Today, it's official!
I am now 44 years old!
The official blog of Pablo Wegesend (aka Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior)
Nothing written here is an official opinion of any of my employers, teachers, friends or relatives of the past, present or future
Just myself, written only on my personal free time! (wish I could have more free time to blog some more)
Contact madtigerwarrior@yahoo.com
Today, it's official!
I am now 44 years old!
In the previous blog post, I explained my experience of being hospitalized for jaundice, high liver enzymes in the bloodstream, and a blockage near my pancreas. I went through an ECRP procedure where a stent was placed from my liver to my pancreas.
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2024/10/my-experience-with-jaundice-and.html
In the afternoon of Wednesday October 2, 2024, I was discharged from the hospital.
The following social media post describes my feeling post-release from the hospital.
I'm back home after 6 days at the hospital (for jaundice, high level of liver enzymes in bloodstream due to blockage near pancreas). It feels good back on my own bed, without all these needles on my arms, and without the constant, unpredictable interruptions. Seriously though, the health professionals are hard working, accommodating, and deserve all the benefits they're fighting for. While I'm now home, I'm still dealing with the after effects of nausea and fatigue. It'll be a while before I'm back to normal (or maybe this is the new normal)
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I do have a follow up procedure scheduled later this month.
I'll explain more when it's time.
Something that seems benign can be a sign of something much worse.
About a month ago, I noticed my urine was becoming more heavily yellow, and even dark-yellow (like amber). Whereas before, my urine is usually light-yellow or clear.
The week I first noticed it, I had garlic bread that mom bought for me. So maybe the heavy yellow urine is from the yellow of the garlic bread.
But the following week, I had no garlic bread, but still had heavy-yellow or amber colored urine.
I still had chicken soup, which I've been eating for decades.
By the 3rd week, I noticed yellowness in my eyeballs.
Even then, I doubted that the yellowness of my eyeballs and the amber-colored urine were mere coincidences.
My usual primary-care physician was booked that week so I booked my appointment for another one that worked with my insurance (Kaiser Permanente)
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As I talked with the doctor, I mentioned all the symptoms I've been noticing. He mentioned that the yellowing is a sign of jaundice. He also ordered a blood test to check for liver enzymes.
Only hours later, he left a voicemail and an email urgently telling me to go the emergency room to get a liver imaging. My blood had way-above-normal levels of liver enzymes.
By the time I got the message, it was circa 17:45 (5:45 pm in the evening).
The nearest emergency room that took my insurance (Kaiser Permanente) was the Kaiser Moanalua Hospital. It takes 2 buses to get from my home to there.
I got there circa 19:15 (7:15 pm).
When I first entered, I talked with the security. As part of the entry procedure to the emergency room, he asked if I had any vapes, knives, pepper sprays, needles, scissors, etc? Well, I did have a pepper spray and a scissor so that got confiscated. He placed it in a bag only to be returned when I leave.
Then I checked in, with a printed copy of the email from the doctor telling me to go to the emergency room for liver imaging.
The nurse asked a series of questions, took my blood pressure (slightly above normal) and weight (less than I expected but still more than my ideal).
And it was to go a room where I lie down, wait, talk to a bunch of medical professionals, wait some more. More waiting and more waiting.
Then it was time for the liver imaging, then back to my room.
The liver imaging showed a tumor blockage near my pancreas.
I will have to stay overnight.
Then circa 23:30, I was transported to another care unit within the hospital.
When there, I was bombarded with questions which I thought Kaiser already had answers to (meaning I could find them myself when I log into my account).
IT was questions after questions. They also inspected my belongings, confiscated the meds I had in my bag (presumably so they don't interact with whatever meds they will provide during my stay).
Presumably to cover their end, they also asked what's in my wallet, how much cash I had, and what's in my bag.
I'm sorry but being that I live alone, I'm not accustomed to people being all up in my business. But Kaiser has to cover their end, so that they don't get accused of losing my personal possessions.
By the time the check-in and the questions were over, it was already Friday.
By 0:30 (12:30 am), I could finally rest and go to sleep.
5am, it was time for vitals (blood pressure, temp checks).
So much for getting a long period of rest in the hospital.
My parents came by to visit. We talked with medical professsionals about the plans.
The plan was for me to have an ECRP, a procedure where they put tubes through my esophagus, one tube with a camera, and another tube to chip away at the blockage at my pancreas.
There are only a few doctors in Hawaii that know how to do the procedure.
And to have that procedure done, I couldn't eat or drink anything for hours. So I was hooked on IV's nearly all day.
By the time late afternoon came, I was told that they didn't time for me to get the procedure for that day. I would have to wait for Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, I could be unhooked from the IV's and I could eat.
I had chicken soup and rice :)
Luckily, I bought my smartphone and charger.
I notified my social networks about being in the hospital.
Pablo Wegesend added 2 new photos to the album: Hospital time — at Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center.
I got jaundice with unusual yellowness in my eyeballs and skin. Did a blood test and found high level of liver enzymes. Did a scan and found a small tumor near my pancreas. Will have to wait until Sunday for the procedure to remove the tumor. That's all the details I'm willing to share for now. I'll provide updates when I'm ready to do so!
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Update on my hospital stay. Sunday, i had a procedure where a blockage (noncancerous) was removed from my pancreas. A stent was placed to flow the bile from my liver to my pancreas. There was some expected inflammation of the pancreas, though that's an improvement from having all those liver enzymes flowing to the wrong places. I'm still in the hospital for rest and recovery. That' all I plan to share for now