Aftermath of a gallbladder removal surgery

As I mentioned here, I removed my gallbladder at Mt Alvernia around a week ago.


So very sad.

One less asset.

Reminds of the song, "Let it go" in the animated movie, "Frozen"


"Let it gooooooo.................Let it goooooo...............it(gallbladder) aint working anymoreeeeeee

Let it gooooooo...............Let it gooooooo................close my eyes and off it goessssssssss

And here I stand, with one thing less............

Let it gooooooo...............Let it gooooooo................The fats always bother me anywayyyyyy"


Sometimes in life is like this, if something ain't working anymore, and is in fact causing you pain, then it's better to let it go. If a relationship is bothering you the same way, oh yes, cut it off. I meant, break it off.

How it came about?
Oh well....it started as a series of abdominal pains and diarrhoea almost every single time after a meal. It's not super painful but it's REAL irritating. The diarrhoea can come as fast as 5minutes after a meal. I'm a faster eater as compared to hubby who eats damn slowly and I tell you sometimes when we're having dinner, I "shit" out already and he's still at his dessert. *faints* Thank god we're an old couple, else it's really super not romantic at 1st date.

And I'm not even eating super oily or spicy for that matter. Humph! Then once in a blue moon, intense and severe abdominal cramps will attack me. It's damn "exclusive". It only happens after 11pm where all the clinics are closed so I always have to go A&E. $%^&*(&^%$%^&*(  and be a drama queen.

How painful was it? Let's just say it's usually about 8 to 9 on a scale of 10. Tears will start to fall down my face and I looked like a pathetic whiner. Painkiller jabs always saves my day/night. It's not my 1st visit to the hospital already for such drama and all along(ok for the past 2 years) I knew that I had stones and polyps in my gallbladder.

My family GP said, "Nahz, thousands of people are walking around with stones in their gallbladder. It's nothing to worry until you have an infection."

Apparently, I had lor.

FYI, I'll describe the pain to be slightly off right from center, under your right breast. And it's more painful when being pressed. But the real funny thing is, an ultrasound scan will show that your gallbladder has stones or polyps but no scans/tests, not even a scope, can tell that your gallbladder has infection. It's always a GUESS. My last admission at Gleneagles, my specialist also had this guess, but he didnt sound confident after pressing my stomach, and so I just discharged after the pain subsided. But this time round, another specialist said he was quite sure(though he still dont dare to be 100% sure...I guess no specialist will). Moreover, constant pain and diarrhoea after meals is indicative of a nonfunctional gallbladder. And so I did the surgery to remove the gallbladder.

Of course I did asked all the essential questions, like,


Is it really necessary?
Yes, especially when the infection is causing pain. The removal of gallbladder is encouraged because it's probably not working anyway when it has gallstones inside AND it will remove the risk of pancreatitis as well as the risk of my polyps turning bigger and thus turning cancerous.

Cant I just remove the gallstones and the polyps ONLY? 
But the possibility of recurrence of gallstones is very high, it will most probably come back. So it's better to remove the gallbladder altogether. =(

HOW will it be done?
Via Keyhole surgery. Relatively a small surgery and downtime is not long.

WHAT will happen after that?
Basically...think of gallbladder as a storage sac. It's used to store bile which is produced by the liver while it drips, in order to break down fats more effectively for digestion. Guys, you can think of it as RAM of a computer. So when you dont have a storage sac, your body cant digest fats so efficiently especially after a heavy meal. And you might experience slight stomach pains or diarrhoea. In short....you have to eat healthier and less oily.

Sigh.................*head drooped down..........*

*And then head suddenly lifted up*


"DOES THAT MEAN I'LL GET FATTER EASIER SINCE I'M UNABLE TO DIGEST FATS AS WELL AS BEFORE???"

My specialist's reply, "Oh...no...when fats cant get digested, they'll be passed out from the body. When things cant be digested, it means it cant be absorbed by the body. So it's more like it's more difficult for you to get fatter." Then he smiled.


