D for devastated!

It's been a week since Mr D was hospitalised. Praises to the Almighty for the improvement in Mr D's health. He is regaining his strength and I continue praying. Everyday, we hope that he will be discharged but to date, I seriously don't know what is exactly the case.

Let me explain to you how it all started and why it took so long for us to get the proper medical treatment.

Some time early May, Mr D had a toothache. Initially, he tried to ease the pain just by taking some painkillers but it was no good. A week later, he went to the dentist and was told to go for a root canal treatment. After about a week (half-way through the whole procedure), he was beginning to feel better. However, a day after that treatment, he started to feel some strain in his right foot. Slowly, it worsened - creeping up the calf and then up to the thigh. I tried massaging the area where the pain was (no expert in massaging!) but was later advised by an expert here to just concentrate on the hip area. He felt better especially after a few days.

During this time, he made an appointment to see the doctor (GP), and after about 5 days, went to see him. The doc sent him away for some blood tests. We happily obliged, and was advised that the results would come in after 5 days.

However, things sort of worsened when he began to develop some pain in the chest. We tried to detect any possible causes, and realised that he could have sprained a muscle while trying to lift a heavy cabinet! Oh dear... He began to have difficulty breathing, alongside the excruciating sensations in his lower chest. I rushed him to the walk-in centre (you can't rush him to the doctors if you have an emergency here, unlike in Malaysia!!). When he said chest pains, one will always associate it with the heart, and that thought struck me too.

To those who aren't familiar with the health system in the UK, the walk-in centre over here is basically run by nurses, and they immediately attended to Mr D, for fear of a heart attack. They checked his oxygen level - normal. ECG - normal. So, the nurse finally said that he probably had gastricitist or something of that sort. She advised us to go back to the GP. Meanwhile, to take some syrup to relieve the discomfort.

Yes, by that time, we had already arranged to see the doctor for some follow-up of the blood test, as well as the added ailment. By the end of the week, we went. The doctor was NOT helpful at all. He said that Mr D was probably experiencing stress and anxiety, or whatever mumbo-jumbo it was. I tried to insist for an x-ray because it had gone on for awhile. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep at night. And, I was left feeling hopeless because I didn't know what to do! Anyway, the doctor said his chest was clear, hence no need for x-ray. Mr D was given prescription for some anti-biotics. Period.

To make things worse, when we asked about the results of the blood test taken earlier, we were surprise to be told that there wasn't any in their data!!! Boy, was I mad then... After all the wait, they're telling me nothing's back? Isn't that just pure negligence? And, of course, we were asked to wait some more, till they tried to investigate (though I wonder whether they're still investigating as I'm writing).

By this time, Mr D was almost an invalid. I sought advice from whoever I could, including mamasarah's hubby, Dr Mynn. I checked on the Net for information. He hardly even smiled to me as he was in pain almost all the time. I had already decided to rush him to the Accident and Emergency (A & E) unit at the hospital. Thanks to a friend who was familiar with the procedures here in the UK, he brought Mr D straight to the A&E unit and Mr D was immediately attended to, and later admitted. You see, when you have the kids to think about, going off to the hospital involves a lot of restructuring and rearrangements. Having someone else help out is indeed a big help.

The diagnose: blood clot in both the leg and chest. To even find out whether it is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Pulmonary Embolism (PE), is almost impossible. Only the doctor could explain to us the details, not any of the nurses and the irony is, the doctor was hardly around. However, I am relieved that he has finally got the treatment he deserves.

Just like winning the academy awards (only that I have not won a particular award but I have been awarded so many great friends), I would hereby like to thank the people behind Mr D's recovery:
1) family members who are praying from afar, thousands of miles away;

2) friends who are physically close: offering help and showing concern through phone calls, visits to the hospitals, food for the family, baby-sitting the children;

3) fellow-bloggers who have offered sweet words of advice and encouragement, as well as prayers, from all around the world: Malaysia (east coast, north, Klang Valley, south, East Malaysia), Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the UK (Coventry, Sheffield, London, Preston), Japan, and everywhere else;

4) friends back home, especially the members of KaypoKlub (our Horay-Mouse Edinburgh clan), including Bluewonder's hubby, Dr F for the invaluable advice;

5) friends who are within the UK but not really in Coventry, who have offered their moral support and prayers via phone calls and e-mails: from Durham, Manchester, London, Plymouth.

This is only a minute form of trial for us - for me in particular. There are a lot of lessons to learn from this one incident. And I'm pausing to reflect... (coming soon in the next entry)