Hospitalized Part 3

(no. no it's not a pregnancy test!)

So the Intern Doctor called me the second time, and upon seeing Amna with me, asked her to come along to see him. I had felt somewhat strange, when he asked her to come along, sensing that there would be a positive result from my blood test. (it's weird how in medical terms if you are tested positive, it is something negative and not positive!)

So as I sat on the hospital bed(which has no mattress, but I'm not sure what you call it), he explained that my blood test came back positive, which meant that I could not be discharged that day. I noticed that he was trying to be as calm as possible. Hey, I know, delivering news that isn't good is something difficult, but it still has to be done.

"We don't know for sure, why you are having the pain when you are breathing. There is a tiny possibility that there is a clot. But given your age factor, it's very unlikely a clot. But we would only know when we do a scan tomorrow. If it is a clot, then you would have to follow up with treatments and medication to thin your blood, but if it isn't, then we are happy to let you go. But you will have to be admitted tonight."

Dag dig dug, jantung berbunyi.(kenapa kena dangdut?) There was that uneasy feeling deep down, because, honestly, I was only prepared for him to diagnose me with Overcautious -Daddy's- Little- Girl- who- cannot stand- a -bit- of- pain,- it's- just- muscle- pull you moron! syndrome. Then I stopped smiling and making fun of my ribcage. I didn't exactly know the correct reaction to give. I just asked if it was just a small thing? He said, he wouldn't know. Aish.

So Dr Mark informed me that another Doctor will be looking after me. It turns out it's a female Doctor who graduated from UCD and goes by the name Dr Lambert. I did honestly, feel like part of the tv series , Grey's Anatomy.Hehe, because the Doctors who treated me were Matsallehs, not that I have any preferences. So while waiting for Dr Lambert, Dr Mark said that he was going to take more blood samples, to check for the blood in my arteries. At the mention of artery, I knew from my Medic housemates that, that procedure was going to be painful.

"You will poke my pulse,wouldn't you? And it's going to hurt. My housemates told me that it's going to be painful" I asked sympathetically.

"Yeahh ( the kind of yeah you get when someone is surprised that you know it), it is going to be painful". Eh, apasal pulak kau seronok aku tau procedure ni sakit?

So I tried to look away while he put the needle into what I suppose was my pulse and tried to draw blood. "I'm sorry, I can't get any blood.Sorry sorry.."He failed the first time around, and tried again the second time.

It felt like a sharp ceku pinched between the nails of your forefinger and thumb, rotated 360 degrees. Oklah, over pulak, tapi sakit lah. So I know now, why my late grandmother, for the love of God, hated to be warded. With needles and tubes hanging around you, it is uncomfortable. Well at least I have a lot of spare flesh which my grandmother didn't. I could take the pain, she was obviously a lot more fragile. (recites al-fathihah).

He got a syringe full of blood and then proceeded to jab another needle onto my forearms. Since he knew that I have tiny veins, he did not stick them in the joint where the elbow meets the arm. (I don't even know what it's called in English or Malay.) It's the needle where they would later on feed my medication and drip. (of only 200 ml? chaitpodeyh) And he ended it by telling me that a nurse will come an inject some medication into my stomach.

So about 10 minutes later, a Filipino nurse came by and asked what my weight was. Shaitt..why does she need to know my weight before injecting me with medication? She didn't have a surprised look on her face when I told her I was __kg (imagine a couple of beras Jasmine put together). She withdrew the curtains, came to my right side, with no hellos, lifted my shirt up. I had to ask her if she was going to jab me on my stomach, to which she replied with a only a quick YES. I could understand that there were alot of patients out there that you have been poking needles and what not with, but hey it's my first time, it's good to at least say hi before poking me with a needle.

I think the procedure is called Subcutaneous injections, which delivers the drug to just below the fatty layer underneath the skin. I know my Uncle takes his insulin jab through his stomach, but I don't think mine was for insulin. Heh. And TERIMA KASIH TUMMY TRIM, it wasn't painful. I swear to God, it must have been the many layers underneath that prevented me from feeling any pain.


