Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Kesihatan Mak, 22 April 2008 - Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Ini adalah lawatan ke Doktor Pakar di Queen Elizabeth Hospital yang ke-2. Mula-mula pergi ke Bahagian Kardiologi untuk buat scan jantung mak. Lama juga di situ. Pembantu perubatan membuat imbasan imej yang dirasakan bermasalah sebab doktor pakar sebelum ini mendapati carta degup jantung mak tak sekata. Cuma sikit saja tapi dia dapat kesan. Sian mak rasa dada sakit dan tidak selesa ditekan-tekan dengan alat scan. Selepas imej tertentu diambil, pembantu tu memanggil seorang doktor pla untuk membuat pemeriksaan lanjut. Doktor tu macam pelatih lagi dan mengambil kesempatan untuk belajar scan jantung. Tapi dapat juga saya tengok jantung mak dengan teliti. Dia panggil seorang senior lagi untuk buat rujukan. Senior tu orang Semenanjung. Dia mention perkataan "Calcified" dan perkataan "Aneurysm". Diorang tak perasan yang saya faham perkataan-perkataan ni sebab selalu tengok rancangan National Geographic di tv. Nampaknya bahagian internal jantung mak telah diselaputi satu lapisan keras yang dipanggil Calcification. Ini menyebabkan pengaliran darah menjadi perlahan dan dengup jantung yang tidak sekata akan menyebabkan kemungkinan saluran darah pecah dan darah beku (Aneurysm).

'As individuals age, calcification of the aortic valve may occur and result in stenosis.' - Keadaan ini berlaku disebabkan peningkatan usia. So, nampaknya perkara ini semula jadi juga la. Tapi mungkin juga kesan daripada ubat tinggi darah yang mak ambil untuk sekian lama. Mak kena tinggi darah pas bersalin adik bongsu, 25 tahun yang lalu. Sian mak..

Lepas dapat gambar scan, saya bawa mak pegi makmal darah untuk ujian darah dan air kencing pla. Dapat result lepas sejam berlalu (sempat pegi makan di Kepayan Ridge. Lapar sebab dah tengahari). Dapat result, mula-mula gi Bilik 11 jumpa doktor pakar limpa. Doktor tu kata kantung-kantung cecair sekitar perut mak cuma "cysts" bukan cancerous. So ok la, tak risau sangat lagi. Sekejap ja dalam bilik tu. Doktor Bilik 10 pula bincang tentang keadaan jantung mak. Dia buat penerangan tentang kemungkinan aneurysm tu dan suh saya pilih antara dua jenis ubat untuk mengekalkan kecairan darah mak. Aspirin atau Warfarin. Dia lebih menekankan penggunaan Warfarin sebab dapat mencegah berlaku pembekuan darah sebanyak 99%. Tapi masalahnya pesakit kena melakukan ujian darah 2-3 kali seminggu. Mak tinggal di kampung dan susah nak gi hospital. Doktor dan nurses di sana pun tak buat kerja dengan teliti. (Ada terdengar seorang senior nurse kat QEH kata dia risau nak pindah fail pesakit gi Kota Belud sebab dokumen fail akan gerenti hilang. Agaknya dah banyak kes macam tu berlaku). Mak pun tentu akan stress tinggal di Kota Kinabalu sebab pergerakan dia akan terhad. Kat kampung ramai saudara mara dan macam-macam aktiviti sosial kampung.

Akhirnya, saya pilih Aspirin yang keberkesanannya cuma antara 60-70% saja. Tapi oklah sekurang-kurangnya mak rasa tenang di kampung. Kalau stress, lebih cepat kena serangan jantung kan? Tanggujawab saya seterusnya ialah untuk membawa mak ke QEH KK setiap bulan untuk pemeriksaan bulanan. Ubat-ubat yang doktor bagi ialah, ubat mencairkan darah (Uniaspirin), ubat mengurangkan degup jantung mak dan ubat tinggi darah. Ini la kali pertama saya terpaksa membuat keputusan yang sukar and on the spot untuk penerusan kehidupan mak saya.. Sangat-sangat berat. Harap-harap keputusan yang tidak memudaratkan.

Melihat keadaan pesakit masa di hospital tu, saya menyedari kebanyakkan orang tua yang tidak berupaya dibawa oleh anak-anak mereka untuk pemeriksaan doktor. Ada yang terlalu tidak berdaya cuma duduk dalam kerusi roda saja. Sedih juga saya. Tambah sedih bila ingat saya sendiri tidak ada anak lagi. Entah sapa yang akan menjaga saya nanti. Sangat sedih. Harap-harap saya tidak mengalami masalah kesihatan yang perlu berurusan dengan doktor di masa tua nanti. Itu sebabnya rasa penting untuk menjaga kesihatan.

