Got discharged yesterday afternoon. Buggers couldn't give me my meds till 2pm even though its NUH's policy to discharge patients at 10am. FOUR HOURS LATE!!!!
Had a reconstruction surgery on my left shoulder on Thursday noon. Had totally no exp in the procedures, so when the nurse handed me th gown and disposable underwear, told me to "take off everything" and put them on, i really took off everything. It was only a minute later when a nurse was questioning me on all the routine questions like when I stopped eating that she told me I can still wear my shoes.
It was also my FIRST time wearing a gown aka a skirt-like farked up thing. The first time in my life when i had no choice but to keep my legs tightly closed while seated. It was definitely very funny to see me desperately trying to protect my modesty and I would have laughed if it wasn't actually happening to me.
My surgery was scheduled at 10.20am, but it was delayed to 12pm due to a car accident. Whoever was involved needed the doctors more.
At the waiting area, I waited in the patients' area while my mum waited outside. A nurse handed me a pair of socks to keep my feet warm while the anaesthetist explained to me that I would be given general anesthesia because I'm "a healthy young man".
At about 12 they brought me to the OT for my surgery. It was freezing inside and the flimsy farked up thing I wore didn't help. It got worse after I got onto the bed in the OT for my operation when they told me to take off the thin "jacket" and shoes, leaving me with only the gown and socks.
But they stopped me from thinking about the cold by poking the needles and plug into my right hand to prepare me for the IV drip. It was probably a trainee doing it because another doctor told him to use another spot after he had already friggin inserted a needle in the Y-shaped veins at the back of my hand.
Then one of them placed a mask on my face and asked me to breath deeply. I stayed awake for another half a minute before dozing off.
I woke up in the observation ward and the first thing I saw was the TV screen displaying my heart rate and etc. A nurse informed me that I was to wait there because there was no bed available.
When I finally arrived at my bed, I was still groggy, but I had to crawl onto my bed from the bed they carried me on. It was friggin hard, especially when I could only use one arm. In the end, I did get onto the bed and they proceeded to help me change into the yellow hospital clothes. The nurse didn't tie my pants tight, and it was very awkward for me when I had to hold my pants while walking to the toilet.
I had to ask a nurse to help me pull down the rails/handles on the left side of the bed before standing up. Pointing out that I was labelled as "Needs assistance" above my bed, he then offered to help me to go to the toilet, which I refused. Actually, I stared at him incredulously before telling him that "I can walk!" And I held onto my pants and walked to the toilet.
There, I began to learn what every handicapped person must learn at the very beginning - how to put on their clothes properly. More specifically, I taught myself how to tie the cords of my pants without moving my left arm. I had to use my left hand carefully, and it wasn't easy.
I spent the whole day sleeping, but the painkillers wore off by dusk. I didn't know that and thought it had aways been that painful and that I managed to sleep only because my fatigue overcame the pain during the day.
So I spent the night trying to sleep. It was only till 5am when it was time for my next dose of medicine that I was finally able to sleep again.
But only to wake at 8am. I was in the C Class ward (it was only a night's stay after all), so I woke together with everyone else. A nurse went to each bed and asked us if we had washed our mouths and if not, whether we wanted to use their mouthwash instead. Not wanting to move my body at all in fear of causing more pain, I agreed.
Then a food server with a very wide and artificial smile asked me what I wanted to drink for breakfast. That smile had to be the widest and most insincere smile I've ever seen in real life. Not that I blame him but it was really quite incredible.
In anticipation of my discharge at 10am, I refused their offers to help me bathe and didn't bathe till I got home. So I didn't bathe for 31 hours straight.
At 9am, my doctor, a certain Prof Kumar, arrived to check on me. He then went on to instruct the nurse in charge of me on what I need to get before my discharge: two weeks of antibiotics and painkillers, one month MC, a universal sling and an appointment with him on the next Monday, not the coming Monday.
At ten, my mum arrived, but the nurses didn't discharge me. My mum went to ask them at 10.30am, and they told her my sling and medicines haven't arrived yet. The sling arrived at 11am, the lunch came at 12pm, but I had to wait till 2 for my medicine. All the while, the nurses came and apologized, explaining the doctor was busy.
Putting on my clothes and cleaning myself is a tricky business. I refuse to wear a shirt at home, and I'm only wearing my boxers. But when I went home, I had to put on a shirt and a pair of pants. I needed help to put them on and the shirt was the hardest since I couldn't put my left arm through the sleeve. I had to keep my arm inside the shirt, but the shirt wasn't large enough, so I was only able to use the top and two of the bottom buttons.
Hey! I managed to type everything with only my right hand!
So now I'm not going out till I can move my arm enough to wear a shirt properly. Heck, I can't even lift my arm slightly to clean my armpit. I'm also not able to walk quickly because every time I do not land gently, it sends a jolt of pain into my shoulder.
3 weeks of sling. Only 2 days have passed. But I probably won't wear it for so long. My guess is 2.5 weeks. By 1.5 weeks I shouldn't need painkillers and should be able to lift my arm. Imagine when I am finally able to clean my armpit for the first time in more than 10 days! It'd be some sort of organic Pandora's Box.
Ok back to BG2.
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