I knew it, it was time for the surgery. I must admit, by then I was feeling a bit apprehensive. Jamie squeezed my hand and told me everything will be ok. The nurses came to my ward, to wheel me to the operation theatre. This is the scary part.

It’s exactly like the movie…! Actually, I don’t think I will be as nervous if they would have just let me walk there, since at that point, I am still perfectly ok. You hear the squeaking wheels of the bed, you are lying on the white bed, staring up at the white lights, and you see all these people garbed in blue/green walking around you.

They move you from one bed, to another. From the ward bed, to the pre-operation bed, and then finally… to the operation theatre bed… which by the way is the most uncomfortable one. It is pretty hard, and narrow. Not much thought was placed on the comfort level since the patient will be ‘knocked out’ soon…

Then comes to GA (general anesthetic). It works pretty quickly actually. I think I was unconscious in less than a minute. There’s the injection, the oxygen mask… and then the next thing I know was… I was back in the pre-op room. You know where you see in the movies… people who are unconscious sometimes keep shaking their heard from left to right, and right to left before coming back to consciousness? Yes, that’s what I did…

I was then wheeled back to the ward… where my family members were waiting for me.

The entire process, from the time I was wheeled out, to the time I was wheeled back in took… 2.5 hours.

(to be continued…)

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Don’t you just love it when you get fantastic news the first thing you wake up?

Was still lazing around on my bed when hubby said to me… “Hey, May is messaging you on MSN.” May is one of our lovely dating consultants at the Singapore office.

“Violet, we have another wedding coming up! They have set the date for next July!”

Woohoo! Love hearing about upcoming weddings.

May messaged on, “That’s the greatest job satisfaction ever!” And I just cannot agree more.

With more than 1000 members in Singapore, I cannot say that I know each and every one personally, but the male member is someone that I remember… as I remember him almost giving up halfway. He has met quite a number of ladies, and nothing was working out… but thanks to my dedicated and persuasive dating consultants, he decided to continue on his dating journey… and voila!

Fantastic news isn’t it? Happy stories like these are the motivating force behind us merry ‘matchmakers’. Off to bed now folks!

Have a great weekend ahead!

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