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6/16/06

I stayed at the hospital for three days instead of two days.

What surgery is all about is how much you can tolerate the pain…
I never knew that, and I regret that I never really developed that kind of perseverance in my life. Even though I did quite well with general anesthesia, I reacted very badly to the dilaudid (a kind of narcotics) the following day. I was nauseated and felt that I have to choose between the nausea and the pain (and I chose pain). In addition, while I was not even allowed to drink a sip of water, I had to take barium for an X-ray to see whether the surgery was successful.

In the cold basement of the huge hospital complex, under the flickering fluorescent light, I felt that “ it is the end of the world that I know,” while waiting for the barium to go down the stomach for 30 minutes, suffering and gasping from the pain.

When I came back to my room (intermediate care unit), Dr. B (surgeon) was there to see me, and ordered a different kind of painkiller called Tordal, which worked magic. The pain was gone and I could sleep well. The next day, we started putting nutrition through the J-tube, and I started a clear liquids diet. The barium I took actually worked like a laxative, and I passed the test of “ passing gas” “ bowel movement” without problem. You never know what works for what.

When you are recovering, 24 hours make a lot of difference. I started eating regular food this morning, and was discharged in good shape at 2:30. At about 5:30, a visiting nurse came over to our house to show us how to use the J-tube, following the timely delivery of the tube tower, pump and food.

Over and over, I am surprised to see how efficient the BWH’s coordination works. BWH has already contacted the insurance company and I do not need to worry about the payment for this service.