I went back to the surgeon on Thursday. I had taken antibiotics for a few days, got some relief and then the pain had returned. The surgeon said he would like to examine me under general anesthesia and if necessary drain a suspected abscess. He asked me to come empty stomach the next morning. I was quite surprised. General anesthesia? That was surely unwarranted!
I called my neph after leaving the place. The neph concurred with the surgeon.
So, the next morning, with my parents and brother in tow, I went to Medwin Hospital, fasting. Memories of my transplant and the delayed recovery from anesthesia came back. General anesthesia always had me worried.
I was asked to change into the hospital gown and wait for the surgeon to arrive. A friendly anesthetist discussed my medical history including the post transplant complications. I was given an IV line through which a sedative was administered. Soon, I was wheeled into the Operation Theatre. There, they put a gas mask on me and asked me to breathe deeply. This was to put me to sleep.
After a while, I was wondering why I wasn't able to sleep. I was breathing deeply. I was about to call out to a nurse to ask how much time it would take before I fell asleep. Just then I felt a deep pain. It was then that I realized that the surgery was over!!
I did call out to the nurse and told her about the pain. She gave me an analgesic through the IV line. I was in a daze. The effect of the anesthesia was wearing off slowly. My parents and brother took turns to see me. I was very thirsty. I asked for some water. They gave me a few drops.
The surgeon then came and met me. He said the pain was due to a chronic fissure and he had excised it. He said I could go home as soon as I was completely conscious. I could take oral analgesics for the pain and no antibiotics.
It is four days since the surgery. The original pain is gone but there is a small ulcer that has formed near the site of the surgery which the surgeon says should go in a few days. He warns however that the fissure could recur and I should eat a fiber rich diet to help avoid that.
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