Tuesday, March 24, 2009

This and that...

Some updates on this and that -

I brought my Abah for his second visit to GH on Monday last week for his CT Scan at the Oncology and Radiology Department. Even though he had done a similar scan at UH about 3 weeks ago, this particular appointment at GH was to measure his face for them to make a mould for his face-mask to protect the non-cancerous parts from being exposed to the radiotherapy rays once he starts his treatment.

They will be calling Abah again on Monday next week to set a date for another appointment - this time to lay out his treatment schedule which will be done over 5 weeks, starting from the second week of April (tentatively). Abah will have to go for the radiotherapy treatment 5 days a week, for 5 weeks, and only taking a break on Saturdays and Sundays (and Public Holidays).

His three daughters - my Sis Yong, Sis Lala and I will take turns to bring him to the hospital, and be with him when he's going through the therapy, as all of his sons will not be able to bring him. Our third brother is a teacher and it's quite difficult for him to take off days (unless Abah's treatment is outside of his teaching hours, I guess). Our second brother is in Taiping, and as for our eldest brother - hmmmm...let's not go into that.

My brother-in-law - Abang Rosli (hubby to my Sis Lala), has suggested that Abah stay with them in Keramat over the five weeks, as it would be nearer to GH, and Abah will not need to travel across KL everyday. They also have a driver who can send and fetch Lala and my Abah everyday. But, the question now is - will Abah agree to that?

Abah is known to prefer to sleep on his own bed, do his 'business' in his own toilet, and watch his own TV set (taking possession of the remote indefinitely), and there had been so many of our family gatherings in the past which he had given a miss because he just did not feel like being around too many people, just in case he would fall asleep in front of the crowd, or just in case he would need to go to the toilet, and the toilet might not be clean, etc. And we're talking about gatherings at his children's houses, okay? Not any stranger's place, okay? You just name any of the excuses that you can think of - he had used them. People say, it's quite normal when people get to that age... They just prefer to spend and while away the time in the comfort of their own home...

So, we're trying to slow talk to him about the whole thing, and we hope he would see some sense and agree with the arrangement. It'll be too exhausting for him and my Mom if they are to travel from KD to GH and back to KD everyday. My Mom would definitely want to be with him everytime he goes for his treatment. That's for sure. But, Abah being Abah, he can be very stubborn and set in his ways sometimes...Sigh.

And if I'm going to be with him at GH 2-3 times a week, they'd better do something about the parking there! It's pure madness, I tell you. If not, by the end of the 5 weeks, there's a high probability that I would be admitted there for hypertension myself, or worse - at the Psychiatric Ward...

Will post updates on Abah's progress every now and then, insya Allah.

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At the work-front - Ayah has cut his umbilical cord off from UMMC totally since his birthday the other day. He is now officially a former government servant. He's still allowed to attend to his clinics at UMSC though, albeit only until the end of this month. From then on - it's literally kais pagi, makan pagi for him...Scary thought.

His clinic at TMC is 'separa' ready. We've got the sofa, the rug, the book racks and also the fridge for him. But the walls are still bare. We're eyeing some nice framed veneer art pieces which we saw at The Arch (?) One Utama a couple of weeks ago. Entah bila lah Ayah will be free to have a look at them again... The rest of the furniture and fittings are provided by the hospital - his desk, chairs, PC, and the examination table/bed. I'm thinking of getting some nice lightings for his clinic to give it a more homely/cozy feel. Any ideas?

Oh ya... By the way, Ayah has also been regularly writing articles for Me*ro Ah*d (every 2 weeks) and also Ma*ay Ma*l (every Monday). The latter is more of a Q&A thingy on heart matters (as in "cardio" and NOT the romance type, okay? Hehehe!) So, he's been pretty busy. If you all have any queries whatsoever, do drop your questions at haizal@tropicanamedicalcentre.com. He'll be compiling all the questions and offer answers/explanations/clarifications, etc to all queries in Ma*ay Ma*l every Monday, insya Allah :)


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And last weekend, we went to check on our BJ house. That was after about nearly 5 months of not jenguking the house! Reason being, we actually misplaced ALL three sets of keys to the house, and we were just too busy to actually search for them in the last 5 months!

