ABSTRACT
The operation was scheduled for Tuesday 14 February 2017 – happy Valentine’s Day! I was prepared, bag packed for five days, armed with goodies that friends had sent, including frankincense for my pillow, eye masks aplenty, pyjamas and tops with generous necks to get over my head gently after the head operation, crystals, and a wooden statue of Ganesha, the Indian elephant god, remover of obstacles. A friend had given me a hand-painted picture of Ganesha, but it was too big to bring and anyway I thought I’d see it in just a few days.
