It was Tuesday night October 2, 2012 when I felt something is wrong with me. It felt like I was bloated and full even if I didn’t have any dinner at all. I slept early that night and managed to get some sleep. However, morning came when I knew that something is wrong already I am beginning to feel abdominal pain I thought it was my just my regular gastritis attack. I told my boss that I am going home early that day and would just finish some important paper works.
I had home early didn’t even had lunch and went straight home, but had to stopped at a drugstore near our block bought medications for acid and abdominal spasm. I don’t know what was wrong with me but I was having abdominal cramps that would be diminished when I take antacids and pain reliever. I wasn’t able to get some sleep that night and the next morning informed my boss that I would still not be able to report for work.
I stayed home the whole day, feeling sick and was praying that the pain would just go away. I can’t really rate how much the pain was all I remember is that I am not feeling OK. That was Thursday, October 4 then, and still I am not feeling OK without any sleep at all.
Friday, October 5 came that I decidedI wanted to see a Doctor. I told my officemate that I could still not go to work and that I would have myself checked at a Medical Clinic in the mall.
I went online to check their numbers and managed to talked to one of their customer representative online via CHAT and recommended that I see an Internal Medicine of which they have one that would report at 5:00 P.M.
At exactly 4:00 P.M. I was already walking along United Nations Avenue, with my jacket on which was odd the weather was hot with the sun ready to set. It was the longest walk I had since I got sick Tuesday. I arrived at Healthway Medical Clinic 30 Minutes early than the expected appointment with the Internal Medicine.
It was already my turn when at around 6:00 P.M., I was examined by the Internal Medicine Physician, she did the basic questions how I felt? Did I had fever, nausea and vomiting. I replied that I didn’t had any of the symptoms. She motioned me to lie on the bed to do some physical examination. I told her that I am having abdominal pain and she did all the routines including the area of where the appendix was.
She didn’t see anything wrong with me and instead told me that she would like to check my urine and blood chemistry. For the longest time in my life no blood was drawn out of me for laboratory testing except when I had one during college and another when I applied for a job. I was a bit anxious when the Medical Technologist’s inserted the needle on my forearm.
I waited for an hour for the result and stayed inside the clinic while informing my family back home that I was in the clinic having myself checked and that I was waiting for the results of my diagnostics. After the result, came out I knew that something was wrong already my WBC count was way up the normal chart. The initial reaction of the Internal Medicine is that I was having a Urinary Tract Infection and prescribed a strong and expensive anti-biotic but instructed me to buy just one at first so I can take it when I get home and recommended that I see a Nephrologist. I obliged – I told my boss that I will have another medical check-up and that I won’t be able to work again.
Saturday, October 6, I went to see the Nephrologist’s she was an hour late on her supposed schedule; when she arrived I even murmured that she better be good that she could tell me what was wrong with me. She saw the diagnostics and told me that she might recommend that I would be admitted in the Hospital for further evaluation so she would know what was wrong with me. She concurred the initial diagnosis that I was having a Urinary Tract Infection because my urine was amber yellow and that I was having an infection. She asked me to continue with the Antibiotics and added another one but asked me to have my Kidney checked and requested that I be back the next day so she can confirm if I still need to be admitted in the Hospital or not and recommended that I consume three liters of water combined with Gatorade.
I obliged bought the three other medications she prescribed including the water and Gatorade. I did managed to get some sleep that night. The pain was bearable not that excruciating and I can still walk. Somehow, I was able to get some sleep and was feeling OK when I felt some burning sensation from my abdomen that night. I thought it was just the medication.
I can’t hardly walk when I went back to the Medical Clinic last Sunday, October 7, 2012. The results was already available when I got there and again waited for the Nephrologist’s which was again late this time more than an hour. She saw the results and told me that the result of my other blood chemistry was good and normal. She told me that I no longer need to be admitted and that she finally diagnosed me with Urinary Tract Infections. She never again looked at me or examined me physically. She even recommended that I work Monday but I told her that I would go Tuesday instead. She issued me a medical certificate. I did tell her that I managed to get some sleep that night which was true. That night, I prayed hard to God that he would take the pain away and cradle me in his arm so I could sleep well and peacefully. Actually, I did I was even surprised that after I prayed I managed to sleep instantly.
