The Day Dr. Wang Sucked Out My Gallbladder

I knew it was coming…but I didn’t realize it would be that soon. Normally, it took about 3 months for that to happen. It might take longer because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Well, that’s what the hospital staff told me when I handed in my admission request. And then that phone call from the specialist’s clinic…3 weeks after I saw Dr. Frank Wang, my surgeon.

Honestly, I preferred that the procedure would be done sooner. Yet, I had to wait for there were hundreds before me in the queue. Being a public patient with no private health insurance, the hospital and the specialist will decide when your time is.

A month back, I had my ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde CholangioPancreatography). According to sages.org, “ERCP is a procedure that allows your doctor to see the small tubes inside your body called the pancreatic and bile ducts. These tubes are near your stomach. They carry digestive juices from your liver and pancreas to the intestines.

For ERCP, your doctor uses a flexible lighted tube called an “endoscope.” The endoscope, or scope, is about as thick as your index finger. It goes through your mouth into your stomach and the first part of the small intestine called the “duodenum.” There are many reasons why the doctor uses ERCP. In my case, he has to remove gallstones in the common bile duct. My doctor said that he removed about 30 small calculi from the duct.”

With a history of gallstones, the common recommendation by doctors is to remove the gallbladder to prevent future gallstones formation that might result in inspection, blockage, and cancer. My doctor has the same view.

I was “lucky” to have the procedure earlier if lucky is the right word. At least, the agonizing wait will be finally over. On August 22, 2020, Dr. Frank Wang sucked out my gallbladder!

That day was the coldest day in Sydney during the year. Chilly winds kissed my face as we stepped out of the car. You felt as if you were inside a refrigerator. As my wife and son entered the hospital lobby of Campbelltown Private Hospital, an usherette-nurse scanned our forehead for fever, handed out face masks, and asked questions because of Covid-19:

“Do you have itchy and sore throat, and/or difficulty in breathing?”

“Have you gone to Melbourne in the last week?

“Have you been in the identified “hot spots” in New South Wales?

Etc.,,, etc.

Then I proceeded to the reception to check-in. The nurses there are accommodating and kind. After answering some questions and signing some documents, my companions and I proceeded to the lobby. After roughly 20 minutes, a nurse approached me and led me to another reception area. There, she weighed me, took my height, and led me back to the lobby. Another 30 minutes and I was back in the same room for documentation. My wife and son left me after that. I was alone in the waiting room with other patients who were also scheduled to have a procedure.

Another 30 minutes and the nurse accompanied me to the third floor of the hospital via the elevator. There, she led me to the dressing room to change. All your clothes had to be removed and replaced with a hospital gown, bathrobe, and disposable shoes and underwear. Again, I need to wait with the other patients until a nurse called you again.

After 30 minutes, a nurse called me and entered a small cubicle. By her voice, I knew that she was a Filipina from the Philippines. I lay down on a small bed where Marissa injected nitrite in my stomach to prevent blood clotting. I thought I will be in the operating theater next but I wouldn’t. I was back again in the waiting room while the drug was “tingling” in my vein.

My admission time was 10.45 AM but after 4 hours later, I was still waiting for the procedure. There were about 7 patients waiting when I first arrived and there were only two when the Filipina nurse called me to sit on a more comfortable chair where she also gave me a heated blanket.

It was about 3:45 PM when a male nurse put me on a bed. Another Filipina nurse approached and asked personal questions to make sure that I am who I am and the procedure that will be taken place. After that, the male nurse, Chang, grabbed the railing of the bed where I was lying down and pulled it through the hospital corridors while I was looking at the lights on the ceiling.

The bed stopped in a small room where I saw some hospital materials and equipment. “This is it,” that’s what I thought. A nurse from the back door suddenly appeared and asked me the usual questions to verify my identity. Afterward, she slipped on compression socks to aid blood circulation on my feet and knees, and other materials were wrapped around my shoulders for the same purpose. Then she attached some adhesives on my chest and forehead and left.

After 10 minutes, the anesthesiologist came and administered anesthesia on my left hand while asking identity questions. After she left, I thought the drug will take effect immediately just like what happened when I had my ERCP. I began counting but when it reached 1000, I stopped. I guessed, 2o minutes had passed, and yet I was still awake.

The female nurse appeared again and asked me if I could walk with her in the operating theater. I said “yes” and we walked in the back door where the theater was connected. There Dr. Wang and the rest of the operating team were waiting. I lay on a narrow operating table and after a minute, I did not know what happened.

What I know was that Dr. Frank Wang will be performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy on me. According to myclevelandclinic.org, “A laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a surgery during which the doctor removes your gallbladder. This procedure uses several small cuts instead of one large one. A laparoscope, a narrow tube with a camera, is inserted through one incision. This allows your doctor to see your gallbladder on a screen. Your gallbladder is then removed through another small incision.”

I woke up when someone’s hand was touching my face. I opened my eyes and then realized that I was in a recovery room with the surgeon. There was an IVF attached to my wrist and I was breathing in with oxygen. Dr. Wang told me that I will be spending the night in the hospital because it was already evening. I didn’t know how much time I spent in the operating room and what time it was.

After the doctor left, a male nurse came. By his intonation, I knew he was also a Filipino although he was speaking like an Aussie and I was right! It really helped when you could relate to someone when you were alone and unwell.

The nurse gave me a pain killer when I told him I felt some pain. He also administered antibiotics via IVF. Afterward, he brought me something to eat – tea, water, and a sandwich. After eating, I slept.

I woke up again and took another pain killer. I didn’t have any idea of the time. The nurse asked me to take a pee because it would be inconvenient if he needed to put a catheter on me. Luckily, I was able to pass out my urine in the toilet bowl without any problem except that I had to walk inside the toilet by myself.

Morning came and a female nurse came by for my breakfast – tea, and Weet-bit. She also injected me with nitrite my leg. I also took a pain killer. It was about 9:30 AM when she told me that I will be discharged from the hospital and my son had been informed. She also asked me if I want to take a bath or do it at home. I was a little bit shocked since I just had my operation.

My son fetched me at around 10:30 AM and drove me home. At last, the agonizing wait was finally over. Dr. Wang was successful in sucking out my gallbladder. Immediate recovery is the next goal!

At home, I took the pain killer “Endone” twice a day for 3 days. The nurse cautioned that constipation was a side effect and it did. On the fourth day, I took Panadol instead.  On August 28, 2020, my wife removed all the gauges and plaster from my wounds to dry. Right now, I am on the recovery period knowing that it will take at least 6 weeks for a full recovery.