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Janel
& Dan Folden
August
2003
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Tubal reversal Aug
25, 2003
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August 2003
We arrived at the hospital in Rio Bravo at 6:50 am, walked in and
there was no one in the room we were in, and we couldn't read the
signs on the doors so we went back out to ask the lady sweeping the
sidewalk where the lab was (which is where we had been told to go).
All I could understand of what she said was 'Levi' so I nodded and
said 'yes'. She took us inside and sent us through the doors. I
asked for Levi at the nurse's desk inside, and she went and called
him on the phone and gave the phone to me. Levi and Dr. Perez were
(delivering babies) and had another one to do right after that one ,
but Levi said my surgery would definitely be done that day it would
just be delayed. He told us to get a room and he would have them
bring us something to eat.
The nurse put us in room #1...very nice room with a bedroom area
that had a bed, a nightstand, a little couch for my husband to sleep
on and a tv/vcr. There was a sitting area in the room that had a
couch, two chairs and a coffee table then the bathroom. They brought
both my husband and I ham and eggs, toast, and juice for
breakfast...I could never finish everything they brought me to eat
and I am a big woman!
Levi came in around 10 am and said they were going to try to get me
into surgery at mid-day, but if they couldn't do it then that it
would be at 7 pm. So we waited, watched tv, read, chatted,
crocheted, napped. At around 6 pm the nurse (Concepcion) came in to
get me ready for surgery. She and two other nurses tried to find
veins for the IV and couldn't find anything...thankfully they only
actually tried to stick one once. Later, Levi and Dr. Moreno came in
to do the IV. Dr. Moreno was actually the one who put it in...I
hardly even felt him do it and he got it on the first try! (Too bad
I couldn't bring him back with me so he could do it next time too.)
Then they wheeled me into the OR. The first thing I saw when I laid
down on the table was the cross above the door. I remember starting
to pray and Dr. Moreno looking for a site on my back and that's all
I knew until I woke up (I don't think I got any farther in my prayer
than 'Dear Father'.)
When they took me back to my room, Levi said he would come back
later to explain everything once I was awake, and that he was going
to be there all night in case we needed anything. When he came back
he diagrammed out what they should have found during the surgery
(according to the records I had sent) and what they had actually
found. My records said the doctor here had removed 1.5 - 2 cm on
each side...all I have is 2 cm on each side which means he took out
a lot more than he said he did. Levi said our chances are about 40%.
We were released at 8 pm on Tuesday, after they tried to talk me
into staying Tuesday night as well. But, I wanted to get across the
border where I could call my children so I didn't stay. My husband
said to tell everyone not to go in the dark because their exits
aren't lit and we missed ours coming home. Wasn't a big problem just
made him nervous. My advice would be to plan to stay an extra day
just in case your surgery is delayed.
We had a wonderful experience. Everyone was really nice and Dr. Levi
is wonderful. All I got to say to Dr. Perez was hello and how are
you before I was knocked out. If I had to do it all over I would go
back there in a heartbeat! Long trip but well worth it to be whole
again. God was with us every step of the way.
Janel Folden
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