On Monday 18th, I had a complete check up of my physical conditions, so that I can go through the surgery which was going to remove the tumors that are causing me many health troubles. I was told to go next day very early in the morning. This time, all the nurses and doctors were already there, I didn't have to wait. I had to fast since 7 pm Monday in the afternoon and I couldn't drink water. The surgery was going to last 3 hours because I had 2 tumors to be removed.
It was the first time I visited the operating room, and when I got there I was very impressed by the installations. The place was like a celestial room, everything was white and blue and very clean. You could see yourself on the walls and in the floor. Everything seemed to be new and of course it was extremely cold. I notice that everything was in the right place. I felt well, and I didn't feel nervous; I was sure everything was going to be according to expectations.
I was told to bring a blanket because the place was too cold. In the surgery room, they were going to cover me with a thermal blanket after the surgery because the anesthesia effects can produce tremors. I was received by a nurse who conducted me to a bed and told me to undress and wear the corresponding robe needed for surgery. I was injected a soothing medicine to prepare me for the general anesthesia. They took me immediately to the OR and moved me to the stretcher where I was going to be operated. Since that moment I didn't know if I was alive or dead.
I didn't know what time it was when I heard a voice calling me by my name. It was the doctor telling me to wake up, and he said that the surgery was a success. He said I behaved splendid, that my blood pressure didn't rise, and my sugar levels were normal. He said that the surgery took more than 4 hours because they found more tumors than expected. I felt awful like if someone was stabbing me in my tummy. As soon as I started complaining of pain, I was injected a medicine to relieve my pains. I had to wait a prudential time under observation before leaving the operating room.
Once the anesthesia symptoms passed I was ready to go to the room where I was going to spend the next 2 days recovering. The first thing I asked for was for water to drink but they just wet my lips to relieve my thirst. I spent two days fasting because they didn't want me to eat until they consider I could, but I was being hydrated through my veins and one doctor was controlling my sugar levels. When they said I could eat, I just couldn't because the smell of food produced me sickness. The nurses were coming to the room all the time to pass medicines through my veins for the pain and vomits. I think I didn't sleep at all because of the constant visits of nurses. One nurse slept in my room to take care of me and to give me water every time I needed because the intubation produced me hoarseness which is very nasty.
The nurse told me I had to get out of the bed and walk along the hall in front of my room, and she was going to take some pictures for the doctor, so that he could see I was progressing after surgery. It was not so easy to get out of bed, the pain killed me, but I was valiant and I did it. My dear husband and children were there giving me support and helping me all the time. Two of my children had to give blood to pay for the blood I received in the surgery. They paid 150$ which it was a lot of money considering the currency change in Venezuela. They gave me just 250cc of blood and my children gave nearly 750cc of their blood. They felt sick and tired, but they didn't complain.
I spent one day, one night, and another day at the clinic. I left the clinic at 4 o'clock after the revision of my doctor. He explained me the results of the surgery. He said they expected to find one endometrial tumor and they expected to extract the tumor growing in the right side of my vagina coming from the same endometrial tumor, but when they opened they were in shock because they found something else, and they thought I needed chemotherapy first and they were going to close my belly and send me home. I am glad they didn't close my belly. The doctor saw a tumor reclined over the bladder and another one reclined over my abdominal wall. In my magnetic resonance and tomography those tumors didn't appear. The doctor told me he dared to remove these tumors because he knew I didn't have the money to pay for another surgery. He revised well inside my belly and he could see that these tumors were not affecting my bladder and abdominal wall. He spent more time than what he thought, but he was so happy he could clean my body of those undesirable tenants. The prayers and fasting of many people were accompanying me all the way through this surgery. God helped me to get rid of death this time. Now, I am at home under the care of my family. It has been a challenge for all of them, but I am sure time will tell us until when.
All the photos were taken by several phones and cameras belonging to my family.
