Praying for a Fart

I'm learning to smile and keep my heart calm through this process with Sani. Being angry gets you nowhere in Javanese culture. It's tough though...

Doctors here apparently don't tell patients anything. Like, ANYTHING. I went to visit Sani post-op last night, and asked her about how it went. She didn't really know. I asked how many stitches she had. She didn't know. But she felt around her stomach and used her fingers to show me how long the incision was. About 20 - 25 cm. I asked what they found inside. She didn't know. I asked if they removed anything. She didn't know. I asked how she did with the anesthesia. Oh, they didn't knock her out.

WHAT?!

She said, "They did something to my back. They kept feeling around, and then they stuck something in, and it hurt really bad. It made my legs numb. But I could still feel everything. When they cut me, I just kept crying and asking the nurse, 'Is it over yet?'"

Did they give her an epidural!? For stomach surgery?!

The surgery was 2 hours. She doesn't remember anything after the first 30 minutes. I think she passed out. And then, they didn't give her any painkillers until 5 hours after her surgery ended.

By the time I got there, 6 hours after the surgery, she was still in a lot of pain. And the doctors had told her she couldn't eat or drink anything (not even water) until she farted. However, this presented a couple of problems.

1) She had absolutely nothing in her stomach, because she had fasted before the surgery as well. How do you fart on an empty stomach?

2) She was feeling bloated but couldn't push in any way because it put too much painful pressure on her incision and stitches.

3) It is a tropical country. Her hospital room has no AC and not even a fan. Family and friends were in there visiting. And it was toasty. Poor Sani was so parched. She kept moaning, "I just want a little water. Just a little water".

About an hour after I arrived, a nurse came in to check on her. The nurse asked for Sani's hand to put an IV in. Sani asked, "What is it?" The nurse replied huffily, "Just give me your hand". That was finally the point at which I stepped in. I casually walked over to the bed, poked the nurse in the eyeballs as hard as I could, and screamed, "HOW'S THIS FOR BEDSIDE MANNER, HUH?!"

Just kidding. I kept my cool, and calmly repeated Sani's question. "What are you putting her on?" The nurse looked surprised that I was talking to her. I don't know if it's because I'm white or because she's not used to getting questions. Either way, she answered me. It was just antibiotics. I asked the nurse several more questions and finally got some answers.

What did they do during her operation? - They took out her appendix. It was big.
But it hadn't burst, right? - No.
If she didn't have an operation, would it have burst? - Maybe.
Where is her appendix? Can we see it? - I don't know.
Was there anything else wrong? - I don't know.
Can she please have some water? - Not until she farts.
How can she fart? She hasn't eaten. - It will happen naturally.
Can I put some water in her mouth? - If her gums are dry, you can rub some water on her gums. But she can't swallow it. It will make the pain worse.

I thanked the nurse and she left. Then I sat around for another hour watching Sani try to fart. By 10 PM, it still hadn't happened.

So I killed a cockroach running across her floor and came home.
I've never prayed so hard for a fart before in my life.