Saturday, March 19, 2005
hahaz. ok pple. i m back!!! n obviously nt alot of pple miss mi. oh well. it's ok. i miss myself can liao. hahaz. hmmz shall tok abt my interestin 1st hand experience at tan tock seng hospital. hahaz.
erhz. was late 4 my dae surgery admission time slot lahz. supposed 2 reach by 8.15 am but i reached onli at like 8.32 am. so when i finalie get 2 register n stuff was like 9 am. was accompanied by my papa n a nurse inside 2 get ready 4 e operation. wow liao i tell u arhz. it's reallie an eye opener. coz i nv need 2 get naked like in front of a stranger b4. hahaz. oh dear. it sound so porn. but it's true. hahaz. there's tis lady who hav 2 help mi change totally frm my own clothes 2 e operatin attire. which is like basically wearin notin lahz. yes. i still get 2 wear underwear. but i cannt wear a bra. n e operating dress is like juz a piece of cloth tt hav sleeves n tied at e back. onli at e top. behind e neck. like i m still naked? eekz!!! luckily she let mi wear an robe on e outside. or else. eekz!!! hahaz. ok i m abit e over reactin. but hello? tis is e first time in my life can. hahaz.
so after i changed i was juz lyin there. like waitin 2 die like tt. no lahz. juz jokin. hahaz. tis is e preparatory ward 4 surgery. aniwae e nurses were like busily takin my blood pressure. my temperature. then suddenly got tis nurse who is on e phone standin infront of mi. then she was saein sumtin like tis lahz. "u wan tt lim chee li 2 go into ot now izzt? okok. i will send her there asap..." i abit e stunned rite. huh? i thot e op is at 12?? y suddenly so fast? then i ask e nurse who was takin my blood pressure. 2 help mi check 4 my operation time rite. n she browsed thru my file. n tell mi. oh it's at 9.30 am. hahaz. great manz. i m like goin into e operatin theatre in 15 mins time wout ani mental preparation. excellent. but e prob was tt i m underage n they need my papa 2 sign tis letter of consent which also need 2 be endorsed by 1 of e surgeons who r operatin on mi. so i was lyin there. cin notin clearly coz i m nt allowed 2 wear my glasses. nt even allowed 2 tie my hair w my own rubber band. hav 2 use tt kind of red colour band which hurt my hair alot. wearin a cap tt resemble a shower cap n waitin 4 e surgeon 2 come. i expected my doctor. then suddenly tis guy whom i cant c is who. appear in front of mi n started 2 take out my x raes 4 my papa 2 c. n explained 2 him vry briefly wat e op will be doin 2 mi. abit e off lahz. then i was like wonderin. who e hell is operatin on mi. coz i remember frm my attachment last yr tt though e surgeons tell u they r operatin on u rite. most of e time. they r juz there supervisin. or doin e more impt procedures. while e rest r done by some other pple wan. whose skills sumtimes r reallie horrible. eekz!!! oh dear. i was so worried lahz. then my papa signed e paper. sae bye2 2 mi n left. i was seriously comtemplatin whether i got make a mistake or nt...
e nurses started 2 push mi into e corridor leadin 2 e operatin theatre. n i was lyin there. starin up at e lights lahz. recallin tt 3 mths ago i was walkin down e same corridor. on my wae 2 witness sum quite gory brain surgery. hahaz. excellent manz. now i m lyin instead of walkin. wat irony. hahaz. cldnt reallie control my curiosity so i asked e nurse. who was e doc who tok 2 my papa juz now. n she sae tt's Dr Ernest Kwek. n i abit e feelin relieved rite. coz at least i noe who he is. he was e registra i saw 2 wks ago. hahaz. then i asked who is e surgeon operatin on mi. then she sae. oh it's Dr Mathew Cheng. ok. i m worryin 4 like notin lahz. i got back my surgeon. hahaz.
so i reached e operatin prep room. e ot in ttsh is structured tis wae. there is e operatin room n there is a store rm behind it where medical supplies n stuff r stored. n tis rm is shared between e adjacent operatin room. then in front of e operatin room is a preparatory operatin room. which is smaller in size than e operatin room. yahz. so i was wheeled into e pre rm n was abit e left alone. hahaz. ok imagination run wild once more. hahaz. no lahz. aniwae. my anaesthetist come n tok 2 mi. if i m nt wrong. her name is Dr Low lahz. so yahz. she was like tellin mi tt they need 2 put mi on drip beside e mask they will be givin mi later. also. under my surgeon's request she will be insertin a tube (which i 4got call wat) into my rite chest juz below my collar bone in which anesthesia will be injected into it n will numb my whole rite arm after e op. so tt i will nt feel so painful n can start movin my pinkie again. as soon as poss. but she cant do it when i m under anaesthestics coz tis procedure involved my nerves n may damange my nerves unknowingly. so i need 2 be fully awake when she does tt. excellent. i got myself nt 1. but like 2 major needles rite. sighz. then thruout e whole process while she was tokkin 2 mi. there's another anaesthetist who was like tyin a rubber ting around my lower arm. n pattin my left hand 2 try n c where is my vein so tt they can put e drip ting. she was commentin tt i hav a vry small vein. oh well. i cant help it rite. so yahz. she took tis needle n insert there lahz. erhz. was quite pain at first. then she took it out again. coz nt successful. then insert 1 more time. e pain was there again. but after a while then nt reallie vry painful le. n i was like. erhz. is it in there alrdy? then she happily tell mi. yahz. it's inside alrdy. n show mi summore. ok. gd rite.
