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One of my post op walks on Maryport beach - less than 48 hours after surgery |
I have to confess that I was a little bit apprehensive about returning to Ravensdale immediately after surgery.
However, I needn’t have worried at all. It’s really no
different to recuperating in a house.
Climbing on and off our 43ft cruiser is no problem,
thanks to the big sturdy metal steps the previous owner left for us.
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A bag of fruit left as a gift on our big chunky steps |
And the rocking of the boat is a very comforting feeling,
especially when under the influence of heavy duty painkillers J
I went into West Cumberland Hospital at Whitehaven in
Cumbria at 8am on Tuesday morning to have my gall bladder removed by keyhole
surgery at the day case unit.
I had previously warned hospital staff that I’d been very
slow to come around after earlier operations so they put me first on the list.
The procedure, which involved making four small holes in
my abdomen, took just under an hour. It was carried out between about 10am and
11am and I was back on the ward by 12.45pm.
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A selfie taken soon after I returned to the ward |
I had been unsure whether to go ahead with the operation
as I had not had any problems with my gallstones since two very unpleasant
flare ups in March and April.
But I am now very glad I did.
After the operation, I was told that my gall bladder had
been inflamed and could have caused me a lot of trouble if I had kept it.
I was back on board soon after 8pm the same day and tucked into a
normal evening meal.
I’d been warned that people who’ve had this operation
often feel nauseous afterwards and I was given medication to take if this happened.
However, despite a very rocky first night, I haven’t felt
in the slightest bit nauseous.
I was told I needed to go out for three gentle 30 minute
walks a day starting the day after my op to prevent blood clots forming so just
24 hours after I was on the operating table I was walking along the pier amazed
that I was feeling so well.
It is now just three days since the op and I can carry on
with most of what I would do on a normal day. I’m just not allowed to lift
anything heavy and I’m avoiding getting things in and out of the very low drawers in
the galley, which involves a lot of serious bending.
I also get quite tired after my walks so am making the
most of the opportunity to lounge around in the saloon reading and snoozing.
One of the best things about recovering from an op on a
boat is that, even when I’m indoors, it feels like being outdoors.
In a house, I would’ve been surrounded by walls, whereas
here there are windows on all four sides of the saloon so I can prop myself up
on the sofa with my feet up and still see everything that’s going on around us.
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The big windows in the saloon that bring the outdoors in |
Yesterday (Thursday) was dry and fairly warm so we were
able to leave the door and windows open to allow lots of fresh air to circulate.
And, when the sun came out yesterday afternoon, I sat out
on the aft deck to have a coffee.
Today (Friday) it was dry first thing so we walked into
town to get a bit of shopping, stopping for coffee and cake at The Aquarium
cafe, but it’s now raining so I guess I’m going to get wet on my next two walks
today.
I’m hoping to start reducing the painkillers tomorrow so
it will be interesting to see how I feel then.
As well as looking after me, Phil is also finding time to
keep on top of Ravensdale’s needs.
On Monday, he noticed that the water level in two of our
four batteries was very low.
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Ravensdale's battery bank |
The two that are most accessible are sealed and we
thought all four were the same, but he discovered that the two hidden away at
the back were not.
He topped them up with a few litres of deionised water
and tested them with a hydrometer, which gave a reading like pure water.
We really thought we were going to have to buy two new
ones, but he retested them yesterday and they were reading a full charge so we’re
now hopeful that they may be OK.
While down in the engine room, Phil noticed that there
was more water in the bilges than usual and set about finding the cause.
He discovered that the outlet pipe from the Whale Gulper
waste water pump, which gets rid of the water from the shower and the washbasin
in the en suite head for our bedroom, was leaking.
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Loose connections on a sensor on the starboard engine |
It seems the jubilee clip holding it on had worn a hole
in the pipe and the water had been pumping out into the bilges under our bed
and running through into the engine room.
The fuse in the pump had since blown,
which meant it stopped working completely and all the water from the shower and washbasin was going straight into the bilges.
Phil used a hand pump to remove the water and carried about eight buckets full of water up out of our bedroom.
He has shortened the pipe for now, with the intention of
replacing it soon, and the fuse has been replaced so hopefully the problem has
been sorted.
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Phil working in the engine room |
Phil also spent some time in the engine room tightening
up loose connections and carrying out the regular engine checks.
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Starlings on rigging |
We won’t be taking Ravensdale out to sea for a couple of
weeks as I won’t be able to throw ropes for a while, but he's making sure that
she will be ready to go when I am.
While out walking, we spotted these starlings on one of
the yachts in the marina and it made me very glad that we don’t have a mast and
rigging.
At this time of year, the birds have been feasting on
blackberries and their droppings cause nasty purple stains on white gelcoat.
We may get the occasional bombing, but at least we don’t
have as many perches as the yachts J
