In the beginning

It all started for my Wife Marilou with what we thought was a bout of food poisoning.  She had another couple of episodes within about 6 weeks, and the penny finally dropped that the pain she had wasn’t food poisoning.  A trip to hospital during the third episode resulted in a diagnosis of acute Pancreatitis caused by Gall Stones, with a recommendation to remove the Gall Bladder (GB).  We weren’t keen on the idea, and despite intense pressure to have her GB out, Marilou left hospital once her Pancreas had settled down and we looked at a low fat diet to control her condition, as we noted she was symptom free as long as she didn’t eat anything high in fat.  Discovering through research that the GB also has an associated lymph node, called Lund’s node, which is also removed with the GB, only strengthened our resolve to keep it.

12 mostly symptom free months later, Marilou had another Pancreatitis attack after accidently eating something high in fat, and this time she had pain in a different area once her Pancreatitis pain settled, and this lasted much longer.  Another trip to the hospital, and not only Pancreatitis was diagnosed, but an inflamed GB.  More intense pressure from the doctors to take the GB out, but again we resisted.  While Marilou was in hospital I frantically looked up alternatives to GB removal, which there isn’t here in Australia, and it wasn’t until roughly one week after my Wife was out of hospital that I found a possible solution, and it was in China!

After much reading, it seemed that the philosophy in China was completely different to the West, and they only remove the GB as a last resort.  I found an English language website for a hospital in Guangzhou that offered the operation to foreigners, http://nogallstones.com.  Also, I found these blogs of people that had been to China and had the surgery, which were critical in the decision making process;

http://gallstoneremovalsurgery.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/my-name-is-lawren-and-i-had-gallstone.html

https://thebodymind.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/my-miracle-gallbladder-surgery/#comment-271

Also, the ‘original’ blog done by an Estonian bloke living in the UK, whatisgallstone.com , which is no longer up but can be accessed using

https://web.archive.org/web/20150816144916/http://whatisgallstone.com:80/, had a lot of feedback from people that had the surgery.  I couldn’t find anyone with negative feedback, which coupled with the other bloggers gave us the confidence to look into the Chinese option.

Decision is made

We applied to the hospital, and were given the ok once Marilou’s GB inflammation was confirmed to have gone by an MRI scan.  We were impressed that the hospital was thorough in their checking that potential patients were suitable for the operation.  Note we found their English via email was ok, but a bit rough around the edges.  We didn’t allow that to deter us as their processes looked good.  Also, the fact they use a Hotmail email address initially didn’t look good to us, but we found out that is due to IT in China, and not a reflection on the hospital.  We obtained an invitation letter from the hospital, and were able to get VISAs to travel to China without problems using it.  So we were off to China!  Marilou, myself (Mark), and our Son Gerard, who wasn’t quite two years old. 

China!

Although we arrived around 5am, Natalie from the hospital was good enough to meet us there with a driver, and transport us to the hospital.  Natalie is a lovely lady, and we feel very indebted to her for making us feel so comfortable when we first arrived, and during our stay.  The hospital was a smallish suburban hospital in the Dashi suburb of Guangzhou, and was in a very busy area (note a new hospital has been built, so they may have moved into it by now).  The streets around the hospital were always full of people, and we felt very much immersed in the Chinese culture.

Our initial impression of the room we were given for our stay in the hospital was a little disappointing, in that the floor was a bit dusty, and the overall impression was it was run down.  Again, this didn’t put us off in the long run as they were obviously putting their resources into the new hospital, plus to have their successful record meant everything they do had to be professional.  This was confirmed by the rest of our stay.

Marilou had her pre-op tests the following day and was given the go ahead for surgery the next day at 8.30am.  During her tests, she met two other lovely ladies who were being operated on the same day, one from the US and another from the Ukraine.  It was good to be able to talk over our different experiences and settle some of the nerves which are natural when traveling to a foreign country for surgery.

Payment was via cash at their cashier, so we took our Australian currency which we had brought with us to a local bank to change into RMB.  This process was a bit time consuming but ultimately not difficult.  There is plenty of security in the banks we saw, so we never felt threatened when changing so much money.  Also getting the money from a bank was insurance against getting fake notes, which are apparently common, and which the local shops often check for.

