| I got a hernia. This was my third,
although I'm not sure the other 2 count since they happened in my pre-teen
years. I don't remember much about them but I sure do remember the
painful moment when this one happened. I tried herbal
remedies. A few bottles of "Hawthornia" relieved my
intestinal bulge at first. My condition, however, grew worse and a
hernia belt provided only a temporary solution. I came to
realize that I would eventually need surgery. (Since I had my appendix
removed, I've been deathly afraid of hospitals and surgeons. I never
liked the idea of being put under.)
I started to research some options when
I recalled that my friend had a hernia and got it fixed at some place in
Canada. Typing 'hernia' and 'Canada' in Google, I came across the
Shouldice Hospital. It turned out that they are renowned for their
surgical technique. They've been fixing nothing but hernias for the
last 60 years with a failure rate of less than 1%. Not only are they
the best, but they are also much cheaper than any place in the U.S.
The total cost of my operation, including 4 nights in the hospital, food
and airfare, was around $3,000! It seemed like the way to go - so I
reserved the date.
I arrived on a Wednesday. The
place didn't look at all like a hospital. It looked more like a
resort hotel or retreat, except there are mostly middle aged men walking
around in bathrobes holding their midsections. After many hours of
tests and waiting, I finally got to meet my surgeon, Dr. Johnson, who
immediately put me at ease. He said it's common that childhood
hernias reoccur later in adult life. They expect that kids will heal
quicker so they cut corners with a simpler procedure. I was a
classic example of why this is not a good idea. Originally from
Hawaii, Dr. Johnson has been at Shouldice for a year, but he's already
repaired over 700 hernias! He said I'd be his fifth one the next
morning.
I spent the rest of the day hanging out
with all types of patients who all had one thing in common. One guy
whose surgery was the day before said that he was already completely
recovered. A gentleman from Albany, NY, said, "You've
come to the right place." It was his 2nd time at Shouldice.
People come here from all over Canada, the U.S., and the world. The
hospital grounds were beautiful and I actually felt very relaxed for the
time being.
All of that quickly dissolved Thursday
morning when the nurse came in at the crack of dawn to shave my
groin. I was reminded then why I was here and my old fears
resurfaced. After a shower, I put on my gown and was escorted
downstairs to a dimly lit room with about a dozen beds. I was given
a couple of pills, and soon I no longer had a care in the world. One
by one the other patients were walked from their beds into the OR.
About an hour or so blissfully went by before they came for me.
The operation was a lot like being at
the dentist. They have soft rock radio playing. A local
anesthetic is used to numb the area and then they go to work. I
really didn't feel anything except a little pulling and tugging. I
spent the 30 minutes of the operation chatting with the nurses. I
was thrilled that after 2 years, I was finally getting my hernia
fixed. They closed me up with clips, and I actually got up and
walked out of the OR to a wheelchair waiting in the hallway.
Under strict observation, I spent the
next 4-5 hours in bed. Later I got up and walked the hallway.
That evening I walked downstairs to the cafeteria for a snack. Food
was excellent on par with top hotels. On Friday, I was dividing my
time between playing sudoku with my roommate and doing laps around the
hospital. Every morning at 11 am, there's a mandatory exercise
session. Movement is supposed to promote healing and get you back to
normal faster.
By Saturday, all the clips were removed
and I was ready to go home. Sunday morning, I was on a plane back to
Boston. The roughest part of the whole trip was the 'T' (Boston
subway). The new Silver line bus from the airport was a killer! |
