Operation Belt Tightening

Galia is due to go in hospital this tomorrow (Thursday) for another operations to be performed by her cousin. She has been sweating it out for quite a few weeks after her first successful operation and remains in a state of tension knowing that for many weeks afterwards she will be in great pain on recovery.

It has been difficult for Galia as she has had this problem for many years now. I try and tell here that for the first time in over twenty years she will see a light at the end of the long and painful tunnel. Like many Bulgarians Galia thinks of now rather than the future and right now she has to go through the biggest hurdle. It is quite hard to get Bulgarians to think ahead. It is the same with shopping, they will just get enough for today as tomorrow they will go out and do the same, they never thing ahead for the weekend.

The most difficult thing to come to terms with is my perfect health put alongside. I find myself apologising that I have no medical or health problems and that I wish I could take the place of her being ill instead. Galia I don't think understands that as she doesn't say much in response as it something that none of us can do anything about so what's the point in talking about it. She just says that I am very lucky not to be ill. I look at it as not luck but education and common sense looking after yourself that contributes to being healthy.

Galia has also had dental treatment on her teeth a few months ago having three large molars extracted. She was due to have another dose of treatment to have these teeth replaced, but hasn't entertained the idea due to the cost. To put ithe cost in perspective, it equates to over a month of Galia's wages. We live on a day to day basis, no provision for savings and the only reason Galia is having this hospital operation is that it is being performed by family for free. Without a doctor/surgeon in the family, Galia would not have gone ahead with this due to the cost. We don't have a dental surgeon in the family. Even so, we count ourselves very lucky as things stand, thousands of other Bulgarians just carry on with their suffering in poverty without complaint.

Most Bulgarians just don't look upon their diet as anything else other than tasting good, and it does. The cholesterol and calorie counts are incidental. Unless Bulgarians actually participate in competition sports, there is hardly any that do aerobic fitness. The men concentrate on muscle building but that's not really aerobic exercise.

The fittest and most durable people in Bulgaria live on the smallholdings in the villages. These hardy people work manually day in day out and out of those village smallholders the fittest are the women who work harder than the men.

Back to Galia, she will be off work for two months, she has some sick pay due, but it will be much less than she would normally earn so we will have to tighten our belts even further for a while. We are also lucky that the weather should have warmed up over the next few weeks so the heating bills should be nominal right through to the autumn.

We all hope Galia gets through this okay, nothing is worse that being in pain and ill. There really is an end of this in sight now, but for now in the Bulgarian way, we will just take things on a day by day basis.

18 comments:

  1. I hope everything goes well. It sounds like you care a great deal for her.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Please send my love to Galia as I so sympathise with her. Hospitals are places I'd rather spend a lifetime keeping away from!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Martin,
    Please tell Galia she has a bunch of people, online, wishing her all the best and a successful recovery.

    Take it easy and best wishes,
    Sher :0)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wish Galia a speedy recovery.

    Best wishes from us for her.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm hoping everything works out well for Galia. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wishing Galia all the best for her operation and recovery, and wishing you both strength for the difficult time ahead.

    As you say, it will all be worth it in the end and it will be wonderful for Galia to be pain-free after so many years.

    Best wishes,

    Roz

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey Martin, my thoughts are with Galia.

    Perhaps you could look at it this way. You, being healthy, would able able to take care of her needs when she's feeling down.

    C K

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Martin, just to let you know, and please pass this along to Galia that a lot of folks in Thailand from the Hope Churches are praying for her and that we all wish her a speedy recovery ,and the best.
    You have been through a lot lately and knowing you from your honest, and from your heart,post you will come thru this adversity as well , best of luck to you, and if this ole blooging buddy can do any thing to help just e-mail me in private and let me know . Malcolm

    ReplyDelete
  10. I saw Galia this evening. The operation went well from repsorts I got. She is was still under anaesthetic and can't feel or move from the waist downwards. I will visit again tomorrow morning.

    I have conveyed all your get well wishes to her today and she asked me th thank you all. She really does feel loved by everyone around her including the kind and caring online bloggers. It really does help keep her spirits up - I can't thank you enough for that.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The whole world is now tightening the belt of finance apart from those lucky ones. Good luck to Galia for her operation and to you both on the path to financial security.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ohh Martin I hope it all works out! Goodluck on Galia's operation.

    You know this post reminds me of our old caretaker - he loves eating fatty foods although he has a high cholesterol. In their mind, they could better enjoy it while it lasts.

    It's difficult to make them understand that it is bad for them. They also just live by the day.

    Goodluck and let us know how it went. My thoughts are with you guys.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's good to hear things are progressing well so far, and I do send my best wishes that it will continue this way. A speedy recovery!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh dear. Things are so hard for you as it is and then the money keeps pouring out...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Do keep us updated; I hope all went well, and that she has a successful recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sorry to hear about Galia, but it's good that there is a light at the end of the tunnel now.

    About those people working in the fields - they might be fit, but they also have a lot of problems with their bodies / joints / bones, etc. They're just sturdy, so they keep on working. Well, that's the way it seems to me at least.

    As for the heat... YES! I hope it will drive my energy bills down again. It's too much right now. Well, not too much, but a lot for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Baz, Sofia's okay I hope.

    I agree wholeheartly with your view of workers on the fields suffering in pain from joints and bones. I dont' thnk I know anyone in the villages who hasn't got aches and pains - They just work through the pain barrier, we don't know the half of it really as they hardly ever complain unless you ask them. An we expats complain about a little splinter in our finger!

    ReplyDelete

Awards

Expat Blog Award