Well, I knew I’d be wiped out after the operation, but I didn’t realise it would hit me quite so entirely! But the recovery has been good so far. Here’s a quick rundown. (I won’t go through what happened in minute detail here, as I’m going to do a different ‘hysterectomy diary’ blog next week or when I’m recovered!)

The hysterectomy was on Saturday 11th, and having done my last QVC shift on Friday afternoon, my son Brad dropped me off at Saint Anthony’s in Cheam, and… it all went very well.

But briefly, after a short delay, I was taken in for the complete hysterectomy operation done under QVC’s private health insurance (less of a burden on the NHS and a perk I’m grateful for.)

As a result of getting intermittent bleeding as a result of adenomyosis (quite a run of the mill ‘swelling of the womb lining’ condition) I had booked in for a full hysterectomy.

An important factor in the decision was hearing from many of my friends and contacts online, almost all of whom had said, and continue to say, “best thing I’ve ever had done“. And Mum had hers quite young, as well. And let’s face it, having to buy tampons at 63 is not a lot of fun.

So it was all removed, and the consultant said it was all perfectly normal, no sign of anything sinister, and it was a very straightforward procedure. (There are some pictures, and a funny incident, well I laughed afterwards. I’ll write about it on the hysterectomy diary!)

I was looked after very well by the hospital staff too, thanks to them all, and the food was great.

I even watched a bit of QVC, comfort viewing, when still woozy on the Sunday, whilst I gradually started to feel a bit better. Mum and her partner kindly came and got me early afternoon on Sunday. So then it was time to focus on relaxing, taking it easy (as everyone kept telling me, including lots of people who had been through it) and binge watching television!

See below for some really good recommendations! It felt like being back in lockdown when we couldn’t go out and all I had to do was watch various TV series! And I enjoyed it, whilst the novelty lasted anyway. (top tip – Riot Women on BBC is utterly outstanding!)

Mum was amazing, she bought me some lovely meals. Very healthy and nutritious food, and I drank loads of fluids as well, and gradually started moving around the flat. Had a couple of visitors, lots of phone calls, tons of socials.

Thank you to everybody who’s been so kind with lots of lovely messages.

I have been putting loads more updates on my socials so please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and X. And more importantly sign up for my newsletter, as that’s where I’m going to be putting the link for the blog that will give the full blow by blow hysterectomy diary, based on what also happens over the next couple of weeks.

And here’s to a speedy recovery to anyone else that’s been going through the same thing!

SNIPPETS

Lovely flowers!

Thank you so much to my lovely friends and family for sending me some gorgeous bouquets. I nearly ran out of vases!

Cello Heaven

Oh my goodness, this lovely aromizer has really been soothing and relaxing. With a lovely smell of cinnamon aromatherapy oils that I drop into it, it has a little light show, as well. Fragrancing my little room while I sit relaxing, its essential oils (cinnamon!) seemed a much better bet for me at the moment (with all the falling asleep on the sofa for hours!) than candles. (NB I think it’s back in stock, I don’t know how much it is. But they also have other things. Or neom will be doing something I’m sure. Well worth getting in order to help with relaxation!

Muk Luks to the rescue

Just love my Muk Luks aloe infused cabin socks. I did buy some new ones but these are ones that have been through the washing machine several times already and still really comfortable. Perfect to keep my tootsies warm over these compression socks from the hospital which I’ve got to wear for two weeks taking them off only to shower!

‘Spotted on Socials’: a little bit of history, nearly 50 years ago! An early mobile phone demo on Blue Peter! See it here.

‘Spotted’ 2: Tony Blackburn with 70 years of pick of the pops! If you ever wondered where my old telly husband used to be, from the days when we had music shows that Tony Blackburn on QVC selling CDs galore, he’s been very active in broadcasting. Here’s his update! See it here.

Exclusive – on this week’s newsletter (sign up to get yours in the inbox every weekend), the exclusive content includes an indoor ‘vlog,’ plus the most surprising thing about being in this stage of recovery after my hysterectomy operation… and don’t forget to sign up if you’ve not already done so, and do confirm your email via the auto response afterwards, in order to get the newsletter next week – which will have the full Hysterectomy Diary update, including “those“ pictures in full!

WATCH – Well, since watching TV has been 3/4 of my life this week, this section has been expanded for now!

Top Picks

• Riot Women (iplayer).
  Absolutely magnificent – a six part series on BBC, mostly menopausal women, with a variety of issues, form a rock band. Should be required viewing for every menopausal woman! Very, very funny but the emotional parts are stunningly well acted. And the performances are some of the best I’ve seen. Covers some hard hitting topics especially for older women. A clear contender for my best ‘watch’ of the year. Try it and see if you agree!

• House of Guinness
  I love me a period drama based partly on fact. Although mostly fiction, this does cherry pick some of the history of the Guinness family, establishing their brewery in Dublin in the mid 1800s. Some really good characters, and strong female performances. Loads of swearing, just to warn you. And Edward Norton fans will be over the moon! Watch it and you’ll see why…! Loved it. Roll on season two!

• Celebrity Traitors
  Obvs. Opening shows, duly watched…
  Nb (spoiler alert). Alan Carr is definitely a national treasure. And I feel really sorry for poor Paloma who just went into the kitchen with him at the wrong time! (But does anyone else fast-forward through the tasks, like I do? There must be something they can do to edit them to make them a bit more compelling. The suspense just isn’t there, really. They never seem to fail with the big tasks that matter, always completing them – ‘just in the nick of time.’ Which is a bit yawn!) but it’s shaping up to be a brilliant series!

