/The Boy Who Lived →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

Its been a long time... almost a month since i was hospitalized (pati last entry ko).

Here's the story... I woke up tuesday morning with a weird pain in my stomach. "Diarrhea na naman" i told myself . But it was not diarrhea.... I woke up the next day with my stomach really painful especially the lower right abdomen.

At work I yahooed(sorry google fans) "appendicitis" and found out the appendix is on the right side. I panicked so i immediately applied for a half-day leave to see my doctor.

After checking my white blood cell level, which skyrocketed, the doctor advised me to stop eating and just take food through drip infusion. Panic kicked in again. I'm not sure if it's the needle or the fact that i can't eat anything frightened me.

After 1 1/2 days of "resting" my stomach i went back to the hospital to get my next drip session (oo umuuwi ako pero di ako pwedeng daan Mcdo or magbukas ng ref!!!). I told them the pain is getting worse so they decided they can't cure me and send me to the University Hospital nearby (patay ang budget ko nito...).

I underwent different tests like CT scan, xrays. Im glad i wore a decent underwear because these tests required me to pull my pants down (pano kung laundry day yun!). The CT scan result revealed i have something around the appendix area (pero di ko naman makita).

The doctor said there are 3 possibilities,
a. i have an appendicitis
b. i have a diverticulitis
c. all of the above
I thought there's d. None of the above but the doctor stopped at c.

Appeciditis i know requires an operation, diverticulitis i have no idea but sounds painful... so I asked him about divertivulitis. I didn't get much because he is speaking in medical terms in japanese and i was still considering what to choose between a, b, and c... After some doodles and hand gestures I got the part that diverticulitis is a disease when you have swollen patches around the intestines and can be cured by just taking medicines. "Thank God..." i whispered... i totally forgot when was the last time i really thanked Him.

I need to be confined so they can determine what i really have. Everyone i know is at work so i asked the doctor if i can get things from my house myself. Just realized how hard it is to be sick away from your family... or be sick on a weekday in Japan in my case. I packed everything i can pack. I got a backpack and a large gym bag full with usual stuffs plus my wonderswan final fantasy game, a camera, mp3 player and 3 pocketbooks. I feel really bad i don't have a laptop to bring with me. I just don't want to be bored to insanity. This is my first time to be hospitalized but i saw people just staring at windows or their feet while spending their time in there. I don't want to do that.

Fast Forward:
I underwent 24-hour drip infusion and more tests. I dont know what they're giving me but the pain in my stomach slowly went away. Or maybe it's the visits from friends thats healing me. A familiar face during times like this really helps a lot. Too bad i can't eat fruits they brought me.

After 3 days, they announced i can start eating food! My first meal was like an ordinary meal, bowl of rice, bowl of veggies, some fish, but everything liquidized. They should have mixed everything together and pour it in a glass. "Oh well, this is better than nothing" and I'm sure it'll get nicer. I was right! The next few days im spreading jam on breads, scooping thick stews, and cutting tasty pork steaks! The food was not that great but those were the best meals i ever had.

4 days more and I finished all my books, harassed all the nurses passing the hallway, watched everything on tv(using a tv card 1 yen per minute), leveled a lot in FFI so they released me!

Things i learned:
1. We should respect our nurses they work really hard and do things i can't possibly stomach.
2. Staring at windows and watching your feet can be fun.
3. There is no boring tv program. Just people who have other things to do.
4. They can't possibly do drip infusions in outer space.
5. Yahooing or googling helps.
6. You'll know who your friends are when you are sick.
7. When your stomach aches its not always diarrhea it can be constipation.
8. Liquidized food is a big NO-NO.
9. Blood is red indeed!
10. Needle injection doesn't hurt after the 15th.
11. Ear plugs are heaven sent.
12. Always tell the nurse when your drip infusion is almost done. Not doing so might cause you to bleed and/or the nurse getting pissed. Better yet stop loitering around so the nurses can check you.
13. You can lose weight doing nothing.
14. The person who invented mobile drip infusion liquid holder is a genious.
15. John Grisham's "The bleacher" blows.
16. Hirosue is pregnant.
17. I have no money.