Chapter 5: What was taken, What was left

[Warning! This post contains a picture which may not be suitable for general viewing. If you think you are not ready, do NOT read on]

Some splash of black began to appear, voices slipped through my ears. Wake up already? so I thought, oh please, I want more sleep...

I heard some voices told me that the operation was done, or things like that. Saw faces. Then heard a doc told the other doc not to wake me up so early, to let me sleep a bit more... which I immediately agreed in my heart (^_^);

Yeah, I remembered when EKG thing going on before the surgery, I overheard the doc called his senior for some advices, then got "do not wake her up immediately after" as one of them.

So I saw things in black and white, some people talked to me, some noises... I lost track of time, but I heard voices speaking of break fasting so it was afternoon. I think not until the next day was I more aware of my surroundings.

It was an ICU room. No family member allowed to enter, they could only see me through the wide window far on my right. Yeah, I remember I gave them a thumb up just to show them I was okay (^_^);;

What was annoying about being in ICU was the oxygen devices. I had oxygen tube in my throat. That device makes a loud sound when we don't breath. My device made that noise several times even when I thought I breathed. So ICU is a very noisy room. I had that throat oxygen removed, replaced by an oxygen mask. I asked the doc to change it, then I got an oxygen tube - that little tube in the nose, you know... When I asked the nurse to remove it, she refused as she said that every patient in ICU are considered in crisis so no device's removed. The thing is, I'm claustrophobic. When I had those devices I felt like I was trapped in something so I barely control my breath.

There are 2 big things happened to me in that very room.

What was taken from my belly.
I think the tumor (what later on is called endo cyst) is not shown in that pic, though.

First, I was told that a mass of tumor had been taken out of my belly. Together with some part of my intestine and colon. I also figured out that my stomach was flat. Okay, a cause of the pain had gone together with the pain itself... that was the good news.

Second, this was the shocking part. That I had ileocolostomy...

I had no idea what that was, not until the next morning a nurse bathed me. That was the first time I saw it. Something indescribably disgusting on my right belly.

So it was not over yet...

to be continued...

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Chapter 4: I Could Finally Sleep

September 14, 2008

Lying in an Emergency Unit bed, I was anxious. Merely because the bed was very hard that I couldn't simply find a good position without feeling a back pain. The pain in my stomach was just enough without anything insufficient to make it worse...

I was about to have surgery. What surgery, I didn't know. Not wise (and please, everybody, do not ever be ignorance to what surgery you are going to have), but I wasn't really capable of thinking nor deciding anything for myself.

A lot of stuff going on that night.

I was put NGT (Naso Gastro Tube) from my nose and fluid which I noticed to be feces rushing out. Catheter in. Intravenous feeding in. No pain killer, the doc there said that a pain killer may affect diagnose or something.

3-position gastro X-ray performed, blood test, urine test, and USG... basically everything needed for operation. About that USG... I'll have another word on that later. The main reason why I HATE and have become very sarcastic to obgyn residents.

I could not sleep, at all. In order to endure such a pain and discomfort, I urged myself to listen closely to another case in that Emergency Room. There was a woman whose ring was stuck causing pain in her finger. That ring should be removed. That case was rather funny, even to me who practically could not take any funny story. The conversations between the docs and the doc to the patient gave me a little smile. Any regular procedure to release that ring had been done, none worked.

To be honest, until now, I'm still curious what happened to her after... (^_^);

September 15, 2008

Morning came, a digestive surgeon arrived and had me checked. Okay, another RT... I think I had countless RTs (^_^)p He was pretty upset due to the fact that I came the previous week with a sign of obstruction (from the previous week X-ray) yet no decent treatment. Now that my condition was ugly for an operation, it worsen the risk. Anyway, there was only one thing in my mind... "Doc, PLEASE PUT ME INTO SLEEP!!"

I was taken to Emergency Operating Room, changed clothes, having EKG first, before then put on the operating table.

Right in front of the operating room area,
you can see how big my stomach was


I needed a last minute EKG,
I'm not sure whether it was before or after

Only remember a nurse tapped my left leg, and told me to pray. And she leaned on my left leg made me feel discomfort and distracted my pray (^_^);

Then everything went totally black. (If someone says that blackness would come bit by bit when anaesthetic in, it's a lie... It's just a sudden blackness and emptiness before you know it)

I could finally sleep...

to be continued...

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Chapter 3: A Rushing Week

The week after I went back from the hospital was running like a flash.

I melt down again, was taken to Emergency Unit at Rumah Sakit Cipto Mangunkusumo/RSCM (Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital), given medicine, sent home. The next day I went to polyclinic at the same hospital, was given YAL, sent home. I was told to have CT scan, however, since the purpose and the urgency of the test were not clearly stated to me... I just couldn't do that. I mean, with such a high price of test, I needed more than just "You better take CT scan, just to make sure"! Daaa...? So I just went home with confusion and disappointment.

None of those medication worked.