OH!!! WOW! That's wonderful news!


Oops....sorry for being such a bimbo...but I'm just making the best out of my situation!
It's no use crying over a lost gallbladder, whatttttttttt

But girls, please please dont go pestering any surgeon to remove your gallbladder OK just because you want to be slimmer. Zzz.

I just had my 4th diarrhoea tonight and it's not fun at all. =(

Why? I just had a swiss roll only. FML.

And I didnt lose any weight to date lor...despite my torturous 1st few nights at Mt A with the intense pains. Humph!



They did an autopsy of my gallbladder, which baffled me. I mean, it's removed from my body already, why would they bother? Hubby said maybe they just wanna check whether it has any cancer cells and worried that it spreads etc. Sounds logical. In any case, I received these HD hardcopy pictures from my surgeon and it's like...........WOW........gross! My gallbladder was swollen and indeed had inflammation or infection whatever and when they're being cut out, they looked like an ABALONE! Hahahaha!!

Okie, my wonderful family GP advised me, since I had removed my gallbladder, I need to eat less oily stuff...Okay noted....and also...I can take ENZYPLEX to aid in indigestion. I then realized it's actually the same green capsule which the hospital gave me during my stay. FYI, you dont have to bother to ask doc to prescribe you from the hospital because I think it's cheaper to get it from Watson. (I only saw 1 brand in both Watson/Guardian/Unity). And medical(H&S) insurance dont cover such supplements because they are not medically necessary. (Trust me, I'm in Insurance). These are cheap, like less than S$50 for 200 capsules(because they having 1 for 1 promo). I probably have to take them forever.

Bless you if it's cancer, the supplements are much more expensive, like maybe S$100 per capsule. Drop onto the floor also must eat. =P So getting some major illness or early stage illness policy ON TOP of hospitalization and surgery insurance shield plans dont harm at all~

I'm still recovering from the wounds....my tummy is oh-so-colourful now. Bruised. Sigh.....I prayed to god that it wont look like this forever else I will be super sad. I love my F21 bralettes, midriffs and bikinis. 

It has been maybe a week after my op. I just removed my stitches yesterday. But I still experienced pain when I vacuumed my floor just now. Vacuum! Not even mop. Sigh...........I just cant do any housework or sports or dance for now. I'm feeling so irritated.

Let it go from Frozen(movie) (Gallbladder edition)

"Let it gooooooo.................Let it goooooo...............it(gallbladder) aint working anymoreeeeeee

Let it gooooooo...............Let it gooooooo................close my eyes and off it goessssssssss

And here I stand, with one thing less............

Let it gooooooo...............Let it gooooooo................The fats always bother me anywayyyyyy"



Blessing you a healthier and robust 2014! Hope you've gained something out of this entry.

Honey Citron Drink(tea) from Korea

Recently I've been taking this rather frequently. It's texture is like jam with some orange peel. I always mix 1 tablespoon with 3/4 cup of hot water and the rest with cold water. It tastes something like a combi of honey and yuzu. Sweet and a little sour. Refreshing. You can alter the amount according to how sweet/sour you prefer. Oh usually after I finish the first cup, I will add water to it for 2nd round because it(the orange peel etc) still have some flavours. :) Usually I avoid sour drinks at all costs(stomach will pain too), but somehow, this drink(just alittle sour) is perfectly okie for me.

This is good for hangovers. LOL.

And the reason I love it so much is because it soothes my stomach from minor abdominal pains/cramps as well! As I have ULTRA sensitive stomach and irritable bowel, most of time after meals, I will have some adominal pains or diarrhoea, especially after some not super fresh or super clean food. Even my doc advised me before to eat less vegetable rice(菜饭) or chicken rice because usually the food were lying there for many hours already. Instead he ask me to eat those fish soup etc, food which are only cooked prior to ordering. Yes....these are woes of a super sensitive stomach.... If you suspect the freshness of some food....give to me to try first....after 30minutes I'll be able to tell you whether they are fresh. [=.=]'''''''''''''

Usually I will try to endure the pains if its not too serious by having hot water/tea or dearie will rub ointment (风油) on my tummy. The former usually dont have much effect. The latter can have some help. :P I'll take pills if it's really painful. But I will say this honey citron drink works wonder! This is definitely something which I will bring to travel and something which will always be in my fridge.

