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I was thinking about not posting about this … but what the hell. Earlier this month I had the “pleasure” to check out one of this countries medical facilities. In not so many words I’ve had surgery. I’ve had a major fight with my appendix and he had to go.

It all started with a pain one morning that was bearable but wouldn’t go away … so I decided to go to the hospital. I’ve arrived at 8 AM and for the next five hours I was moved back and forth between the hospital buildings. I had x-rays, ecography, blood and urine tests. I was examined by four different doctors, all saying it’s food poisoning. In the end I was sent to the infectious diseases wing to spend the night there. In all this time I was getting weaker and weaker, at the end I could barely walk.

My father^[1] felt the need to step in, this had gone the wrong way for too long, and asked to transfer me to the surgical wing where he used to work before he retired. He called former colleague to examine me and pointed out that I needed surgery right away. He believed I was misdiagnosed and this was a case of atypical appendicitis.

They tried to get my medical files and blood and urine lab results from the infectious diseases wing for the next 20 minutes while I was moved into the ICU^[2]. At this point I wasn’t able to walk on my own. Titel managed to reach the hospital and to make a short visit. I must admit I was now pretty frightened as everyone told me all morning that everything is OK .. and I was only getting worse. Finally as they prepared to take another blood sample (without my blood work surgery couldn’t be done, they needed information about my blood type, anesthetic, etc.), magically my tests results were found and I was rushed to surgery.

The next hour and a half I’ve undergone surgery being only partial anesthetized (I call it the “let’s scare an already frightened young man to death” game). I hyperventilated on the operating table several times and the surgeon kept telling me to calm down. I was calm … but I had uncontrollable shivers (I later found out this was a side reaction to the anesthetic) and some people were messing around with sharp metal instruments in my insides … I mean, how could I not be calm under the circumstances? It’s like when you’re in a plane that is in a nose dive, oxygen masks fall out and you’re instructed to be calm and breath in normally. Of course, you also shit normally at that point.

After surgery I was moved to the ICU^[2] again and for the next 3 hours I my body convulsed uncontrollably. I don’t remember much. My phone kept ringing and some people told me I’ve answered and had a conversation with them … I really don’t remember. My mother told me that evening that I was lucky … my appendix was not in the regular place and was almost ruptured. If I would have waited another day, my chances of recovery would have decreased significantly.

The next days were not very pleasant, except for the visits of my friends. I got regular medication and that was about it. After the first 24 hours you stop existing, you’re basically a piece of meat, until it’s time for your medication. I had the good fortune once a day a really nice nurse was entering her shift and she was helping me out (walk, change sheets, etc). In my time spent in the ICU, I couldn’t get much sleep. There was constant noise from other patients, nurses and doctors talking (yelling) all the time even at night except for two or three hours per night between 3 AM and 5 AM. I can’t really see how you can recover from major surgery in that stressful environment … “Intensive Care Unit” my ass … more like “Intensive Stress Unit” … And there were other patients much worse than me. After 4 days I was released … no one offered to help, I was barely walking … I left the hospital on my own two feet, no nurse waking me out … no one was even looking at me. It was as if I was made of glass. I could have easily collapsed there, I don’t think anyone would have cared. There are no procedures, no regulations, everyone is doing what he/she thinks its right. In the hospital you loose every bit of dignity you might have left. They just rip it piece by piece out of you.

I’ve recovered almost 100% … my liver and kidneys slowly getting back to normal after the high amount of antibiotics they’ve pumped trough me. Overall it was an experience I would not like to go trough again. At least not in this country. We’re 100 years behind the civilized world in terms of health care.

In the end, I’m happy that I still am … Check out the song to this post for clarifications :)

Till next time,
The Lion.^[3]

Photo by Mad Paul

1. My father is a retired surgeon, a specialist quite known in the international medical world [»]
2. Intensive Care Unit [»] [»]
3. The song to this post is: Nicu Alifantis – Ce Bine Că Ești. Open “Lion’s Radio” and scroll down to listen to it. [»]