25/05/2018
On the 18th August 2009, my life changed in a rather dramatic way. Here is my journey through Short Gut Syndrome. A journey that has been through a whole range of ups and downs, through life changing decisions and through so many emotions and surgical procedures, even I had doubts I would survive to face another day of my new life. Here is my story of the day that changed my world forever.
I had been out for the night and was on my way to work first thing in the morning of the 18th August. I had forgotten my work pants so pulled in home on my way to work to change into them and head to work as per normal. I was working in an aged care facility and loved my life and job. Nursing the career path I had chosen many years prior because I love to be helping others always.
I shut the front door after changing and rushed down the few stairs of my home but slipped on the bottom step and landed on my bottom on the concrete base. It really hurt, but being young and naive, didn't give a second thought to getting back up dusting myself off and going to work anyway. I had recently just finished my falls prevention certificate so in my youth and wisdom ignored the training and went to work anyway. That was my first mistake.
When I arrived at work only a few minutes away from home, I noticed my right side hip and thigh were really quite sore and so I limped into work and straight away did the right thing and informed my Rn on duty of my little accident for the morning and started my shift just a little slower than normal. This was my second mistake. Within a couple of hours I was on the floor in agony but unable to get up off the floor not able to feel much from my waist down. I got on my 2 way tadio and got my Rn to come and help me up as I could no longer complete my shift in the nursing home for the day. After a quick check it was decided that I should go and get checked out by my Doctor who was just around the corner between my work and home.
So after helping me to my car, I drove to my GP surgery and booked in for that afternoon as I couldnt get an appointment right away. I then went home to change and rest while I was waiting to see the doctor. My next door neighbour was concerned at me being home so early and came to check on me and have a coffee and chat, knowing I was a creature of habit and my return home so early was just unusual. I made us a coffee and changed and sat down with her on my front porch to have a smoke and started chatting about the morning. The traffic was quiet and the gun club round the corner was shooting away and the day was nice and quiet. Suddenly I heard the gun club shoot off and I was grabbing my chest quickly saying to her " oh no, I just been shot", my chest was really hurting other than the rest of my 107kg body and I started to worry and get into a panic. I asked her to call an ambulance and got het to take me into my bedroom and lay me down on my bed. Trying to assess my situation and talk myself calm I was confused as to why I was having this chest pain and there was no blood convinced I had been shot in the chest. My neighbour then on the phone was also trying to help me stay calm and thats when I first blacked out. Coming to when the ambulance arrived I remember getting onto the trolley to be taken to hospital and passed out again.
I then woke again in the hospital ER and confused, began calling for help before I started to projectile vomit coffee grounds. I had seen this before and instinctively knew I was in real trouble and started screaming in a panic before passing out again. I dont remember much in between that time and the time I was woken in ICU being bed bathed. I remember it was very cold and I was in alot of pain and extremely confused as to what was happening to me.
So much time had passed and I was unaware that the frightening dream I thought I had just has was in fact a reality. My first thought and question was to ask for a phone and ring work to apologise for not calling and not turning up for work the day before. Thats when my workplace had told me how long I had been away and in hospital. It was my workplace apologising to me for what had happened to me and let me know everyone was praying for me and wishing me a speedy recovery.
I was still very confused as nothing had been explained yet and I was covered in tubes hoses and my gut was covered with a fressing from my chest to my p***c bone. I was absolutely horrified at my new discovery and began feeling like a science experiment especially when I tried to turn my head and my neck had lines and hoses hanging out of it aswell. I lay there unable to move much anyway but closed my eyes and tried to wish away this nightmare.
This was the beginning of areally horrific nightmare and there had to be a way to wake myself up from this, in my mind, this was not happening. Reality was about to punch me in the face in a huge way.
