It’s 12.49am Wednesday morning in China and I am up writing my blog. Today I woke up feeling very fine and the doctors and nurses visited me hoping I would be ok. Less than two hours later things were the opposite. My temperature went very high and everything started. IV’s in both arms, I got a really nasty cough and I was getting a pressure soar on my right leg due to the weight from the traction. The nurses stayed with me all day not leaving until about 10 minutes now. They checked my temperature every 10-30 minutes and my leg every two minutes. For the cough they suspected a lung infection so they did a chest x-ray and another Doctor came and examined me, then they put on to breathe on a respirator to check for mucus. That procedure was done twice and then the doctor ordered blood tests… they took blood twice very painful especially when my arms are weak with IV. Finally a liquid to drink was given; the cough has eased up a little.
Then the other Doctor came and checked the legs to make sure its healing well and changed the plaster. They placed a bag from the cut during surgery to drain the extra blood and clots and that bag was removed yesterday.
I had a lot of visitors today too the nurses from the 10th floor came and brought me a huge bouquet of flowers. My temperature was so high a couldn’t open my eyes nor talk to anyone.. I did sleep a bit.
I thank God again I was able to survive this day and pray things get better soon. I also want to thank everyone who has been leaving encouraging words and comments for me, it appreciated and everyone else out there reading this. Thank you J
December 12th, 2007
I don’t know what to begin with but I will start by thanking God for helping me through this surgery because it was not easy. The doctors who did this over a hundred times told us it was the most difficult surgery they did. It lasted from 8am to 2pm. The reason being the length of time the hips were damaged since the accident the bones moved up to my lower back thus the reason why my right leg was becoming shorter. I must say it’s very sad that no Doctors in Trinidad were able to see this problem because all it took was a simple x-ray.
As for me today Monday is the only evening I can use my hands, I had IV and both hands with medication, antibiotics and many other things I don’t know what they were; but was told it was good for me. I don’t think there is a vein left that wasn’t stick with needles and my hands are soar and swollen; there was even a time when they didn’t know where to stick again and wanted to use my legs but that couldn’t work. I had some problems after surgery but they say it’s normal, like high temperature, swollen stomach, bowel problems, irregular blood more white cells than red and other things. We barely got sleep any night because almost every half hour the nurses were changing IV, checking temperature or doing something. I must say they really are taking good care of me and doing an excellent job, the chief Doctor in Orthopedic speaks English and he explains everything in detail to me.
Well they placed a screw to hold my hip in place and I am confined to my bed for the next 2 weeks we are here… and another month when I return home. After they stitches are removed they might put me to sit on the chair for preparation too travel home…. There is so much to write but my fingers are very weak so I have to go now. Will write as soon as possible but I am better tonight.
December 11th, 2007
Day 28 – On the 7th Floor (Thursday 6th December 2007)
Today was a very long and hard day. I had the bone marrow done in our bedroom on the 10th Floor because they didn’t remove the traction device from my legs, they say it’s still very far from position and a few days can’t fix more than a year of damage. At about 10.30am they transferred me to the 7th Floor our new room for the next 17 days…yes that’s how long we’ll be here again. Today I really felt like I was in a hospital. All day they were preparing me for surgery tomorrow, so I had the full works done from taking blood, receiving IV, injections, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, urine, shaving my legs that was fun and even cutting my finger nails. Those are some of the things the nurses had me going with today.
This room is smaller and having 3 beds makes it cluster, no refrigerator, cupboards nor some of the other things we had upstairs, like water dispenser and DVD but we managed to beg for one. We can’t cook in this room. The only good thing is the bathroom I here is bigger but it’s not use to me because I am confined to a bed with no more hot showers.
Surgery: I left this for last. I have full faith in the Doctors and what they are doing… in no time they were able to tell me the problem with my legs was the hips and they were right. I can’t eat anything from after 8pm tonight. The nurses and Doctors would come at 7.30am to prepare me with anesthesia, receiving blood for surgery, and other surgical procedures. The surgery should last 2-3 hours and by 12 noon which is 12 midnight Thursday Trinidad time I should be out. I pray that Almighty Allah guide these Doctors during this surgery and makes it easy for them and protect me.
I am not sure how I will be after surgery so if I don’t write my blog tomorrow don’t worry I would be alive God willing and would write on Saturday…
December 6th, 2007
If have alot of things to write about that happened today so here goes:
- We got through with the problems we were having with the airlines and our return tickets, thanks to Jessica from American Airlines in Trinidad God bless her. We would be leaving God willing on the 23rd December for a long journey home.
- On the topic of moving, today is our last day on the 10th Floor. We would be officially discharged from the stem cell section in the morning after my bone marrow transplant is completed. I would be taken directly to the 7th Floor Orthopedics in the morning after my bone marrow. Mom and Sunil would be staying with me in that room. We are the first foreign patients to have another surgery besides stem cells while at this hospital. So we packed our stuff and organized for the re-location.
- The Orthopedics doctor is monitoring the traction on my legs and ordered blood tests, an x-ray and cardio-gram to be done today. They came in my room and did these tests from my bed so I didn’t have to move. After the x-ray we were told that the joint is still 3 inches away from position so they increased the weight on the traction and at 5.30pm it was increased again.
