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Blogging From The Hospital

written by John Chow on December 2nd, 2008

Last night, after the Tazzu networking meet up, I got a stomach ache. I thought maybe I had a bad pork chop but my tummy had acted up three times in the past week. The pain got greater as I drove home.

I took a couple of Tums but that didn’t seem to help. It anything it made the pain in my tummy even worst. Unable to sleep, and with pain getting greater, I decided it was best to check into the emergency at the Richmond Hospital to see if they can give me anything for it.

One interesting thing about checking into emergency – you get to repeat yourself a lot. You have to tell your problem to the first nurse who sees you. Then you tell it again to the nurse who admits you. Then tell it one more time to the doctor on staff. I’m sure there’s a better way of doing this.

They took some blood out of me, took a urine sample and hooked me up to an IV with a morphine drip, which made the stomach pain go away. After the doctor reviewed the results from the blood and urine, he said there might be something wrong with my liver. He wanted to keep me in the hospital overnight so we can run an ultrasound in the morning.

The next morning, which is today, the morning doctor talked to me and gave me an update. He said my liver was “not happy” and they need to do an ultrasound to find out what’s going on. After the ultrasound, I got transferred to the MAU unit. I’m waiting for the doctor to come and give me the results of the ultrasound.

In the mean time, I’m not allowed to eat or drink anything. I’m getting quite hungry right now. It’s 2PM and I’ve already missed breakfast and lunch. The nurse has no idea how much longer I’ll be waiting. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go home today because it’s really boring here. Good thing Sarah brought over my Mac Air so I can do my first, and hopefully last, hospital blog post.

I’ll update this post once the doctor gets here. Hopefully, I am OK.

*Update – It looks like I have gallblabber stones. The doctor is going to keep me here another night and run more tests in the morning to see if I should go into surgery to have the stones remove. No food at all today or tonight.

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By N2H
  1. That’s terrible John. I hope you get well soon.

  2. Hope you get well soon, John. I guess you’re starting to pay the price for all those oversweetened iced coffees and all that eating out.

  3. Hi John, Just saw your post on twitter, my thoughts and prayers are with you today…Mike

  4. i took my sister in law to the emergency room just yesterday about a stomach ache or pain, but it turns out she had a kidney stone and was released the same day about 9 hours later, having to repeat yourself sucks especially when you’re in no position to do so. hope all is well and nothing serious

  5. Sucks that you are in hospital. Awesome that you can post from there though

  6. Ashley

    John;

    So what do you think of the health care up in Canada? I saw “Sicko” and it seemed like Michael Moore was trying to say that everyone in Canada loves thier health care system – your comment about repeating yourself and how inefficient that is made wonder what you think of the health care over all.

    Anyway, get some rest, drink plenty of water, and get well soon!

    Ashley

  7. Too much eating! Only joking, hope you’re feeling better soon.

    Kind regards,
    Carl

  8. Looks like you’ll have to do away with the Beer. So much with life being worthless without it. :)

  9. Looks like hospitals around the world have the same problem in regards to patients having to repeat themselves. I had to do this recently when we had to take one of our children in to Emergency.

    Hope you’re feeling 100% real soon!

  10. I wish you a quick recovery John! Get better soon!

  11. Sorry to hear you are in hospital John, get better soon…

  12. I also came “running” from twitter to check out as to what is wrong with my favorite blogger. Hope things turn out right!!! Try a liver flush drink (lemon, olive oil and garlic drink) and thins would turn out right in 2 weeks. God bless you :)

  13. There is a direct correlation between high sugar consumption and liver damage. All that sugar is catching up to you (or that horrid chemical ASPARTAME that you love so much in your DIET COKES).

    Dot Com Pho Crew now has permission to enact extraordinary measures. We are obligated to smack John upside the head if he touches anything sugary. If not to keep him alive, but so we can entertain ourselves too.

    Get well and no poaching lollipops from the Dr.’s office!

  14. Get well soon, John. Hope your liver gets “happier” soon (perhaps you tell it that it looks fetching today, or play mariachi music…?)

