IRL Updates: Surgery and Switch Physical Collecting

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Aywren

I wanted to write a post that was an update to two previous posts – one about my health (skip if you want to) and one about my newest hobby binge, collecting physical Nintendo Switch games. So here’s what’s going on in my nook of the net!

Health Update: Gallbladder Removal

Let me start this by saying until the whole situation with pancreatitis in April, I’ve lived a pretty illness-free life. Due to that, I feel like I also took that for granted – my habits were not healthy both in diet and exercise. And that’s what got me falling down this hole in the first place.

I had a follow-up endoscopy about six weeks after I got out of the hospital for pancreatitis. There, it was determined that sludge in the gallbladder was likely the cause, and that the best course of action was to remove my gallbladder to prevent future inflammation of the pancreas (which is still fairly nasty and inflamed, though I’ve been told this is standard). I wasn’t happy to know I needed surgery, but I had three different medical sources, including my primary care, agreeing with the outcome.

It took some time for insurance to approve the surgery, so it got pushed back once this month. Yesterday, the deed was done, so I’m now out a gallbladder and in recovery mode.

So far, this hasn’t been as awful as I thought it would be. But I say that before I’ve tried actually eating anything solid, so it could get more difficult. Who even knows.

From the stories I’ve heard of other folks’ experiences, the outcome of this surgery can vary wildly. Some people bounce back quicky and have no trouble at all. Some don’t, and struggle with lasting side effects they have to live around or treat with medication.

I really won’t know what camp I’ll be in until I get a little further down the road. But for now, my focus is on just healing up so I can tackle getting back to my job at the end of this week.

Gaming Update: Switch 1 Collection Fun

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my struggles with FOMO for the Switch 2 release and my resolve to focus on my physical collection of Switch 1 games in response. This has been a thing that I’ve pursued quite actively ever since.

I’ve gone through my curated wishlist on Deku Deals and set up watch notifications on eBay for the most important titles. Most of these you can no longer find in stores or online storefronts, so turning to eBay is the best option. Some of these you simply can find cheaper on eBay even if the physical is still on Amazon.

So far, I’ve scored the following titles for my collection at a decent price:

• Dragon Quest Builders 2
• Trials of Mana
• Luigi’s Mansion 3
• Sea of Stars

Half of these are brand new and sealed, half are used but in good condition. Waiting for them to arrive at the moment, but I’m happy with the haul so far. I have a number of other titles I’m keeping an eye out in terms of deals, and having a bit of fun bidding here and there – though I usually only do Buy It Now listings.

And you know what, my FOMO for Switch 2 has mostly gone away.

I’m still side-eyeing the Steam Deck, though. Wonder if it will be on sale for the Summer Steam Sale…

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