Ryan's Recovery 2012...

Today marks exactly 1 week since I’ve been out of the hospital!!  Today also was a day full of important followup appointments.  I had to get a CBC (complete blood count) to measure my Hemoglobin level and I had to have a post-op op op checkup by Dr. Stewart.

My CBC went well… it didn’t phase me to yet again have another needle inside of me.  It did sort of make me uneasy that a Cuesta student was doing it, but I figured, “hey he has to learn some time.” :\  It wasn’t that bad.  He actually did a good job!  One of the smoothest blood draws I’ve had in during this whole experience.  The results won’t be in until tomorrow… but I think they’ll be good!

My post-op op op went well also!  Dr. Stewart said that everything looks like it’s healing normal, and that I won’t bleed anymore!  YES!!  Well… I’m not gonna believe that until the soreness is gone and I’m completely 100% healed.  But still, that was reassuring.  The stitch he inserted was nowhere to be found, meaning it dissolved, and the small growth thing on my right side that looks like he forgot some tonsil is actually healing tissue?  Supposedly your body makes it on it’s own after a surgery, and it’ll smooth over once a membrane forms over it.  Dr. Stewart also stated that he’s fine with me eating ANYTHING now at this point because things look almost normal, but I’m definitely not going to rush that one.  I’ll wait until next week to have my ABC Burger (avocado, bacon, cheese) from Firestone and pig out on Woodstock’s pizza.  By next week Dr. Stewart says that I should be pretty much back to normal!  YAYYY!!!

It only took three weeks, three surgeries, and three ER visits to reach this point, but I feel so much better!  I’m bummed that I can’t participate in Cesar Chavez Day of Service tomorrow with my fellow AmeriCorps members, but those were doctor’s orders.  I am excited though to head back to work on Monday!  Thank you Lord!!!  And thank you to everyone who’s been there for me throughout this whole ordeal!  I honestly couldn’t have recovered or felt so much better without your positive thoughts and kind words of love and support!  I’m truly lucky to have every one of you, and a second chance at this thing we call life. :)

Things still continue to be improving, and I have never felt better!  Well… I have, but I mean I have never felt better since having my tonsillectomy.  I almost feel good enough to head back to work, but I’ve been told over and over by friends and family not to overdo it since I haven’t been out of the hospital for 1 week yet.  So, I’ve just started working a little from home.  Hopefully by the end of this week I can make visits to campus just to pay everyone a visit.  

There’s one thing I noticed though… while the back of my throat looks and feels a lot better, there’s a little growth or something on the right side where my tonsil used to be.  It looks as if Dr. Stewart forgot a small piece of tonsil.  My supervisor, Renoda, mentioned that tonsils can grow back, which was confirmed via Google, so let’s hope this is not the case.  I REFUSE to endure this all over again.  As it is, I’m dreading the day I have to get my wisdom teeth removed because who knows what could happen that time… Ugh.  

For now, though, I’m happy and thankful that I’ve started to improve, and so grateful for everyone’s support and concern over the past three weeks!  It truly means a lot and I’m so lucky to have all of my family and friends in my life!! I’ve been told and realized this has been a life-threatening experience, so because of that I’m extremely thankful for a second chance. :)

I survived my first night home, and it was a great feeling. There was no more bleeding, but I was still very fatigued, weak, and sore.  I also had a headache that didn’t seem to go away… But I guess this was normal from everything I had endured.  I steadily began feeling better as they days went by, and my energy level went up a lot.  I had finally began to feel better!  I started wearing jeans again, because from the time I had my tonsillectomy I had simply worn gym shorts everyday.  But, as can be expected from being on a liquid diet for two and a half weeks, I had lost a lot of weight.  I had lost an inch on my waist, I could fit my hands around my thighs so that they touched for the first time ever, and nothing fit the same anymore.  I don’t have a scale, so I’m guessing I lost about 10-15 pounds??  I’m not certain.  But, I’m sure I’ll gain it back soon, and eventually I’ll be able to go to the gym!  I can’t wait!       

