Through it All

Chapter 4 The Post-Operation

The operation was scheduled on February 13, 2013 at 9:00 in the morning.  After she was told that she would be brought in the operating room.  They transferred her to a stretcher and was brought to Neurology Department in their operating room.  When her Neurosurgeon saw her, he greeted her good morning and then she was brought in the operating room.  The room was with white tiles and green walls.  She just closed her eyes because she was so scared at that moment.

...

The Operation has started at 9:00 in the morning.  Mica’s parents were at their room at the CVU.  They were advised by the nurse named Pam, that after the operation, Mica would be put in the ICU while she is recovering.  So, she gave them an option  to vacate the CVU for a while because the hospital will be charging them double, one for the ICU and one for the CVU.  The parents chose to give up CVU for a while.  The operation lasted until 6:00 p.m.  Her father went home and her mother stayed in the hospital.  Pam told her mother to stay at the ICU lounge.  When she entered the lounge, it was so dark.  She asked the guard to turn the lights on.

At that moment, Vicky was tested on her faith.  She was unsure of what will happened to her daughter.  She was just silent at that time and there was some voices in her head that bothered her.

“You are very unfortunate.  You are so unlucky.  Look at your life, you have so unlucky when you are a child.  You are so unlucky.  If I were you, I would take away my life.  Just do it.  If you would die, your sufferings would be gone.  Just escape from this sufferings.  Just get out.  Just end your life.”  That voice kept going until she started to pray the rosary.  She was battling with the voice in her head.  She was telling that voice that she is very happy, especially when she was a child.  She had a nice family, great husband and great children too.  And the her greatest happiness is God.  God is the source of her greatest happiness.  At that moment, the voice was gone and after her prayer, she went  to the chapel to pray and ate at the canteen before going back to the lounge.

...

Mica was talking to her uncle and was pitching about Saint Peter Memorial Plan.  She told her uncle about the details on the memorial plan and even encourage her uncle about selling some plans to his colleagues at work.  She even told her about the pro’s and con’s of having a memorial plan.  She even told her uncle that in each plans, he can choose what kind of casket he would like to have.  Her uncle told her that he would like to have a fine casket.  She told her uncle that she would like a wooden casket herself if she would buy a plan.  The she opened her eyes.

It was just a dream.

It was morning.  She could see the sun peering through the windows of the ICU.  She has never thought that she would be waking up again.  The first thing she did was to thank God that she was alive.  She was looking around and one nurse came up to her.  She heard his name was Edwin.

“Hi, Miss Mica, good morning.  What are you feeling?”  he asked.  She did not know what to say.  Then he got a water and a cotton to damp her lips.  He told her he could not get her water yet because they are still waiting for the neurosurgeon’s order.

“Mama ko.”  She was looking for her mother.  They said that she was outside waiting for her.  She wanted to see her mother.  She felt crying that time.  Edwin told her she could eat but only porridge or any kind of soup.

“What do you like to eat?”  He asked.

“KFC.”  She said in a hoarse voice.  He told her that she could eat a porridge from KFC and would ask her mother to buy something from her.

Edwin went outside to inform Mica’s mother that she had awaken.  Her mother was so happy and said a little prayer to God, thanking him.  Edwin told her to buy something for Mica like a porridge or something.

In the ICU, they tried to get her Blood pressure, on her left hand, but they failed.  The nurse did not know what was happening with her.  Her right arm is all right but there is something wrong with her left hand and foot.  Another thing, she could not talk much.  She just stare at something and that was it.  Some of the resident doctors came and examined her and said that she had some weakness on her left side, her left arm and foot couldn’t move.  Edwin tried to feed her some porridge but she just threw them up.  She asked again about her mother and would like to see her, but the nurse said, she would see her after she will be cleared.

The neurosurgeon told Vicky that her doctor had some weakness after the operation.  She couldn’t move her left side, though her face was not distorted.  He strongly advised her to send her daughter to rehabilitation for her to move her left side as soon as possible.

Vicky was shocked about the news.  This was the other thing she was worried about, but she knows God is with them and she just let Him lead them.

They were back in the CVU and Mica was not talking.  She was having a hard time opening her mouth.  She cannot move her left arms, hand, legs and foot.  She was half paralyzed that time.  She couldn’t even remember things.  She forgot her name for a while and her mother’s name.  When someone ask her, she just stared and said nothing.  The nurses told Vicky that it will be temporary.  She will be able to speak again after sometime.  That was the only effect of anesthesia through nasogastric tube .  A person cannot speak for a while but it will be temporary.

The neurologist and her other doctors came to check on her.  They were talking to Mica but she refused to answer.  She just couldn’t speak at that time.  There was one nurse in the CVU who kept on asking her name, but Mica just rolled her eyes at him.

“Limuel, stop asking her questions.  You are okay, right, Maricar?”  The neurologist said and Mica just smiled at him.

“Doc, why did she smile at you?  She did not smile at us!”  Limuel said.  The neurologist strongly told her parents to always to talk to Mica so she could be able to talk again.

She started to talk again, her mother kept on asking her something like what was her name and Mica kept on answering different names.

“What is my name, Mica?”  her mother asked.

“Brook Shields.”  Mica answered.  She just could not remember her mother’s name.  She know she is her mother but could not remember her name.  Then she asked her name again, she said,

“What is my name?”  Her mother asked again.

“Why don’t you ask your mother, why do you keep on asking me about your name?”  She replied.

Two nights after her operation, she felt a great pain on her head again.  It was so sharp and she said it was 10/10 again.  She just kept on complaining to her mother that it was really painful.

“Ma, doc said I will not have this pain again.  Why am I having this?  I shouldn’t have undergone the operation.  Ma, it really hurts.”  She was wailing to her mother.  Her mother did not know what to do, so she asked the help of Pam, the nurse in the CVU.  They brought her to have a CT Scan to know what was happening.  They got in touch with the resident neurosurgeons.

On the CT Scan, they saw that the right side of her brain is swollen.  That was the one that caused the pain.  They need to put her to sleep.  They gave her a sleeping pill to relax her.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” - Jn 15:7