![8 days that have marked my life forever! [by Lydie]](https://www.heroicnation.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sans-titre-2.jpg "8 days that have marked my life forever! [by Lydie]")
In the middle of the storm, his light keeps shining…
The beginning of the year for most people is a festive time where you make good resolutions. As for us we decided to try something new for once even though believe me next year we’ll go back to new year resolutions and festive times only he he he.
We are the 2 of January 2018
We’ve just spent a great New Year’s with our family and friends, cowboys danced with Indians (you can go check out our Instagram account you’ll understand) we laughed and ate well. Anyways we spent a wonderful New Year’s altogether. But on the second of January, as we go along eating some chips, I suddenly feel a huge pain in my abdomen. As I was 6 months pregnant, I figured it was linked to my baby. Try not to let it show and discreetly go to the bathroom to understand what is going on. The pain only grows and obliges me to tell everyone in the middle of the party: “I’m sorry we must go home; I don’t feel well at all.” I tell a couple of jokes to our neighbors ( the hosts) like how I must have eaten too many olives… so we go home my husband puts the girls to sleep and I lie down on my stomach and try to ease the pain but it just gets worst so I tell Michael “ We have to head straight to the hospital”.
So, Michael tries to prepare suitcases for the girls in a hurry, Eva our oldest of 6 years dresses her sister that is 4 years old, Emmie (so cute by the way) and we all hop in the car. We drop off the girls at Jerem and Manu’s house who are also at a party with friends (lol) the go from having 3 to 5 kids in a couple of seconds. Thankful they survived the invasion.
What you also must know is that earlier that evening we received a message from mom saying that our dad was in the hospital because he could have appendicitis.
What an evening already!
We arrive in the hospital; the nurse tells me that I am having contractions and that they must stop immediately because my baby is only 6 months old (we are waiting for the coming to a little boy in April). The pain was so strong in my belly I hadn’t even realized I had contractions. We explain the medical team that I have been having pain in my stomach, that I can’t have morphine or curare (my body doesn’t accept it) and that no I didn’t eat outdated oysters and for sure have not been through a stomach surgery before.
“Tonight, Mrs. Carretero we are going to give you pain killers to ease the pain and have you gone through a blood test to make your you don’t have any infections and what not. You will spend the night here so the contractions can end.
I look at my husband and tell myself that it is going to be a long night. He takes my hand and we pray that everything goes for the best. A couple of minutes go by as I tell Mika that I need to puke and that I need a bucket. From that point on until the 30 next hours, I experience none stop puking.
We are the 3rd of January 2018:
My husband and I haven’t gotten any sleep. I’m still in pain, the pain killers had no effect on me and the puking hasn’t stopped. I haven’t eaten a thing since.
«Good morning did you sleep well? How are you this morning? Better than yesterday? » asks the nurse.
“Thank you but we haven’t been able to sleep all night” answers Mika.
Because of the pain and the positive results from the blood tests indicating that all is well the nurse is going to scan and have me go through echography to see what is going on inside.
«All the results are good Mrs. Carretero, it’s reassuring. We think you probably have the flu; they are terrible this year and plus you are pregnant it can hurt a lot more.
I tell myself that I’ve already had the flu and unpleasant ones but for it to hurt this much it was a first. Mika stayed with me all morning and afternoon and we didn’t talk (for those who know me you know that is extremely rare lol). The pain didn’t allow me to open my mouth… my poor husband must’ve had a headache hearing me cry but no he stayed calm and looked at me with love in his eyes: “It’s going to be okay my love”.
It is 7 pm
The medical team decides to give me something like morphine to help me rest because I can’t stop tossing and turning and despite the positive tests they start to worry as there is no sign of improvement in my condition. I’m able to sleep for 30 minutes (the pain is still there but it’s bearable. As I wake up, I can see my condition is getting worse. Mika rings the emergency alert button: « Please come my wife doesn’t feel well at all I think it’s dangerous”.
We bring me down into another emergency room I scream in pain and puke all over when I’m down in the other room I have a breakdown and cry I can’t bear it any more:
“I want to be transferred in Bordeaux they will know what I’m going through! You have to get me out or else the baby and I’ll die”.
It is 10h30 pm
The nurses come and go and keep looking at the results, they try to monitor if the baby is doing okay but they had to stop because just the feeling of something on my stomach was unbearable. It felt like a bullet had gone through my intestines and that my guts were out in the open (sorry for the details).
“You know gas retention could have brought this pain,” says a nurse.
I did not know what to say I felt myself go as the pain was so intense.
It is 11 pm
Mika is very anxious and the nurses too. They want a flue surgeon to see me earlier than planned. Him and the gynecologist.
They both come the gynecologist goes straight for my stomach and puts his hand on it. I scream in pain.
“Prepare the surgery room right now this woman is having appendicitis.” Announces the gynecologist which chocs the surgeon.
“What? but on the results there are no signs of infections fever and of appendicitis, you can’t cut open my wife if you are not sure of what she has” says Michael.
The surgeon doesn’t agree with the gynecologist and they start having a heated conversation as to what decision to make.
“I will not take the risk of performing surgery on a pregnant woman just because you think it’s what we must do I need more proof.” says the surgeon.
“Really but you are willing to take the risk of losing our patient? If we don’t act now, it will be too late”. Says the gynecologist.
They had left the door opened and didn’t know that we had heard all their conversation. We then don’t hear anything, and the nurses try to comfort us.
