EAT WHEN HUNGRY LIE DOWN WHEN TIRED

THAT WAS THE ORDER of the day.  

EAT WHEN HUNGRY LIE DOWN WHEN TIRED......NOT from any doctors but myself.  Imagine all the doctors that came round my bed site before the surgery... they were lecturers in Medical School and qualified doctors working there for so many years and last but not least, the medical students to mention a few.

Just as soon as I left my bed side, I was seated on that wheel chair  that Diyanah "borrowed" from the nurse's counter, to take me down via the lift into the waiting area, no one had come round to say anything at all.  

"That's it?"  I asked Diyanah with the deepest apprehension and wondering in my thoughts.  No one is "discharging" me officially except for  Diyanah who had the liberty to go forward,  merely getting the prescriptions of pain killers and some panadols.  I saw she also had two sheets of printed papers with details of the charges for those two nights in the hospital.  

Is this some kind of new style of discharging patients from the wards?  Not even the nurses came round to say anything.  It was like leaving a place that you were not welcomed to.   Perhaps it' s the norm in this day of cyber and technologies.


(Now I have to take a short break... am feeling giddy)... should continue later. 

I N T E R M I S S I O N... FROM THE 14/July TO 7TH August... That's a long time indeed.

July the 25th:
I arrived early for my post surgery appointment... only to be told that the Doctor was going to be late and they needed to "search" for my folder.  With a smile, I nodded my head,  took a left turn and looking for a seat. There were rows of seats which were mostly unfilled as it was still too early.  Patiently, I sat down and read my book.  A few times I looked around to see the new additions in the queue.  Those patients who were luckier, have already left, they  probably went home.  Never mind, today I have the patience to sit and relax there.

Eleven o'clock? He was not anywhere to be seen.  I remember leaving home at 8:00a.m, reaching the hospital 10 minutes later.  A few more minutes was required, looking for parking space and that was it.

My number was 703.  I heard the number over the PA system.  The room number was 5.  He was there with my folder, bespectacled, fair complexion,  wearing a striped shirt, sitting quite relaxed and gave me a smiling face.  A solemn looking nurse in her mid 40's was standing in the corner doing nothing in particular. It's the rule now, any male doctors seeing a lady patient must be accompanied by a nurse.  Am not sure here, is it the doctor who needed a company or the patient that needed a chaperon.

"How are you?  I was the one performing the operation on you", he broke the silence.

"Alhamdulillah, am feeling much better", said I.

"Sorry the results of the surgery isn't ready yet but I wonder why they give you such an early appointment.  It should be three weeks after the surgery." (blaming anyone Doc?)

Just as he finished his last word, a nurse walked in with a fresh crisp white paper and handed it over to him.

"Oh have they got it ready?  But it's not on the computer yet.  Probably this is the unofficial one"...

Deep inside me I thought "Was I to know?  It' s you who should know".  Don't tell me it took this long to get it tested and to get it recorded in the system.

After explaining it was nothing serious,  (showing me the images from the scanning machine that I already seen two weeks back,) meaning nothing to worry about and it was merely benign... I took over the conversation!

"Alahamdulillah syukur how relieved I am now and thank you Doc."said I appreciatively.

"Doc, may I say my two cents thoughts?" quipped I.

"Yes, please Aunty", he said.

"You know the doctor who came to my bedside before the surgery did not tell me anything of the "after effects of the surgery."

"Oh which doctor?", asked he.

"The one wearing spects in dark striped shirt", said I.

"Oh, that must be a student doctor". (Oh really?)

"Before the surgery, I asked him: what's the effect of this surgery"

"Nothing" said he.  I was rather adamant.  Nothing? Could there be nothing? Is there such thing as nothing?

"Doc, at least have the liberty to take a note from other patients of their feed backs and jot down somewhere so that, when new patients ask, you have something to tell"... said I beginning to feel a little slighted.

TO BE CONTINUED later as am preparing to go out now... until then.

10th August.

 "Taking notes from other patients as precautions to the others... in case things crop up, they did not get agitated or panicky.  At least they know what to expect."  I continued, as though lecturing my children.

 "I would take note of your comments" said he. I then continued.

" You know, I was not even told that I could not take solids after the surgery.  I could not sit up straight in the car.  I could not this and that, this and that!  I was told nothing, absolutely nothing!" By then I  was already quite agitated.  Then continued with him listening with a "smile" on his face.

"As the car accelerated, I vomited all the food I had tucked in at lunch time.  I even vomited blood until three days after!  I got strange giddiness" at this point, he must be thinking I was some kind of nuts!  Granny nuts!  Oh yes!  He did ask me how come I got those streaks of blood in my vomits.  Was I to know?  He did not react or seemed alarm at all.  So, I put on my two cents thinking cap... 
"They were probably from my excessive vomiting".  
"Probably" said he, agreeing with me. (;-))

"Another thing Doc, it's about medication.  Last two months, I was prescribed with gastritis medicine for a whole month supply.  The doctor did not caution me of any after effects if there were to be.  After taking, came to the third week I was down with "torrential falls".  Until four days after, I was still consuming those tablets.  One day, I asked my eldest daughter if that particular medication has any side effects.  And she gave me a straight  forward answer of, YES.  So upon her suggestion, I stopped taking.  I was quite furious how on earth doctors of today taking things so lightly".