It just so happened that we wanted to have a karaoke session at home during Ayah's birthday party with our friends the other day, and we realized then that the cable to the Magic Mic was missing. Yours truly started going through all the knicks and knacks and dunno what in the study room/store room, to look for the cable, and lo and behold! I found the sets of keys instead!!! Lain yang dicari, lain yang dijumpa..:) And FYI, at the time I'm typing this, the Magic Mic cable is still M.I.A :(

Anyway, Dar tackled the ground floor while I did the first floor. You can imagine how dusty the whole house was! It was 4 rounds of mopping for us! Thank God the compound was well maintained. Thanks to our Mr Badal Khan who has been mowing the lawn once a month for the past 3 months (without being paid, okay?! But, be rest assured - we had paid him when we saw him last weekend :)

Have to make a point to go to our BJ house every weekend. The kids just love having a go at a game of badminton with me and Ayah when we were there even though we tak bagi chance for them to win at all. Hehehe!

And bila dah start going back to the house again, my imagination mula lah running wild again now on how to renovate the place...

Terbang lagi lah duit...

So, Ayah! Apa lagi? KAIS BAIK PUNYER, OKAY??!!

:)

24 comments:

dillazag said...

Kak Shana, I wish your family and your father strength to go through the treatment. When my mom had acoustic neuroma 2 years back we went through something similar too.. Alhamdulillah, mom is better now..

PLUS, Good luck Dr. Mr Shana and Kais kuat-kuat...hihihihi

IBU said...

Shana,

I hope all will go well for your Abah's treatment.

By the way, don't forget to text me when you are admitted at the psy ward, kay? What are friends for right? I shall at least bring some Tesco Choice Snacks & Candies for you to munch. tee hee hee....

And itu Tn Doktor, all d best to him too. Our bestest of the bestest wishes for him all d way!!! Berkais-kais dahulu, berpatuk-patuk kemudian. ekeekeke... pantun musim pilihanraya MT.

p/s I'm sure my Bapak will miss Tn Doktor dearly too.

Desert Rose said...

Kak Shana,

Semoga ur Abah is given strengh and will to undergo his treatment. Insyallah, and speedy recovery.

As for Doctor's barewall, why dont u go & take a nice pic in d photo studio and enlarge it to OTK@OMG punya size, kira yg abis besar punya la, and hang on the wall.
Mcm spa-q tu, letak gambar sendiri kat bilik sendiri di hujung katil sendiri untuk syok sendiri. At least akak letak kat ofis ur darling kan, ok la tu. & dont forget to put caption on d gigantic pic of yours,
"In case u r wondering whether this good lookin doctor is taken" specially dedicated to his patients ha ha ha.

Unknown said...

Shana...
I'm praying hard that your Abah will be given the needed strength to deal with the radiation side effects and to the rest of the family too because it is an easy duty as the caregiver.

Parking kat HKL mmg limited. Take it easy on it sbb nothing much we can do about it. Jgnlah sampai you masuk ward Psych pulak ye Shana...

errr... you KPP which batch ye my dear?

hugs.

wanshana said...

Dear Dilla,

Thank you for the do'a and well wishes. Insya Allah. Amin.

I had to look up "acoustic neuroma" to find out what your Mom had exactly as I had never heard of it before.

It must have been a pretty daunting experience for her and the family when she first had the symptoms and before being diagnosed and treated for it. Syukur alhamdulillah she's better now. Does she still need to go for regular follow-ups?

As for Dr. Mr Shana - he has no choice really. Memang kena Kais kuat-kuat now... :)

Thanks again, Dilla :)

wanshana said...