My Mom had to head back home to Tehachapi because she had to tend to the animals she had left for 5 days (no worries, her cousin took care of them after the second day of being gone), so that was sad.  But, my older middle sister, Erin, and brother-in-law, Matt, came to visit!  I was really excited to see them because I rarely get the chance to, but of course I wished it was under different circumstances.  Nevertheless, we all had a great time!  They took me out and about a couple of times, helped me around the apartment, kept me entertained, and best of all kept me company :)  Thank you both so much for everything you did, and traveling to be at my side!  

My second parents aka Jacob’s parents, Leonard and Diana Alvarez, came to visit for the weekend also.  They mainly came to see Jake, but they had been concerned about me as well and it was nice to see them.  They helped take over for Erin and Matt once they left, kept me entertained, and assured me over and over that things would for sure get better.  The worse part had been over.  So, thank you both for all that you did for me while you were here, and your reassurance that I was in the clear!  

I awoke at 5am to have my blood drawn, and the results came back that my count had increased to 9.7 pints.  It wasn’t a great improvement because my Hemoglobin was still low, but at least it was slowly increasing!  This was good news.

Dr. Nooristani paid me a visit that morning, and said that everything seemed to be normal.  My body had accepted the transfused blood, and there was no more blood being excreted.  Depending on what the GI Dr. said later that day, there was a chance that I could go back to a regular diet and could go home!!  This gave me hope :)

The GI Dr. for that day called in, and based on what the nurse and Dr. Nooristani reported to him, he stated that the scope would no longer be necessary and I could be cleared for a regular diet.  I was so happy!  So the nurse gave me oatmeal for breakfast, and I had pot roast, baked potato, and veggies for lunch.  Again, this all tasted so good because I hadn’t eaten in a long long time.  

After lunch, Dr. Nooristani came back and delivered the best news I had heard in a while… “Adios!  You get to go home!”  It took me a moment to process, so I asked for clarification.  I never thought I’d see such a day!  I was so excited!!!  But of course I had some limitations.  I couldn’t be active, I couldn’t bend or lift anything, I could eat a regular diet but nothing hard or crunchy, I had to take iron pills to help increase my Hemoglobin levels, and I had to get my CBC (complete blood count) re-checked in one week to make sure my blood count was continuing to increase.  

I was discharged at 2:30pm, and was never so excited to see outside, my Mom’s car, nor my apartment door.  Even better, my roommate Jacob made me welcome home signs.  I was so happy to be back!!! 

Tuesday began at 5am again, and my blood was drawn for a count.  From this point on, my blood would only be drawn once a day because, as Dr. Nooristani said, “what’s the point of draining all of the blood that we just put in?”  My count had finally increased for once to 9.5 pints.  But, I still wasn’t better.  While my color had improved, I still had abdominal pain and I was still excreting old blood.  But, the doctors still didn’t know what was wrong.  My fate was in the hands of the GI Dr., but all day Tuesday he was nowhere to be found.  The nurses called him and couldn’t get ahold of him, and he wasn’t scheduled to come into the hospital.  

At this time, since my Mom nor I had any answers, my sisters were freaking out and were seeking alternative medical care. My oldest sister, Torie, had a friend at Cedars-Sinai in LA who said I could be admitted ASAP and she could start my paperwork right away, and my middle oldest sister, Erin, also had a friend at Stanford who said the same thing.  What to do, what to do??

Luckily, around 2pm, I got a visit from my friends and coworkers Erika, Renoda, and Blake from Student Life & Leadership.  Hearing my situation, Erika began to get upset for my Mom and I because it reminded her of her own personal experience with Sierra Vista Medical Center.  So, her and my Mom decided to team up and go pay a visit to the hospital administration to try to get some answers.  Thank goodness!!  

The GI Dr. finally came to the hospital and checked up on me around 4:30pm.  Although it was a different doctor, the same procedure was done as Monday to examine me. But, the new plan of action was that if I was still excreting blood tomorrow, a new course of action would be taken to try to figure out if the bleeding was internal.  The doctor didn’t note anything, but Allison (the coolest nurse ever!) said that she assumed that the GI Dr. would insert an endoscope through my mouth into my esophagus.  It has a little camera attached to it, so if any internal bleeding is noticed he would be able to cauterize it then and there.  But, this was all an idea.  Nothing was written, and nothing was known as to what would happen.  