"And if I may doctor, may I just add few more words."  I stopped to see his reaction.

"Yes, please" he said smiling.

"After each Muslim patient has come out of sedatives, please give a reminder to the patient or the relatives accompanying.  Not to forget to pray.  Allah has given our lives back, so we have to  be very thankful.  That is a must.  Allah has ordered such that, in what ever position you are in, you must pray to Him unless you are out of your mind.  Get the water for ablution.  If the patient cannot get up, ask for assistance.  There are ways which we do not have to get wet.  If possible, get the position correct so that the face, faces the direction of Ka'bah.  Otherwise, just pray.  It is especially excellent after each surgery, after a GA.  Then you know if your memory comes back or not.  At least the first thing the patient does is remembering Allah and be thankful.  And at lest you have done your Islamic duty to your patients"... a lengthy one, I did not realize this until I write them here.

"Thank you for reminding Aunty, I shall do this", he said with a smile. AND after thanking him for his deeds, he discharged me.  Until a year to come, I should be back for another appointment.

Satisfied? Yes, at least I have done my duties here as one of Allah's subjects.

Late evening, after having my dinner in the Medical Hostel's cafe, I met my daughter's colleague and told her what I had said to Dr. M.  She was delighted to share the moment.  AND guess what?  Dr.M is a lecturer himself!!!!!  Well, at least I have done what I could as a Muslim. I hope and certainly hope that he would inform and remind his student doctors to be more alert, caring and more concerned of their patients and not just letting them go off after their surgery without any words!  We don't leave hotels or some homes, but we leave hospitals where all the healing hands are found and  where all the health experts are housed .

Just last Tuesday, the 9th August, Sally my good neighbor in the ward called me.  She was there in the hospital for her post-surgery appointment.   I was told, she had waited for her doctor (the same bespectacled in striped shirt)  for so long and got bored.  So she dialed my number.

"Aunty!!! (half shouting) You know I have been in pain all along and never recovered after the surgery!!!! I was not  even given any pain killers, nothing!  When I was leaving there was no doctors or nurses telling me anything!!!!!  No body had given me anything, not even any sheets of paper.  Not even a word!!!!!"  

She was extremely upset.  I could just imagine how outrageous she must have been.  We had the same bespectacled doctor in striped shirt as our Medical Officer making rounds whilst we were there. 

"Ayoo, aunty, am still very much in pain you know?  When I went home, I stopped by at the chemist and bought some antibiotics  myself.  No one has prescribed me anything.  Nothing!"  She went on complaining.

Pitied her.  So, I told her:

"After wards Sally, when you see him, tell him all these predicaments.  Tell him in his face!!!"  Said I, supporting her morally.  I wished I was there with her.  I wasn't so brief as I have written here... ;-))

So, wasn't I right?  These doctors think we are such super humans??? After cutting open, they take out something they wanted to test, leaving us the super duper humans medicineless and expect our super bodies to be self-healing!  Incredible!!!!!!!!  Indeed, an extremely incredible of modern medicine, young doctors, inexperienced ones!!

I then reminded my two daughters to be good Muslim doctors, to be alert of what is going on, take care of their patients and practice in good nature!  One already working in the same hospital as I am complaining now while the other, Insha Allah, I pray that she would get through her Medical School and graduate in three years to come.  By now she is already out there in the society attending to minor procedures as part of her community service.  I wish them well.  Ameen.

Reminders to my children who see patients in the course of their duties...
Before leaving home: "Recite Bismillahirrahmaanirrahiim.  Bismillahi tawakkaltu 'alAllah.  Lahaula wa lakuwwata illa billahil 'aliyyil 'aziim."  After finishing your work do not forget "Alhamdulillah"...
Upon seeing patient: "Assalamu'alaikum..."
Before taking their blood " Bismillahirrahmaanirrahiim"
Once done " Alhamdulillah"
If possible, try talking to the patient with religious reminders like:
"When you feel sick, do not forget to do Zikr, so selawat Ibrahimiah**, make a lot of du'a.  Always remember Allah.  If you forget Him one second, He would forget you one minute. Always redha towards His test and tribulations for they might be "to cleanse all your past sins", something to make you be nearer to Him and to always remember Him in your heart. FOR If you think you have Allah, then you shall have IT all."

TO all doctors out there, BE more human..... Wallahu'a'lam.  

May Allah forgive me if I have written something He does not like.  But this piece comes straight from the bottom most of my heart.  I hope to share what I feel, how feel and should have felt as a patient.


**is the selawat we recite in the second part of Tahyat.  This is the one  most recommend by our Prophet Rasulullah S.A.W**

(this post was edited today since I noticed (only now) that some words are missing, spellings are wrong and some additions are required to be shared)