I went to an acupuncturist a friend recommended. I was told that I was hexed or something, then he handed me over to his brother who was said to be the one with this expertise. Okay, I know it was pretty insane, but, after seeing many doctors and 2 hospitals with no explanation, what else did I expect? So I happened to try one of his treatment at home, but decided not to continue coz I was too weak to go out to see him... with the fact that my dad wasn't impressed with the idea of hexing thing.

Another try, another failure.

The worst days were yet to come...

Saturday, September 13, 2008. I had not slept for about 2 days. I could not eat at all for the past few days. I began to vomit strange looking brownish green fluid which I suspected to be feces (it was later confirmed). So at that point my stomach was already loaded with feces.

That night, a kyai (spiritualist) a friend recommended was called to come to my house. He did some ritual which actually barely gave an impact. But at that point, anything seemed worth to try.

The next day, nothing improved. My parents and husband asked me to be taken to RSCM again, but I was so skeptical to hospital. I've been there and they gave nothing, I said. To be honest, I was more worried about money, silly me. After RS Harum robbed me, I knew that we were lacked of money. I knew we couldn't afford anymore medical treatment whatsoever.

So I asked my husband to call that kyai once again... I didn't (and don't) know for sure why I did that. Maybe I just wanted him to pray for me... Maybe I just wanted to give up...

But he couldn't come. Everything seemed to shift from then on, I think it was God's hands.

Night fell. I couldn't sleep for everytime I fell asleep for a second the pain immediately woke me up. I was weak, cold, pale. To the point that my family couldn't take it anymore, then they took me to RSCM without me being fully aware.

Sunday 14, I arrived at the Emergency Unit, once again...

to be continued...

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Chapter 2: 8 Million For Nothing

The name of the hospital is Rumah Sakit Harum (Harum Hospital), located in Kalimalang, East Jakarta.

My first encounter with hospital.

Entering the Emergency Unit almost midnight, the doctor there first diagnosed me with obstruction which then changed it into gastric pain.

I could not think, I was only craving for anything that could ease the pain. Before I knew it, I was put into a ward.

It was a 3rd class room, a pretty ugly room I must say. My parents wanted to transfer me into a 2nd class room, but the hospital said it was full. Left with no option but staying in that ugly room or moving into 1st class room, my parents decided to take the second option. My husband agreed.

It all turned out that taking me to that hospital was a huge mistake. Not only the price was unbelievably high (yeah coz I had no option for a decent room other than to be put into the 1st class), none of the doctors there ever found out my disease, while I was kept given medication after medication.

The lab tests I took were odd. First day, blood test. Second day, USG. Third day, X-ray. Hey... why didn't they perform all at the same day so they could find out a clue faster? Yet, after a barium X-ray, I was diagnosed with appendicitis.

We began to question and discuss all of these between us.

After a strange "urge" for appendicitis surgery, but mainly a shocking bill, I insisted to go home.

I told the doctor that I felt better, that I could defecate a little... a total lie... so that he would stop giving me medicine and let me go home.

And I went home after throwing away 8 million rupiahs (apprx. US$ 800... considerably quite huge amount of money for room and medication only) for 5 days.

8 Million for nothing.

Yet, I still didn't know what was going on with my body, and the pain remained.

to be continued...

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Chapter 1: When The Honeymoon Was Over

I got married in July 2008. It was when the sweet wonderful honeymoon days were over, I got sick... and worse, and worse...

As though my newly built world was falling apart right before my eyes. There were times when I thought I was going to die, for the pain was totally unbearable yet no clue at all of what disease I was carrying.

It started when the abdominal pain which I usually endured during the first 2 days of my period didn't go away even after my period was over. Also did the heavy gas and bloating.

Around mid of August I went to a doctor, and of course I was given medication for gastric pain. I got an acupuncture treatment which gave me a relieve for one day, before the pain appeared again. I went back to the same doctor to tell him that the pain remained, was given another acupuncture which last a few hours. Then again, the pain came back.

I started to feel nausea and vomit. Hardly eat. It was when I realized that I had not gone to the toilet for defecation for a few days. I think I didn't release gas as well.

I became weaker for anything went through my mouth was immediately thrown up. My stomach was getting bigger. With all the pain, I was taken to a nearby hospital.

to be continued...

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Operation #1: Summary

I intend to make a story instead of brief one, coz there are a lot things I want to say, so... why not first making a summary of it?

Since I'm not a person with any medical background whatsoever, below summary may not written in good medical terms... rather my words, really (^_^)p Should any mistakes recognized, please do leave a comment. (^_~)

Date in: September 14, 2008 - Date out: September 26, 2008
Date of operation: September 15, 2008

Pre-operation Diagnose: Ileo obstruction, suspect rectal tumor
Post-operation Diagnose: Ileo obstruction, ileocaecal tumor, ileo perforation

Summary:
- Pre-op: no defecation for 2 weeks, vomit, nausea, pain in the whole abdomen, heavy bloating
- Operation: peritonitis, ileo perforation found, ileocecal mass found, mass found between uterus and rectum causing adhesion.

Treatment:
1. Laparotomy exploration
2. Ileocaecal tumor resection
3. Ileum and colon resection
2. Ileocolostomy

Pathological Analysis: +/- 5cm mass matches with external endometriosis

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