So Amna rang my housemates to inform them that I will be admitted that night and asked for them to bring me some spare clothes. So since the hospital is located about 20 minutes walk from home, they arrived shortly after with spare clothes and another book. Baguskan ada housemates yang berjalan kaki membawa bag! I was feeling a lot better then because of the painkiller and medication provided. I could lie on my back without feeling the sharp pain and was feeling a little bit cheerful. I swear it was the drugs!

Capek so manis, he made me a balloon with the rubber gloves becuase he thinks he is like Robbin Williams in Patch Adams.!

I didn't want to inform my family immediately because it would be about 5 in the morning and worry them. But my Acu called shortly after 11pm and asked if I was at home already. Then I had to break the news to her that I was admitted. I suppose I didn't want to cause any panic attack among my family, because I don't think the situation then was as bad as the pain I had to endure in the morning. Yes it's difficult to explain what my situation was, because I don't know what the Doctor meant by abnormality in my blood.How do you explain that the Dr talked of the possibility of having a blood clot in your lungs? Although I was a bit worried then, I can't possibly let them hear or smell my fear, unless of course they have super bionic senses.Hikhik.

So by 12 midnight, my housemates left the hospital and I was all alone in the mini room. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. I asked if I could be transferred into a room, since I have a private insurance (kita ketuk insurance company yg kita dah bayar setiap bulan ye!) , but they told me they were out of rooms. So I asked politely if they could at least give me a pillow, to which the nurse said they don't have any. I was, rather stunned, because, well it is a hospital, pillows are inevitable a part of a hospital . (i think la). They didn't have a blanket either, and they could not dim the lights which were directly above my head. Apparently the switch was faulty. So can you imagine my discomfort that night? Having xenon white lights directly above my head, pain on the left of my ribcage, a bit chilly from the night air and forced to sleep without a pillow?

And the best part is, it is an Emergency Department, 24/7 full of patients coming in and out, drunkards or not!

to be continued....

Hospitalized Part 2

The paracetamol had probably worn off on Monday morning, and left me to fend for myself. So my housemates arrived from Brussels, and found me sobbing in the room. Giler Drama kan. But I had to slouch and hold my ribcage the whole time while breathing for a good 5 minutes, before the pain went away. Pulled myself together, doa banyak2, inhale and drank some water to calm myself.

I called Quinn Healthcare, my insurance company because I wanted to ask if they would cover my expenses in Mater Hospital. I thought Mater Hospital was a private hospital, but alas, it was a Capalang University Hospital. First and foremost, they could probably improve by tenfolds on their hotline. I had to call 5 times, I kid you not, before I was able to talk to a customer service representative. I really hate machine operated operators. Anyway, here is what happened.

Me: Hi, I would like to inquire if you would cover my expenses if I were to do a checkup in Mater Hospital?
Operator: Well, that depends. Did your GP asked you to go for a checkup, or are you going to be admitted?
Me: Well, I don't know if I will be admitted, it depends on my test results now, wouldn't it?
Operator: Has your GP referred you to any PSYCHIATRIC ward yet?
Me: (thinking, ha? psychiatric? sama ke macam Trauma?).. Err, No.
Operator: Can you hold one moment. ( I think she was asking a superior about my case)
Me: Yes, hello, I just want to know if you would cover me if I did a checkup and if I was admitted in Mater Hospital, would you cover me?
Operator: For above €220 we should cover you. But did yyour GP tell you why he was referring you to a MENTAL Hospital?
Me: Hah? What? Not, MENTAL hospital, I said MATER Hospital. I'm not crazy, I just need to get a checkup done.
Operator; Oh, sorry, MATER hospital, yes, yes we do, but we only cover above €220.
Me: yeah ok, whatever.


