Day of the Pre-Admission Tests
[Friday, 15 September, 2006]
The most dreadful time arrived finally and I knew I had to take the blood test no matter what. But there was a short queue in front of me and then I saw this very old lady being wheeled inside the room and a sudden emotion struck me. She was so skinny and I estimated she was at least seventy years old and it pierced me so much.
It was my turn then and I was forthright in front of the Malay nurse that I had phobia with needle. I said in an embarrassing tone that I would turn pale after that and most probably would feel giddy. She did not hesitate in doing her work, but asked me to look to the other side. Then she distracted me by teasing me that enemies could easily frighten me off with needles instead of using guns.
I could feel the needle piercing into my skin and soon she pressed something on that part. Next, she asked me if I was still afraid of the needle as I was speechless for a few seconds and I guessed the needle was out. She assisted me to another waiting area with comfortable chair and she went to get another queue number in my place. She was one of the nicest and most sincere nurses I had ever met.
Surprisingly I was perfectly alright even though needles always had after-effect on me within a few minutes especially after drawing a tube of blood. At least for the two times I had ever did in my life, I turned pale after that.
I recalled back to two weeks ago when I took my life’s second blood test, which was at Stagmont camp, I was so freaked out because of the people who took my blood. I knew that guy was a new medic and his senior who was there to guide him was not very experienced as well; I also had enough scary stories about careless NSF medics. The biggest problem was when I heard the senior ask the junior why he still did not remove the needle when the blood was enough to cover at least three tests already. Would you be terrified with such medical team?
I gladly went to the next station to see the anaesthetist. He was still going rounds at the wards I supposed and a nurse attended to me first. As I was still sick, I did not hear her question properly when she was referring to my “operation” and not “operation”, which caused another embarrassing moment for me. She took my blood pressure, oxygen level, height and weight before asking me to fill in a form outside. Around fifteen minutes later, the anaesthetist arrived just in time for me to escape weird questions from the guy sitting besides me with a smelly cigarette smell.
Followed by, I proceeded to Clinic “C”. The nurse at the counter told me to go to room K21 immediately but the doctor was still not around. It was around 0945h and the doctor would only come at around 1030h. The aunties sitting besides me were complaining about the waiting time though we were visiting different rooms. She was very right that the doctor would only come after ten and the hospital was unreasonable to make the patients come so much earlier.
It was around 1010h, a gentleman queued behind me came back after his breakfast. He was very friendly and started to chat with me. There was a lump inside his stomach caused by his small intestines and that was considered as minor operation as well, which scared me. In his fifties, he was still looking strong with very dark hair and his skin looked much younger. He advised me to exercise regularly to look young.
The doctor was late. After going in, he reminded me of the risks of the operation again. Then, he checked the lump and soon, he released me out of the hospital.
It was only around eleven in the morning and I was so glad and surprised. The tests actually took less time than visiting a doctor in polyclinic, which I spent three hours a couple of days ago.
Labels: calf, health, hospital
... Skai (Kailun) dreams @ 5:05 PM