Ibu,

Thank you for the do'a and well wishes for both my Abah and also Tuan Doktor :) Insya Allah...Amin.

I say...tak leh upgrade sket ke buah tangan nak bawak for orang sakit jiwer, geng? Kurang-kurang Thorntons ke?

And Ibu, kalau Bapak misses Tuan Doktor, tak de hal punya...Nanti he buat special house visits for Bapak :)

Take care, you ;)

wanshana said...

Desert Rose,

Thank you for the do'a for my Abah. Insya Allah. Amin.

Hahaha! Again you buat I tergelak baca your comment ni. Ada-ada aje idea first class you, eh? Okay jugak tu, tapi, I takut nanti Ayah lah pulak yang dapat sakit jantung kalau tetiap hari kena ngadap gambo bini dia saiz gajah tu :)

wanshana said...

Dear Dalilah,

Thank you :) I know it's not easy to be the caregiver, but, I know, too, that it's nothing compared to what the patients have to go through. And we adik beradik are preparing ourselves to be strong for my Abah and also my Mom.

I have such high regards and respect for survivors and fighters like you, dear, and even though you may not know this, I always make do'a for you and other cancer-fighters out there.

I was in KPP/ITM from January to August 1986. Was all over the place actually - Section 8 and 17 Shah Alam, then Subang Jaya, and finally Kelana Jaya. I think I'm probably your senior by one year or two, kot?

Anyway, as for the GH parking - if they could build the huge extension to IJN - why can't they built a proper multi-storey parking for GH, ya?

(((((HUGS)))) to you, too, dear :)

Take care, okay?

Mrs.A said...

Kak Shana,

Will say a prayer for your Abah InsyaAllah.

You be strong!

p/s: Itu tag sudah buat....

MAMAMIA said...

May your father and your family be given the strength to endure all the treatment. Semoga Allah permudahkan semuanya...

Kalau u take a cab to GH, amacam? Maybe u can make some arrangement with the driver, on a chartered basis. Maybe extra costs, but it will save u the parking problem. Kalau U masuk psyc ward, lagi susah... Takda org nak update blog ni. Tapi kalau boleh buat n3 pasal happenings from the ward pun interesting jugak!!!

As for Tuan Doktor, being your own majikan is a totally different game. Memang ada dugaan but the self satisfaction will be much higher. All the best!!!

Kmar said...

Shana,

I bet your ´brain´ never stop working even during your sleep!!?? Jangan tidur berdiri cukup le.. he.he..

I hope your Abah in the speedy recovery.

Goodluck to Haizal. A ´HUGE´ step not only for him but for the whole family.

Tak ´sakit pinggang´ ke lepas mencuci rumah???... Kalau I laa.. eerghh... dah lama kena cari tukang urut.. joints dah ´karat´.. he..he..

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Dear Shana,
My do'a for your Abah. May Allah mempermudahkan urusan you and your family in dealing with the treatment.

Reg the BJ house, are you planning to pindah? Kalau nak cuci2 tu, ambik je cleaner2 kat office bawak ke sana. Leave them one day there to clean up. Senang sikit.. that's what I do, kena jaga pinggang..hahaha!

MamaEta said...

Shana...itu hari kita lalu lalang highway sebelah tmc..(dlm hati..ooo..ini lah.. hospital husband shana kot...)..and kat hospital tu..dah ade psy specialist kah?

And salam untuk ur abah and ur mum..insya'allah, kita bertawakkal...all the best to u and ur siblings too...I know..I know....sometimes we wish we have more than 24 hrs a day to tackle eth..dan kita pun dulu ade sket jaki ngan my eldest bro...dah le ..let bygone be bygone...

p/s: never like parking kat gh either..ini semua zaman melawat my late ayah le...ulang alik...grram ngan mak guard yg jaga pintu masuk wad pun sama...kita ade pas pelawat pun dia kecoh gak...tapi tulah..Tuhan Maha Pengasih..it went almost 2 months....gamaknya kalu lebih...depress gila gak...