so Dr Low get 2 work lahz. she make mi turn my head 2 e left. now i understand y i m like basically undressed. coz she need 2 remove e robe n dress 2 clean e area under my collar bone. then she place my rite hand next 2 my head. after tt. she drew sum markin b4 she placed e green colour ot sterile cloth over my head. n poke sumtin into mi rite. it's a reallie funnie feelin. coz if i m nt wrong it's connected 2 tis machine which send electrical impulses. yahz. so she was tellin mi she is searchin 4 my nerve or junction of nerves tt control my whole rite arm. so she need 2 send impulses 2 c whether she is at e correct junction or nt. n my hand will like move due 2 e impulses. after tt i kinda 4got wat she was doin le. yahz. but basically there's a plug where they can inject stuff also. so i got myself 2 plugs 4 anaesthestics.
they wheeled mi into e main operatin theatre after tt. n i heard my doc's voice. at least i can recognise his voice though i cldnt c anitin. hahaz. i hav 2 shift myself over 2 e operatin table/bed. it was quite hard lahz. coz i was alrdy under anaesthestics le. was feelin quite weak lahz. so i was debatin shld i juz roll over. hahaz. abit e off lahz. wasnt reallie tinkin clearly le. after tt i can onli remember i lied down. e rest was juz a blank. hahaz.
e next ting i noe was tt i was in e recovery rm n e nurses r callin mi 2 wake up. i abit e dun wan 2 wake up can. so nice 2 continue 2 sleep. hahaz. they were like tellin mi tt e op finished le. n e first ting tt came 2 my mind was tt i feel vry hot. hahaz. abit off arhz. after tt they took my bp n temp again. n ask mi whether i feel ani pain. n u noe wat. my pinkie hurt lorz. reallie. i shld feel numb. but it hurts. e nurses gave mi pain killers. but it still hurts. so after tokkin 2 Dr Low. they send mi back into e pre rm again. hahaz. she asked mi whether i feel ani numbness in my rite arm. n as i was unable 2 anser her. she helped mi do a little test. she dabbed sum alcohol on a cotton swab n dab it on various pts of my arm. n realise tt onli a small part of my arm was numb. but e most impt finger part was nt numb. oh dear. so she took out e tube . after tt she repeat e procedures again n tried 2 find my junction of nerves. after she found it. she injected e anaesthetics straightawae wout e plug. so e next ting i noe was complete numbness of my rite arm. i feel noting at all.
was send back 2 e recover rm. was feelin vry giddy lahz. after awhile they decided 2 send mi up 2 e ward. hahaz. so i was wheeled into e ward n hav 2 shift myself 2 e bed again. which is harder. coz my rite arm was basically useless. juz a heavy burden. they hav 2 put my arm in a sling 2 prevent it frm knockin into anitin. coz even if it did. i wun noe. coz i cldnt feel anitin wat. was feelin vry drowsy n giddy n wanna vomit. wanna go toilet. but was so weak tt i hav 2 use e 'mobile toilet'. eekz. hahaz. so i was driftin in n out of sleep lahz. my papa saw mi n told mi tt e surgery was finished by 12. but i was onli wheeled inside e ward at like 2pm. when i was driftin in n out of sleep. there was a total of 4 nurses who tok 2 mi. n tell mi wat 2 do. but e prob was they all tell mi diff tings. hahaz. abit e hard 2 follow instructions arhz like tt. in between my bp n temp was measured like dun noe how mani times. n they keep on askin mi whether i can feel ani pain. whether my rite arm was still numb. but u noe wat. i juz wanna 2 sleep. hahaz. abit ungrateful arhz.
