Hospital...there and back again.

Spent the last few days in hospital...the chain of events...according to my fallible memory...

MONDAY

7:20 am - I wake up. The pain due to the swelling in my thigh has become unbearable. I still have no idea which terrible insect "kissed" me in the leg and left me with an infection zone of about 12 cm in diameter.

8:00 am - With Mum's advice, I decide to go to see the family GP. I hobble out of the house. Mum comes with me.

8:20 am - Mum and I arrive at the GP. GP looks at the swelling, and says I should go to the hospital, but he also advises that it would be cheaper to get a referral from the polyclinic. Hobbling is too tedious, so Mum and I flag a taxi to go there.

8:30 am - Mum and I arrive at the polyclinic, and we register to see a doctor.

8:45 am - Dad joins us at the polyclinic.

9:40 am - My number is called, and I go in to see the polyclinic doctor. He makes an immediate recommendation that I go to one of the local hospitals for surgery. He adds that I should be prepared to be hospitalised.

9:45 am - I go to Room 14 of the polyclinic, where I am handed a referral letter.

10:00 am - Mum and I head back home to grab some essentials. Dad leaves us for his own medical appointment at another hospital.

10:20 am - Mum and I leave home for the "Accident and Emergency" of the recommended hospital by taxi.

10:45 am - We arrive at A&E. I am given a wheelchair to seat in.

2:30 pm - My name is called. Mum and I enter the consultation room to see the hospital senior consultant. She says I should have surgery and be hospitalised. She says that someone at the reception will sort out the ward/bed numbers.

2:40 pm - The lady at the reception says that it will take some time to confirm the ward/bed number. I ask if there would be any problems if Mum and I go get lunch in the meantime. The lady indicates that we can go and eat.

2:45 pm - Mum and I have lunch at the hospital Kopitiam.

3:20 pm - Mum and I return to the reception area. A nurse pushes me off to my bed in my ward. Mum follows behind.

3:30 pm - Another nurse informs me that I shouldn't have eaten anything. The operation requires me to stay off all food and drink for at least 6 hours. I crawl into the bed, feeling nervous and unwell.

3:40 pm - A nurse inserts an IV needle into my left hand. Ouch. She then injects a stream of antibiotics through the IV needle directly into my bloodstream. I feel the cool antibiotics rush up my forearm through my blood vessels.

4:15 pm - Mum leaves for home, while I begin to doze off.

5:00 pm - I am awakened by a nurse. She gets me into my wheelchair, and pushes me to the X-ray department. I get two X-rays taken of my right thigh. Apparently, the doctors were concerned that the infection on my thigh could have spread to my thigh bone.

5:20 pm - I am wheeled back to my bed.

7:00 pm - Dinner-time in the ward, but I am not given anything to eat or drink.

8:00 pm - Mum and Dad arrives for a visit.

8:15 pm - My colleagues from work turn up - Eu Gin, Joanne, Yi Chiun and Wei Wen. They bring a balloon and much laughter. Yi Chiun passes me my phone charger which I had left in the office. Eu Gin passes me a book from Chew Qi. Meanwhile, Mum and Dad goes out of the ward to give my colleagues and I some time together.

9:00 pm - My colleagues leave. Mum and Dad comes back into the ward.

9:30 pm - Mum and Dad goes home. I gradually fall asleep.

11:45 pm - I am awakened by a male nurse. He hands me an operating gown, and requests that I change into it. I ask if I could go to the toilet and change there. He nods.

11:55 pm - I return to the ward, wearing the operating gown. There are now two male nurses there. They lift me onto a trolley, lay me down, and tuck a thin blanket around me. They then push me out of the ward towards the operating theatre.

TUESDAY

12:05 am - I have arrived at waiting area of the operating theatre. The anasthetist asks if I have any drug allergies or whether I am on medication. I reply in the negative. He says that's great.

12:10 am - I am wheeled into the operating theatre. The anasthetist says he will give me a quick jab. I watch him insert the needle.

6:00 am - I awake to the sounds of a fellow ward-mate clamouring to go to the toilet. I realise that operation is already over and I am back in my ward. I see the huge, thick bandages around my right thigh. I also realise, from this point forward, I cannot move around without a wheelchair anymore.

8:00 am - Breakfast. It is delicious. It is my first meal in the ward since I checked in.

10:15 am - A staff nurse pops by and says it is time to change the dressing of my wound. What would happen in the next five minutes is pure, indescribeable pain.

