When I again came to my senses, I saw a high ceiling with fans turning really fast. Blurry images of nurses and other staff, wearing green OT outfits.

Even with the OT out fit and mask I could still recognise Dr Shahid by my side. From his eyes I could make out that he was smiling, he held my hand and said everything seems to be looking ok and I didn’t have any injuries on my ankle, Alhamdhulillah! . I tried to raise my head but found it dizzy even if I moved an inch. I told him I don’t feel very good, feel something weird in my mouth, the underlining of my tongue felt strange a prickly and numb sensation at the same time! And that I feel nauseous.He said that’s just a coz of the sedation. It will wear off soon. I passed out I guess coz next time I opened my eyes I saw the blurry figure of my anaesthetist. Saw him discuss something with Dr Shahid.

The anaesthetist ,then looks at me and pats me saying I’ll be ok , I tell him feel nauseous, he leans across and through his thick glasses he tells me don’t worry, you might vomit a bit , but it’s ok , gives me quick thumbs up and disappears !

I ask to see my family, they push me along to an exit, I get a glimpse of my family and the nurse tells them that I will be shifted with in two hours.

The vomiting spree starts…

As my bed was moved to my earlier spot. I was feeling uneasy and in sudden jolt I was throwing up, with my head turned to the side, all the food that I had before the OT experience came gushing out in goo !

“Oh that patient is vomiting” I heard a voice, from nurses counter at the corner. Before the second round came out , a nurse whisked my bed cover off and quickly rolled it up to block the second round of vomit from falling off to another patient’s bed!!

They wiped my face and mouth and parked me at an new spot among other beds. I was all the more wasted, but I guess with round two, it was over. I was tired and I woke up a little later. That’s when I realised, this room is really like a parking lot, with many other patients wearing similar blue out fits. It was the observation room for patients from post surgery. I still call it a parking lot coz, through one door they pulled in sedated patients on beds and like how in one of those pay and parks they try to squeeze in as many cars a possible, They’d shift the existing beds tad bit over left or right and try to park a new bed in the space they made!!

When I was completely off the sedation, I would try to call out to the nurses at the counter and ask them to shift me back to my room. I felt very uncomfortable, and for the 1st time in my life I strangely felt claustrophobic. Each time I would motion they’d ask me to wait. Finally I got one of the nurses to come over and told her,

“I am ok now, I was just in for a OT dressing, I got vomit all over me and the bed spread. I am sure it’s disturbing the others patients, so please get me to my room, to my family, I’ll rest there!”

She went away and I heard her say my name over a phone and asked for T Block, she came back and informed that they have to send an attender from T block to take me back, so will have to wait.

Counting your Blessings

While I waited, I saw small bundle of sheet on a bed in front of me, the nurse was standing by it, then I realized it was a small baby in the bundle of sheets!! On to my left an old weary hand with wrinkles and a probe clipped on a finger kept rising and falling, gesturing and mumbling from his bed, something I couldn’t make out, to the right of me was a very large stomach, which rose and fell as the patient took heavy breaths. Still in sedation I suppose.

I thought to my self, each patient has their own story, perhaps much greater and graver than mine. I still think about that bundle of sheets, the wrinkled hands, and many more at the parking lot. Thanking Allah for the  blessings even in this difficult times, and off course the realizations.

It must have been some time for someone to make down to the OT floor, coz I totally lost track of how long I was there. Finally I heard my name being called out, and two personnel from T block was at the exit , and I finally exited the parking lot !