I bought it at S$15 for 2 big tubs from Beaute Spring; which I thought is pretty expensive. But it's from Korea and has a rather exquisite flavour which I cant find elsewhere. :)

Complications from previous stomach ulcer operation - Hospitalization Stay in SGH - Part 2 / Low-fiber Diet

To continue from, Complications from previous stomach ulcer operation - Hospitalization Stay in SGH - Part 1


The next day, I visited mummy again.....with that tube through her nose and the pumping machine by her bed.........*heart pain*............and her looking so sick.........Sigh..... As I've mentioned previously, the tube through her nose together with the pumping machine is to suck out food from her clogged intestine to relieve the pressure there, and thus relieve her abdominal pain. 

However I thought it through....and requested to speak with the local female doctor again....

With knitted brows, I said:

"But this will only be a short-term solution isnt it? I mean, she cant possibly be on the drip forever and dont take any food right? Once she starts consumption, food gets piled up in the intestine again, clogged at that bent, it will cause pain and vomiting again. And she will have to go through this again right?"

The doctor was clearly taken aback by the fact that I do have a brain that analyzes.

Doc: Hmmm...............erm....ya...I do agree with you that this may only be a short-term solution........*look down deep in thought*

Me: So can she do a surgery or something to nip the problem in the bud?

Doc: Generally we do not encourage patients to go through surgery because every surgery has it's risks and they might also cause other complications, like the one we have right now.

Me: So it means if we do not choose to op....we must prepare ourselves to re-visit the hospital again.....in...like....every....6 months? 1 year? Assuming her intestine is being cleared fully by that suction machine now, how long it roughly takes for that intestine to get clog again?

Doc: This is difficult to say as it also depends what food she consumes...like fruits and vegetables which have more fibers might be more difficult to digest and may clog up the intestine faster. Soft foods generally digest better.

Me: Damn! Then why didnt the previous doctor tell us that?? My mum always chose to take more fruits and vege as we've all being educated that they help in digestion!

Doc: No...fibers are difficult to digest. And when such and food piled up at the bent, it also causes pressure. Through time might be dangerous too because the intestines might burst.

Me: What???!!!!!! You mean it may burst anytime when the intestine is full? And it's very dangerous when it bursts???

Doc: Erm yes........

Me: Then we HAVE to do the op no matter we like it or not isnt it? I mean, having the risk of complications IS better than having the risk of a burst intestine RIGHT???

Doc: Erm.................I think this one you need to consult the surgeon, who is working on your mum's case.

Me: Surgeon? I thought you're in charge of my mum's case?

Doc: Yes we are, but a bunch of us are doctors in the medical team. There is another team of surgeons who will discuss about whether your mum need an operation.

Me: (=.=)zzz  Can I speak to the surgeon then?

Doc: Okie, we will arrange for you.



After the doctor left, I turned to look at dearie. I think there's a very "obvious but yet imaginary" 3 lines on my forehead. Like that, (=.=)|||

So doctors like such....patrol wards and patients....asking "how do you feel", arrange patients to be on drips...arrange minimally invasive procedures like insertion of tubes through the nose and such, prescribing antibiotics in drips, painkillers or anti-vomiting jabs etc. Ask them more and they wont know; you need to speak to the surgeon. Surgeons are very busy doing surgeries so they seldom walk about for you to catch them, nor can you request them to call you as easily as doctors do(I do request doctors to call me sometimes when I want to know more about my mum's conditions, since sometimes they're not around. And they called me dutifully).

