When Something Goes Wrong You Need Everything Else To Go Right

When I got back from scuba diving at Raja Ampat, I noticed a small lump in my groin on the right side.  I was standing in front of the mirror and just noticed it. It was soft. It went away when I lay down.  Ellie suggested, and Dr. Google helped confirm, that I had a hernia.  An inguinal hernia, to be more specific.

I was about to learn a lot more about hernias than I wanted to. First, they do not heal on their own. They need to be surgically repaired, patched like a hole in drywall. You need to have a specialist do the job. It is not something you just do.

I had to get confirmation from the ship’s doctor. Confirmed. He could have the port agent arrange something for me, but I really didn’t want to put my medical care into the hands of a port agent. We were going to be in Darwin, Australia, in another day, and I had reservations to fly to Cairns the following day to catch a liveaboard ship to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef for four days. Diving with a hernia can result in a very dangerous eruption of the bowels through the abdominal wall. That would be a very bad thing two hours away from civilization at sea.

I researched the procedure and started to create a plan. I found that Darwin was far worse than Cairns for surgery.  There was a very good surgeon in Cairns whom I hoped could either see me or point me in the right direction.  I contacted their office, and they said they might be able to see me the day after my flight got to Cairns.  But I would need a referral.  I had one, but it was from the doctor on the ship, and I needed one from an Australian doctor.  I was going to need some luck.

Our plane landed at about 9:30, and I called the specialist’s office again.  They said if I could get the referral, they would hold the slot for me.  At the hotel, I asked the young guy at the front desk if he knew how I could get in to see a doctor.  He suggested the pharmacy around the corner.  I went to the pharmacy, and they handed me a card for a medical office about four blocks away.  Ellie and I walked to the office, and they said that the doctor could see me at 2:00.  We came back for the appointment, and after a little paperwork and physical checking of my hernia, he gave me a referral.  The office sent the referral to the specialist.  I called to make sure that they got it.  Dr. Warner-Smith would see me the next morning, and they would hold the surgical slot for the first thing two days later.

The appointment went well. Dr. Warner-Smith was beyond cordial and professional. He went over the details of my inguinal hernia from embryology to completed repair. The surgery was scheduled, and I had a day to rest before the operation.  Time to breathe and time to worry a bit.

Ellie and I walked the 17 minutes from our hotel to the hospital, arriving at 6:30 in the morning.  When they called my name to go upstairs, they said Ellie could not come along, and we made an unexpectedly quick farewell.

Everything had gone so well, and now I was alone.  I was told that my doctor was one of the best, and being first meant that I would be able to get in and out without delay.  I was scheduled for 8:00, and when the clock ticked to 8:15, I was still sitting in my hospital gown waiting.  That was when the anesthesiologist came in, followed closely by Dr. Warner-Smith.  He said he had been prepping the surgical theater for my procedure.

I woke up with three small holes in my belly, with a bit of gauze and clear tape covering them. Dr. Warner-Smith came out a little later and signed off on my authorization to return to the ship, along with a color photograph of the surgical mesh being placed over my hernia.

Now I have a month to take it easy so that I don't screw up the incredible luck and hard work of many skilled professionals.