10:20 am - The staff nurse leaves my bed. I am in tears. I ask another nurse for tissues to dry my eyes.

11:00 am - A doctor comes by to inspect me. He says I need a blood test. He suspects I might have diabetes. Because of the blood test, I will be put on a food- and drink-fast from midnight tonight.

12:15 pm - Lunch is served. I eat as much as I can.

1:15 pm - My colleagues from work come by to visit - Eric, Joanne, Chew Qi, Wei Wen, Mark and Eu Gin. They pass me some chocolate ice-cream, as well as a get-well card.

1:45 pm - My colleagues leave.

2:10 pm - Two female nurses draw the curtains around my bed, take off my operation gown and give me a good "towelling" and "wiping". They joke that I look too young to be working, and that I should have a girlfriend. They also dress me in the normal hospital garb.

3:30 pm - Dad comes by briefly, then adjourns for his own appointment at some other department in NUH.

3:45 pm - Tea-Break Time. I get Milo with biscuits. Yummy.

4:45 pm - I am awakened by a tall man standing at the foot of my bed. He points to a fruit basket left on the table, and waves a receipt in front of my face. Ah, my employer has sent some fruits. I duly sign the receipt, and the deliveryman goes off.

6:30 pm - Dad comes back again. His appointment is over. Mum also arrives from home at the same time. I bet they must have coordinated to come at the same time. Mum serves me some of her excellent home-brewed lotus soup.

6:45 pm - Dinner is served in the ward.

7:15 pm - My pal, Chee Keong, comes by for a visit. Mum and Dad goes out to the corridor. Chee Keong and I chat for a good while. I enjoy his company.

8:00 pm - Chee Keong leaves. Mum and Dad comes back in.

8:45 pm - Chee Kong and Chris Ang arrive to visit. This time, Mum and Dad leaves the ward and heads off for home. Chee Kong and Chris Ang talk with me about Sunday's marathon, and how we can train to improve our timings.

9:15 pm - Chee Kong and Chris Ang leave. I try to get some sleep. It is stuffy in the ward, and my wound hurts. I also drink some water. Once it is midnight, I will not be allowed to consume any food or drink.

WEDNESDAY

3:20 am - I wake up, and ring for the nurse. I need to use the toilet. She brings me a bottle.

7:25 am - I wake up a second time today -- this time, by my phone. Mum is calling. I answer her call. She wonders if I have woken up.

8:00 am - Breakfast is served, but again, I don't get any portions. I can't eat anything before my blood test.

8:10 am - Two doctors come by, and instructs a nurse to remove the dressing on my thigh. The pain is acute as she lifts the bandages together with bits of my flesh and blood plasma. The doctors check the cavity in my thigh, and reinforces the need for me to do a diabetes test. Despite my protests of pain, they insist that I should check out of the hospital today.

8:20 am - A houseman comes by and draws my blood for the test. The pain is nothing, compared to that when removing and applying dressing.

9:45 am - The staff nurse arrives with her tools to perform dressing on my thigh. I bury my head under my pillow, and choke on my own tears and groans.

10:30 am - A nurse removes the IV needle from my left hand. A technician removes cables, tags and wires from my bed. It seems like the hospital can't wait to send me off.

12:00 pm - Lunch is served. I eat like a horse.

12:30 pm - Penguin comes by for a surprise visit. I am very glad to see her.

12:35 pm - Mum and Dad arrives, preparing to check me out of the hospital.

12:45 pm - Penguin makes a move.

1:00 pm - The staff nurse arrives, and explains the check-out procedures to us. We spot that the MC is printed with some errors. She smiles and says that she will get the doctor to issue a new and correct one. Upon Dad's inquiry, the nurse tells us that the X-ray test and blood test were negative. The infection had not spread to the bone, and I do not have diabetes.

1:20 pm - Dad has another medical appointment elsewhere. He decides to go off for his appointment. Mum and I will deal with the checking-out on our own.

1:30 pm - The nurse returns with all the remaining documents. All is well. But Mum and I are told that there is no wheelchair or crutches up for rental. I dread to think how I will move around at home. Mum rings up Uncle, who had earlier agreed to fetch us from the hospital.

1:45 pm - Uncle arrives with his car, and Mum and I "hop" in. After Mum explains our predicament (no wheelchair/crutches), Uncle tells us that he has a spare set of crutches in his house. Thank goodness. He drives us to his place, pick up the crutches, and then he sends Mum and I back home.

2:15 pm - I am finally back home.