22 Jan, Tues
I thought I knew the extent of my condition. But I was wrong.
Braving the morning traffic to drop Sarah off at my daddy's and mommy's place, we made our way down to KKH at 7:45 am for our appointment with Prof Tay. I would usually be in school at this time so the early appointment worked fine for me. Upon arrival, I was surprised to see patients already in queue. I guess that is how it works in public hospitals. Nevertheless, I was really grateful to see Prof Tay within so short a notice.
As I entered Prof Tay's clinic, with Daniel, my in laws and Dr Chua in tow, it made his already narrow clinic appear claustrophobic. But perhaps the warmth was needed for the news that was about to greet me. "Surgery is not an option for you" he explained kindly. As he went on, I realized for the first time that this first surgery would involved the removal of my right ovary and right fallopian tube. I was never a biology student but I knew that those were pretty vital organs for childbearing. He went on to explain the permutations of my condition - from a simple cyst to a benign tumor to a malignant tumor in a gentle but tutorial like manner as well as the corresponding treatment necessary in each case.
The next step of my visit was to do another ultrasound with Dr Ong to access my case - incidentally she is dubbed 'X-Ray' hands as apparently what she accesses from the ultrasound is taken conclusively for other doctors to follow up on. The scan took a while but it was clear and much readings could be taken.
At about 10:30 am, I walked into Prof Tay's office again after his assessment and confering with Dr Ong over the latest scan. "According to Dr Ong, it doesn't look like a cyst," he explained slowly ," she thinks it resembles more a tumor." I continued to look straight into Prof Tay's eyes and didn't dare to look at the faces of those who were with me. I feared to see the reaction of my loved ones. Prof Tay continued with statistics and cited exceptional cases in a bid to comfort me and cushion the hard news.
By the time I left the hospital at about 2pm, I have taken my blood test and I was registered for an operation on the 4th of Feb at 2pm. It appears that I am glossing over all the events of the day but in reality, it all happened just as fast for me. It was just yesterday that I thought I was well and healthy. But today, it seems like a different story altogether. It truly brought to mind the fraility of life.
As the day ended, Daniel and I made our way down to Bishan again. We had to tell my parents about it. In Mandarin, Daniel sought to explain my medical condition to them. I wasn't sure if they understood it better than yesterday. And as the pattern which we parted, we prayed together and asked God to work in our lives. It was another long day.
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