At the hospital in Canberra, I had to lie with my arms behind my head while the staff marked my breast and measured it. Unfortunately everything took twice as long as normal because it is a teaching hospital and the procedure was being observed and noted by medical students. By the time they were finished, my right arm was shaking and I could not bring it back to my side without assistance. That night my right shoulder was sore, but by the next morning it was more or less normal. However, more than 24 hours later my left shoulder was still so sore and stiff that I had to take pain killers. I reckoned that the pain was caused by my having to hold my arms above my head. Anyway, I hoped that was all that it was.

I began to wonder if I would ever feel all right – I meant, all right, with nothing wrong anywhere – again. Although my left side, the side of the operation, had little discomfort, I had what felt like arthritis in my right wrist, chill-blains on my left toe, and an itch that nothing seemed to help. When one has had an operation like this one, everything seems to be amplified.

Now it was time to leave for our vacation at the Sunshine Coast. Hooray – diversion and relaxation! After visiting my niece and then spending the night with our son and his family, we flew out of Sydney airport at lunch time. The Virgin Air flight was uncomfortable by any standards, with insufficient leg room and not enough seat space. So this is what a battery chicken experiences! Also, we were assailed by marketing messages and by attendants trying to sell us things, as if spending money would divert us from our discomfort. Thank goodness the flight lasted less than one and a half hours. Any longer, and I would have required chiropractic attention. By the time we reached our destination, both my arm and breast were a little painful, but not unbearably so. However, by the time we got to our holiday apartment, I was really feeling under the weather.

We needed a stock of food so we walked to a supermarket at the nearest mall, a stroll of about 25 minutes each way. I was walking so slowly that Brian asked if I was feeling all right. Normally I am a quick walker, able to match Brian’s pace, but right then my hand and fingers were feeling heavy, as if afflicted with pins and needles, and generally I felt out of sorts. By the next day, I felt fine. However, I decided that on the flight back, I would wear a pressure sleeve, which the nurse had recommended but the doctor had said was unnecessary.