Monday, November 17, 2008

Mysterious pain...

I had two appointments at the hospital today. Both at the same time, 8 a.m., but different buildings. One of the things I don't like about me is that I am very bad at remembering all the medical terms the doctor used to refer on my 'unwell part of body'. Though, I remember what they did and aware of the reasons why they had to do it.

First appointment was to go to O&G and get my blood 'sucked out' from my vein. Unlike all of my previous 'blood sucking' sessions, this time is different. They needed me to fast the night before and then after they took the first specimen, they needed me to drink diluted sugar. I then had to wait for two hours after consuming the sugar water before the next blood specimen collection.

I don't mean to complain much about it, but I have to, something is bothering me about the way they run the place.

I didn't mind it much when I found out they already served the diluted sugar in the glass, but I mind it that they didn't make any effort to cover them! How could they ignored the importance of hygiene in the hospital? Doesn't matter, I'm not that pembersih anyway. I am a country girl, I guess I already picked up all those germs from our childhood playgrounds ~ paddy field, fish pond, river, drains...and so on and so forth.

There is this one thing that really disturb me. I'll try not to make it sounds too harsh or negative, there might be a good explanation for it.

The trolley and tray they put the diluted sugar were shared with the small specimen bottles, the one people put their urine! When I saw that......I was like... yuckkkkk..how could they do this!!! There were three bottles on the same tray with the diluted sugar, one was very brown in colour. The image of the brown colour urine was really disturbing me. Yuckkkk!

I looked around and spotted another trolley next to the specimen collection room. There was a black bottle there, it was opened. I didn't know what inside it until I saw a pregnant-looking lady took something from it. It was a stick. I recognised what it was. That's the thing nurses dip in urine to determine the presence of HCG. I was then thinking, maybe....just maybe, that was the tray for specimen collection? I tried to look for notes like 'Place your specimen here' or ' Sugar Water Only' but there was none. Well, what can I say? I see many nurses walking past the trolley, none of them did anything about it. The patients were responsible of it too, how could they be so ~~~~~~ ( or should I say ignorant), tak kan tak tahu beza tray minuman dengan tray air kencing?

I talked myself to remove the brown colour urine image from my head and finally managed to finish my sugar. After all, I was there to get free treatment, not to inspect their system. Plus the nurses at that particular unit were very helpful and cheerful. All the doctors (specially the handsome young Indian gyne) were very friendly and informative too. Hu hu..

After I finished my sugar, I went to the x-ray unit. I needed to do the fallopian tube check in there. Again, I forgot the medical term for it...

It was a quite embarrassing procedure for me. Maybe if the medical officer who performed the procedure was not young and handsome, I won't be too embarrassed. Ha ha. Getek. Good thing he was aided by two young female assistants, it helped my embarrassment a little bit.

They had to force open my uterus with a duck-beak-looking instrument. Then, they put in a long metal piece into my uterus. It was used to inject the special liquid into my uterus. Then they x-ray-ed it to see if the liquid went through my fallopian tubes successfully. I looked at the screen, all I saw was the metal piece, the rest didn't make any sense to me.


I was briefed on what I should expect during and after the procedure. The officer was really good, he entertained and answered all my questions ethically. He involved me in the procedure by telling me every step he did and asked me to tell him to stop if I feel any pain. He kept telling me I should expect only discomforts during and after the procedure. No pain. OK. Sound good to me. No extreme discomfort in the early stage of procedure, which was excellent. But when he injected the liquid, good lord, I screamed! It was very painful. They did the x-ray quickly and then the procedure was finished.

The medical officer told me everything was good, no blockage in my tubes. Thank you god for giving me good fallopian tubes.


I went back to the O&G unit to give my second blood specimen. That's when the real torture begin. They said they must not 'suck' my blood out from the same vein they did for the first specimen. The problem was, they could not see any other veins on both of my arms other than the one they did earlier. The officer tried his best, and his best was to guess where were my veins. The first attempt failed. He came up with an idea to take it from the top of my hand. I was like, Ooooooookkkkkk, you mean here? (pointing on the top of my hand and said oh no, not there... to myself) I told him he might hurt me. They made me took drips through there once, it was extremely painful. He rest assured me it will only feels like a bite of a small tiny ant.

Right. Small tiny ant ah? Here, take my hand and please make it quick then.

And as I expected, it was far from a small tiny ant bite. It was more likely a bee stung. I contributed my second screams. Still, no blood taken. None of my blood vessels on my hand cooperated with us.

He said sorry to me, which actually no need, because he was just doing his job. Finally, he managed to get my blood. That was after he tight my upper left arm tightly and I had to grip on my fist very hard. *Long sigh* Finally.







About 2 p.m., I went home to my bed. Even Jazzy didn't greet me at the gate. What a lonely life without Monkey and my cousin....


After changing my clothes, something weird happened to me. I thought the medical officer told me I won't feel any pain after the procedure, just discomfort. But there was something pinching in my womb. Something like I'm having a period cramp. It started slow...and after a few second, I started to feel a severe pain in there. It spread all over my tummy and suddenly the pain was already on my rectum, my thigh muscles, my knees and my toes.


I sat on the bed. The pain then spread to my chest, my shoulder and into my fingers. I was sweating. I felt nausea. I lied down in my bed, trying to ease the pain but sadly there was nothing I could do to help it. I changed my positions, still didn't help the pain. I didn't know what was it, the medical officer said I should not experience pain. I was groaning and moaning, hoping it would go away...but to no avail. I rang Monkey and talked to him. It didn't help much too. He asked me to rest, what else he could offer.


There was a point when I notice the tips of my fingers started to feel cold and numb. I got concerned so I tried to reach for my hand phone to call 999 but I guess I didn't manage it because I don't remember talking over the phone asking for ambulance. I don't remember what exactly happened after the thought of calling 999, all was blank. I don't remember feeling sleepy as well, but I found out myself waking up from a sleep with a large head ache about 7 p.m.

I'm not sure whether I fell asleep or pass out after the thought of calling 999. What makes me puzzled right now is that I don't feel that pain anymore, except for the the large headache. What was it, where did it go? All I feel down there right now is discomfort, as if I'm having a light menstrual pain, exactly like what the medical officer told me.
I wish I knew what happened to me before.

Whatever it is, I thank god I'm still alive.

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