Sam’s Hernia & Lisa’s Pregnancy – The Main Balloons this season

Written by Mark M.
September 18, 2014 3pm

HISTORY – My son Sam has an “Inguinal Hernia” (monaug ang tina-e sa itlog) since birth. Because it is hereditary, we decided to avoid operation & waited for it to heal over time – just like mine, which healed naturally when I was about 11 or 12 years old. The main problem is that every time he jumps, cries, cough and carry heavy objects, the bowels would go down to his scrotum, making it like a balloon. Sometimes it inflates & deflates, sometimes it is gone.

Sam before his Operation

TRIAL #1 – Last Thursday (September 11, 2014) at around 3am, Sam suffered from an “Incarcerated Inguinal Hernia” (na lukot2x ang tina-e, lisod ipasaka balik sa tiyan). Lisa (at 35 weeks pregnant) & I brought him to Vicente Sotto Hospital for treatment because he is vomiting and suffering from extreme pain. After a whole day of waiting, the surgeon was able to return the bowels forcefully. It was a big sigh of relief as Sam was then in a stable condition after a few hours. We decided to go home and thought the operation is no longer necessary. Damage: P1,000

TRIAL #2 – While on our way home after Sam’s “balloon” deflated and returned to its normal location, Lisa noticed possible abnormalities of her amniotic fluid/bag of water (to protect the baby during pregnancy) so we decided to go home directly and waited for more signs of the complications. The following morning (Friday), some liquid continue to go out from her cervix so we decided to go to Chong Hua Hospital (kay naka-package deal mi) for check-up and possible delivery of the baby. Based on the ultrasound results the amniotic fluid is within normal limits but Lisa still feels the liquid coming out occasionally. Because the baby is still premature, it was not yet time for Lisa to deliver the baby. Based on the doctor’s advice, we decided to let her stay in the “High Risk” room (because her previous delivery is a CS) for a few days, for constant check-up & treatment. On Monday, because she no longer feels the water coming out, we decided to go home and signed the waiver (DAMA or “Discharge Against Medical Advice”) because of the bill. The doctors understand that she wanted to go home because of boredom inside the Labor Room & she is no longer having complications but they still insisted to let her stay in the hospital until our second baby comes out to avoid any issues & future complications. Sadly, we cannot pay for a much larger bill so we decided to sign the waiver and go home. Damage: P30,000

TRIAL #3 – At around 10pm on Tuesday (September 16), Sam informed us that his hernia is in pain again. I tried to push the bowels (tina-e) in his scrotum back to his stomach but I cannot fully return it. There was a hard part, which is similar to the first incident. We tried using ice compress but still we cannot return it back. At around 11pm, because his scrotum is small compared to the time he complained about it, we decided to go to sleep and prayed that it will return to normal while he is in a relaxed state. At around 1am, Sam is feeling the pain and cannot sleep well because of the discomfort. I tried putting ice & push the bowels back but still I am unsuccessful. At 5am, I bathe him with cold water thinking it can relax his intestines and return it back but the problem persisted. At 6am, we bathe at an inflatable pool outside the house and I gradually added ice to the pool to make it cold without him knowing. After an hour the hernia became small and I tried to push it back again but Sam continue to suffer extreme pain and vomit. Every time he cries, the scrotum becomes large again. We tried pushing it with force but the bowel is just too hard, possibly the contents (food) are trapped inside. Because we can no longer take our son’s suffering, we decided to bring him to Cebu Doctor’s Hospital because our sister-in-law has an Uncle (Dr. Jorge Celso Ang), who is a Pedia-Surgeon there. At 12nn, we arrived at the ER (Emergency Room) & we were interviewed. After the assessment, the surgeons think it needs an emergency operation because it is possibly a “Strangulated Inguinal Hernia” already. There were several tests (blood, xray, skin, etc) and the doctors (resident, pedia, surgeon, anethesiologist) have to make sure he is ok for surgery. At 2:30pm, he was brought to the OR (Operating Room) for the treatment. The doctors found out that his appendix is swelling as well so they also performed appendectomy to remove the appendix. The operation took about almost 2 hours and he was brought to the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) for his recovery. There were oxygen & machines to check his vital signs and gladly he was awake but still in pain. After 2 hours, he was finally brought to his room at “MS7 Ward” (because the Private Room is just too expensive for us).

