It's Saturday afternoon, Day 3 here in the hospital and the boredom bug is starting to bite. I am very very happy to report that I am recovering and healing quite well. :) The whole experience has been a pleasant surprise. Well, okay, maybe not pleasant, but it was much better than I expected it to be.
The day before the surgery was a busy one. We went to the hospital in the morning to do my blood work and sign consent forms, and also met with the doctor performing the surgery and also my anesthesiologist. They were both very nice ladies and put me at ease about the whole procedure. Even Papa was feeling confident that everything was going to be okay. After that, we walked around the area so I could show Papa that Starbucks was just right down the road to the hospital, as well as some international grocery stores and restaurants where he could go get food to eat. Then we headed to Ikea (to look at furniture), Siyuanqiao (to look at car accessories), Bainaohui (to look at gadgets) and Qianmen (to shop at H&M). Like I said, busy day! I was ready to crash after that. Forget about being well-rested for the surgery!
Papa had cooked his delicious sinigang and even more delicious daing na bangus... pure Pinoy food heaven. I was advised not to eat anything after midnight as the procedure was scheduled for 8:30am the next day, so I managed to finish that dinner by 11:00pm (talagang photo finish! haha). I was not thinking so much about my 'impending doom' until we had finished packing and I got to bed past midnight. I barely slept that night, despite having to be up by 5:30am to be at the hospital before 7:00am.
So I was still quite groggy when we arrived at the hospital. We checked into the room at 7:00am (which really looked like a hotel room, only with medical equipment) and I was quickly prepared for the procedure: changed into a hospital gown, started an IV, shaved the area where the incision was going to be. I was able to squeeze in sending a few messages to my loved ones before they said that it was time for me to be wheeled into the operating room. I remember feeling calm but praying the Angelus over and over again and just asking God to take care of me and telling Him I am confident that he will not let anything bad happen to me.
I met my cheerful anesthesiologist inside the operating room. She asked me where I was from and I told her I am Filipino, after which she asked me if I could sing for her. I told her I'll do that after she sedates me. Hehe.
I was transferred to the operating table, and I felt my arms being strapped onto it. I remember saying hi to my surgeon and asking her if she was having a good day. She said yes and she told me that she was sure I was also going to have a good day. The last thing I remember was asking all the people in the room if they watched Grey's Anatomy (they don't) and telling them how people kept asking me if I got a McDreamy or a McSteamy. My anesthesiologist asked me if I was feeling dizzy, but I wasn't and felt I could still chat up a storm over the next hour or so. But then she must have put in the magic potion, since the next thing I remember was the nurses waking me up and telling me that the procedure was over. I checked the clock: it was only 10:30am! That was quick.
It turns out that only an hour after I was wheeled into the operating room, my doctor had already called Papa to tell him that the surgery was over and that everything went well. In fact, it went better than well. They did not have to take the ovary out, just got rid of the cyst, which means I got to keep all my body parts. The anesthesiologist took a photo of my healthy ovary and the cystic ovary, and it is unbelievable, but since I don't want to scare y'all, I'll keep those photos to myself. :)
A few minutes later I was already brought back into my room. I could feel the wound but it was not painful, it was only uncomfortable. It was much, much better than I imagined it to be. I was slipping in and out of consciousness but I remember talking to anyone who would listen to me; the nurses, Papa, my doctor, even Gauri and Kim who came to visit at lunchtime. I was feeling good.
Already that evening I asked them to take the catheter out. I wanted to be able to be back to normal as quickly as possible. Well that was quite an experience, but I'm not going into details. Let's just say that was the most uncomfortable experience throughout my stay so far. But by that evening I was already able to get up and walk around a bit, and even go to the bathroom by myself.
The next day, Day 2, only 24 hours after the surgery, my doctor was happy to see me up and about and cleared me for taking a shower. That felt sooooo good. By then I was already eating normally and walking around. They discontinued my IV and I was even able to manage to chat with my mom and sister on video, although I still looked like a hospital patient. I was having a hard time not laughing because Papa was making so many jokes! I also had another visitor, Kuya Krick - my friend Mai's brother - and his kids came to see me. It was nice to be able to chat with them. The dietician also came in to pay me a visit to talk to me about over-all health and how this can be the start of a healthier lifestyle for me.
So now Day 3 rolled around and aside from a little bit of discomfort from the incision, I'm feeling great and seem to be recovering well. I did have a migraine attack in the morning but it went away around lunchtime. Most, if not all of my bodily functions are back to normal which means everything must be working well inside. I was even able to put on my normal clothes (i.e. get out of my hospital gown) and walked around the hospital. With my laptop here we were able to play good music and it took all my willpower not to dance when Chris Brown's Forever came on. Haha. I can't wait to be able to move a little bit faster again, but all in good time!
Looking back I think it was also helpful to have expected the worst, because it gave me a sense of accomplishment when I was able to quickly get back on normal routines shortly after the surgery. And though I am not as religious as my Paulinian mentors would have wanted me to be, I know that I owe it all to the Father was with me every step of the way and still is holding my hand until all of this is over, and beyond.
I cannot wait to be discharged from the hospital (that's scheduled on Monday) and be back in my apartment where I can watch my Filipino channels, and also have Papa cook some good Filipino food again! All in all this experience has been better than I imagined it to be, and I am both happy and thankful to have been through the worst. I hope it only gets better from here.
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