  15. Oh man, and unhappy liver doesn’t sound like a good thing. I hope you get some answers that is “happy” news, and you’re feeling better soon!

  16. My guess is that the photos you send us of your lunches from now on are going to look alittle duller than usual? Bland and un-exciting is what a body likes… but not your taste buds!

    Feel better John!

  17. Sending your liver get well wishes and you too!!

  18. Get well soon! Being in hospital sucks – boring, sterile, and above all, not home.

  19. Get well soon John. Hope you can still enjoy a full dining meal soon.

  20. Hang in there John and hope you get to go home soon. Great that you have Internet access in the hospital however. Not common around here.

  21. Get well soon John,and I hope it is not serious.I will have some extra lunch for you.

  22. I hope you get well soon John! Let us know if there’s anything we can do for you!

  23. Hope you and your liver are well soon John

  24. Sorry to hear the news John.

    Yeah, hospitals can be a real pain. I’m sure they’ll look after you well though.

    Hope you get better soon!

  25. Get better soon, I know you got to hate being in that hospital. I will tell all my friends to say a prayer for you, I will do that same.

  26. Hope you get well soon John! You should take some more rest.

  27. Not to alarm you or anything, but the likely reason they’ve stopped your food and water is in case they need to pop you into surgery right quick.

    There’s also some tests, mostly blood tests, where they don’t want your blood sugar and other stuff all messed up, but that wouldn’t explain withholding water.

  28. hey john,

    i would love to do a virtual quantum biofeedback on you. i just need your name, date of birth and where you are born to run the analysis. just go to my web page http://www.moneca.ca and see the info. this is what i do for a living so you can count this as a promo for your johnchow.com shoutout.

    would love to see if the info will be informative for you. may provide insight to the whole event.

    be well, moneca

  29. Hey John, I’m just now reading your post at a little after 7pm est. So I hope by now all is well with you. Feel better buddy. :-)

  30. Take care of yourself today and get well soon!

    Hospitals. Can you say boooor-ing. Lucky you have your laptop, family and lots of fans with you! Tell them to hurry it up so you can get the heck out of there.

  31. Man that really sucks. Perhaps its all that sea food you are eating? My dad had sushi and he got really really sick from it. I hope you get better. Keep us updated!

  32. John Berringer

    Get well soon John.

    I went through something similar not long ago, so I know what it is like.

    All the best,

    John

  33. John, don’t worry about the diet, just wash it down with more red wine in future & all will be ok…

  34. Sorry to hear that you have fallen ill. A few years ago the same thing happened. I kept getting pain in my chest after I ate and it turned out to be my gall blader which had to be removed. Hope it something simple and that you get out of the hospital quick.

  35. Hope you feel better soon! At least you can still blog from there and not get behind on your “work”

  36. Hopefully you can kick off the illness the sooner the better.

  37. John, Get Well Soon and Take care of your diet

  38. oh thats sad….

    Don’t worry john, wishes of all the people over the world is with you :)
    Get Well Soon

  39. samuraijack

    i hope you will soon feel better…….keep your head up though, troubles are for humans and you are the kind of man that when sees trouble he sees the solution too…

  40. Get well soon my friend. You’ll need to be well rested and recovered for the holidays and CES.

  41. Get well soon..!! Gall Bladder stones does hurt big time. I hope you won’t need surgery .. because sometimes.. it does get pass out with your urine. Take care..!

  42. John, we are all wishing you well. Take care.

  43. max

    Holy Crap John, I had the same problem like 2 months ago and checked into emergency room. (at that time I had no insurance) and paid like $4000 for some check-up and vicodin.

    Later I found out there’s also free clinics in SF.

    Anyways, I had the same stomach ache over the last couple days again, that’s weird huh?

    Get well soon and skip the surgery anyway you can! =)

  44. Please tell me that if something happens to you that your son, chowmoney will not take over the blog. I think sally would provide more valuable content at her young age. All jokes aside get well soon. Do they have wifi or are you using your iphone to connect?