Later in the afternoon we were all brought together to go over the paperwork which comes with all operations.  All possibilities were covered, and all questions answered, and it was very professional.  An interesting part of the paperwork was Dr Qiao and the anesthetist signing off on it promising to do their best.  Also, while going over the paperwork it was pointed out that the mistakes listed as possibilities had never occurred.  I was amazed when I found out that during the operation I was going to have the opportunity to watch it live via a monitor streaming the pictures from the theater.

Surgery

The next day was the big day, and while Marilou was prepped and taken to the theater, I was ushered into a room adjoining a lecture room to watch the operation.  I got to see it from when they started removing the Gall Stones, and whilst not for everyone, I found watching it fascinating and even comforting, as who in the western world would allow the family to watch an operation?  Marilou had a large number, mostly of a similar size, and they looked like yellow marbles being removed.

Once the operation was finished I was taken to meet Dr Qiao, who reported on the operation via Mary, the hospital interpreter.  The operation was a complete success, and Marilou’s GB was reported to be very healthy, so she could expect a quick recovery.  The Gall Stones, being yellow, were confirmed to be cholesterol stones.  I was shown the stones, and took a picture of them, although later they were given to us in a jar, plus a recording of the part of the operation I had watched.

Recovery

The post-op care was excellent, and Marilou that first day was visited seemingly every 20 minutes or so to make sure everything was ok.  As she recovered over the next few days in the hospital she needed less attention, but we always felt well looked after, and our questions were always answered. 
The day we left the hospital, we weren’t able to say goodbye to all the staff as they were busy with new arrivals, which we were disappointed about, as they really touched our hearts.  We bought some chocolates for them and left them at the nurses station as a small token of our thanks.

The driver from the hospital took us to our hotel in the centre of Guangzhou, the Sheridan, and we spent three days there recovering and seeing a bit of the city.  The city is very clean and modern, and just like at the hospital, we found the Chinese people to be very friendly.

Since returning from China, Marilou has been able to eat normally with no digestion problems.  The only side effect of the operation was a bit of bloating, which slowed receded, and now two or so months later has almost gone.  Bloating is a common side effect of surgeries though.

Some notes on the whole experience

-         Some, but not all, of the doctors and staff speak English.  If ever we had questions, they always got someone who spoke English to come and see us.  Mary, their interpreter, and Natalie, who is a Russian doctor doing most of the liaison and coordinating for the foreign patients, speak good English.

-        A section of the 7^th floor was reserved for foreign patients, so we weren’t mixed with the locals.  I noticed at night the nurses always made sure our doors were locked, so we felt very safe.

-        The food provided to us each day was from a local restaurant, and was very Chinese.  However, it was good and even our Son was happy to eat it.

-        Our water was provided by a water cooler of pure water, with a new bottle supplied when needed.  We only drank pure water from bottles for the whole trip.

-        The TV only had Chinese stations, but we didn’t use it as our primary entertainment.

-        There were a lot of small shops around the hospital where we could buy pretty much anything we needed.

-        The major banks where you can exchange currency were around 10 minutes walk from the hospital.  I would recommend finding them via Google Earth before you go and taking a map with you.  We walked to the banks as a group with the other couples there for the operation, but if I was alone I would have liked to have a map.  The staff at the hospital do help with directions.  We went to the ABC bank, whilst some of the others went to HSBC.  Any of the major banks are ok to use, and they have people there that speak English.

-        The air in the Dashi district is quite smoggy, so if you are sensitive to polluted air I would take a mask.  We were ok, but I noticed after a walk through the district I always came back with a metallic taste in my mouth.  Funnily enough, the centre of Guangzhou where our hotel was didn’t have that problem.

-        If you want to get a photo with Dr Qiao, do so when you meet him.  We missed out as we were busy with things and we thought we could see him when we left, but he is a busy man, as are the other doctors and staff, so take your chance!

    6 months on

      Marilou had her first check up the other day, 6 months after her operation in China, prompted by the hospital doing a follow up.  Her Gall Bladder is clear of Gallstones and sludge, although her Liver has some minor 'fattiness'.  This is due to her diet being a bit heavy for a while, so she has corrected her diet to cleanse her Liver again.  Below is one of her scans.

     

      Photo of us in the old hospital courtyard - Marilou, myself and Gerard on the right