So I hailed a cab and got the guy to send me to the Casualty Department. I didn't even know a casualty department and emergency department was the same thing. So upon registering, they clearly stated there that if you were a Non-EU, you had to pay €250 for registration. Cilakak, mahal gila. But, they asked if I had an insurance, so I gave them my card, and all was dealt with.Phewww..ha, thank god my company provided us with Essential Plus insurance. whatever that meant.

Upon registering, and them asking me my religion, I was called by the nurse. They did the normal tests as well as an ECG test. My heart was pumping like any other 23 years old, albeit the pain, and my temperature was normal. So after about 10 minutes, I was asked to sit outside and wait for my name to be called.

Little did I know, that it was going to be a long and arduous 9 hours wait, before I received any sort of treatment. Apparently, they prioritize cases by level of emergence. But i got a little irritated and angry when the lady beside me who could go out to have a smoke, could see the Doctor before me. Obviously, she wasn't dying either?

I sat there patiently, waiting for my turn. I had brought a book and an apple. Heh, what a good combination. I forgot to eat my lunch because I wasn't sure if it was hunger pain or otherwise. So I finished reading the book in between sobs. The lady seated beside me wasn't sure if I was crying to the pain, or I was over emotional about the book. Heh. There were times when the pain came abruptly and the sharp pain would get worse in between my sobs. Ha, sapa suruh nangis! I guess it was the pain and all the thoughts that I had about being all alone here in the Emergency Department, and not wanting to call my parents incase they get worried. The fact that I look no longer than 18, probably, made them more sympathetic. Kenapa budak ni sorang, sorang? But I suppose, they were all suffering as well.

I had almost given up on the Doctor, when they called my name. That's usually how it is, isn't it? You wait for 3 hours, and you feel like giving up, but then you have waited that long, so why not wait a little longer?

So Dr Mark, asked me a series of questions and took a sample of my blood. See I know I have tiny veins, from the times I donated blood, they always had a problem locating my tiny veins. Badan je besar, urat halus-halus. When he told me to lie down on the bed, I couldn't. The pain was too much to handle if I lied on my back. Drama lagi Mimi ni. But he said i had too, so I did, with my other arm resting below my head, so the pressure was on my arms, instead of my back. Then he told me to wait by the corridor until my name was called. I had to ask for the painkiller myself! Bodoh punyer Doctor. Ended up, he was an Intern with RCSI and happens to reside on the flat above Cycleways. He is my neighbour.Chaitpodeyh. Nasib kau comel.

Ok, siapa pandai cepat teka, kenapa ada sampai 3 kali kena cucuk?

Hospitalized Part 1

So it wasn't Precordial Catch Syndrome. In fact, up until now, the Doctors aren't sure what had caused the sharp pain when I breathe. I didn't tell you guys, that the pain got worst the next two mornings.

I couldn't even lie on my back as there would be an excruciating pain below the rib cage and my back as well. So I had to lie on my stomach but my neck could only turn to the left. To the right would also mean more pain. But I didn't want anyone to worry much, so I sobbed silently, and applied as much medicated deep heat, gamat and minyak angin. As I mentioned earlier, I was burping like an overdosed cow, so I thought minyak angin could somehow help me to burp to make feel better. But by Sunday, I still wasn't farting.

So I decided to see the Doctor, to at least give myself a peace of mind, that, that pain was infact, as my family suggested due to pilates and the gym. I had thought otherwise because it wasn't my first time at the gym, and the sharp pain,was, well, not something I have ever felt before. And because it affected my breathing, I decided to fork out €65 for consultation fees.

GP: So, you are Shamimi, are you from India, yeah?
Me: Haha, no.I'm from Malaysia
GP: Are you Malay, Malay?
Me: Oh, yes. Do you have a lot of Malaysians who come in to your clinic?
GP:Well, yeah, not many, but there are Chinese Malaysians and Indian Malaysians. So you are Malay, Malaysian.
Me: Yes I am. (sambil senyum terkesima, wah bagusnyer Doctor ni tahu)

But, alas, he couldn't hear anything wrong with my lungs or chest, but he was afraid, that there might be a clot at my lungs. But he did mention that it was highly unlikely due to my age factor, and the fact that I kept stressing that I was at the gym on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Just wanted to potray my healthy lifestyle. Haha.

