2012
Emergency Room & Surgery
January 12, 2012, I was having a rough time, but it was not neurologically based this time, it was my diverticulitis acting up, which ended up putting me in the hospital for three days, due to a small perforation in my bowel. I was laying at home, feeling like crap, missed several days of work and I wasn’t eating. It was time to see a doctor, Well it wasn’t my choice, it was my body’s choice, it was calling out and my wife was listening. She took me to the ER, and sure enough, she was right, I was running a fever and after several hours in the ER, it turned out to be a small perforation in my bowel. They admitted me for observation and IV antibiotics, They were trying to avoid having to perform an emergency surgical procedure. The plan was to allow the body to recover and heal itself with the aid of antibiotics. Then they would be able to schedule the surgery at a later date. I was told that I would have to stay on antibiotics for a while and have surgery in March.
We carried forward with that plan and had surgery on March 16th I had laparoscopic surgery to remove around 9″ inches of my large intestine. During my recovery, I was told by the greatest male nurse on the planet that I needed to get out of bed the very next day after the surgery and walk. He told me that it would be the greatest pain I have ever felt. I remember working my way to the edge of the bed and he helped me to my feet. The pain was great, but “the greatest pain I have ever felt”, not, I would say it was around a 6, maybe a 7, but not the greatest. The surgery was described to me by Dr. K, who I will refer to as “The Butcher” as being three small incisions and about 7-10 days of recovery time and I would be back to work and everything should be good. What it turned out to be was a nightmare, sure I left the hospital, the first time, with three small incisions, but a week later I had three infections riddling my body, The first is where “The Butcher” joined my intestinal track back together, the second was one of the incision sites and the third was in my abdominal cavity itself. I wasn’t eating, I was drinking one Ensure a day and I was in pain, something was surely wrong.
I had a scheduled appointment to see “The Butcher” and I waddle in all hunched over taking baby steps and in a world of pain. He sent me across town for a CT, then back to his office, at his office, without as much as saying one word about what he was getting ready to do, he grabbed a scalpel and sliced me open where the larger incision site was, actually making it several inches longer. The look on my wife’s face was pure shock. I looked over at the nurse and she was in shock as well. There is little blood as he basically just put out the glue they used to seal me up. He then starts to pack it with gauze and tells me that I will be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics. WTF, you had me run all over town, OK, run is not the right word, you had me trudge all over town, just so you can admit me.
Five more days in the hospital and now a home nurse to come and pack my wound every day. Good thing my future daughter-in-law was going to school to be a nurse, she volunteered to take on that task many days. Poor girl, I was only introduced to her a few weeks prior. My poor wife got the take of having to take care of me for a good two of those three months. The first month I was “glued” to the recliner day and night, I so owe her for all that. Long story short, I was out of work for three months, but all of my neurological issues were dormant during that time, so that is a good thing.
You had to have surgery on top of all the other medical issues you were having, that looks painful. The Butcher cut you open in his office, is he nuts, doesn’t he know much about infections? I guess not since you had a bunch of them. I would sue his butt off.
God Bless
M