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| Today |
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Three days after surgery
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I was admitted on Saturday, August 25. I had not eaten for two days and only sipped water and broth. The pain had increased from about a 6 (scaling from 1 to 10) to about an 8 overnight. Doctors and nurses checked on me about every 2 hours, and added severe dehydration to my symptoms. My lips and mouth were completely white from what everyone said-mirrors were not in my vocabulary at that point. That weekend was one I wish never to relive. Before the pain medication wore off, I was literally crying in agony. The doctors were not certain about my diagnosis and mentioned several ranging from kidney stones to a bowel obstruction. All equally as frightening and painful to me. Finally Monday arrived and I was quickly taken to get a sonogram. Although four very pregnant women were waiting ahead of me, I was taken right away to the exam table. The technician was as gentle as he could be, and when he captured the image of a large mass at the top left of my abdomen, he showed it to me on the screen. He didn't make me wait hours for the doctors to read the results and share the same information. Although I was shocked and disturbed, the tech was comforting and assured me I had the best team of physicians working on my case. Everyone shared this same sentiment with my husband and I, and it was true as we soon realized. But the waiting game wore on all of us. My family in the states and my father in Ecuador grew concerned as my pain severity was evident over the phone. My husband was staying strong for all of us but after weeks of seeing me in pain he could not sleep or eat.
Which made two of us. I was not even allowed water so of course it was all I thought about. Watching the Food Network was definitely out. Sleeping came about an hour and a half at a time until the pain woke me. I wrote in broken Spanish to Ledys, my favorite nurse, I never experienced pain this severe in my entire 44 years. And I have given birth 3 times naturally. My youngest was born 9 1/2 pounds. I am about 5'4" and 125 lbs. Yea, I know what pain is.
