queenbec
Mexicali Day 2 - Surgery
Feb 18, 2009
This morning we were up early. We got ready, then walked around the Hotel Lucerne, taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. A hotel groundskeeper came up to us and angrily gestured and spoke in Spanish, basically telling us that taking pictures was prohibited. It was very strange. We went to the office to check out, and told them what the man had said; the manager then told us we could take as many pictures as we wanted. Ernesto picked us all up at 7 a.m. and took us back to Almater. We met with Dr. Campos, who explained the recommended post-op diet and answered last-minute questions. They then took us to our rooms, where Mark had a mini-meltdown. He got emotional for a few minutes; I think it finally hit him that he was going to have surgery and he needed reassurance. He settled down and changed into his gown. The nurse, Tania, who did not speak English, took his vital signs. The internal medicine doctor came in and discussed Mark's test results from yesterday, all of which were perfect. He cleared Mark for surgery. Then two different anesthesiologists came in and spoke with us, explaining the process for medication administration and surgery. Lucy came in and gave Mark pills for nausea and anxiety. Sergio came in, did an exam, and gave him a shot of heparin in his belly, to prevent blood clots while lying still. About 30 minutes later they rolled him out of the room in his bed, and took him to surgery. I said goodbye to him in the hall, and shed a couple of tears myself. About 2 hours later, Dr. Aceves called to the nurse's station and I spoke with him; he told me that Mark was in recovery and had done very well, but he would be there for 2 more hours. So, the other patient's husband and I went to the cafeteria to eat lunch. The food was great and the prices were very reasonable. We went back to the unit and waited; I got on the hospital's wireless internet on my laptop and sent update emails to all our family members. Two hours later, they rolled Mark back into the room in his bed. He looked horrible; very pale and sweaty. He said he was hot, so I told Tania "caliente," which means hot, and she brought a fan right in. He had 4 small laparoscope incisions covered with tape, and a penrose drain covered by a colostomy bag, draining small amounts of bloody drainage. Mark was sleepy for a long time but eventually he felt strong enough to sit on the edge of the bed, then stand up. He alternated between standing up to pee and walking a bit, then sleeping. The second time he walked around, he got nauseous and retched a few times. He did vomit a little mucus. I think he got hot; it was very warm in the hospital this afternoon. We hustled him back to the room and put him back to bed with the fan blowing right on him, and they gave him a dose of Zofran in his IV. This did the trick and he went back to sleep. Later in the evening, Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos came back to the hospital and checked on us again. If I can say anything about the care here, it is that you receive lots of attention! It's unusual to me, being from the US, where it seems like doctors can't wait to stop talking to you. I must have seen Dr. Campos ten times today; he would come up and just hang out and talk to the patients and partners between surgery cases. Everyone is so willing to answer your questions and address any concerns or doubts you have, it's wonderful. They will be giving Mark something for pain and sleep in a little while, so hopefully he will rest well through the night tonight. I will be sleeping in a chair that pulls out into a cot; we'll see how comfy that is. Honestly, I'm so tired, I could probably sleep on the immaculately clean marble floors! Hopefully Mark will be feeling better tomorrow...