Monday, October 8 morning, I got out of the bed early. Cleaned the room, trying to make sense that I did managed to get some sleep and I was feeling OK. I didn’t go to bed the whole day but instead went online – went outside got myself lunch and dinner and then night came. I managed to have some sleep but in between would wake up and then sleep again.
Tuesday morning of October 9, 2012 I went to work. I could still walk straight but feeling a bit of pain on the lower part of my abdomen. I was too early in the office around 6:25 AM. I even joked at my brother that I was in the office already working even if am not still feeling OK. When they all came, they told me that I looked really pale and very sicked. I was surprised by their reaction and told them I am only having a Urinary Tract Infection and that I was OK. But when I started working I knew that I was too weak to perform my work well. I decided to go home while everyone else on my way home is telling me that I indeed looked pale, “like a dead man walking”. The other night I prayed so hard that, “GOD WOULD JUST TAKE THE PAIN AWAY AND CRADLE ME IN HIS ARM WHILE I SLEEP SOUNDLY AND PEACEFULLY.” As I had never had a decent sleep since last Tuesday making it a week that day.
When I got home I got a call from my boss begging me to go to the hospital and be admitted so I can be treated well and be diagnosed the boss even dared that she will cover all the expenses. I told her that I can managed and that if I can no longer bear it that I would be calling her to beg to take me to the hospital. She obliged and told me to rest and that I need to get back on my feet so I can go back to work.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 sleepless, painful night and had come to its toll. I went out to withdraw money from ATM and to buy water as the previous supplies is gone. It took me almost half an hour to get to the ATM the convenience store and back at my place which I can do in less than ten minutes. As soon as I got to my place I immediately grabbed my cellphone and told my boss that I have decided to go to the hospital to be admitted. It took her for a while before she answered she told me to go for it and asked what hospital.
Everyone was worried sick looking at me when I got out of the place. I told them I can no longer bear the sleepless nights and pain, that I have decided to go to the hospital to be confined. For some reason, I though it was scary I took a cab with one of the help carrying my bag. I told him that he didn’t need to accompany me to the hospital.
At exactly 9:45 AM I was already in the Emergency Room of the hospital and was examined by different Resident Doctors. They all asked me why I was in the hospital and why I wanted to be admitted. While the others, were hoping not to be confined I on the other hand, was convincing the doctors that I need to be confined.
Finally, they took me to one of the ER’s Bed. Different Resident’s came by to do Physical Examination. At one point, a nurse came to administer the first IV treatment I would ever have with my entire life. It took a lot of different Resident Doctors who did several physical examinations asking me questions like;
Do you or did you had fever prior to consultation?
Did you experience nausea and vomiting?
Where is the pain localized?
Can you rate from 1 to 10?
I told them none of the symptoms they mentioned and the pain was bearable. They all performed the same physical examination they asked the same question and all my answer was the same.
At exactly 2:00 P.M. the head nurse came told me that I was admitted already and that I would undergo full abdomen ultra-sound. The test took almost an hour, with the doctors wondering what they were looking at on the screen. Even asked me if I had accident because they identified something on my lower abdomen.
4:00 P.M. was the moment of the truth the Resident Surgeon came and did some physical examination including rectal and finally, told me that my attending physician already referred me to Surgery and that I would undergo emergency appendectomy as my appendix already raptured and had infected parts of my intestine. They told me that I was lucky because I was taking anti-biotics that the infections would have spread instantly to the other organs. My WBC increased more than 100% since the last time I had it. The Surgeon came and explained to me that I would have a major operation and that he would open at mid-section of my abdomen so he could check everything.