Also watched –
– Victoria Beckham documentary on Netflix – enlightening and entertaining.

• Started ‘Hostage’ with Suranne Jones – possibly a bit predictable, I may go back to it. Prime Minister told to resign by a team of kidnappers who have got her doctor husband in Africa. The whole topic including having two female world leaders intertwined, with several more clichés thrown in, feels like it’s trying a bit too hard, I think. I may just spin through to the end.

• Mrs Biggs – an older offering but Sheridan Smith and Daniel Mays are always worth an outing. Ronnie Biggs, the great train robbery and some superb period detail. Very good.

• Harlots – another older series but set in 1700s London when knocking shops were acceptable and the gentry had acknowledged mistresses, featuring some very famous faces and wonderful period detail. Dipped into it when it came up on a search for something else, as I couldn’t remember how far I’d watched, thought I’d found the last episode I’d watched; then once I sat through nearly all of it, realised I’ve seen it before (thank you, menopause brain, LOL. A hysterectomy won’t rectify that particular problem!)

• Revisited The Newsreader – based in 1980s Australia, incorporating real life news events, a drama series about the ins and outs of aspiring news readers and their newsroom shenanigans, all very compelling. If you like ‘The Newsroom’ with Jennifer Aniston, give it a go!

On the radar next –

• Rivals (based on the Jilly Cooper book)

• 1923 (because, well, Harrison Ford?… and Helen Mirren! Prequel to Yellowstone.)

• The Lincoln lawyer – because I said I was interested in something about the legal profession and this was mentioned most. I loved the books so let’s see how I get on with this.

• Film – The Woman in Cabin 10 – several people said this was good, with Keira Knightley.

• Something about a Mexican morgue!

And this one from Ricky Gervais! Ghost Town – just launched on Netflix! If it’s anywhere near as good as Afterlife it will be a smash hit! Here’s a trailer.

I am however, looking out for series which are shorter, like, six in number; or, standalone movies. Less time investment! Means I won’t be up till 1 am with those immortal words “Oh go on, I’ll just watch the start of the next episode…“ going round in my head!

Blooper – Will’s little selection this week with Gail on QVC! Funny! See it here.

Funny – this made me laugh! Clara is hilarious. See it here.

Vlog – my Thursday update with lots of information about what’s been happening since my operation on Saturday! And a brief view of “that” photograph of what they took out LOL. #thursdaybantz See it here.

Book of the Week – The latest from Richard Osman and the Thursday Murder Club! ‘The Impossible Fortune’ follows on from what I thought would be the last one in the series but having just watched the film on Netflix, I’m very glad to see there’s more from this stable. Yes, it’s another enjoyable, light-hearted, easy listening romp with some killer one-liners from the team of geriatric murder-solvers. The narrator is really rather good, and her comic timing makes the audiobook very compelling – more funny than the film, I found. Worth a listen!

By the way a good friend of mine, Carolyn Mahony, has a special offer on her crime book ‘Cry From The Grave,’ online and it can now be ordered from Waterstones. Well done Carolyn! Check out her detective Harry Briscombe crime series, it’s really rather good.

QVC NEWS

Michaela explains the recent today’s special value!
It’s sold out so quickly, the demo is now not online, so she’s done a special video on how to use it! Follow her on her socials as there are lots of other videos about it prior to this one, too! See it here.

QVC TOP DEALS FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS

Friday (today) – go to qvcuk.com and search ‘today’s special value’ to see and buy what’s left of Ruth Langsford’s shimmer jumper with button cuff.

Saturday – that lovely Neom well-being luxury four-piece gift collection is already online! A wonderful time to stock up!

Sunday – Curtis Stone is back in the house – this time with a set of two : the dura-pan, and the roast & bake store pan. Always worth watching his shows!

Offer of the week – the Shark flex style sparkle champagne diamond Limited edition five in one air Styler for your hair!

Big deals ending Sunday night

Go to this section of our website each week to discover the current ones which often end on Sunday nights if there are any stocks left!

Big deals are available on air for usually a week, they may be longer online if stocks last. Occasionally they last a couple of weeks but there are new ones every Sunday night so come back again and see them on the link above.

Next week should include:

style – cozee home cozy net lounge dress

extra – not available at time of writing

beauty – Aveda thickening volumising tonic duo at a really good price

main – not available at time of writing

Now back to the today’s special values for the rest of the week –

PLEASE NOTE – these are correct at time of writing but maybe subject to change.

Monday – already online, the Sara by Sara Davies choice of Berry Christmas tree in different heights and finishes!

Tuesday – hair removal time with the Braun IPL silk-expert Pro 5 hair remover system, it’s an investment but think what it saves you in the future!

Wednesday – moda in Pelle with the Othelia (not ophelia!!) boot!

Thursday – going on sale earlier in the week, it’s makeup time – with bare minerals, and their 4-piece ‘in your element’ collection.

Friday – cozee home again, this time for your bed, with the velvetsoft cocoon four-piece duvet set

Friday 9 pm – going on sale earlier in the week and staying with the bedroom, the Simba brand is here with a hybrid breeze mattress on six easy pays!

Plus the big Liz Earle face and body seven piece set in a choice of three options goes on sale midweek as well. Here’s a little sneaky peeky!

Next week – more about the recovery, and hopefully more relaxing and more fabulous TV to watch! (I’m not gonna say I could get used to this… 🙂

Have a good week, and to anybody going through the same thing, or who has done in the past; big hugs to you. X

Best wishes

Debs

X

PS  I support Medical Detection Dogs. We raised over £2,300 in our June event. Find out more and donate on this link.

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