Bokshil's Surgery
Na Haram paced around the waiting room, unable to sit still. She had been waiting for Bokshil to receive her examination, and anxiety had her in its grip.
"Our Bokshil... I hope she can undergo the surgery?"
She muttered the words, then let out a heavy sigh.
"What if she can't get the surgery?"
She had heard that not every examination meant surgery would follow. The thought that Bokshil might be one of those difficult cases had her worried.
Until just a few days ago, she had been torn between whether to proceed with the surgery or not.
Now, though, the worry was that she might not be able to. And there was another concern weighing on her.
"Is it okay for Bokshil to undergo the surgery?"
It wasn't Bokshil herself who was deciding. It was Na Haram.
'I don't want to put a dog that says no on the operating table... No, the director hugged me with a smile.'
Na Haram kept walking around the waiting room, unable to sit still. Her face had been stiff with tension, but it slowly softened.
"Bokshil!"
She called out to the dog, her voice as warm and loving as Bokshil's own.
The moment her name was called, Bokshil—curled up in Lee Jun's arms—wagged her tail happily and stretched out her front paw.
It was a clear request for a hug.
"Yes, yes, our Bokshil, did you do well in the examination?"
Ang!
Bokshil barked cheerfully again, just like before, and laughed with a bright "hehehe." She leaned heavily into Na Haram's arms.
"Bokshil didn't want the examination, right? She did well."
Lee Jun smiled as he spoke. Na Haram let out a small sigh of relief.
"Yes, it looks like that. But how was the examination...?"
She couldn't finish the sentence. The fear that the results might be bad lingered in her mind.
"It seems she can undergo the surgery."
"Really?"
"Yes, I'll explain while looking at the examination results."
Na Haram went to the director's office to hear the details.
"Although I spoke to the director of Onmaum Animal Hospital, Bokshil's mitral valve is severely damaged."
"Yes, I heard that. So blood is flowing backwards and fluid is filling the lungs..."
"Yes, that's right. As I said when you came last time, the mitral valve should only open when blood moves from the atrium to the ventricle. Otherwise, it should be closed. But after pumping hundreds of times a day, it loses function. Or the strings holding it are frayed."
"So the gap has widened."
"Exactly. This is Bokshil's heart ultrasound image, and the side monitor is a healthy dog's heart ultrasound."
Two red and blue lumps moved on the two monitors in front of them.
"I don't know what is what, but I know our Bokshil's is irregular. It looks weak too."
"You saw it right. As I said, the gap has widened, so blood is moving at will."
Na Haram listened to the explanations about the X-ray photo and ECG test that followed the heart ultrasound.
The body, thinking there wasn't enough blood due to the reflux, commanded itself to fill more.
So it worked to increase water absorption and reduce urine to restore the original blood volume. Eventually, the blood volume would increase by the amount of the refluxed blood. Na Haram's eyes widened.
"So the blood will keep increasing? There's no space to hold it..."
Na Haram stroked Bokshil, who was laughing "hehehe" in her arms. The small body, with bones showing from not eating well, was heartbreakingly thin.
"Yes. So eventually, she will grow."
Lee Jun pointed to the left atrium on the heart model on the examination table.
"The left atrium will keep growing until it can't grow anymore, leading to heart failure."
But Na Haram hadn't fully absorbed Lee Jun's words. She had only thought the heart was malfunctioning and causing fluid in the lungs, but the heart itself was growing and the walls were thickening.
Na Haram, who had vaguely thought of cardiac hypertrophy as just a disease name, looked at Bokshil.
Such a serious thing was happening in this small body.
Even if overeating caused the stomach to expand and breathing was hard, the heart was growing.
How much pain? How hard it must have been?
Na Haram's hand stroking Bokshil became cautious. If she put any strength, Bokshil might be in pain.
She stroked the dog gently as Lee Jun continued.
"To Bokshil, we'll reduce the loosened mitral valve ring and make the ruptured or loosened tendon strings. In simple terms, we're fixing what's worn out."
