…Continued from Part 1

After The Operation

Before the surgery, I was told that I would not be able to eat anything for upto six hours after.  And, I remember thinking how will I survive, considering I am a big eater.  Now, I felt like I did not want to eat at all.  Ever.  Almost the entire day passed and I was not able to move an inch in my bed.  By evening, I was put on a glucose drip.  Then, began the course of medicines – Intravenous antibiotics, anti-inflammatory pills, pain killers, etc. etc. etc.

The following day I was advised to sip on some juice to keep me from being dehydrated.  Then, some soup and semi-solids.  Finally, some real food.  The heavy dose of medicines were to continue for some time.  My tongue was coated white from all the pills I was taking.

The next two days were quite painful.  Even turning in bed, from one side to the other, was accompanied by significant discomfort and pain.  My back was supported by a lumbar belt, throughout the 24 hours.  Eating food was possible only while lying down.  And, no walking at all, meant that there were no bowel movements either.  Slowly, very slowly, some mobility started to return, albeit still in bed.

4 days had passed since the surgery, and I hadn’t passed any stools yet.  I was beginning to eat an almost-normal diet, so began to worry about my bowel movements.  Then, came the even more painful time when a suppository was needed.  The two hours or so preceeding that have got to be the most painful I have ever experienced!

Hospital To Home

All this time, the biggest disappointment I experienced was not being able to see my cheerful daughter – Pumpkin.  Children below 10 years of age were not allowed inside the hospital for risk of infection, and she was only 3.  Thankfully, my room was on the ground floor, overlooking the garden.  And, if I craned my neck in my bed, and someone lifted her to shoulder-height near the garden fence, I could see her pretty face and wave to her!  So that’s what we did – every day.

Meanwhile, the wife continued to shuttle up and down from home to hospital, several times a day.  And, slept over at night, just in case I needed something.  Initially, I’d thought that I would not need that.  I was wrong.  It was such a big help to have family in the room – for physical and psychological support.  On the fourth day, I took a few steps on my own two feet – well, supported by a doctor and a nurse, actually.  I repeated that, several times a day, over the next three days.  By the seventh day, I was ready to be discharged.

The doctor gave his consent on the morning of the seventh day, and asked me to return a week later, to get the stitches removed. The few hours of waiting after that, to get the paperwork done, seemed to take forever.  I couldn’t wait to go home and see my little Pumpkin!  Finally, at about 4 pm, I was on my way home…

Continue reading the concluding Part 3…