On Nov. 7 I had my brain reamed out. Or, at least, that’s what it felt like.

I had septoplasty—a surgery to fix my deviated septum and enlarge my nasal passages. Now that sounds complicated. But really it’s a simple procedure requiring a sledgehammer and a drill bit big enough to unclog a storm sewer.

After my nasty nasals were straightened and cleared, two plastic stints (three to four inches long—no exaggeration) were inserted into my nose and the airway beyond to keep things in place.

A week later, the stints were removed. But by then I’d developed an allergic reaction to the post-op antibiotic I was on . The result—a massive rash over most of my body.

The rash is now gone. And the stints are out. But, until the swelling goes down, I won’t really know if I’m breathing better and if it was all worth it.

On the plus side, though, my pal Mark Monlux did the above comic for me.

What makes it so perfect is that—like Kathy Bates (in the movie MISERY)—my wife Shelagh is a nurse. Fortunately, I received much better care from my live-in nurse than James Caan did in that movie.