I started the 5 day hospital stint by meeting with a doctor Friday night because I hadn't had any bowel movements in 10 days. 10 DAYS. So, drink lots of water and eat your veggies, folks, cause that ain't cool. Doc prescribed a yoga pose and an Ayurvedic powder to drink three times a day - bark and rose petal did wonders for my system. Interesting methods and I'm happy to say I'm back on track.
A day later, Bo ended up in the hospital with a bowel obstruction, thanks to his Crohn's disease. It started Saturday night. We had eaten at a Vietnamese place and he ate a bit more rice than normal. We think that this is what caused the blockage to build up. He has strictures and severe inflammation in his intestines which is the ultimate cause.
It took 12 hours to get him some morphine. The nurses kept telling us that they only give narcotics if you are in ICU. Finally, the doctor arrived (care was slow given that it was a Sunday - day off for most) and after reviewing the CT Scan issued an order for morphine to be given immediately. He knew how bad Bo needed it. Said there were lots of areas in his intestines that were super narrow or expanded to 3x the normal size. So his system was really struggling.
By Monday, the doctors seemed confident that Bo was on the road to recovery and should be able to avoid surgery. They put a tube in his neck to get protein and nutrients pumped directly into his blood stream.
Some quirks about a hospital in India:
- The elevators on ground floor open up to the open garage, oh, and the CT scanning room! How they manage to keep the CT scan room clean right next to the open garage is a mystery to me.
- The cleaning crew's kids run around the ground floor with them all day.
- No machines monitoring him; no computer scan to ensure he is being given the correct meds, just trusting that the nurses are giving the correct meds/dosages to him (it makes you wonder if all the hoopla of machines in US hospitals is really necessary...)
- When you enter ICU, you have to take your shoes off! I'm sorry, WHAT?! Barefoot in a hospital ward where there is blood and needles and heaven knows what else. The staff walk around in a sock and flip flop combo.
- The toilet pressure is worthless - it constantly won't flush my system clearing dumps...
- There is no menu for guests at the hospital. Fortunately, we're only 20 min walk from our apt and 5 min walk to the local mall. So I have options outside of hospital.
- You have to beg the nurses for some morphine. They must go through nursing school being pounded with threats that they will create drug addicts if they EVER give morphine to a patient. We have started to sound like druggies just because we keep insisting that he needs proper pain meds.
- You have to pay UP FRONT for a hospital stay. I handed the credit card to the admissions person (the $20,000 from the last time Bo ended up in hospital from a blockage kept running through my mind). Preparing for the worst, the lady told me it would be 15,000 rupees for 3 night stay (not counting doc fees). Quick, do the math - that's about $250. Um, we should be able to manage that. Sidebar - zyrtec allergy meds cost 30 cents for 20 pills! Majorly cheap medical care and meds here. Loving it.
The dietitian visited Monday and asked if there was anything Bo needed to avoid (once they let him eat actual food). Our response "high protein/low fiber, so chicken and NO veggies works best; he ate too much rice which is what landed him here - so NO rice either." Her response, "Ok, mam, we provide veg only meals here, so we can send up rice with daal (cooked lentils with veggies) for him to eat, no issue." Ah, yes, there is an issue - he can't eat vegetables and he certainly CAN'T EAT RICE. Oh my word, the language barrier has us ROFLing sometimes (that's "Rolling on the Floor Laughing" for those not in the know).
While there are some things to get used to here, we are very grateful to be in such a nice hospital. We're told the free clinics or government hospitals are not livable at all. Rats and major uncleanliness take the gold there. Grateful for the care Bo has received here.
Your prayers and support have lifted our spirits immeasurably.
Cheers,
Megan