I asked him if it could be due to Pilates, or because I over exerted myself on Friday, but he said no because the soreness would spread across other bodyparts as well. And it's suppose to feel sore when you press it, but in my case it did not.So he wrote a letter and referred me to Mater Hospital for an extended checkup. ( they don't have an xray machine in their Clinic.

Just so you know, I had wanted to go to a 24 hour clincic on Saturday night, but the nearest was in Blackrock, and that is bollocks. I sweared under my breath, and started to curse the horrible health system in Dublin. Well, at least there is a 24 hours Clinic in Subang Jaya!

Precordial Catch Syndrome

Thanks to my super antibody, I rarely get sick. Only the occasional cold when the weather gets a bit too cold for my liking. So when I do fall sick, it could, at times, be an annoyance to me, because I don't know how to deal with it very well.

So I'm sitting on my bed, with pillows on my lower back and shoulders, sipping hot lemon ginger tea. I have this sharp pain on the left rib when I inhale deeply, and it goes along the back as well. It all happened while I was shopping in Brown Thomas. Aish, I suspect the main culprit is Mr Brown Thomas himself, giving away 50% discounts on all the luxurious goods, leaving me all stressed out, in between fighting over the bags.So i felt uncomfortable when I tried to breathe in, and brushed it off, as one of those days when you need to sit down and enjoy a cuppa after damaging your wallet.

But by the break of dawn, it got very painful to breathe and I sought help from Amna to scratch my back and neck with a coin. I learned about this traditional method of releasing gas/wind on troubled area from my maid. The magical thing about it, is that, it will be bright reddish tiny spots on the area which is suppose to hurt. My friends have never heard of this method before, so they were in it for a shock, upon discovering the red spots after scratching my back. But that didn't work as well, so I had to use the deep heat to ease my pain. But did it? No it didn't as well.
Why not go to the Clinic? Because the nearest 24 hours clinic is in Blackrock. Bongokkan Dublin ni?

So I searched the symptoms I had on the Internet, and found out something, that sounded pretty much what I am suffering at the moment.

Precordial Catch Syndrome (PCS), also known as Texidor's twinge, is a common cause of chest pain complaints in children and adolescents. It also occurs less frequently in adults. PCS manifests itself as a very intense, sharp pain typically at the left side of the chest which is worse when taking breaths.

Its symptoms begin with a sudden onset of anterior chest pain on the left side of the chest. The pain is localized and does not radiate like heart attack pain typically does. Breathing in, and sometimes breathing out, often intensifies the pain. Typically this causes the patient to freeze in place and breathe shallowly until the episode passes. Episodes typically last a couple of seconds to three minutes. The frequency of episodes varies by patient, sometimes occurring daily, multiple episodes each day, or years between episodes. This is believed to be localized cramping of certain muscles groups. Intensity of pain can vary from a dull annoying pain to intense pain causing momentary vision loss/bluriness.

Although deep inhalation during a PCS attack will likely cause an increase in pain, many have found that forcing themselves to breathe as deeply as possible will result in a "popping" or "ripping" sensation which quickly and completely resolves the PCS episode.

So I've tried to breathe in deeply for the popping sensation, but there was none. In fact now I wish I can press the bubble wrap and hear the rippling sound. It reminds me of my late grandmother. She will let me press the bubble wrap from her Jacobs biscuit tin, while she has her oatmeal biscuits.:(

So the Doctor told me, that my lungs sounded normal, no mucus to suggest anything threatening, but having said that, he also mentioned the possibility of having a blood clot, and that the only way to find out is by going for an x-ray. So referred me to Mater Hospital, which is about 5 minutes by taxi. I'm thinking, if it still hurts by tomorrow, I will give it a go.