Terpaksa ambil cuti lagi. Cuti dah kurang sangat :p

Friday, April 18, 2008

Marina & Harold's Wedding Reception at our Kampung Kota Belud

My sister and her husband had their wedding reception at our village house in Kota Belud on 12th April 2008. Really fun but really tiring. Have to "tampi" a few gunny sack of rice to get rid of leftover rice skins and unwanted debris. Then, have to gut a huge container of fresh fish (have never gutted so many fish in my life :p). A cow was sacrificed in the evening after the heavy rain stopped and the men (uncles and relatives) carried out the task of cleaning and chopping it to bite size pieces. Banyaknya kerja.. I am really thankful to the SIB's Women League under the leadership of Auntie Kilin (Uncle Saran's wife). They were the ones who did the cooking, prepared and served all the food for the reception. I could only help them until 4.00 a.m. cause my head started to spin and I had to go to bed.

In the morning of the reception, my sister was asked to hang the "Sepak Manggis" with an elderly gentleman at a designated location. It was customary that the "Sepak Manggis" was to be hung during odd hours. My sister's was at 9.00 am exactly. It looked cool dangling on a string from a bamboo pole with my origami peace birds "flying" by it's side hehe. It looked like a bird cage (complete with a small door). Candies and keropoks was hung on artificially made flowers at the bottom and real paper money on top. The objective of this game was to kick a rottan ball (bola raga) really hard and whoever manages a direct hit to the flower located at the centre bottom of the "Sepak Manggis", would win the prize money and a sarong. Relatives were not allowed. Only outsiders. Mr Harry, our neighbour won and my sister presented him with a hamper.

There was a good turnout of crowds. My dad came so did his brothers and sisters from Kampung Tenghilan. Guests who came from Tombovo (Harold’s side) and Kota Belud were entertained with food, drinks and karaoke competition. The downside was the hot midday sun. The weather was really warm and everyone was sweating.

Anyway, everything went well with a little tunggang tebalik and kelam kabut time of course but ok la. To this day I am still feeling worn-out. Haven't had a full day rest yet. Went straight to work :p













My sister in her 7th month pregnancy. Sangat gemok hehee..
Sian baby underneath all those layers of belt :p















Thursday, April 17, 2008

Marina & Harold's Wedding

Hi.. Have been "missing" from blogging since February. I was busy helping my sister with her wedding arrangements. First wedding in the family, so no experience at all. Thankfully everything went well. These are wedding pictures taken at Stella Maris Church in Tanjung Aru on 28 March 2008. It was a Friday, so just a few friends and relatives were able to come. Only Auntie Magline from my dad's side came. Even my dad was unable to attend cause he was in Lahad Datu stuck with something (like always..). My brother, Raymund did the honour of walking my sister to the aisle. That was great. He got the chance of wearing a formal coat hehehe.












Monday, April 07, 2008

My Eldest Brother on a mission to Timor Leste..

Sabah GOF Team Leaves For Timor Leste Tomorrow On UN Peacekeeping Mission

KOTA KINABALU, April 5 (Bernama) -- A 136-member Sabah General Operations Force (GOF) contingent leaves tomorrow to Timor Leste for a tour of duty under the United Nations peacekeeping mission.Sabah GOF commander Datuk A. Paramasivam said the team comprising four paramedics from the armed forces would serve in that country for six months under the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste. He said the team headed by Sabah Brigade Staff Officer DSP Toipi Lamat and assisted by DSP Syed Ahmad Tajuddin Syed Mohamad was the first GOF team from Sabah to be deployed for a UN peacekeeping mission.They would take over the duties from their Sarawak colleagues who are currently on a similar mission in the former portuguese colony, he told reporters when met at the Sabah General Operations Force base in Kepayan. Paramasivam said a 10-member team left for Dili on March 21 to join an advanced team to make arrangements for the mission. He said the GOF personnel in Sabah responded overwhelmingly to participate in the mission when they were asked in December to volunteer for the task.-- BERNAMA

Rasa bangga juga sebab abang sulung saya (Alfred) telah terpilih untuk mengikuti misi ini. Sempat menghabiskan masa bersama abang, kakak ipar dan anak-anak semasa mereka berada di Kota Kinabalu sebelum abang bertolak. Semoga abang diberkati Tuhan untuk sentiasa dalam keadaan sihat dan selamat semasa di sana. Amen.