Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin. Actually, I'm not even sure where to begin telling you about these past few weeks. I mentioned in my last journal entry that I had picked up a job. I was looking forward to confirming here that I would be playing Puck in the Hartford Stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I was particularly excited to be working with the director, Lisa Peterson, who I met a few summers ago on Sundance Mountain and it had been so long since I had a cause to read Shakespeare, and Puck is a dream role for any actor. Unfortunately... it isn't a dream destined to come true for me at this time. As Robert Burns said "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a'glee".
This is due to my other big news. I have never been seriously ill, and I have especially been looking after my health lately. Recently, however, I came down with what felt like a terrible stomach virus. I ended up in the hospital emergency room and they did all sorts of tests. I had scans and x-rays and lots of things I have never needed before. I didn't appear to be gravely ill, which was good news, but the odd news is that the technician came back into the room as I was awaiting test results and said, "Mr Morton, are you aware that you only have one kidney!?" No! I have lived my entire life thinking I had two! This made me want to have a full inventory to make sure I have all of the other vital organs I always presumed were there! You never know how much you miss something until it's gone, and now I am really missing my left kidney. I guess it isn't gone since it was never there to begin with-- but you know what I mean. I called my mother immediately upon leaving hospital to blame her, but apparently in this case, you didn't always know, did you, Mother?
I started to feel better-- and spent the rest of the week taking it easy and improving, but still feeling some pain.
I was relaxing, watching TV and actually working on a journal update for this site when I suddenly felt the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life. I was crippled with the pain. It got so bad that an ambulance was called to take me to the hospital emergency room, again. (NB I was only wearing a towel at the time so it was all very embarrassing trying to maintain some dignity). This time, they did a scan and discovered that something was very wrong inside me, though they didn't know what it was. They called emergency surgeons in and cut me open to explore. Then, without even asking, they removed my appendix, which had ruptured! So, in case you are keeping track, I am now down an appendix and a kidney and in exchange, I have a long scar all the way down my stomach to the nether regions.
Seriously, it was a very painful and frightening experience. I have never been one to go to the doctor regularly (in fact hospitals are kind of a phobia of mine) and have always enjoyed good health. In this case though, if I hadn't gone to the ER exactly when I did, the story could have been very different. I have been told by many people that I came close to dying. I'm most disappointed that there was no white light... I was expecting Zelda Rubenstein to encourage me to 'go to the light, Euan M. Go to the light...'
So, I've been in the hospital for two weeks, and am now on the mend, but this will take a while. I have tubes coming out of every part of me, tubes delivering oxygen, tubes delivering medicines, and several others doing things we really shouldn't discuss here! They have just put me back on solid foods, which is a good thing as I was getting tired of eating only ice chips. I can't wait to get out though. It's so annoying that they wake you up every three hours (even thru the night) to ask if I'm all right and to pump more drugs in me.
There have been some ups and downs throughout this early part of my recovery. One of the downs is that I had to reluctantly call the people in Hartford to tell them that I would be unable to play Puck. If you know me, you know how much I enjoy my work and how devastating it was to have to give up this job. However, life and health must come first. It really has been bugging me ever since though. I love my job and no actor wants to ever give up something they enjoy so much... At least this way I'll have a future to hopefully fill with other jobs!
It has been an unexpected and difficult time, but fortunately I had the support and love of friends and family, who have really looked after me. I can't even begin to thank them for everything they have done-- from taking me on short walks from my hospital bed, to decorating my room, to sending flowers and calling on the phone, to advocating for my care when things weren't running smoothly in the hospital. All the love and support cheered and encouraged me, even in the middle of some very dark moments. My incapacitation also gave my parents another excuse to leave life in Scotland behind for a while so they could sit by my hospital bed! God Bless them.
It's not all doom and gloom though. While laying in my sickbed, I managed to book another gig at the Metropolitan Room. (I'm not letting a little appendix stop me). I had fun at the Algonquin, and met lots of new people, but wanted to find a place that was a bit less pricey! Plus everyone has told me that they really enjoyed the last gigs at the Met Room, and I did too. More information will be coming on this but in the meantime, please check the gigs and events page for details. If you want to go ahead and get your tickets now, go for it-- but I wanted to let you know that I am working with the venue to put together a coupon deal that is exclusive to this website ($5 off the ticket price for my readers). Keep watching the website for this deal and maybe that will help to encourage you to see the new gigs in these troubled economic times!
So that's all my news-- the good and the bad. I will be laying low for a time, bored and trying real hard not to let the dark clouds envelope me. Maybe after this tough year and now this painful surgery I'll start on the climb back to some kind of normalcy?!
Anyhoo, please plan to join me in October at the Metropolitan Room. I look forward to seeing you all and to performing again - I might even let you see my gross scar!!!!! Bet that's got you going?!
Stay safe, and the moral of the story is don't shy away from the doctor even if they do scare the hell out of you!
Your Friend
Euan
xx