Friday, June 22, 2007

What's Up Doc?


Has it been 2 years already? Wow!

I thank The Almighty for the opportunity.

Took the whole day off work yesterday to accompany Dad for his medical check-up. It has already been 2 years since he had his cancerous tumor removed from his large intestine.

Till this day, both Mom and Dad do not know that the tumor was cancerous at stage 4. All they know that it was a pulp that needed to be removed because it caused obstruction to his bowel movements.

He checked-out free from any growths in his intestine from last year's colonoscopy. It was Dad's triumphant fight against this dreadful disease. It was our prayers answered. We are still praying for his well-being every day.

So yesterday, Dad met his surgeon, Colorectal Consultant Dr Tan Boon Swee for his second year check-up.


Like any morning appointments, the peak rush-hour traffic was the first thing to beat. So off we went from Woodlands to SGH or Singapore General Hospital located at Bukit Merah via BKE and exited to Stevens Road, Patterson Hill and onward to River Valley Road.

Despite the careful route-planning, we were not spared by the heavy traffic at BKE when we arrived 10 minutes later... fortunately, the doctor was not in until 10:30am.

Dad checked out good so far, had his blood drawn-out and scheduled to have his second colonoscopy procedure on Wednesday afternoon next week at Block 6 Endoscopy Centre... the most anxious procedure especially for me to know the result.

That will be a day after Mom has her first year annual check-up for his cataract operation done on her right eye at SNEC or Singapore National Eye Centre.

So I will be quite busy with Mom on Tuesday and Dad on Wednesday. I will have to call Dad to guide him on Tuesday on what he can and cannot eat, and again on Wednesday on the specific instruction on using Fleet Phospho-soda for bowel preparation.

I had already applied for leave off work for the two afternoons.

Had our late breakfast at SGH canteen, an always good chat to catch-up, then onward to CausewayPoint Shopping Mall for Mom to buy a cage for her new baby hammie.

Once they were home, I went back home to accompany yet another family member who is not at its pink of health. My Son had previously made a 6:30pm appointment with the vet.

Art, one of our 6-brother hammies has developed an infection in its nose which had swollen-up and preventing him from drinking from the water bottle and eating his usual fruits, herbs and nuts.

We had to feed him with water and food paste using a syringe for days and a dose of Baytril antibiotics each day, but the swelling has not subsides still.

And despite our efforts, Art is loosing its weight and was getting weaker.

The vet at Pet Safari in EastPoint Shopping Mall injected it with liquid to hydrate it and treated its eyes which had started to glued shut due to the gunk.

Art was given a host of medications:
  • A stronger antibiotics Septrim Syrup a drop twice a day,
  • 5 tubes of anti-inflammatory Meloxicam Suspension to finish one each day,
  • Serrazyme Tablet 5mg to be crushed and taken quarter portion twice a day; mixed into honey or food paste to relieve him of general pain, for his eyes and runny nose; and
  • Framixin Ointment 5mg a drop each once a day for his eyes .
We have to continue feeding it with mixed fruit or vegetable baby food for as long as it is unable to feed itself. The medication should last 5 days and we will have to bring Art back for a follow-up after that.

So, what is up, Doc?

Guess I will be the busy resident nurse to my family for these few weeks...

5 comments:

  1. Hi Nurse Imran. I hope and pray all goes well with every member of your family. I wish I was there where summer temps last all year round. Only as long as air conditioning was provided. I hate the cold winter months here, but I don't do well in the heat either. I guess that's why I loved Vancouver Island B.C. so much. It was not too hot and not too cold and there was always something green growing all year long. Blessings to you and your family.

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  2. Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira. Até mais.

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  3. Congrats My grandma had cancer I know how bad it gets I am glad your dad is okay.

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  4. I'm glad to hear that your Mom and Dad are well, and I hope everything goes well with your Dad's second procedure this week. I'm sorry to hear about the hamster. How lucky for your family (human and furry) that you are there to make sure they are well cared-for!
    mp

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  5. Yes, I hope all goes well for both your parents and their respective check-ups.
    It is always an anxious time, sitting around in clinics waiting to see doctors.
    When I was nursing, I never realised just how much anxiety was circulating in them waiting rooms until the times came in my life for me to be a ''patient'' rather than the nurse.
    Thinking about you.

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Thanks again and have a good day.

Regards,
Muhd Imran
PAL Blogger