"Ah..."
The intuitive and honest explanation made the surgery that had seemed so difficult suddenly understandable. Of course, such surgery was still very difficult.
"But the part that needs fixing is inside. Inside the heart. So during surgery, the heart needs to be stopped for a while."
"..."
She said that.
"Yes, so it's a very burdensome surgery. We have to open the chest."
Opening the ribs of this small child to do surgery.
Just thinking made the chest hurt, like tears would come. But Na Haram held it in. If she cried here, Bokshil who was laughing would cry too.
Since opening her mouth would make her cry, Na Haram just nodded.
"So there are a lot of preparations. As you heard, this surgery is not commonly done, so we team up with the vets who usually do it.
We have to coordinate schedules with those doctors."
"Ah, yes. So the preparation period will be long?"
"It won't be. Since everything is already decided, we just need to adjust the schedule. And the surgical location will change."
"The surgical location?"
"Yes. I don't know if you've heard, but there's a place called Namgoong Animal Medical Center."
"Ah, I've heard."
"The facilities there are good, so we'll do it there."
Lee Jun said that and looked at Na Haram. Asking for her intention.
"Then the surgery will be done by the director?"
"Of course. However, since I don't have an extracorporeal circulation machine, we'll use the equipment there. And the facilities there are better anyway."
That was fine. Anyway, even if explained, it wouldn't be understood.
If Lee Jun, the director, is doing the surgery for Bokshil, it's okay. But there was one thing to clarify.
"Ah, but director, about hospitalization? Our Bokshil seems to like it here."
Apart from that, Na Haram wanted to have Bokshil hospitalized at this Meongmeong Animal Hospital.
"It will be difficult to move right after surgery, so she will stay at Namgoong Animal Hospital. A few days later, we'll bring her back here. Of course, when Bokshil is at Namgoong Animal Hospital, I'll visit every day."
"Then it's fine. Please take care." *** The surgery was scheduled for a week later.
Very quickly caught.
Na Haram used the annual leave she had saved up unused during this time. Two days before surgery and the day of surgery. And the remaining annual leave would all be used after Bokshil is discharged.
"Since it was said that it's good for Bokshil to be comfortable..."
There is this saying for guardians who care for their sick companion dogs that they connect to every day.
Even if they have the same heart disease, dogs with laid-back personalities live longer.
This means the best comfort for heart disease patients.
Not getting excited and staying comfortable, that was the best gift Na Haram could give to Bokshil.
And there was another reason she took the vacation.
"Our Bokshil, I have to take good care of her a lot. Hug her a lot, stroke her a lot, and make her laugh a lot..."
Na Haram trusted Lee Jun. She believed the surgery for Bokshil would succeed. But there is always a "but".
That's why she wanted to be with Bokshil. Even if she regrets sending her to the operating room...
To regret less.
Even so, when the time comes, everything will be regretful.
When Na Haram stroked Bokshil's head, Bokshil looked at her and smiled.
"Hehehe", looking at her with bright eyes, smiling while leaning her head more into Na Haram's hand.
It meant "stroke me more".
Na Haram kept stroking Bokshil and said.
"Bokshil, do you like this mom? Being together is good, right?"
Ang!
Again, the clear voice seeped into her ear.
A good sound even after hearing it many times.
"I like it too!"
She answered with a good voice.
While Na Haram and Bokshil were spending peaceful time, Lee Jun received a call from Han Na-hyeok.
- There are many people who want to observe this MR OP. So, can I open the observation room?
Lee Jun was talking about the mitral valve repair operation for Bokshil.
Many vets want to see it.
"Yes, please do."
-Thank you.
"Thank you, senior is also participating in the surgery. And this surgery is good for many doctors to do."
-That's why I'm grateful. And I'm proud of you.
Meaning Lee Jun, who can do this surgery, is proud.
"Ei, what? I don't do the surgery alone. We all do our own jobs."
Lee Jun's words are correct. In the operating room, each has a clear role.
