Laparoscopic surgery in Belize.

ABOVE: Surgery in progress. My surgeon Dr. George Gough.

I drove down to Belize City myself with my 18 and 11-year-old sons. I had downloaded and burnt a CD of relaxing music, mainly Bach and Beethoven and played it along the way, much to the consternation of the boys. For once they uttered not one word of complaint.

I checked in at Belize Medical Associates at 7:30 a.m. In no time I was placed in one of those flimsy hospital gowns. Then two nurses shaved my abdomen clean. After the anesthesiologist started her preparations, I found myself saying goodbye to my loved ones and was whisked upstairs.

I think hospitals do this part as quickly as possible to cut down on the possibility of nervous patients deciding to chicken out and jump out of the gurney at the last minute. Anyway, I personally was glad for this, as I wanted to get it over as quickly as possible.

I found myself chatting up a storm, this time with the anesthesiologist Dr. Depaz. I am a techno geek and I was peppering her with a multitude of questions on the vital signs monitors she would be using, including my specific request to have her do capnography monitoring during the operation.

My research had shown that this monitoring contributes to a significant reduction of risk during the anesthesia. Basically, capnography monitors the carbon dioxide content in a patient’s exhaled breath. This ensures that oxygen is being properly delivered and utilized by the body. Capnography has been recommended as compulsory for all anesthesia procedures by the American Society of Anesthesiologists since 1986.

Dr. Depaz fitted me with face gas mask and then told me “Take a deep breath”. I recall smelling a slightly pungent odor and it was lights out for me.

My surgery took two and a half hours. Dr. Gough told me later that recurrent inflammation and gall bladder attacks had led to several adhesions that had to be carefully removed. The gall bladder had about a hundred small stones.

I slept through most of the early afternoon after the surgery. I had mild pain, and colic like discomfort when I fully came to my senses in the late afternoon. The nurses werevery professional and kind and checked me every hour taking blood pressure, and temperature.

I was discharged the following afternoon and driven home. My recovery was rapid. The first few days there was abdominal discomfort and I could not sleep on my stomach or side. I got tired very easily. The first day just walking around the bedroom was laborious.

My girlfriend was very kind to me during this time and slept over to assist me and wake me up for my antibiotics, painkiller and anti-spasmodic. The third day after my surgery I went downstairs. On day five I ventured into the garden to say hello to my half Chihuahua. On day eight, anxious to fly the coop I went to the National Agriculture Show and this was an experience to forget.

It was rainy and muggy and muddy. There was an infernal din from what appeared to be a disco box on every corner blasting out rap music through a haze of smoke from dozens of barbeque fires. This, along with the suffocating press of hundreds of bodies tortuously navigating the narrow and slippery paths and bumping into each other completely sapped what little energy I had regained.

I forced myself to do a 15 minute interview with a US national who has donated a couple of South African breed goats to improve Belize’s goat herd. I took some pictures of him and the adorable goats, including a newborn kid. But I was running on empty. After the interview I staggered out to my car and headed home totally knackered, as the British would say.

I began to feel more fully recovered fourteen days after the surgery. A month after the surgery I am at 100 per cent. I’ve lost about 9 pounds since my doctor ordered me to lay off fatty food. The pain from the gall bladder gone, my scars have healed quite nicely and I feel great. Thanks Doc!

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