Anyway, it got me thinking(I always think about many things). Mummy's previous op was 5 years ago. 1 year later, she started having abdominal pains every 3months or so and will usually visit GP. There were 2 A&E occassions where the pain was very bad and during the middle of the night. But she was usually given painkillers and put to rest at the observation ward and eventually sent home when she felt better maybe some 8hours later. So she didnt ward. Then I started to ask mummy about her usual diet, how much she eat etc. She told me she usually have 1 bread in the morning, food like beehoon soup in the afternoon and half portion of rice with other vege for dinner with lots of fruits everyday.

Even if she exclude(or cut down mostly) fruits and veges from her diet.......I think....it's really hard to deduce....what will happen....when and such. But how can 1 avoid eating fruits and vegetables? There will definitely be constipation. Then what can she eat....laxatives? Will it be bad for her stomach or not? Hmm....or maybe she just have to stick to a low-fiber diet...what are the kind of fruits with low fibers leh....I have so many questions running through my head.

Anyway, now I know.....

The saying of Fruits and Vegetables aiding in digestion is clearly a MYTH!

What all the old folks have been saying are clearly misleading.

As I googled "low-fiber diets" for foods which are suitable for mummy to take, many different websites pop up. ALL of them said they are suitable for people who just underwent surgeries and wish to rest their bowels or intestines. They are also great for people with trouble digestion food, suffer stomach cramps etc. But the trouble is, some of the foods they suggest to take and avoid are contradicting each other!

Anyway, since I'm researching for my mummy now(she is discharged already and can eat now), here's a very conservative list which I concluded from those sites on my own, for my own mummy. You may take it for reference if you wish/need, although I may not be completely right. 


My suggested Low-fiber Diet food for my mummy

Eat

• Tender cuts of meat
• Grounded meat
• Tofu
• Fish 
• Carrots (without skin, boiled/stewed till soft)
• Potatoes (without skin, boiled/stewed till soft)
• Eggs
• Canned mushrooms
• Margarine
• White bread
• Marshmallows
• Tofu
• Kiwi
• Papaya
• Fully-ripened banana
• Canned peaches
• Ice-cream
• Chocolates
• Clear jellies
• Mayonnaise
• Honey

Avoid

• Tough meats
• Cereals
• Raw vegetables
• Vegetables that have stems, like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus
• Milk
• Whole-wheat bread
• Brown rice
• Oats
• Barley
• Prune juice
• All peas, nuts and beans
• Oranges
• Corn
• Onions
• Raisins
• Berries
• Pickles
• Potato Chips
• Steamed veges

Also note to drink LOTS of WATER if you're on a low-fiber diet.

Of course this list is also based on my mummy's taste buds. I will specially highlight to her foods which she loves to eat but CANT eat(poor thing...haiz...), and foods which loves to eat and CAN eat. =) 

As far as cooking methods are concerned, try using poaching, stewing, braising, steaming INSTEAD OF frying, grilling or baking as the latter methods make the food drier and tougher.

Anyway...back to the topic on whether op or dont op....if it's me, I will prefer to have the op to remove the abdominal adhesion. 

That night, the surgeon called me to arrange a family conference at 4pm.

Family conference....it got me so worried......


to be continued..........................

Complications from previous stomach ulcer operation - Hospitalization Stay in SGH - Part 1

An update of my mum's condition.

Initially I merely intend to summarize the whole 14 days of hospitalization in 1 paragraph since she is already much better now. But as I blogged, I've decided to blog more details for my recording in case I forgot the details of my mum's condition many years down the road. I've also decided to blog more details so that you guys can learn more about what kind of complications can arise from a stomach operation, why they may arise, what procedures/tests may be done, what kind of doctors you're dealing with when you're hospitalized in SGH(Singapore General Hospital) and what kind of things you need to look out for if you or your loved ones are hospitalized. If you're one who is thirsty for knowledge, then read on.

"The BEST lessons are those learnt FREE from other people's experiences.

