I was staring down the barrel at brain surgery and I preferred the idea of being shot thank you very much!

I'm back, oh yes. You can't keep a good girl down. So as I was telling you in my last blog post I'd had a massive brain haemorrhage.

Why it happened I'll never really know. It has been attributed to the fact I was on Plavix a blood thinner like aspirin but works a bit differently. I'd been to the allergy clinic and told that aspirin wasn't helpful to my gut so I needed to change meds. It made sense as aspirin was probably eroding my stomach wall and I do have reflux and gastritis.

So I fixed my food intolerances but had a brain haemorrhage...just great!!!

The day for neurosurgery had arrived and I was booked in for burr holes in my skull. For those of you who are not medical it may be a bit yukky/squeamish. It's basically where you drill 2 holes in the side of your head to relieve pressure and bleeding. I know it's pretty vile. don't think about it too much or for too long!

I got changed into my hospital theatre gown and felt like doing a runner. It was one of those moments where you think shall I? I looked at the hole in the ceiling and wondered if I should climb on through that hole and 'do one'? I've never wanted to run away so much ever in my life. The sensible part of my brain said 'no Karen you really have to do this. It's a case of do and live or don't and die. No choice at all really.'

So it was with a heavy heart that I arrived in the anaesthetic room and jumped up on the theatre bed. The anaesthetists wired my head up to an EEG. It's a special machine that monitors brain waves and tells the doctors if you're properly anaesthetised or not. It was the first time they'd used it. Gulp...

We discussed my hair and how much I liked it and please could they save it as much as possible. They talked about pigtails and plaits. It was quite funny really, surreal even. I was in an operating theatre and we were discussing hairstyles!!! It's the black sense of humour that I just love about the medical world. They dripped me and I got some good drugs and next thing I was out cold into the world of the unconscious. I actually look forward to having an anaesthetic and I've had a few in my life.

Next thing I'm awake. Zing and sat upright in recovery. I made my other half Simon come and see me. I felt unless I saw him I wouldn't know that I'd survived. Poor Simon, he hates hospitals and hates blood. I spent 24 hours in Neurosurgery ICU and was in the same bed as a famous Aussie author had been the week before. How cool is that?!

My mum flew over from England with my sister in law not knowing if I'd be OK or not. How scary. I was dressed, all drips and monitors removed and talking. Amazing. They walked in and it was as though nothing had happened except for the 4 inch scars on my skull and a tiny section of shaved hair and a hairstyle like A Flock of Seagulls!

I had the best 2 weeks after hospital. I took my mum and sister in law around all my favourite coffee shops in Sydney.

Sam drove as I was banned from driving for a month until my review. I can understand. It really takes it out of you. My brain haemorrhage had been so bad that it took 2 hours for my right hemisphere to re-inflate!!!

I can look back now though and thank my lucky stars. I'm definitely one of the very lucky ones. I escaped with all my faculties intact.
I now think...whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger!!! And it does.