In the meantime, I've been burping like a cow overdozed on onions. You know what they say about onions giving you wind, but sadly, I've not been able to let out a ripping fart. So maybe, there's wind/gas or whatever it is called in medical terms down my lungs/ribcage, I don't know the exact position, but that could possibly be one of the reasons, since I do feel good after burping....for the millionth time....

On the good side, I get two days off from work. Thank God all the financial statements are with their respective directors for signing, and I shall not worry about the June 30th, deadline.

Burpppp...excuse me.

Books books books!

I spent an hour in Chapters going through books after books. I can get lost in there with the numerous books in the shop, and all at discounted prices. I bought My Favourite Wife from Tony Parsons and Ugly by Constance Briscoe today , just because I need to stop reading the same genre over and over again. I tend to read books from famous authors because I'm not adventurous with spending money on authors I'm not sure off. So my reading list is somewhat bland, boring, typical and mainstream. But, oh what the heck, I still love to read books. Kata nerd kan?

So I've read Man and Boy from Tony Parsons, which I believe another 10million people have already read it, and I've read Dan Brown's books, back when it was such a craze, and it's building its readers again after Angels and Demon was shown on the cinemas last month. I suppose I'm trying to enjoy different genre and expand my interests to also include culture and history.I read Not Without my Daughter, Daughters of Arabia, Desert Rose and the likes of it until it came to a point where I thought only the Arab women had it bad. So I read about the Chinese, Japanese and the Indian women as well. Why nothing in Europe oso? Perhaps you readers can direct me to the book? See I told, I'm bloody mainstream that way.

And since I've started working, I've started reading John Grisham and Jeffrey Archer. I tried to read them when I was younger because my dad is a fan of John Grisham, but I couldn't understand jackshit. I was perhaps 13/14, and money laundering and tax evasion meant nothing then. At least now they make sense, and I can go, Oooh, interesting, can I apply this in my work? Heh. I know, I'm probably the worse person to ever suggest books because I would probably pinpoint you to Amazon.com. They are better that way.

And just for the record, I have read only one of Sophie Kinsella's book (The shopaholic series). Not really my cup of tea.Can you believe that? The humour is nice and funny, but it isn't a page turner.

Happy Father's DEY!

So Father's day was last Sunday. I bet if we didn't mention it, my dad would have forgotten about it.Hehe.

So my dad, like all of your dads out there, is definitely one of a kind. A Kelantanese man who only becomes a sweet tooth every Knuckle month. That's when he will indulge in Pralines and Cream from Baskins and Robbins. A whole pint, or at times, a gallon. Oklah, my siblings and I will take turns gettin him a pint, but when the queue is super long, it's easier to get a gallon that would last longer than 2 months.Heh,save sket duit.

For a man who will be turning 59 this year, that's a bit madness, don't you think?

Oh, don't you worry, he doesn't finish it all off in a go, because he enjoys it only after dinner and hot Sundays, after his weekly cycling workout with his buddies. Cycling became his second love after a head on collision with a goat on his motorbike. Iya, you read it right, a goat. Thank God it was only a goat. And, as suggested by his Doctor , he took up cycling to strengthen his knees.

I initially thougt that cycling would be like the stationary bicycle at home (which has now been transformed to penyidai bantal and cadar. Ha, tipu lah, kalau rumah korang ada mesin ni tapi tak buat sidai tuala dan sebagainya)

So he took cycling like a duck to water. And at the "tender" age of 55, cycled around Peninsular Malaysia, in the name of Charity and personal satisfaction for a month. You may read about it here.

But lately, other than cycling and swimming, both my parents have found a new love at the gym. Aiseyhman, when I only go about 3 times a week, they are going almost on a daily basis, putting myself to shame. How now brown cow? I can't have my old man looking younger than me now can I?-_-

If only I have the same discipline and motivation level, I would have looked like Megan Fox. Eh, ok, tipu je.Haha. But it's okay, it's from his side that I have a mop of curly hair, and it's probably from him also, that I inherit my sense of humour. But it's definitely from Ibu, that I stand at 5 feet 4. Hehe. But, we still love you!