- Fion Lim

Mummy was hospitalized in SGH because of insistent pain in stomach and excessive vomiting. She was hospitalized since 4th AUG and was only discharged this afternoon on 18th AUG. In fact, after 1 year from her stomach ulcer operation(stitching up of a hole in stomach) done 5years ago, she has been experiencing abdominal pains. Sometimes we go GP or hospital A&E. For the past year it was worse as she also experienced vomiting. And this had to be the worst with the most terrible and persistent pain and vomiting thus she was warded.

For the 1st 2 days of hospitalization, Mummy could not stop vomiting despite having jabs to stop it. The pain, though suppressed with painkillers jab, always come again. FINALLY, the doctors have the brains to put her on drip and stop her food intake. However the pain continued. I'm quite puzzled why a scope wasnt arranged(merely mentioned)...anyway my mum protested strongly against any scope...so a CT scan was finally arranged and it showed a bent/clogged intestine.

I asked the doctor what might have caused it. "Is it a complication from her previous surgery??" So a local female doctor told me yes, and it's not an unusual complication. If you did an op in the stomach, there will be lesion(wound). When they are healing, they are sticky with the blood clotting up etc and may cause adhesions. If an adhesion is external, we can always fix it right away because we can see. But because it's inside the stomach, you cant see, you wont know and therefore you cant fix an abdominal adhesion.

A CT scan showed a bent intestine, which might have sticked to the stomach wall. A CT scan is like taking a 2D picture. You can see all the organs and such in their position, but you wont know whether they are overlapping each other on a front and back basis or merely near to each other. When an intestine is bent, food cant process through normally. As food piles up from the bent area with pressure, it causes pain. When it got so full to near the brim, it causes vomiting.

So an FT doctor(probably from India) called me(because I was working) and said they're going to ask the NURSE to insert a thin tube through mummy's nose to suck out all the food from the intestine to release the pressure, in a way to relieve the pain.

I was like,

Me: Thr...through the nose? Will that cause pain??
Doc: It will definitely cause some discomfort, yes
Me: Is it possible to do it under partial anesthesia?
Doc: Oh that shouldnt be necessary because it's just a simple procedure, non-invasive.
Me: This is a simple procedure?? It IS invasive!(invasive means inserting something into your body). You're inserting a tube from her nose into her stomach to reach her intestines and you're telling me it's non-invasive??
Doc: Erm......it's not thattttttt invasive
Me: *WTF* And you're going to let a NURSE do it?
Doc: Trained nurse, yes.
Me: Can a doctor possibly do it?? Because I'm worried
Doc: *Clearly annoyed* Fine fine we'll get a doctor to do it.
And then he disconnected the call RUDELY.

I was worried because clearly, he doesnt seem to take my words seriously nor seems compassionate to the patient's suffering. He's not reassuring me at all. Not to mention, his fcking irritating accent is super difficult to understand on the phone. Granted that I'm not a medical professional(although I'm not that stupid either) SO doctors should re-assure the patients and the patient's family members to UNDERSTAND what should be done, why it should be done etc.

I was worried and perplexed too. How can a nurse, despite being trained, perform an invasive procedure? Moreover, mummy had an serious operation done before in her stomach. I rushed down to the hospital while calling mummy not to let any nurse touch her. I went down and another female local doctor explained to me that, yes, the procedure might be discomforting but it's not recommended to use anesthesia because they're not good for the body too. As for the insertion of the tube, she assured me and even showed me(the real thing) that they are very very thin, to minimize any discomfort. She also told me these trained nurses do them EVERYDAY, like maybe 1 or 2 patients per day. The doctors dont do it at all, so these nurses will probably do them BETTER than the doctors. Also, the suction pump they're using to pump out the food is a lower power one as they did consider mummy's stomach is weaker than normal beings.

(=.=)''''' Okie fine................But at least she's reassuring me...and I felt more at ease. And I also explained everything to mummy.



