Hospital Diaries

(This is a long post)

PO?!?!?!

This was how I initially reacted when my OB Gyne confirmed that I had two ovarian cysts, one on each ovary, and I could have sworn my face went blank as if she was speaking in some alien dialect. And then she started explaining as mightily as she could so that it wouldn’t sound too medicalspeak for me, but in my mind there were only two words: WHY.ME. (???) Eventually it all boiled down to me having to undergo surgery to have the cysts removed and subjected for biopsy to check if the cysts were cancerous or not (benign). And so in a matter of three weeks, I had to physically and emotionally prepare myself for what would be my very first major surgery – something of a milestone, but never the kind anyone would wish for but was inevitable.

To cut the story short, here's a brief recap of what seemed to be the longest week of my life, so far:

MARCH 23: Surgery was not until the next day, but I was confined the night before for some pre-surgery preps and something of about six or seven different medical interns and/or residents asking me the same questions over and over about my medical history. I was also told that my surgery was moved six hours ahead of schedule, which meant that I’ll be in as early as 8 AM the next day. Gosh! By 12 midnight, I was already on IV fluid.

MARCH 24: THE day. Last thing I remembered, I was taken to the Operating Room on the 4th floor as early as 7:45 AM. When I woke up in the recovery room, it was already 8:45 PM, and for some reason my body kept convulsing so they had to give me oxygen mask and monitor my vital signs for another 30 minutes. I was taken back to my hospital room around nine past something in the evening, and I had a catheter inside me coz I could quite bring myself to stand up and take a leak. Surprisingly enough, there was not the slightest hint of pain which I was actually bracing myself for.

MARCH 25: Still no sign of serious pain; only a burning itch that build up whenever I’d get my shot of morphine every 12 hours. This time I was able to watch TV in sitting position, but with the catheter still attached inside me, I really wasn’t able to move about that much. My doctors dropped by to check up on me, and I was pressured to pass gas before I was able to eat soft solid food. But I guess my system’s not up for it yet, so I had to content myself with crackers and water during antibiotic intakes.

MARCH 26: Got my last shot of morphine, and I was finally free of the catheter thingy. I was able to move around and walk around my room with IV fluid in tow, as per doctors’ recommendation for faster recovery. By afternoon, I was finally able to pass gas and was eligible for soft diet (Think: porridge, noodles, soups). Next step is to move my bowel before I can finally get discharged from the hospital. Oh, and I also received a beautiful bouquet of 2-dozen peach roses from a friend. Lovely! ^_^

MARCH 27: I was finally able to move my bowel in the morning, and that same afternoon I got my discharge order and was home sweet home by evening.

So there. It’s quite an experience, actually, and not entirely a pleasant one. (Especially since hospital food always suck in my opinion, and not being able to move about as I pleased sucked just as much.) My only consolations were the cable TV, kind and hospitable nurses, the morphine shots, well-wishes and support from close friends, and the beautiful roses. (Thank you! You know who you are. ^_^) As for my parents, they were just the bestest in giving me the moral and physical support each step of the way. Today is exactly a week since my operation, and so far my body’s recuperating pretty well. I’m still a little low on my blood pressure, and my appetite has yet to go back to normal, but I’m just taking things one day at a time. I still have two more weeks of rest before I return to work, so I’m loading up on plenty of rest to help me get back in shape faster. Lesson learned: NEVER.EVER.TAKE.YOUR.HEALTH.FOR.GRANTED. Cliché as it is, it’s true when they say that, “Health is wealth.”

A blessed and peaceful long weekend to everyone!