- I must say the nurses here even though they understand little English; they are so kind and well trained in doing their jobs. They come often and massage my back and check on me to make sure I am ok.
- Since I am leaving this Floor early in the morning, the plant and chain letter of encouragement I got from Brandon when I came, I passed it on to Chris, who is also paralyzed and they came in this week from Tennessee.
- Tim and Lisa left yesterday and tomorrow Drew, his mom and sister are leaving. So they all came by my room and visited me. A group of us that came in together was like a happy family we all got along very well and it’s sad that they are all leaving and we’ll be here…alone in the 7th Floor.
- Pray for me I hope the bone marrow goes well tomorrow and the traction because if not then I wouldn’t be able to have the surgery done on Friday. Tomorrow I will give more information on the surgery and the new ward.
December 5th, 2007
I was up early having a lot of things to do, but didn’t have a clue what the Doctors had in store for me today. The Orthopedic doctor visited me early this morning and reviewed the recent MRI and CT scans that were done last week. He then ordered that I do traction at 10.45am. So I went to acupuncture and came back to my room. Well the thing is my hips were damaged for so long that the joint is far from the socket and the muscles, tendons, ligaments everything is out of alignment. So the traction would slowly pull the right leg until surgery which would make it easier for them and me.
What was done: A thin piece of steel was screwed through the bone above my right knee and a metal clamp placed with bolts to pull the legs. I am posting a picture because I was awake for the procedure but didn’t feel the pain.
I have to lie in bed and can’t move for the next few days until surgery. All my therapy, acupuncture and massages were cancelled. The good news for today is that after my bone marrow is completed on the 6th December, they would be transferring to the 7th Floor to do the hip surgery on the 7th. Initially it was the 9th which was a Sunday and I’d have to wait till the 10th. So we would be saving 3 days..
I had no choice but to stay in bed and sleep for the rest of the day. Sunil took care of me today, feeding me and handling everything with the Airlines, Doctors and everything else because mom wasn’t too well.
December 3rd, 2007
Well if things went as scheduled with only stem cells and no bone marrow or hip surgery problems we would be returning home today.. Today might be the last day I have some time off therapy so I decided to go out. Since most of the foreigners are leaving soon, Phil and Barbra already left so Sunil has new buddies to lime with they all took me for a walk around town. Ryan (Donna’s son), Thomas one of the new Irish dudes here, Sunil and myself went to Wal-Mart and New- Mart about a twenty minutes walk, pushing me in my chair through the mad streets of China. We had fun, but it was freezing outside. These guys made fun out of everything and had me laughing all the time. No one understands us in English so they say whatever they want and the Chinese people just smile. Drew, his mom and sister are also leaving this week so they invited us to dinner at the Sherrington. About ten of us went for dinner and we had a day well spent out.
December 2nd, 2007
From left to right: Me and mom, all of us who went for dinner on Sunday
and Sunil and I on the street of China going t Wal-Mart
December 2nd, 2007
I was up by 7am going online praying Nirmala got through with the ticket change for us. But unfortunately she was unable to do this from Trinidad because we have paper tickets and they need to be changed in person. So most of Saturday morning I tried calling American airlines head office the only number we could get 24hour service on to help me. I spent more than 500 RMB on call cards and eventually realized nothing much could be done until Monday morning because that department works Monday to Friday. I was told mom and Sunil tickets were ok with a return date for 23rd December, 07 but mine had little luck. My ticket is a special sponsored ticket and I apparently have to wait until there are free seats for me to travel and now is peak season so that’s why I can’t have it changed to travel with them. They were missing the point of my injury and surgery and I cannot travel by myself. The other thing is with the paper tickets we have, they cannot accept payments for the changes over the phone, and to make things worst the nearest American Airline office in China is in Shanghai. So mom has to fly there for a day to pay and change their tickets. My ticket is still an issue because we even tried booking a one way to return with them and apart from the high cost there was still no space on the plane for me…
With all that happening I missed my acupuncture and physio therapy this morning and was just so stressed by evening.
December 1st, 2007
I spent hours and the phone and internet trying to get our tickets changed last night and there was no luck. Today being Friday is the last day we have but its night home in Trinidad and I couldn’t do much. I wasn’t feeling too well with the bone marrow blood sample yesterday and today I had a small fever. Stem cells came on time today and I was the first patient to go in for my final injection, I was extremely miserable afterward because for some reason after I receive stem cell injections I feel really warm. Having to stay still for 6 to 8 hours is even harder. Tonight it felt like a very hot day in Trinidad for me but mom and Sunil was freezing when I made them open the window for me. I was up until 3am with Nirmala and Jaceson on the internet trying to change our tickets in Trinidad. This was extremely frustrating for all of us because mom and Sunil were getting a flight back but I wasn’t getting one until January 2008. Each time we spoke to an officer at American Airlines we got a different story. I went to bed hoping that Nirmala would get through in paying for the dates to be changed in Trinidad for us.
November 30th, 2007
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