To be continued.................................................
Complications from previous stomach ulcer operation - Hospitalization Stay in SGH - Part 2 / Low-fiber Diet

DON’T SLEEP LATE............?

Saw this on facebook.


“ DON’T SLEEP LATE! “.


Good rest and sound sleep is very important... if u don't sleep well,
The toxins in your body will accumulate... Affecting your health and your
mood...

The main causes of liver damage are:
1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are the main cause..
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial
sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use
when frying, which includes even the best Cooking oils like olive oil. Do not
consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming overly done foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should
be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried
Veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good
eating habits is very important for our body to absorb and get rid of
unnecessary chemicals.

Because….
Evening 9 - 11pm: is the time for eliminating unnecessary/ toxic chemicals (de-
toxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should
be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is
still in a un relaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children
doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on her health.

Night at 11pm - 1am: The de-toxification process in the liver, and ideally
should be done in a deep sleep state.


Early morning 1 - 3am: de-toxification process in the gall, also ideally done in
a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5am: de-toxification in the lungs. Therefore there will
sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the
de-toxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to
take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am: de-toxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9am: Absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be
having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for
those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting
to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits,
and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 -10am rather than no meal
at all. Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of
removing unnecessary chemicals.


Midnight to 4am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood.

Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.



Sounds pretty real..... But I wonder is it really true.... Because put it this way.....people staying at locations with time difference like U.S etc, will sleep at our unhealthy hours. So how will our body know what time is it?? Unless it has GPRS also lor. 

Always choose female doctors for female checkup

Anyway, while waiting for my ice-cream, I'll just have a quick review of my last female health screening at Raffles Hospital last week. Every 2 years, Great Eastern will provide me with a free female health checkup at a medical center of their choice because I purchased Pinklife, a female illness policy.

My 1st female checkup was 4 years ago at Camden Medical Center with a male doctor. I remembered I can choose between Camden and Gleneagles but only male doctors were available. Of which I called up Great Eastern and complain/feedback to them. Hello, if you know very well this is a female health check to ladies, it's only reasonable that you arrange female doctors! It's such a basic customer care. Thank god they took in the feedback and came out with the option of female doctors for the next checkup(2years ago) with which I transferred to my mum. Ya, the checkup is transferable.

As my female check up at Camden was my very first virgin experience, I thought it was supposedddd to be that unpleasant. The checkup includes breast examination, pelvic scan, Pap smear and physical examination Etc. Very basic. So I was kinda surprised that last week while making the appointment with Raffles hospital, I was required to fast for 8 hours. This year's free checkup includes more stuff like checking my blood, cholesterol etc, together with the original basic package.

To be fair, I'm pretty sure a male or female doctor does make a huge difference to the overall experience, as you'll certainly feel more at ease with a female doctor. But seriously there's more. After my female doctor(Raffles) examined my breast for lumps, then I realized how different it is as compared to my last experience with the male doctor at Camden. As I recalled the last unpleasant experience at Camden, awkwardness aside, he simply grabbed(sorry no other way to put it nicer) BOTH my precious at the SAME time with BOTH his hands and squeezeeeee. Machiam like squeezing orange juice. Argghhh! And I thought breast examination is supposed to be like that. But it's not! My female doctor from Raffles hospital, on the other hand, examined each breast carefully by pressing it with slight pressure with 3 fingers at a time to different points on the chest area to check for lumps. She even examined as far as near the under-arm, where actually our 副乳 are. Finally, she also checked the nipples. And I suddenly found the male doctor at Camden to be grotesquely unprofessional. As much as the Pap smear is still pretty uncomfortable, she is undoubtedly more gentle than the last rough one I had with the male doc at Camden.

The point of my post is, go for female doctors for female checkup. I might be biased just because my 1st(and last) experience with a male doctor was unpleasant. But seriously, I think females do a more meticulous and gentle job and are *ahem* certainly more professional, especially where female organs are in concern.