I didn’t want to be transfered nor have to travel 3-4 hours to another hospital, so I decided to wait it out.  The GI Dr. decided to test my digestive tract, so he put me on a regular diet until midnight, when I would be placed back on NPO (Latin for nothing by mouth).  I was so excited!!  This would be the first time that I had food in 2 weeks!!  Dinner for the night was salmon, veggies, and rice.  It was delicious!!  And the benefit of this… it helped flush out the remaining blood in my system!  Things finally began to improve :)    

The highlights of Tuesday were attributed to Deacon Roeder from Mission San Luis Obispo, Ken Barclay, the Director of Student Life & Leadership, and fellow AmeriCorps members Kris Gottlieb and Veronica Heiskell, and Alex Heiskell, Veronica’s visiting sister.  Deacon Roeder came and performed an Anointing of the Sick early in the morning, which was really nice and helpful for my Mom but kinda scared me since that’s usually done for patients who are dying.  But, who knows.  The Catholic believer in me kinda looked way past this and considered the communion I was given as a healing agent and metaphorical gesture as Jesus cleansing/healing my body as the bread (aka body of Christ) passed through my system.  Overall, it was a moving experience and hopefully I won’t have to go through it until I’m way older and actually passing away.  Thank you Deacon Roeder!  

Ken also paid me a visit that morning, which was a wonderful surprise!  Ken is such a great guy, friend, boss, and overall genuine human being that I’ve been lucky to meet this year in Student Life.  His visit on behalf of the department was much appreciated, and helped raise my spirits even more because he said everyone that I work with was thinking of me and hoped I recovered really soon.  Thank you so much Ken!

Lastly, Kris, Veronica, and Alex visited Tuesday night and they brought board games!  We played Sorry! and it was the most fun I had had in 2 weeks!  I was so appreciative of this because it helped take mine and my Mom’s minds off of everything that had been happening.  So for that, thank you!! 

Monday was a busy day in the hospital.  No one knew what had happened to me, so this was a day full of observation and tests.  Aside from being admitted to the hospital around 3am, the day started off at 5am when I was awakened to get my blood drawn for yet another count.  Little did I know that hospitals begin their days early, and I’m definitely not a morning person.  So the fact that I only got 1.5 hours of sleep made me super exhausted for the day to come.  

My blood count came back around 8:30 or 9am, and it had dropped even further.  I now only had 7 pints of blood in my entire body… aka half of what I should have.  In just 1 day I had lost 4 pints of blood and nobody knew why.  My Mom and I were in shock.  I had gotten really pale and fatigued, and I was kept under close watch by the nurses because I was not allowed to get up for any reason.  Everyone was afraid I would get light headed (although I gotta admit that I was) and pass out.  Anyways, because I had lost so much blood, I had to get two blood transfusions.  While I preferred the circumstances to be different, this was a cool time for me because I finally got to know what my blood type was!  I now know that I’m A-positive :)

Moving on… remember how I complained of abdominal pain?  Well I still had it.  I met my new doctor, Dr. Nooristani, and he ordered a CT scan for my abdomen to make sure everything was okay and there was no internal bleeding.  I had this done in between transfusions.  While the liquid I had to drink that “illuminates” my organs and whatnot wasn’t that great, the CT machine, the process of getting the scan done, and the images afterward were so cool!!  I’ve had an MRI and EKG done before, but never a CT.  The fact that so many organs are so compact in a body and that people  can see them with this machine just fascinated me!  But anyways, the CT came back normal.  So, because the CT was normal and the doctors still didn’t know what was wrong, I had to be seen by a Gastroenterologist (GI) doctor.  This doctor changed everyday, so I won’t bother trying to remember their names.  

The GI Dr. came in to examine me after my second transfusion, towards the evening.  He just checked my heart and lungs with his stethoscope and applied pressure/felt around my abdomen for pain and whatnot.  While I didn’t have any pain in my upper abdomen, I surely had pain and tenderness in my lower abdomen.  He said that this is generally where my intestines are so something could be wrong with my digestive tract.  Oye.  

