July 11, 2012
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Daddy.
This past 2 months saw another bout of health scare again. This time, it was scarier. It rendered me helpless, and I don't think I have ever felt this scared before in my entire life.
My Dad was down with a bad flu and sore throat. He went to the doctor and they discovered that he had a white mass in his throat. They wanted to do a minor throat operation to take whatever-it-is out and send it for a biopsy. I know, deva ju right? The exact same thing happened to me. And so when the doctor recommended the surgery, we didn't think too much about it. After all, I was in and out of the hospital in less than a day.
As expected, my Dad's surgery went without a glitch.... or so we thought. After his surgery was over and he was pushed up to the recovery room, we went to see him. He looked fine. His old usual self - telling jokes and talking at the top of his voice. So my Mum and I decided to let him rest for a bit, while we went to go grab something to eat.
Fast forward 40 minutes later. We went back to the recovery room to get ready to bring my Dad home. However, what we found when we reached the recovery room almost scared us to death. The curtains around my Dad's bed were drawn, and when I managed to peek inside, there were at least 6 nurses around my Dad's hospital bed. Not only that, there were an array of big machines, surrounding him. Some nurses were trying to fix ECG adhesive stickers on his chest that were connected to a life watch heart monitoring system, and the other nurses were drawing blood from him. There was a doctor zipping in and out of the room.
My Mum immediately broke down in tears. And while I had tears swimming in my eyes, I knew I had to be the strong one. When I managed to calm my nerves and regain my senses, I stopped the doctor and asked her what exactly was wrong. She said my Dad was complaining of severe chest pains and difficulty in breathing. They suspected that he was having a heart attack.
Heart attack. Those 2 words sent my world into a spiral. My mind blanked out and I have never felt that kind of helplessness and terrified before in my life. Heart attack? People die of heart attacks. Was I losing my Dad? I can't lose my Dad. He hasn't walked my down the aisle yet. I haven't given him grandchildren yet. I haven't made him proud yet. I can't lose my Dad.
I prayed. I prayed so hard. I prayed to God and asked to take over whatever it was that my Dad was having. I didn't mind. After all, I was younger, and physically stronger. I stand a higher chance surviving a heart attack than him.
While I contemplated life without my father, that same doctor informed me that his ECG and blood tests came back normal Good news: no heart attack. Bad news: they got his lung x-ray, and his lung was punctured. They needed to transfer him down to the A&E's resuscitation room immediately to put a tube into his chest and into his lungs to help him breathe.
My question to them was clear and simple: "Was this a result of human error? How was it that a simple throat surgery that lasted not more than 10 minutes could lead to a lung puncture?" I was convinced that no, it was not due to human error. These things happen.
We went through the longest few hours of our lives. I didn't know what was happening, or if he was going to be okay. Eventually, he was warded. What was supposed to be an 'overnight observation' turned into a 10-day hospital stay. Day after day, doctors will come visit my Dad and attempt to explain his predicament to him. Day after day, it was a different story. Day after day, there would be a different discovery. It went from a lung puncture to possibly lung cancer. Everyday I felt like my life was about to fall apart.
Eventually, my Dad healed without any major complications. I thank God and praise Him everyday for letting my Dad escape this unscathed. I have him home now and I will be eternally grateful.
I wanna thank all the wonderful family and friends who took time off their busy schedules to come visit my Dad and bring him stuff. Thanks for all the gifts and food as well. We greatly appreciate it.
I also wanna specially thank my boyfriend for everything.
Kane, without you, I wouldn't have been able to go through all those painful weeks. Thank you for being there not just mentally and spiritually, but also physically to give me hugs when I'm feeling weak, or a hand squeeze when I'm fighting back tears. And more importantly, thank you Kane, for being there for my Mum. For accompanying her in the hospitals when I can't make it there. I understand now that when wedding vows state - 'for better or for worse, through sickness and in health', they don't just mean between the couple, they mean it for friends and family as well. I'm so blessed. I really don't know what good I've done to deserve you. I love you so much.
Hopefully all this drama will be over. I don't ever wanna go back to a hospital again in a long time.