  45. I hear you’re very hungry, want to share this burger? :D

    J/K! You’ll be fine, with medical technology these days you won’t feel a thing.

  46. Hope you get well soon, John

    About the repeating yourself too many times.
    John that is a good thing, the doctors just want to make sure they are amputating the correct finger, hand or leg …. :)

    o.

  47. Best wishes John Chow, don’t want anything to happen to you. Take care of yourself.

    On the other hand, being a dotcom mogul has the benefit of doing what you need regardless of where you are. Just as you have demonstrated.

  48. Get well soon buddy. You’re a strong man!

  49. John,
    Get well soon. Hope you’re better tomorrow. What’s the first thing you’re going to eat? Whatever it is, just remember, moderation.
    Ray

  50. Moulinneuf

    Hope you get well soon

  51. hope you get healthy soon……up drink fresh water really help your condition.

  52. John, I do hope you the best, but to be honest, you had it coming. I’m not sure if you have read my previous comments on your “food” posts or if anyone else mentioned it, but all that eating out has to go somewhere. If you maintain a yearly blood checkup, it would allow you to eat out more because you’ll a least know what’s happening.

    I know I’m just assuming it’s from the food you eat, but LIVER problems are usually caused by what you eat. Anyways, I do hope you the best though because no one deserves this and hopefully you get out fine :)

    -Mike

  53. Sorry you can’t eat anything, John. But not to worry ~ I’m taking up the slack. Best wishes.

  54. Ohh noo.. You are a Perfect Blogger :d , Get Well soon john !!

  55. I know why u are sick.. :) .. because u make money online.. and I ? No :) I’m a poor guy :) so.. if u want to be fine.. :d Teach me.. How i can make money online :D Good Luck John.. and come .. home soon.. :D :D:D

  56. It’s a good thing you went to the hospital. You can never be too safe when it comes to your vital organs. Hope you’re better soon.

  57. No food! Then who’s gonna order all those fancy meals at the restaurants, John?

    Just playin’, get well soon :P

  58. OMg.So sorry. For them to run an IV w/ morphine means that you were in great deal of stress! its scary… I know, I took my Dad in for similar symptoms and it was his gallbladder. He was scared! :) The good thing is you went in right away…… Hey, fasting is good for the body…. maybe you can focus on meditation ….. Hope you have a speedy recovery :)

  59. John Chow Sez..

    Quote..

    “One interesting thing about checking into emergency – you get to repeat yourself a lot. You have to tell your problem to the first nurse who sees you. Then you tell it again to the nurse who admits you. Then tell it one more time to the doctor on staff. I’m sure there’s a better way of doing this.”

    End Quote..

    Ditto to the above remarks..

    My father was having pain in his side, trouble breathing, and his pluse was abnormally high for a man in his 80’s. We first got him to the local clinic to see if he had his usual pneumonia, which seems like it afflicted him every winter.

    Not only did he have a bout of pneumonia, but an X-Ray also revealed blood clots near his lungs, which needed immediate hospital attention. The ambulance was called and off to the Emergency room we went.

    They broke up the clots with blood thinner and an antibiotic drip for the pneumonia. But, they wanted to keep him there overnight to run more tests. We were there for 12 hours waiting for a room they could put him in.

    During our down time in the ER, I swear, there must have been about a dozen doctors and nurses walking in and out asking a full battery of what seemed like the same questions over and over again. And the list was not short!

    When we finally got him to his room, we then had to answer more questions posed to us from the attending physicians and nurses. So, John, don’t feel like your the Lone Ranger.

    It seems to be standard protocol in Emergency rooms these days. However, it was an insiqnificant annoyance for care that my father got. They saved his life and he still with us, without further complications, two years later.

    PS – I do agree however, there has got to be a better way of doing this!

    Just my 1 1/2 cents..

    Robert – The Wholesale Products Guy

  60. Get well soon, Its been a long time I havent visit this blog.

  61. Get well son John. I hope you’ll be OK by Christmas.

  62. I hope that you will get well soon…

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