I would have loved to be able to post this to The Star for the Young Dad competition, but unfortunately, they allowed only 160 words. And for someone who has verbal diarrahea like me, I definitely need more than that.

Happy Father's Day Abah!

sunday.

What makes a Sunday? I don't know why, but I remembered my Sundays as a child, was filled with doing household chores. It was always going to the wet market in SS15 , followed by breakfast of Nasi Lemak made by a Kelantanese man infront of his house in SS17, and finally, home to wash the car, or mow the lawn. I don't know why, but these activities are usually done on a Sunday and not Saturday. I suppose, thats why I prefer to do my ironing and cleaning on Sundays and leave Saturdays for grocery shopping. (and shopping).

If there's one thing I hate, really is ironing. I loathe ironing, I would prefer cooking anytime of the day, but ironing? I would someday like, to be able to just send all my shirts and pants to the laundratte. Thank God it's the summer now, I can just put on cotton tops and slacks!The whole of last month, if I remember correctly, I was buying more cotton tops so that I do not have to iron them and can still be wearing them to the office. :). Pemalas sungguh. Oh I love Summer.

So what else do I like about summer? That the days are longer and it leaves me plenty of time in between Asar and Maghrib. But it also leaves my heart pounding if I wake up in the middle of the night , say 4 am and It is already bright outside, and I will be all "Shittt, I'm late". Then I will get pissed off that it's only 4.

And apparently Ireland is facing a heatwave this Summer. I can kinda, say it's true because it's been really warm , and at times hot. Haaa, have you actually heard me really complaining how hot it is here in Dublin? Now, you do. I was talking to my colleague in the kitchen last week, and was just joking that I was sitting under the sun getting a tan, to which he replied, "Oh yeah, you actuallly do look tanner now?". Ahhhhh sulah hitammmm kaaaaaaaa??

Sunny Dey!

I know, like gila pathetic my life here in Dublin if I do not go travelling on weekends because there is nowhere to go in Dublin without a car. Oleh kerana ,my friends and I, are always in it for some cheap thrill, berbekalkan camera DSLR Canon Capek, we went to the Park. Yes, yes, I know, you may have read about it a gazzalion times here and I bet you are wondering, why we are not bored of the park just yet. Konon-konon, if we go to the park, we won't use moneykan, ha, hamek kau, singgah TK MAX dulu, TERbeli sunglass baru.

kantoi kan tengah kira baki. but i like heavenly labels earthly prices.:)

Damage done? €70.
Alasan menyedapkan hati: Cuaca panas, kena jaga mata
Alasan sebenar: Kat Malaysia (mungkin lah, tapi tidak pasti sebab tidak pernah membeli Jenama ini) tak dapat sunnies Versace pada harga RM350.

But, before that, we went to the Ala-ala Organic Market, where fruits,vegetables and scones sold are ridiculously priced. It could be the ambience factor, or it could be the organic onions they were using, but I don't think I can pay for a €7 slice of mushroom quiche. Apa ni mimi, cheapskate sangat ni??

Damage done? €0
Alasan menyedapkan hati: Dah kenyang, tadi keluar dah makan
Alasan sebenar:Cheapskate dan gems gems.


So back to my park stories, we basically sat under the sun for a good hour or so for Vitamin D. Perasan bintang pilem hindustan pun ada jugak. Baring-baring, guling-guling. Nasib latar belakang tak tukar jadi snow after 5 minutes. Hihi.

Kebetulan ada minah bagi free belon, so kami dengan tanpa segan silu mengambil jadi prop.

sebab gambar ni komposisi dia cantik.tapi peha saya nampak berkulat.haha

We went to Dundrum after that, and habiskan duit lagi. Takpe, sebab hari Isnin gaji masuk.Hihi. We let the balloons go before entering Dundrum.

Ok, dah. Sekian terima kasih kerana membaca post yang bosan, tapi menarik dengan gambar yang diambil oleh Capek.