My Lap Chole Experience at St. Luke's QC

Let me first give you a background how I ended up having this procedure. It all started last year, sometime around February 2010, when I kept on experiencing gastric pains around 2-3am. I will suddenly be awake, feeling the cramps, and be wheeled away by my husband at the nearest ER of a hospital near our house. It was diagnosed to be gastritis, so I was just given proton pump inhibitors to take for 7 days. It recurred every quarter, so I decided to let go of coffee, softdrinks, and chilli foods, and yet it recurred every month. I decided to get checked by a gastro specializing doctor, so I went to st. Luke's (all my procedures & checkups are covered by Intellicare, thank heavens!).

I went to Dra. Sheryl Querubin, and she asked me to undergo gastroscopy and to have an ultrasound on my surrounding digestive organs - gallbladder, pancreas and liver to be exact. My endoscopy went smoothly, I was gassed out for around 20mins. I was diagnosed to have hiatal hernia, and my stomach lining was reddish (maybe due to the gastritis). My ultrasound schedule was for tomorrow (have to do some fasting again) so I went back the next day. It was done on a half day so I just went back to work after it.

I got my results via email, and I was shocked to see :



Holy crap! Cholelithiasis? Gallstones! How the heck did I end up getting that? I was never an eater of lechon that much? Hindi ako masyadong mahilig sa matataba! And that big!

So I made further research. I saw write ups about gallstone flushing and drinking apple juice could shrink the size so it can evacuate my gallbladder instead of surgery. But my doctor just scoffed it & said it doesn't work. Ok, I will have myself checked by a surgeon, and ask for his opinion. So I shortlisted the surgeons I can consult to with my healthcard, and thought of going to Dr. Menandro Siozon. Google his name and he is pretty popular, being the director of surgery dept. of St. Luke's, so I was assured he will be the best person to trust. I was scared shit when I saw Isagani Cruz's wife's Lap Chole procedure. AND it is a major operation, for heaven's sake! I was never ever been hospitalized my entire life!

I tried denying the truth, but when the pain recurred now for about every other week, I decided to face the music. I hated taking pain relievers So I made a sched with Dr. Siozon, and my Laparospic Cholecystectomy procedure was scheduled on Sept. 29. The odd thing is, the secretary scheduled the operation date a day earlier (you have to be admitted the night before to be prepped up) so my schedule was moved on Oct. 3.

So by afternoon of Oct. 2, we went to st. Luke's to be admitted for my procedure. Took some pics while my phone battery was not dead yet:

My bed for 3 nights

The best bantay ever.

Moi name

Nurses fill up this white board every morning

I told you I was so scared shit, I cried when I was wheeled in the OR. But I kept on praying that the Lap Chole will be successful (there was a option it could be an open lap in case things get tricky inside) and that everything will be ok. After 3 hrs I woke up vomiting due to the general anesthesia, and they waited for my vital signs to be ok for an hour in the recovery room. After an hour, I was bought back to my room, my husband was already worried as he expected the procedure to be done in 2 hrs and forgot about the recovery room thing. It was almost 1pm when I went back to my room.

Me after the surgery! *Baho*

Tada! My stones!

I saw my stones the next day, and they are as big as "jolens"! So yan ang iniinda ko for more than a year! Grabe! So I made the right decision in having it removed! Thank you Lord!

That night Dr. Siozon checked up on me and said I am ready to go home. Went he went out, I cried thanking God, my husband was laughing at me. I am that scared.

Now I am home, typing this blog entry as I know I can help others who might be experiencing the very same thing I had. So I can assure you, get checked up by Dr. Siozon, and have your lap chole done in St. Luke's. Believe me, the hospital is worth every moolah : nurses, residents and other staff are all sooo courteous! My husband was so thankful how they assisted him on our way out for the billing section. We both decided that if ever i get pregnant soon, we shall deliver our baby there!

So let me end my story with gratitude: Thanks to my family & friends for praying for me. Thanks to the nurses (Stef, Monique, Liv, Mia are the ones I can recall for now), doctors (Dr. Menandro Siozon and his team), Manang the secretary, the very efficient staff of St. Luke's! Mabuhay kayo! =)