I was kept overnight yet again to make sure my body didn’t react to the blood transfusions and that I had stopped bleeding….  

I woke up at 6:30am and guess what… round 2!!  I was not happy.  The immediate gushing of blood from my mouth was definitely not as bad as the first episode, but maybe that’s because I was swallowing a large amount of it.  The bleeding this time seemed to have come from further back in my throat, which basically left me no choice but to swallow more blood than spit up.  Jake took me to the hospital, and I was kept under watch yet again until Dr. Stewart came in to perform my third surgery to re-cauterize the bleeding.  It was during this waiting period that I continued to bleed 2 more times, similar to before, and I ended up spitting up about the same amount-200mL.  BUT, this was just the amount I spit up.  Remember I said that I had swallowed a lot??  The ER Dr. had my blood drawn to get an idea of about how much blood I lost.  My count came back as 11 pints.  Who knew there were multiple things to check in a blood count, but from what they said everything seemed normal except my Hemoglobin level.  And if you’re like me and didn’t know what Hemoglobin was/did, it’s a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen.  So that was scary that I wasn’t getting enough oxygen. 

So I came out of surgery and woke up around 11:30am.  Dr. Stewart had not only re-cauterized the spot where it was bleeding, but he also placed a stitch there to help make sure it didn’t re-open.  Thank goodness!!  

It was about 1pm, and the nurse finally said that I could be discharged to go home.  I got dressed and as I was getting ready to tie my shoes, I bent down to tie my left shoe and I got an instant sharp pain right under my ribs on the left side.  My mom called the nurse back in, who then called Dr. Stewart.  He said that it was normal, and to just take Zantac to help.  So, I was wheeled out of the hospital (hospital policy), and went home to recover yet again.  When I got home, I took a nap and woke up around 6:30 for “dinner”, aka Jello and Fortify.  

Well… sadly, this wasn’t the end of my day.  At around 8:30 I had abdominal pain, which was said to be caused because of all of the blood that I swallowed earlier.  But, I was confused because Dr. Stewart and the Anesthesiologist said that they were going to put a tube down my throat to drain all of that blood out of my stomach while I was in surgery… So, I went to the bathroom and was alerted by a large dark red pool of blood.  Um… is this normal??  I told my mom about it, who then called my sister who is a medical assistant, and we assumed that it was just the blood that I had swallowed and was digested.  Well… a couple of hours later at 11 the same thing happened again.  I thought to myself that there was no way that I could have swallowed this much blood!  It definitely didn’t seem like it from what I remember, and surely didn’t make sense if the Dr. did drain it out like he said.  My Mom, sister, and I were all confused.  So, it was after this second time that I told my mom I had to go back to the ER.

I got there and was once again immediately admitted.  I was examined by Dr. Chisolm and was kept under observation because I had just been at the hospital 10 hours earlier, I excreted a significant amount of blood, and I had abdominal pain.  Was this something new?  Or was it related?  

Dr. Chisolm had my blood drawn to get an idea of about how much blood I had really lost.  Unlike the ER Dr. who had this done before I went into my second surgery with Dr. Stewart, he explained that typically, people’s count should be about 14 pints.  Mine had now dropped to 9.5.  I had lost 1.5 pints since my surgery earlier that morning.  In addition to this test, he had another Dr. come in to check how quickly my blood clots to see if this had anything to do with the fact that I had post-operative bleeding twice since my tonsillectomy.  That Dr. said that everything seemed normal.  So, WTF was the problem?!  

I went to the bathroom again, but this time the blood that was excreted was darker.  Almost black.  Dr. Chisolm labeled this as “old blood”, which meant that it came from somewhere above the stomach because it had been digested.  But, I hadn’t been bleeding from my throat and definitely wasn’t spitting up anything.  So this led to the possibility of internal bleeding somewhere.  The theory then was that, because Dr. Stewart inserted a tube down my throat to drain out the blood that I originally swallowed earlier in the day, he may have scratched or nicked something which would have caused me to bleed somewhere in my esophagus.  Not good.  So, they admitted me into the hospital, and I stayed overnight.  By this time it was about 3am I think.