There are times, I asked myself what is my level of endurance, patience and tenacity to stay on track. I never seemed to be able to get the full answer but I always knew that when I am faced with difficulties or hard times , I will endure it and get through it. I know deep in my heart that somehow, I could not have done it alone but with the love from the One above.
Early Friday morning at about 3.30am, my deep slumber was distracted by the rasp sound of door knock and a voice at the other end, SYuen, telling me and SLing that she had abdominal pains. Thinking that it was one of usual conditions, we took her downtown to our regular medical practitioner for some medical attention. All was fine for a while but in the evening the pain persisted and it was time to get to the Melaka GH. I could only come by after work and meeting SLing at the ER Dept was a relief but not on the face of SLing. She had told me what had transpired at the ER and SYuen was now in the Red Section (Critical) and blood pressure had decreased tremendously and doctors are working furiously to know what was happening.
I didn't know, it was the start of some very long nights and some anxious moments too. I sighed in relief in what had happened. I really appreciate the words of comfort, encouragement, friends and family that had stopped by to pray and comfort us. Though SYuen eventually went through an operation because of appendicitis, it was more of an experience for all of us as a family. SYuen went through test after test, waiting after waiting before finally at 7.30pm on Saturday night, she was prepped and wheeled into the operation room for the operation. When she came out at about 11.30pm, still in her groggy state, I was the most relieved person.
I remembered the young doctor explaining to me and SLing in regards to the procedure and all the forms of consent I had to sign plus the lengthy medical explanation. In my mind, I was saying to myself " GOD, be merciful to SYuen and please......be merciful to me! " I signed the papers without hesitation and that prompted SLing to ask how I could be that calm when making a decision such as this. I told her, I trusted a tried and tested GOD more than anything else. Like any father at the sideline, I too felt so much emotions for my family but I have to be strong for the family. A time I am accustomed to for many occasions. I remembered praying for her and the doctors before she was wheeled into the operation room.
Being in Melaka GH made me realised just how fortunate we are to have specialist , doctors, medical officers and nurses who had worked hard unnoticed. I am particularly impressed by two young Malay doctors who were attending to the ward. ( Ward 4-1 - Hospital Besar Melaka ) I could remember these young doctors staying back to do their work dedicatedly. I remembered this young man who was in the ward by 8.00am and when I left the hospital at 12.30midnight, he was still in the ward attending to the patients. The following morning, when I came to the ward, he was already there. I was impressed by his dedication and you could see by the way he treats his patients. Just an honest dude doing his best for his patients. Then there is this young Malay lady doctor ( Dr. Nur Diana, I think ) who speaks flawless English and she is as dedicated as her colleagues in the ward. These young men and women were the real epitome of what civil servants are all about - serving the people regardless of color , race or creed and with great concern and dedication. I really want to thank the specialist, Dr. Zaini ( I think ), Dr Lai, Dr.Raymond ( Yup! Everybody "loves" Raymond !) and all the doctors & nurses at Ward 4-1 for the tremendous care given to my daughter. Yeah, it changed my perspective completely of GH staff. Sure, they don't get things done as fast as the private hospitals but at least, they gave their best and they are really genuinely doing the best. I really appreciate that a lot.
I would be the first to attest to that because when SYuen was in the Red Section of ER Dept, I saw how an Indian doctor practically squated on the bed and did CPR on this man who was lying on the bed and he really did his best to revive the man but to no avail. He really tried and I could see it in his face when he lost that patient. That forlorn expression of "I could have done more to save this man" thing. This was the same expression when I saw this young Indian lady doctor administering to a 2 year old kid with high fever. She was about to insert in some medication to the child when the child shook violently and within minutes, the child was motionless. It was a sad sight and you could see the young doctor's facial expression. It was a heartbreaking expression. I then left the ER Critical Room section ( I don't want to be the jinx! ) and returned to my seat only to play that two scenes in my head over and over again. What a sight indeed!
When I was in the ward where SYuen was warded, I made sure I knew the people in SYuen's ward and also the rest of the patients in Ward 4-1. We talked, we laughed and we made fun of each other. Somehow, our room seemed livelier. Makcik Rahmah, big in size, speech and appetite too, is the livewire and I had a great time talking to her. Makcik Maimun is the incoherent patient who called out to dead relatives. When she is not asleep, nobody sleeps! Then there is Aunty Elizabeth who had her third stroke - been taken care by her son. Then there's this Chinese lady , Mdm Yap from Merlimau who is an asthmatic patient and coughs monstrously. She is the newspaper of the ward because she is always walking around the ward until she got lost. Some nurse had to bring her back to the ward after some time. Lastly there is Makcik Maimunah ( I think) who was suffering from diabetes and was very sickly. There are 38 patients the last time I counted in the entire ward. There were 5 deaths of old women during our entire stay at that ward. I guess, these were really old people who were already with numerous diseases and sicknesses when they were admitted in. I guess, the medical staff just did what they could to make the end days a little easier for the patient , I guess. It was always painful to see the man from the Mortuary Dept come by the ward with the metal casement trolley and cover. We all knew that another elderly had bit the dust or kicked the bucket! That's the reality of life, I guess. It was also heartbreaking for me to see relatives of these sick ones sleeping at the corridors of the hospitals especially on Level 2 and Level 4 as there were no place for these people to rest while waiting for the sick loved ones. I had the opportunity to speak to these relatives and I found out that some had slept at the corridor for about 3 to 4 days now while awaiting for the fate of their loved ones. During the night or prior to visitation hours , it is like Woodstock carnival at these walkways/shielded corridors. It is such a sad sight and that's why the car seat of my car seemed a far better choice than the cold tiled flooring of the corridors during one of the nights.
Yeah, I want to thank friends and family for taking the trouble to stop by despite us not informing anyone about SYuen's condition. We just did not want to trouble anyone about this. I must admit, I learnt a lot during the short stint at GH Melaka. I am thankful and felt blessed by the treatment given to SYuen. I am also thankful for the fact that she is recovering nicely. I am enriched by the experience I go through at Melaka GH. What an experience!
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