Kitt, you were spot on with the black eyes- i looked like a panda, and my cheeks were very swollen as the bony cavities behind them had been drilled out- so a cross between a panda and a squirrel! 
i bled from my nose and mouth for 3 weeks straight.
Meg, medicare is a 
! I am with MBF. i am doing it through the private system cos i have top level health insurance, i may as well get a kickin room to myself with cable tv and an ensuite! if im going to do this again, i will darn well be as comfy as possible! 
like i said, im a veteran of surgery for my age, (it began with a partial left mastectomy at 13) but that doesnt make the idea any more palatable or pleasant. i wake up in the middle of the night gagging for air, because everything is blocked up, and that leads to anxiety- the whole hyperventilation etc. and when sleep is constantly disrupted, i get even more edgier and nervy.
i want the surgery in the school holidays because i dont want to leave my students with a substitute for too long- as i have mentioned i teach teens with 'behavioural' disorders and they dont tend to cooperate for subs. they like order, or they need order and they know me, therefore they tend to behave for me. (ADHD, ADD, E.D- emotionally disturbed).
so i need to find the time- at this stage i may have to wait until april, which is immensely frustrating. as i write this, i have 2 perforated eardrums and tonsilitis. i had a tonsillectomy in 2000, however the surgeon didnt remove all of them. the incompetent man left the roots of the tonsils behind, so i still get tonsilitis 8 to 12 times a year, even though i dont technically have any tonsils. i bled out on the table and ended up spending 2 weeks in hospital, instead of 2 days.. 
i also bled during the sinus surgery and had to be transfused with a clotting factor.
im so tired of every day being a battle, both physically and mentally. i believe God will see me through this, but its just distressing. i try not to dwell on the negatives but sometimes they overwhelm me.
thankyou everyone who responded, you are all good for the soul! i feel well supported here. i will keep you posted- its just a rough patch at the moment- my agoraphobia is creeping back into my life and i thought i had it under control, but apparently not. it is so limiting, having boundaries that i cant cross- is anyone else here agoraphobic? ive been this way since i was 14.
Maz XX