[Oe List ...] Final Status

[Bharat Shah]

Dear Jack,

I am happy that you are on road to recovery. You are right about
pancreas..do not mess up with it. I have two friends who have passed this
ordeal but are doing well.
Thanks for sharing your learnings.
Wishing you a very speedy recovery and may be see you as early as possible,
in Mumbai.

Bharat.


On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 11:36 PM, Jack Gilles <jackcgilles at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues, Friends and Colleagues,
>
> Not sure this is the right title for the email, but I wanted to share a
> few things as a wrap-up to my encounter with my serious health events. From
> here on its a matter of getting strength back and then heading back to
> Mexico from here in Kalispell Montana.
>
> First, I want to give official permission for all candles to be
> extinguished. Of course anyone who wants to keep one burning for my
> continuing enlightenment it is fine with me! What a great symbol that is
> within our community! It meant so much to me and I thank you. So many of
> you sent healing messages and Skype contacts. Bless you all!
>
> Secondly, I want to make sure everyone understands what happened and why
> recovery will be a journey. To use our language, the gallbladder attack was
> my problem, the contradiction was (is) the pancreas. Once David got me to
> the emergency room with my attack they where able to get the pain dealt
> with and they did blood tests and an MRI.  Now both of the surgeons that
> worked on me later say that I should never have been allowed to leave the
> hospital. I had Pancreatitis (blood count of 50,000 vs normal 50).
> Pancreatitis was never mentioned to me. All I knew was that my pain was
> gone, I had discomfort in the belly, but thought the pain pills they
> prescribed would deal with it and when offered the choice to stay (and have
> the gallbladder removed) or go home I chose to go home to work out all that
> being gone would mean, Judy care etc.  We were given no instructions as to
> what care I needed.
>
> So all the subsequent week was coming to terms with this new reality (no
> sleep, no eating, little liquid etc.). The next week started with the
> operation last Tuesday to remove the gallbladder and then hospital care to
> deal with the Pancreatitis (getting slight fever down, white count
> stabilized etc.) and then discharged on Sunday. My gallbladder surgeon said
> the first three rules they teach you as a surgeon are: 1. Do no unnecessary
> surgery 2. Always get a second opinion 3. Don't f--- with the pancreas! It
> is very serious illness and you can die from it if not treated. All news to
> me!
>
> Learnings from being in the hospital. Now other than being born I have
> never spent any time in a hospital. So all was pretty new to me and you all
> will sort of laugh at my naive ate.
>
> 1.* If it hurts say so! * They put the IV into the back of my left hand
> before my gallbladder surgery. There it stayed through numerous changes of
> drips, saline, antibiotics etc. Every time they changed bags they flush
> with saline and for about 4 seconds it would hurt like hell, which I
> thought was normal. After three days my hand and wrist began to hurt and
> were puffy. The nurse said we need to shift the IV, which they did to the
> right arm, on the inside of the elbow. No pain! The flush was getting under
> the skin, thus the pain.
>
> 2. *Trust your body's intuition!* When they started me on solids on
> Thursday I had a good breakfast and all was good. Lunch came and it was a
> piece of salmon on a bed of spinach. i took a bite and I was aware I didn't
> like the smell, but rather say anything or send it back for something else,
> I decided to eat it, for it did taste good. So one bite, two bites, some
> spinach and then bite three - followed by everything coming up! This
> spooked the doctor and I went back to liquids only. I am convinced that any
> other food would have been fine. Anyway, it was Saturday when I got to back
> to solids.
>
> 3. *All situations are time for care*. I realized that for the week I was
> in the hospital I would be being cared for and just receive it. But for me
> care is a two way street. I had a job of care for them as well. So over the
> week there were opportunities, some in the middle of the night, to have
> life conversations. Several had vocational and life altering possibilities.
> At least one relationship will continue. On the final trip out in the
> mandatory wheelchair I asked the nurse to thank the cleaning crew for their
> care and let them know how important it was to my recovery. She said "You
> can tell her yourself, here she is." coming down the hall with her cleaning
> cart. We stopped and I spoke to her for a couple of minutes about care,
> working without recognition, and how much I wanted her to know I
> appreciated her work. I grabbed her hand and I thought she was going to cry.
>
> So that's it. The wonderful care for me and Judy by the Scotts here in
> Montana continues. Now it is exercise, good no-fats food and getting
> strength and vitality back, take my meds and care again for Judy. I have
> one last request to you. I hope to be able to watch some good movies and
> would like your "don't miss" list. The only great movies I saw in the last
> year are "Lincoln" and "Life of Pi". But since people may not want to have
> all these email recommendations please send to <jackcgilles at gmail.com>.
> Thanks.
>
> Grace and Peace, and Love,
>
> Jack
>
>
>
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