finallie woke up ard dinner time lahz. went 2 e toilet. e real toilet myself. e nurse was like askin mi whether i can walk. hahaz. was able 2 walk but abit unstable lahz. feel vry lightheaded. e plug in my left hand hurt abit lahz. coz e needle is like there. hahaz. keep on pokin mi when i move my wrist. e dinner is ok lahz. e fish is ok. but e veg is reallie abit gross. n i start 2 be able 2 feel my rite arm le. tried 2 study chem but oh well. was feelin reallie tired. so was asleep like 8 plus after my papa n mama left. was woke up by sumwan screamin ard 10 plus. no i m nt tryin 2 scare u. but reallie got tis auntie screamin lahz. in pain n anguish summore. but like i sae i was 2 tired 2 care abt her so i continued 2 sleep. hahaz. at 1 plus was woke up by e nurse 2 take my pain killer which is juz panatol. hahaz. abit off lahz. then thruout e nite there's tis nurse who regularly check my bp n temp n ask mi whether my finger hurt. hahaz. i m so pampered. n she like basically camp near mi lahz. hahaz.
woke up at like 6.45 am. i tink i m e earliest patient 2 wake up lahz. tink i sleep abit e 2 much le. so went 2 wash my supreme oily face n brush teeth. hahaz. 4got 2 brush e previous nite. was slackin ard. tried 2 read my alkane n alkene notes n wait 4 my papa 2 come. was chattin w one of e aunties near mi lahz. after tt take a stroll ard e ward n realise tt i m like e youngest patient there. hahaz. papa brought newspaper 4 mi n left. so i was like readin e newspaper when e breakfast came. n 3 doctors suddenly appeared b4 mi. hahaz. n like i dun recognise them except 4 one of e lady doc who came 2 c mi e dae b4. so i was like. huh? u mean i changed my doc again? hahaz. then they were like askin mi whether Mr Cheng had come 2 c mi. oh ok. at least i still haven change doc. hahaz. n how i feel n stuff. whether i can feel my rite arm etc. so my doc appeared juz as they finished askin mi qns rite. hahaz. great timin. he was briefin them on my case n show mi my x rae after e op where i can c e screws tt were inside lahz. erhz. e screws r like as thick as a 0.5 mm lead like tt. yahz. tt thick onli. hahaz. so he ask one of doc 2 help mi remove my external bandage n revealed my pinkie. hahaz. which is in a white colour bandage. w a small stretch of stained blood. then my doc was like saein "now ur finger look even straighter than b4". hahaz. abit off arhz. then he was askin mi 2 start bendin it n i was like huh? so fast? u sure or nt? n he give mi no room 4 bargainin. n start 2 bend it 4 mi. wow liao pain u noe. pain. vry pain. n i tink my face shows it lahz. then he make mi hold my quite successfully curled pinkie there. after tt he ask mi 2 relax n let my pinkie straighten again. my face show my relief manz. but he dropped e bombshell n ask mi 2 bend it 1 more time. my horror is shown clearly on my face. n i tink e 3 other docs who were there was pretti amused by mi. hahaz. oh well. but i did bend it again lahz. n Dr Cheng was tellin mi tt e next time he c mi. he wan my pinkie 2 be able 2 touch my palm on my own. or else he will spank mi. erhz...but at least he tell mi i can go home e next dae!
aniwae e breakfast is horrible. eekz. it's tt kind of nutritional rice tt taste like notin. eekz. wow liao. hav 2 force myself 2 eat lorz. eekz. went 2 e 7-11 downstairs 2 buy pocky n sum cookie bar. coz reallie cannt take it lahz. after tt was slackin ard when i was accompanied downstairs 2 undergo occupational therapy. was like sittin there n waitin lahz. was watchin tis therapist assistant helpin a patient w a surgical wound on his rite wrist. a vry long wound. quite bloody also. clean his wound. then e assistant is a rookie lahz. so was quite nervous. so there was tis lady who was like directin him. her name is Teo Sing Hwee. senior occupational therapist. wow. hahaz.
i was attended by another therapist called Carol. hahaz. a vry nice lady. vry soft spoken lahz. but didnt reallie do much. coz i wasnt used 2 my pinkie n she dun dare 2 induce pain in mi unlike my surgeon. hahaz. she gave mi tis worksheet tt i m supposed 2 follow w all e finger exercises written on them. yahz. by lookin at e amt of exercise i need 2 do. i tink i need 2 spent a few hrs each dae lorz. hmmz. went back 2 e ward after tt n juz nice 2 eat lunch. erhz. e lunch arhz. was quite bad also lahz. hahaz. e fish is so tough tt i cant cut it at all. hav 2 use e spagetti method. 2 twirl e fish w e fork 2 break it into pieces. was slackin after tt. readin newspaper n tryin 2 study. then marlom n yee keow come n c mi. hahaz. like finallie got sumwan come n visit e lonely n bored mi. i had a white rabbit as my mate. hahaz. miss my muackz n blue2 so much. sighz. but my mama dun let mi bring them w mi. sighz. e nurse helped mi changed my dressin n i saw e 5 bright blue stitches. hahaz.