I got paralyzed when I heard the news that I would undergo a major operation. I called my brother and told him that I would need someone to accompany me while I was at the hospital. They were all surprised and got worried.
At around, 5:30 PM the boss arrived and the other officemates. They all supported and comforted me that everything will be OK. I remember my lady boss telling to PRAY and not be worried so that I would be OK during the operation.
I was still in shock but felt OK with my boss, their daughter and some of my officemates around me. It gave me enough strength to cope and I was always praying the whole time up to to moment when I was brought to the Operating Room.
6:10 PM I was already on the Operating table – familiar place, the surgical instrument being prep by the nurse and the anesthesiologist preparing for the administration of spinal anesthesia. I can feel my heart pounding hard when the nurse asked me to do the fetal position. He was really holding me tight and was trying to calm me, “I prayed so hard that moment and asked the Lord to take me with him whatever happens”. I knew that this is it I am going to be cut open. God really cradled me on his arm as I didn’t feel any pain when the needle was inserted on my spinal column. I immediately felt that my legs were numb when I was asked immediately to lay on my back at the operating table. During twilight I opened my eyes and was wondering what they were doing. I closed my eyes and then when I woke up I was already at the recovery room. It felt like I was on the the Matrix Movie my eyes suddenly opened and I can see other patients lying next to me. I panicked and asked the nurse to check if I have something with me so that I would not feel any pain.
I woke up when the OR Nurse asked me to transfer to the bed at my hospital room. I was scared that I would feel pain when I moved and my cut would burst open. I slide over and then slept again. Would wake up in between and I remember asking the nurse to give me pain reliever as I was afraid that I would feel extreme pain after the anesthesia had run down.
October 11, 2012 morning came I was still groggy. The resident doctor came and told me how the operation went and that they didn’t cut any of my intestine but instead just the appendix. I don’t remember anymore what I told them but I was thankful that they didn’t cut any intestine. My surgeon came and told me that I might still undergo second surgery. That is why I need to help him too so I could get well. That was the time when my father arrived and he managed to listen to what the Surgeon would say.
I got really scared and depressed when the Surgeon told me that I would still undergo another surgery if part of the intestines didn’t respond well with the antibiotics. That was the loneliest day at the hospital. I called my brother even if its hard for me to talk and told him that I might still undergo another surgery to remove the almost two feet of my infected intestine and then I began to pray, while I asked my Dad to recline the bed so I can be on sitting position and did the deep breathing exercise since the surgeon was hoping that I would not get pneumonia as most of his patients does after having a major operation.
I checked myself too that morning I have Jackson-Pratt Drain, Penrose drain, poly-catheter and still the IV Dextrose. I didn’t felt any pain when I assumed a sitting position on the bed.
I was looking on the window all the time whenever I would feel depressed and then I would PRAY. I knew that GOD was making sure that I would feel OK. Everyday, whenever the Surgeon would come he would tell me that I was progressing well but never told me that I would no longer undergo second surgery until Tuesday came October 16, he finally confirmed that I would no longer undergo another surgery. That was the happiest moment of my stay in the hospital.
I got out Wednesday, October 17, 2012 feeling happy and relieved as the boss helped with the hospital bills and that we would just discuss it when I go back to work. My dad and I went straight to my Aunt’s house to recover.
NOW I AM HERE AT MY PLACE NOW. RECOVERING AND STILL PRAYING AND THANKING THE LORD FOR COMPLETELY HEALING ME. A LOT OF PEOPLE TO THANK FOR. I FOUND MY TRUE FRIEND AND HAD RECONCILED WITH MY LONG TIME FRIEND. I AM MUCH HAPPIER NOW THOUGH SOMETIMES I WOULD FEEL LONELY AND MISSING THE PEOPLE THAT WAS WITH ME WHILE RECOVERING. I promised myself that I would no longer be sad and instead count my blessings.
THIS IS ME AND STILL ALIVE.
Boxed In Manila 