health is wealth
>> Thursday, October 13, 2011
i have been contemplating whether to blog about this for almost a month. perhaps i'm too tired to carry on fighting, i finally decided to write about it now (despite the number of things i have to complete).
i brought my parents for their full body check up about 2 months ago because my dad (who is one of the most stubborn person on earth) requested for it one fine day. obviously, my sisters and i were elated because he is so initiative for the first time! naturally we included our mum as well (all along, my mother is more health conscious than my dad).
the entire examination at raffles hospital was far from acceptable. the staff were lost (most were trainees) and no instructions were given to us prior to the checks. the incident which left me fuming was the CT scan.
one of the senior nurse/manager came up to me and asked if my parents have taken their medication and to my understanding, my parents were told not to consume anything (including liquid) 8 hours before the blood and urine tests. therefore, my answer was no and to the nurse's surprise, my parents are supposed to eat this special medication to slow my parents' heart rates so that the CT scan can be accurate. it should be consumed 30 minutes before the CT scan and my parents were rushed to the examination room even though it was barely 10 mins after they took the medication. everything was in a rush and the nurse even asked my parents to run with her -_- i was so shock and pissed that i told the nurse off when it was their fault, and what kind of instruction is that to an elderly couple IN A HOSPITAL.
totally **@^#&*%@&^%#^$#%^@$^%!@@%@!(
my mum looked so tortured as she came out of the examination room. she was so drowsy and weak from the medication and the nurse DID NOT mention anything about the side effects. i was so angry because imagine my dad, who needs to drive, suffered the side effect as well (and even if he had them, he wont say it. how DANGEROUS grrr). it was so dangerous but they didnt inform me before hand.
is this acceptable from a hospital which is reputable and charge sky high medical fees? obviously NOT.
then it came the doctor. she was SO unprofessional and rough with my parents (my dad is also one of the roughest person on earth so imagine my dad also thinks that she is rough, HOW BAD DO YOU THINK SHE IS). i shall not describe the process but i have never met a doctor so lousy before. even my bo-chup family doctor is better than her! because of the doctor, my parents didnt feel at ease at all (which causes them to be more nervous, which is not good).
anyway, those are small incidents which i can let go because i doubt i'll ever return. the thing which has been bothering me is the results of the health report.
surprisingly, my dad (who is obese and usually associated with many diseases but he only has a few) was in a clean bill of health. my mum, on the other hand, have some minor heart and lung abnormalities and was told to visit a specialist asap. the more worrying fact is that my mum has a small lump in her breast, about 1cm in diameter.
with all the things happening in school now, the lump is definitely the last thing i want to hear and this is also the reason for keeping the secret for a month. i do not want my friends to worry because as a matter of fact, they cannot do anything but it will add to their worry and i hate that. i know they care but personally, i think everyone has enough in their minds. thus, i choose to keep it within the family.
i accompanied my mum to the breast specialist at ttsh yesterday and the first diagnosis was quite positive and i am really thankful because i can see the relief on my mum's face. however to assure that everything is fine, i have arranged for another appointment for ultrasound and xray when i am back from the states. it is a load off my mind for now at least.
because of all the incidents that occur this semester, i am even more thankful for what i have in life. i couldn't ask for anything more.
to some, i might have become someone without dreams or passion and no longer the person they use to know. but, i have definitely become a much happier person because to me, living the moment is the most important but hardest lesson in life.
till my next post, i wish everyone the best of health.
/ps: i hope everyone reading this can keep it private, esp my family members as my mum doesn't want anyone to be worried for her when nothing is certain :) and yes simon, i won't mention any of the above to sarah (no link) haha