my mummy came after tt n marlom n yee keow left. went 2 shower. but cldnt wash my hair. oh well. after tt my mummy left n i was all alone again. thruout tis period was like helpin various patients do stuff lahz. coz i was like e most mobile out of them all. hahaz. i even helped a patient drink water. hahaz. one of e nurse told mi tt i look juz like a nurse assistant. hahaz. was nappin after tt. coz seriously. hospital induced sleep lahz. hahaz.
woke up ard 5 plus. so was rottin ard n started 2 study arenes. hahaz. then my dear juniors came 2 visit mi. arhz. so nice rite. hahaz. samuel. dawnie. yu kit. siok teng. christine. jermyn. n dominic. hahaz. they brought mi red roses n a card. hahaz. luv them so much. was tokkin rubbish 2 them lahz. hahaz. n jermyn look reallie retarded. but i did hav fun. hahaz. n they were like tryin 2 scare mi which obviously didnt work lahz. hahaz. my dinner arrived n they actuallie stayed 2 watch mi eat. hahaz. now u noe how i feel abt hospital food. even sumwan like mi who is nt vry picky abt food. hospital food make rjc canteen food look heavenly. hahaz. n e nurses were tellin mi tt e red roses look reallie nice. i tink they thot my bf gave it 2 mi wan. oh well. i dun hav a bf but i hav great juniors. hahaz.
after tt was quite slack lahz. continued 2 study arenes n went downstairs 2 buy newspaper. was readin n readin until 9 plus. then brushed teeth n get ready 2 sleep. but dun noe y lehz. cldnt sleep. so was tossin n turnin until ten plus when e nurse came 2 take my bp n temp again. i took like billion times of bp n temp thruout tis few daes. managed 2 fall asleep. but was woke up by sumwan screamin again. tis time round a diff person lahz. another auntie who was screamin in mandarin tt she is sufferin frm a lot of pain n tt she is goin 2 die. n she wanna c her daughter. wow liao. it's like how irritatin lorz. she screamed n complaint 4 a total of 1hr plus almost 2 hrs. how i noe. coz i cldnt sleep wat. she is so noisy. i almost feel like stranglin her. dotz. even e nurses were like cannt take it liao lorz. when she finallie shut up. i finallie get 2 sleep at 2 plus am.
my daddy woke mi up tis mornin at 7 plus. hahaz. n i can eat fishball noodles instead of e hospital breakfast which is 1 piece of carrot cake 2dae. papa left shortly. i onli like start eatin a few mouthful b4 2 out of e 3 docs who came 2 c mi appeared in front of mi. n they were like askin mi e same qns again lahz. n they ask mi 2 show them how much i can bend my finger on my own. n after i show them. one of them commented tt maybe i shld start practisin b4 Dr Cheng come n c mi. oopz.
was readin newspaper when e senior therapist i saw yesterdae appear. hahaz. she was like massagin my pinkie 4 mi n bendin it 4 mi as part of passive therapy. then she further fine tuned my finger exercises n tell mi wat 2 do. hmmz. a vry nice person. hahaz. n we were chattin lahz. then she asked mi wat is my hobby. n i was like i dun hav much time 4 hobbies but i play e bassoon. n she went "oh then u need 2 gain control of ur finger even more". i was like huh? wow nt bad manz. u actuallie noe abt such an obscure instru? after i asked her. she told mi tt she was frm nyjc. n she was frm band. n still in band now. but a CC band which i tink stand 4 community centre. yahz. n she is a french horn player. no wonder she noes wat is a bassoon. hahaz. made alot of progress 2dae compared 2 yesterdae. my pinkie is almost straight n i can bend more. hahaz. aniwae. e therapists they use tis kind of cute small movable potractor 2 measure e angle of my pinkie n stuff. quite interestin lahz. she compliment mi. hahaz. i feel so proud rite. n she was like saein she hav confidence tt i will be able 2 gain full control of my pinkie vry soon. as long as i keep up w my progress. arhz. i cant wait 2 use my pinkie again. hahaz.
as i was goin 2 be discharged. e nurse helped mi remove my plug frm my left hand. e procedure is like even more painful than puttin it in. e removin of e needle was ok. but when e nurse sprayed a liquid which is so cold tt it become so painful on e wound. pain pain. but after tt it was ok le.
after tt my mummy came lahz. n i finished my lunch. went 2 collect my medication frm e pharmacy. which is basically painkillers lahz. n went back 2 change back 2 my own clothes. packed my stuff. n discharged myself. hahaz. yeahz!!! went home 2 shower n wash my hair. like finallie. so itchy. hahaz. feel so clean. hahaz. n i finallie get 2 c my muackz n blue2. hahaz. hug them 2 sleep. yeahz!