Love ur kelakar!!

Helena said...

Hope everything will turn out well for yr dad..... My dad pun is also not in the pink of health, so mmg tengah worry about him.

TAke care....

wanshana said...

Dear MrsA,

Thank you. Insya Allah.

And thanks for doing the tag, too. Dah baca dan dah left comment. Interesting facts there, Hehehe...

Take care you :)

wanshana said...

Dear Mamamia,

Thank you for your do'a. Amin. Insya Allah.

Hmmmm, that's an idea - taking a chartered cab instead. But, somehow rasa tak seronok lah pulak, Mamamia, nak bawak my parents to GH in a cab.

Tak per lah...I guess bila fikir-fikirkan, it's not really a major problem. What we'll do is just drop my parents at the Radiology Dept, and then tawaf GH sampai dapat parking, and then join them at Radiology. Kalau tak pun, tawaflah keliling GH sampai my abah finishes his treatment :) But, insya Allah Allah SWT will permudahkan segala.

Thanks again, Mamamia :)

wanshana said...

Kmar,

Thank you for your do'a and well-wishes, dear :)

Mau tak sakit pinggang, Kmar... Not just that, kaki, tengkuk, tangan semua lenguh after that! Tapi, tak per...at least I got some kind of exercises every weekend...Hehehe!

Take care, you :)

wanshana said...

Dear DDI @ Ja,

Thank you for the do'a. Amin. Insya Allah.

Hmmmmm, lambat lagi nak pindah BJ ni sebenarnya. Our preferred contractor is still working on a project, which insya Allah will finish after Raya this year. Our renovation work pun might take about 3-5 months I think. So, earliest to move in pun entah-entah middle of next year kot, Ja.

After renovation, sure berkecah jugak rumah tu, kan? I might just take up on your advice and get the cleaners at my workplace to help out nanti. Thanks, again :)

Have a good week ahead.

wanshana said...

Dear Eta,

Dah sampaikan dah your salam to my Abah and Mommy :). Thank you.

Next time lalu lalang kat Persiaran Surian tu, singgah le kat TMC and look up for Haizal. They'll have Starbucks there, soon.

Hmmm...TMC rasanya tak der lagi Specialist Psychiatrist kot. Nanti I tanya Haizal :)

They seriously must do something about the parking kat GH tu. It's high time they built a multi-storey parking there. It doesn't need Einstein to think of this, kan?

Have a great week ahead, dear :)

wanshana said...

Dear Helena,

Thank you for your do'a.

I also make do'a for your Dad. "Speedy recovery" to him, and hope he'll take it easy.

You take care, too, okay?

Scarred Soul said...

Kak Shana,

Hope for a speedy recovery for your Abah.

I guess to search for an empty parking lot kat mana-mana hospital pun sama.

For my appoinments at Hospital Selayang, kena datang real awal barulah boleh dapat parking. Tapi real awallah. Hmmm... Huhu.

wanshana said...

Dear Scarred Soul,

How are you? It has been a while :)

Thank you for your do'a. Amin. Insya Allah.

I guess you're right, but, PPUM (UH) had done something about it. Yes, traffic going into the Multi-storey is still madness (but not so bad), but at least there are a lot of parking spaces available at 3 different zones.

I've only been to Selayang Hospital once. At night. So, it wasn't that bad. But, I can just imagine how it is during the day as that hospital has a huge patient catchment area. Nak kena pasang khemah the night before next time? ;)

Take care, dear :)

IBU said...

This & that.

This & that.

This & that...

Saban hari.

So unlike you.

These and those pulak la...

Cepat! kesian kawn you boring giler dah ni.

wanshana said...

Ibu,

Hahaha! Okay, okay...malam ni I hapdet untuk you :)

Sabar itu separuh dari imaan...

(Ooops...bukankah "Sabar" itu separuh dari you?!)