It is 11h45pm
The gynecologist and surgeon come back in surgery clothes with an anesthetist and people for surgery. They took a decision and tell us they will perform surgery and make a celiscopy to see what is going on inside. They surround my bed and my husband very upset tries to understand and asks the surgeon: “You agree? You changed your mind?”
“Yes, it’s certain that the pain your wife is going through is not in adequation to the results we need to understand what is going on.”The surgeon says.
“But our baby will he survive? Tell me doc are there any risks?” Asks Michael.
“Sir, I can’t guarantee your baby doesn’t risk anything, as we go through surgery during pregnancy there is a big risk. What is certain too is that if we don’t do anything you take the risk to lose your wife, you understand?”
Says the gynecologist.
Mika starts crying
« I don’t know Lydie what do you want to do? It’s too hard”
I felt moved but didn’t have strength, I suddenly start feeling peace. Such a big peace and I know God is here and he is taking care of me. He always promised to take care of us, so I look at my husband that I love and say:
“Let them take us, it’s going to be okay, it has to stop.”
We kiss each other in tears then the team takes me to the surgery room.
It is now the 4th of January it is midnight
I’m in the surgery room surrounded by people moving everywhere to prepare the surgery. In my heat I’m okay I don’t know if this is my last hour but I feel peace. God is controlling the situation because I know otherwise I would have died because I would have been freaking out. I feel cold I want to puke; I want to fall asleep. When the aesthesis told me to breathe slowly into the product that was supposed to put me to sleep I drove my head into it so fast I just wanted this nightmare to be over!
She laughed and said: “Well good thing I told you to breathe it slowly! I can see someone once to fall asleep as fast as possible! (lol) I’m going to count to 10 and you will start closing your eyes and we’ll see each other after the surgery.”
“Okay promise to take care of my little boy,” I said.
“I promise, we will do our very best” answers nicely the gynecologist even if I knew he wasn’t the one that was going to perform surgery that answer was enough.
“−1, 2, 3, 4, 5, … »
I didn’t have time to hear all of it I was already asleep, on the other side of the room Mika dealing with overwhelming stress and Jerem my brother came to join, and both started praying in the hallway along with my whole family. My poor father wasn’t aware of the situation he da also just gone through surgery for appendicitis.
Meanwhile during the surgery
The surgeon opens my abdomen and falls upon an intestinal fibrous adhesion. To explain a little bit, it’s like a skin belt that created itself in my stomach as months went by it surrounded my intestines and squeezed them. The surgeon surprised by this discovery says a bad word (lol) and without waiting one second, he takes a courageous decision to perform surgery with a celioscope. He takes out the skin puts everything back together (he could only see through three tiny holes). Unthinkable.
The whole patching up last half an hour. He goes out of the room to find my husband and forgetting he is my husband (lol) says:
“Incredible I can tell you I made a new record in my career! Going through surgery with a pregnant woman with an intestinal fibrous adhesion with a celioscope, I had never done that before.” says the surgeon with relief.
“All is well your wife is waking up it’s done we did well to make this decision.” Says the gynecologist still in choc.
We learned later that day was supposed to stay the night at the hospital but were able to leave to rest in their homes.
It’s 1 am
I wake up and I felt so good as after you take a warm hot bath after an intense moment of stress. “You did it, you freed me, I’m no longer in pain, it’s wonderful I am so happy.”
I kept talking smiling making jokes. The team could not believe I was the same person as earlier. They were so joyful too. At that moment I recognized the aesthesis, she is the same person who had been there during my previous labors and who had been all together wonderful. We laughed and held each other at that moment I understood something special linked us.
#ivlogheroic
2 am:
Back in my room, I see Mika we hold each other we cry of joy. God kept us alive he did a miracle. We don’t have words. We don’t let go of each other’s hand, I tell myself, oh boy we have lived a lot of trials together and that the love for my husband is undefinable. We peacefully fall asleep for the first time after 35 hours of being away. The best feeling ever: sleeping! (lol)
The end of the nightmare. My baby is alive and a true warrior!
I’ll stop here for the detailed explanation because of course there is more to be told but I’ll just tell you that the following day’s everyone came to my room to see how I was doing. Some people at the hospital even asked during their days off if they had found a solution to the pain I had gone through. We talked with a lot of people who moved me so much along with the surgeon who came in every day to see how I was doing. Same for the gynecologist.
“You saved my life thank you,” I said to thank them.
The surgeon then said:
“It’s normal, we did our job our duty, but it’s a certainty that you must have a lucky star above you because had we not acted now this whole surgery would have been fatal.”
“I know God protected me…”
Let me tell you something, I do not know why we had to go through this, my family and I, but I can assure you that when you go through something like this, a situation like this you don’t see life the same way afterward.
Sometimes we lose time talking and fighting about meaningless things we get attached to details that don’t bear importance and we don’t enjoy the grace it is to simply be alive and in good health. We are nothing, life holds only by a thread and no one knows when it will end. So, we must enjoy every moment to tell the ones we love how much we love them. Tell our kids how much they are important and how much we love them. Love each other be useful so our life makes a difference around us.
For me I’ll always be thankful to God for this miracle, I know that by reading these lines a few will think I was just lucky, but I can assure you it was more than luck back there. This experience got me to meet extraordinary people like my aesthesis a lady who’s been all over the world to rescue poor people, she risked her life in humanitarian trips to Afghanistan, etc. she gave me a beautiful life lesson.
And my family and friends took care of me I love you so much you are all so important for me and for us. Heroic Nation always and forever. Motivated more than ever see you soon on the road with the same enthusiasm and more ah ha ah…
