My KOREAnization

Surgery on November 3rd

Today is September 7th 2020. In less than two months, I will have a follow up aneurysm surgery. What if I die on November 3rd? I try to be optimistic about it but I cannot suppress the fear. I have so many unfinished stories here at Wattpad. The pressure of writing my autobiography is killing me. Ooops! I should replace the word KILLING. The pressure of writing my autobiography is STRESSING ME OUT! Who would read my story anyway? Maybe my husband will. I want to write more about my life just in case a family member or a friend want to read
them. A lot of my friends love my sense of humor. Perhaps I can make them laugh with my stories.

I got lucky surviving my first aneurysm attack last November 22nd 2019. I had been having really bad headaches for three consecutive days when the attack happened. Luckily my husband decided to walk the dogs with me that morning in the park. Had I been alone, I could have died in less than an hour.

I haven't felt pain that painful in my life. I was 43 years old. I have been a vegan since February 2019. I had been eating healthier. I had lost weight. But I had an aneurysm attack.  The pounding I felt at the back of my skull must be similar to being hit by a hammer. I imagined Thor's Chris Hemsworth in all his handsomeness and muscles hitting my head with his magic hammer.

"I need to sit," I told my husband.

We found a park bench and I was about to sit when the next pounding struck. I was sure my skull
cracked. I collapsed on the bench. Our two dogs started barking. Then the third pounding knocked me out.

My husband called 119. That's South Korea's 911. The ambulance came in eight minutes. There is a hospital two minutes away from Yulmok Park where we were so the ambulance came from there most probably. The paramedics were three men who carried me from the bench to the ambulance. My husband said our two dogs kept on barking.

"I will bring my dogs home and then I will go to the hospital. Are you bringing her to the Christian Hospital nearby?" My husband asked.

"I think this is an aneurysm attack so we will take your wife to Inha University Hospital," one of the paramedics said.

My husband ran home with our dogs and took a can to the hospital.

I was conscious for a few seconds and I remember the paramedic was a bit surprised when he unzipped my winter jacket. I was wearing my old black bra atop a white shirt. I sweat a lot even in winter to I wear my bra under a shirt so I won't get sweaty under my boobs.

I recalled being in the emergency room
for a few seconds. Then I saw a nurse shaving my pubic hair. Why the hell is she shaving me down there? Then I saw my husband.

"I will be waiting outside. You are going to have a surgery," my husband said crying.

Then I saw the doctor put something on my nose and mouth. That plastic thing used on a nebulizer or respirator. Then I was unconscious. I woke up in the ICU with a respirator, three IVs on my right arm and three IVs on the left. There is a tube down my throat. I cannot speak. I cannot breathe.

All the nurses are Koreans and they asked my husband why I was speaking Japanese and Spanish. They knew I was Filipino. It could have been the drugs being injected in my body that made me speak Japanese and Spanish. I studied them in university.

I became more lucid and I felt my skull. I got all my hair. There were no bandages on my head. I thought I had brain surgery but no open wounds.

I was speaking English to the nurses and none of them can speak English. My Korean was not sufficient when it comes to medical terms. An English speaking doctor came. It was the doctor who operated on me, Dr. Shim.

"How come my head has no open incision? Did I have brain surgery?"

"Yes, you did. We made a small incision on your right thigh and inserted the wire in your artery. The wire traveled up to your brain and we put a coil around the aneurysm," Dr. Shim said.

"Wow. So high-tech. Thank you."

I touched my right thigh and there I felt the bandage near my right groin. Now I know why the nurse shaved my pubic hair. The incision was done at the right bikini line. I have not worn a bikini in my life but you know exactly what I mean.

My husband came to visit me at 8:30pm. He was only allowed to visit me for 20 minutes.

"Before your surgery, the doctor let me sign a waiver telling me that aneurysm kills people instantly 30% of the time. 30% dies in the ambulance. 30% dies during surgery. Only 10% survives."

"Thank you for being with me. If you weren't there, I'd be in the park dead. Kimchee and Kimpap might run away. I wonder if they would stay with me after collapsing in the park."

"I messaged your sisters, your Mama and Gina," my husband said.

"How's Mama? Did you tell her I'm ok?"

"I told her you're awake?"

"How long was the surgery?"

"Four hours. You were in a coma for ten hours. When you were in surgery, I kept regretting why I did not take a day off and drive you to Nami Island. I kept telling myself that I should have driven you to Nami Island."

"It's ok, Bunch. We can go to Nami Island next year."

"Your doctor said you cannot travel by air or sea. We need to ride a ferry to go to Nami Island."

"Oh shit. I cannot travel for a year?"

"The safest transportation for you is taking the train."