Six tubes Connected To Lauren, Ouch!

By Shannon's Mommy:

Finally I am here to write about Lauren's big operation and I'm soo so so glad it's over, over, OVER!!!!

Her op was initally scheduled on 10th, but I guess from my last post, all of you would have known that we had to postpone it because she was coughing. Her rescheduled date was 24th March, though I was hoping we could get a earlier date.

As the surgeon only operates every Wednesday, the only earlier date I could bank on was 17th. Boy, did I pray and pray! Every night and morning without fail, calling the hospital without fail to see whether anyone pulled out on 17th so that we could get in, and God didn't dissappoint us! On 15th, Monday, the final day that we could reschedule the date, we got 17th! Thank you God!

On 16th, Tuesday, I bought her to KK for blood tests, oxygen levels tests, and to get her particulars recorded.

And on Wednesday morning we bought her down by 7am in the morning to be prepped and prepared for surgery. It was a draining experience, waiting and waiting and waiting, answering the same questions over and over and over again. I'm sure the hospital just wanted to ensure that no mistake has occurred, by answering the same questions like 6 times?

Anyway, we were the first people into the waiting area, and the last to be bought upstairs to the Op waiting area. And inside, I had to wait with her for another 45min.... turned out her surgeon had to do a last min case and hence the delay.

Inside the Op Waiting area, in her hospital scrubs

The nurses finally bought us into the OT at about 1030am. The nurse tried to get a vein in her hand without success, so in the end, they had to use the gas to put her to sleep.

The Op lasted beyond the 2 hours, and Mal and I got worried. The nurses finally called us in at close to 1pm. Lauren was really drowsy and slept on, crying a little at times. She had 3 big tubes protruding from her wound below her belly button, and her toe was hooked up to a sensor detecting oxygen level and heartbeat. She also had two IV tubes to the vein in her left hand, one for morphine, the other for fluids. That was six tubes connected to Lauren, ouch!

Down and Out, after the Op, see the tubes everywhere?

The 3 tubes from her wound, one full of blood

Closer look at the 3 tubes

They wheeled her to a high dependcy ward, making us concerned as the nurses had mentioned that only complications get wheeled to high dependency ward. I tried to query the nurses but nobody could give me a answer.

We spent one night at the high dependency ward. Lauren was cranky and thowing up as she reacted badly to the morphine. We were also concerned as one of the tubes seem to be draining blood, blood and nothing but blood. At one stage, her IV leaked and a fountain of blood pooled and stained my pants in a big patch.

Her wound also seemed to be leaking, and her hospital gown got stained with blood. It didn't do any good that one junior doctor opted to have her blood soaked dressing changed but was vetoed by another, saying it wasn't necessary at all. I got frustrated by the constant garble of different doctors coming and going, and nobody seemed to want to talk to us. The only way I could get some answers was to stop doctors and hound them for answers before they would entertain us.

Finally one doctor, a Indian lady, Dr. Rama or similiar, I couldn't catch her name, came by. She had a air of authority and made me feel at ease at once. She looked at Lauren's dressing, and decided to change it and she did a brillant job. She painstakingly removed the blood soaked dressing, cleaned her area with saline, and taped it up so nicely, that angel!

A Senior consultant also approached us and apologised that Lauren's surgeon was caught up in meetings and couldn't come by. She answered all our questions with ease, very different from the junior doctors.

On the second day, we finally managed to get a single room and was moved up to the General ward.

Her surgeon came by and told us that the Op was a success and was quite straight forward. She mentioned that the problem with Lauren's urethers was not because the valve could not close properly, but because her tube opening was unusually big, hence the leakage. The surgeon solved the problem by crisscrossing both tubes and making a longer tunnel in her bladder.

Lauren started feeling pain leter in the morning, and we got the nurses to page for a doctor to come and assess the situation. It took a full hour for the doctor to finally arrive. By that time, she was writhing around the bed, crying and hitting and pulling at her diaper area. The doctor looked at her, and said, 'Oh, don't let her do that!' Yeah, right, So why do you think we have been pushing for you to come?

I was at the end of my tether, and I have to say I snapped at him, 'yes, I know, she's been doing that for close to an hour already, just waiting for YOU to come! So how, doctor, can you do something? Like NOW!?'

She finally calmed down after the nurses inserted a supportiony to stop the pain and from then on, it was a cycle. The pain would ease for about 4 hours then she would start feeling uncomfortable again, It would get worse and worse until we could give her the next dose 6 - 8 hours later. The next two nights and days was crazy like that. And it didn't help that she couldn't get down the cot at all, with all the tubes. Doctors and nurses advised us not to have visitors to let her rest.

Luckily, she started feeling better on Saturday, the 3rd day. We let her watch VCD after DVD, and she started bobbing to music.

In a better mood, watching DVD, Hi 5

On Sunday, the 4th day, doctors removed two of her tubes, and her IV drip, leaving the last drainage tube from her bladder. She was stunned, and after she realised she could move her hand again. We bought up the pram and strapped her in for her first visit out of her bed, and ward. She was grinning from ear to ear, pointing at anything and everything in sight. We bought her down to the food court and she sat together with us for a first family meal in 5 days, clambering to taste everything.

Grinning away, happy to be out of her Cot and room

On Monday, the doctors clamped the last remaining tube and checked that she could pee normally into a diaper. After that, they removed the last remaining tube, and changed her dressing. FREEDOM! She asked for her socks and shoes and demanded we change her out of the hospital gown and into her own clothes. She stood up in her cot, and started dancing, hanging on to the bars for dear life. And when we got discharged and left the hospital, she waved goodbye at the nurses.

Since then, we have been back at home, letting her enjoy whatever she wants. this past week, she has been clingy and still uncomfortable with little pain. But yesterday, I stopped her pain medication, and she seemed to be doing fine. Her review will be in two weeks time, and probably we will need to schedule another test to determine whether the OP was a complete success. Can't wait for the surgeon to give the green light! Lauren has been wanting to dip in the swimming pool for the longest time! I hope to bring more good news soon!