gratitude

So, that was harder than I expected, especially the first few days. The surgery went well, but the medications they gave me when I came home from the hospital made me sicker. After hearing that I'd been puking up my meds, the surgeon told me to stop taking codeine, so since the second day I've had nothing stronger than ibuprofen. Over-the-counter painkillers only took the edge off, and the pain and nausea left me too miserable to even read for a few days. I'm much, much better now--left the house for the first time today--though my face is still swollen and bruised, and I've noticeably lost weight. I have several new metal plates holding my upper jaw together, eight stainless steel screws in my gums (temporary, thank god) and some thirty or so stitches in my mouth. I am mightily resenting the liquid diet (a sure sign of improvement) and dreaming of all the things I will eat when the bands holding my teeth shut are loosened, probably in a few days. I'm on a soft-food diet until mid-October, but as soon as I can open my mouth again there will be masala dosa, and misir wat, and polenta with parmesan.

While it's been a difficult week, it's also been one full of blessings. Being sick and vulnerable, especially when you're single and thousands of miles from any family, can be a frightening prospect--but the kindness and generosity of friends forestalled any fear. Thanks above all to my roomie RA, who held my hand and took such good care of me all week, and SF, who visited me in hospital and watched over me the night I got home, and P., who wrote his constitutionalism syllabus from our living room for two days so there'd be someone on call if I needed help while everybody else was at work. Manan (going above and beyond the call of bloggy solidarity!) sent an awesome pile of DVD goodness, and AK a thick and promising book, as well as this gorgeous CD. Mama and the girls sent flowers, and constant emails. Teju came and sat on the bed and read the first twenty pages of Joseph O'Neill's Netherland aloud to me, and last night LPG and Sashi dropped by bearing an illicit copy of The Edge of Heaven (English subtitles and all!) and a slim, lovely volume of Seamus Heaney. Today, the best cook I know brought homemade zucchini and asparagus soups (and more books). Thariel told me funny stories on skype and dear S. sent delightfully distracting texts about Forché poems and Woody Allen movies, and many more of you called and texted and emailed and facebooked and kept me company on g-chat even when my conversation mostly consisted of incoherent complaints. I feel extraordinarily well cared-for right now, and very, very lucky in my community. Thank you all so much.