Sam’s Inguinal Hernia Surgery

UPDATE (September 18, 2014 8pm) – My son is now in a stable condition, together with his Mother & yaya at the hospital. Just this morning (Thursday), the Doctor gave a go signal for him to eat food and drink liquids. He was also able to urinate & fart, which is a sign that his body is doing fine. We are waiting for him to defecate to get another output. We are hoping and praying that the doctors will discharge him tomorrow (Friday) so the bill will not get extremely high. Expected Damage: P60,000 – P80,000

Together with the hands of the Great Almighty God, one of the best Pedia-Surgeons, Dr. Jorge Celso Ang, of the Philippines has removed Sam’s “balloon” & appendix. All the other doctors (general, pediatrics, anesthesiologist), nurses & interns also did their job well. I cannot thank all of them personally but God will bless them for this successful operation. Considered as a Minor Surgery, the fact that my son is a 3-year old who is suffering from a life-threatening “Strangulated Inguinal Hernia” makes this a critical event for us.

By the time Lisa delivers her “balloon”, we hope our second son will not have the same problem. We know all of these are part of God’s plan for us. It may be a “test of faith” but we continue to believe in our Savior. He is the redeemer, the provider, the omnipotent.

UNCANNY NOTABLE EVENTS – Aside from the many weird events & instances that happened to this balloon business and us, we firmly believe that God is working with us. He is showing us signs and miracles, which we think are extraordinary. We can also state a few examples of weird events that happened just recently, which makes us believe that He is just around the corner.

1. On September 17, 2007 – exactly 7 years before Sam underwent an operation – I suffered from TB Effusion & underwent an operation for removal of water in the lungs.

2. On September 17, 2007, while I was in the hospital, Lisa & I became officially “ON” after almost 2 months of pursuing her. We just officially turned 7 years as lovers.

3. On September 17, 2009, Lisa & I were engaged after she said “yes” to my proposal at Golden Cowrie, who would then become our regular customer after 4 years.

4. We paid the balance of P16,000+ on the day Lisa was first discharged from the Hospital on Sept 14, 2014. That same day, we were surprise to receive the same amount as advance payment for the bookings.

5. Remember the number of Sam’s Room? It’s MS7. It probably means “Mark then Sam after 7 years”.

These instances might be ordinary to some but for us these are significant events. We are now finding ways to raise funds but we are not afraid because we know that God will provide. This is His plan. We strongly believe his promise at Jeremiah 29:11.

That’s it for now, I will just update this page once another event (such as Lisa’s delivery) happen in the next few days or weeks. Thanks to all of you who prayed for my son & the whole family.

We will get back on track very soon. Thanks from Mark, Lisa, Sam & Jim (in a few weeks).

UPDATE (September 29, 2014) – Just found a few minutes to update this post. Last September 20, 2014, Lisa gave birth to our 2nd Son. It was a miracle that she delivered it safely and normally even though she has a CPD (Cephalopelvic Disproportion). We were scheduled for another CS delivery on October 18, 2014 but our 2nd baby is already excited to go out and see the real world. Lisa arrived at the hospital just a few minutes before 9am and gave birth at 9:38am. It was an unexpected normal delivery because at around 9:20am, Lisa decided to sign the papers to prepare her for a CS (Caesarian Section) Delivery – but just a few minutes before she’s transferred to the CS room, Lisa reached 10cm and ready to deliver the baby – and whalaa! One cute baby boy is born. We named him Jericho Iden Maranga (JIM).

Because Lisa was hospitalized a few days before she delivered the baby because of the “leaking” of the outer layer of her water, the doctors were “pro-active” in giving our son a week-long antibiotic, leaving him in the hospital for a week while giving him several laboratory tests. The baby was discharged last September 27.

The “Package Deal” at Chong Hua helped us lower the bill for Lisa’s delivery but we were able to pay a hefty P25,000 net for Jim’s Room, Lab Tests, Medicines, and Pedia’s fee.

Together with Lisa, Sam & Jim, we are now happily staying at home. Even with the huge financial damages in the past two weeks, we still feel the abundance of blessings coming to us. God has his own ways and we continue to believe in him. He is our strength. He gives us reason to continue what we love doing, to continue serving others and to continue to provide a good life for the family. Thank you to all your prayers!