If anyone doesn't do their assigned work well, it becomes difficult.
That's why teamwork is important. That's why Lee Jun has been doing this surgery with the colleagues he has worked with before.
But it doesn't change that the main surgeon is the most important.
No matter who asked, they would answer that. But saying that.
From beyond the phone, Han Na-hyeok's laughter was heard.
-Anyway, you make people so comfortable.
"Senior too."
Lee Jun laughed.
-Anyway, what time are you coming?
"I want to go before 4 o'clock. The guardian is planning to go there at 5 o'clock."
Bokshil was scheduled to be hospitalized at Namgoong Animal Medical Center the day before the surgery.
Before surgery, with sufficient pre-op treatment, to maximize condition for surgery.
-Yeah, since it's a stranger, having you there will make the guy feel at ease.
"In times like this, I think it's good that Namgoong representative opened the animal medical center. There are rooms to stay with the guardian."
-That's the best thing about our companion.
Namgoong Hyun created several large inpatient rooms where companion beagles like Janggoon and Kongdol could stay with their guardians.
There, Bokshil was to spend the night with her guardian Na Haram.
"Ah, senior. Can we take our kids too?"
- Kids? Hoesaegi, Kkamnyangi, Sapsari?
"Yes, Bokshil said they make her comfortable, so I thought it would be okay to be together before surgery. Of course, they won't go into the prep room, but outside..."
- I'll cheer for them. They will like it. And since it's our hospital for the first time, they might be scared.
"Senior really knows the kids' hearts."
- Dogs and people are the same. For a big surgery, cheering will give strength.
Time passed quickly, and finally the day before surgery.
Contrary to Han Na-hyeok's worries, when Bokshil entered Namgoong Animal Medical Center, she was smiling brightly.
There was also joy at seeing Hoesaegi, Kkamnyangi, Sapsari, and Lee Jun, but more than anything, it was because of the hope that she wouldn't be in pain.
"Hehe, if I don't hurt, mom will smile."
So, she could see mom smiling all the time. Bokshil thought that was the best.
So Bokshil was in a very good mood.
The mindset is the most important, and Bokshil already had the best mindset.
Moreover, three cheers.
The next day, to Bokshil entering the operating room, the three were smiling brightly as they saw her off.
[Bokshil unnie, you'll be fine without any pain.]
[Bokshil unnie! Congratulations. Now you won't hurt.]
[Bokshil unnie, you won't hurt! Let's run happily!]
Unlike cats, that big dog was Binggu. Even walking made her panting.
But somehow, it seemed like that, so Bokshil laughed "hehe" like Sapsari.
[Hehe, let's run together!]
[Got it! Let's run together!]
[Unnie, let's run together, promise!]
The cats standing on two legs shook their front paws with sparkling eyes.
[Hehe, the playground for hyungs is great. Squirrel playground is great too!]
The big dog was wagging her butt next to the cats, laughing, of course Binggu. What is the playground for hyungs? Squirrel playground?
'Talking about non-existent things again.'
But strangely, at the big dog's words, Bokshil seemed to see herself running freely on a vast plain.
With these three laughing like Binggu!
When Bokshil entered the operating room, she wagged her front paw. Smiling brightly.
Na Haram was staring at Bokshil endlessly.
'She's smiling because she's worried about me.'
A child facing a big surgery.
Na Haram, looking at the smiling Bokshil, felt like tears would burst.
Even though it would be scary, she wagged her front paw saying she would come back well.
'Can't! Bokshil showed courage, so I should too.'
Na Haram smiled while looking at Bokshil.
"Bokshil, come back well!"
The voice calling Bokshil, their eyes met. At that moment, Na Haram and Bokshil smiled brightly while looking at each other. And...
Burruk!
The operating room door opened, and Bokshil entered inside.
At that moment.
Tears flowed down Na Haram's smiling face. Na Haram, with tears flowing, muttered.
"Bokshil, you must come back well. Our Bokshil! You must come out with a smiling face again, okay?"