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Lesson 1: Never put off going to the doctor’s when the fever has been persisting for 3 days.
Lesson 2: Being admitted to (NUH’s) A&E ward doesn’t mean that you’re spared the wait. I had to wait 3 whole hours during which I took a blood test, a urine test & an X-ray while the tips of my fingers turned blue and my entire body was shivering and was in tremendous amount of pain. This is despite 2 hospital blankets wrapped around me and Mikey dear holding on to my hands.
Lesson 3: One can hardly fall asleep in a hospital ward. A raging fever, body chills and surround sound of snores just made me wish daylight came faster. I didn’t even think about how gross I was, with unwashed hair for 2 days. (Yucks.)
Lesson 4: It’s OK to cry when you’re in pain, it’s OK to admit that you’re totally helpless & vulnerable. I am thankful for my mum and dear for being there when I needed someone to sooth my fears, especially while waiting for the diagnosis. Dear even patiently fed me bland hospital food, wiped my tears away and reassured me that he will be there ‘in sickness & in health’; to borrow a line from the wedding vow. Like I said, I don’t know what I did to have such an amazing boyfriend but I want to love and cherish him for the rest of my life. <3
Lesson 5: When I’m down in the doldrums, nothing will perk me up more than loving family, caring friends, colleagues & very understanding bosses. Cliche, but being in hospital forced me to reassess and re-prioritize what’s important to me in my life.
Lesson 6: I have a cool left kidney. According to the ultra-sound scan done, I not only had a kidney infection (oooh, so that was where my ‘backpain’ came from…) but my left kidney has a duplex collecting system. i.e. I have two ducts, instead of only 1 which most people have. But the not so cool part is that it just means I am more prone to infections.
Lesson 7: Taking antibiotics can be such a bitch, especially the ones that make you feel drowsy.
Lesson 8: Pushing the IV drip stand to the toilet, holding a plastic container to collect a pee sample & a toiletries bag in the other… I can’t even begin or want to describe this feeling of… retrogress? I hate collecting pee samples! It’s gross… I know, even I find collecting my own pee unnerving. No wonder I am not cut out to be a doctor.
