God is in Control

Jan 21, 2013

This day started ordinarily. I got up at 7:30 am to have coffee with my sweet husband Ed as he helped me get ready for work as a PACU nurse in Children's Memorial Hermann at the Texas Medical Center. I left the house at around 8:20am and had a smooth day at work--kids really make me smile even if they're cranky after surgery.

At 7:30 pm Ed called me from home as I was about 2 hours away from the end of my shift. He said my dad, Daddy Bing, couldn't stand the pain in his belly. He'd been constipated for maybe 3-4 days for which he was given laxatives by his doctor. Alarmed, I called Dr. Baweja, his kidney doctor, who knew about his constipation. I wanted to take him to the ER right away, the good doctor though wanted me to try giving him an enema in the hopes of clearing the blockage.

As I rushed home, I kept praying that God's hand be upon Daddy Bing and for his discomfort to be relieved. My heart raced as I went down Hwy 288, thinking how fast can I go without the cops detecting my heart rate. Then I stopped by Walgreens to get some fleets enema supplies. I have done this before with patients, but it just dawned on me that in about 3-5 minutes that I would be doing it on my own father!

"Nah, Neng, pasyensya lang gayot komigo," he pleadingly said. I could see the pain he had endured for this last few hours -- all the while I was at work laughing and enjoying my interaction with the kids and their parents. Why did I not see this yesterday? I could have taken him to his primary doctor, I could have done more for him, I should have been more vigilant, I should have known....

The fluid from the enema would just come out with just a bit of mucousy matter. I felt his belly, and it was distended and tender to touch. It was so painful to see him try his best to get whatever is brewing inside him out of his system. Finally, at 9pm, we decided to take him to the ER. Dr. Baweja said he'd talk to the ER doctor.

As my mom, Nancy, was still at work as a jewelry specialist in JCPenney's in a nearby town center, we called to let her know what had happened and that we're picking her up on the way to the hospital.   She had on a pair of leggings with sparkly sequins on the side, suede black boots, and a velvet coat over a nice purple blouse. Of course she had her accessories that would wear me down if I were wearing it all day. Deep inside, I think I chuckled that my mom looks like a teenager emerging from a night of fun at a nice bar. yeah, she looks young for a 70 year old woman!

The ER was packed, it was the peak of  flu season--the worse outbreak seen by the Centers for Disease Control. Though Dr. Baweja spoke to the ER doctor, like the Christmas story, there was no room in the inn. Children and elderly women were in the waiting room with masks on, coughing, sneezing, crying, and a young woman was even vomiting. All the patient attendant could offer were blankets and stale coffee while dad tried his hardest to find a comfortable position on the recliner. He shifted from lying down to sitting and sitting sideways--all in 5 minutes. His pleading eyes looked at me for answers, while my mom tried to soothe him by rubbing his back for him.

Finally, at midnight we were ushered into an Exam room that looked like there was a code there just before we went in. It was relatively clean but I know that there was chaos here prior to our arrival. After the ER nurses poked and prodded his right arm for a decent intravenous line and blood samples, the young ER doctor talked to us about his belly pain. "When was the last time he ate, had anything to drink, had a bowel movement?" "What meds has he taken? Any allergies ? When was his last dialysis? Endless questions, repetitive answers. An abdominal x ray was done within 10 minutes ( which felt like forever to me).

 "He needs surgery, we see free air in his abdomen, which means he has bowel obstruction and subsequent perforation," the kind ER Doctor slowly explained to me and my mother.  My heart sank.