If there ever was a day and time that I need the Lord with me, it's today.
It started out like any other day - I was knackered as usual from a late night when I woke to the news that my Dad wasn't feeling too well. He felt dizzy and off-balance with lesser sensation of being able to control his movements. No problem, I thought, I'd send him to the clinic before heading off to work (we suspected an inner ear infection).
Off to the clinic at 8.30am we went, where it was becoming a bit more evident that it wasn't just a balance problem because the limbs on his right side weren't responding very well and my Mum had to support him as he walked. The first thing the doctor did was to check his blood pressure which was sky-high - 210/113. We were advised to take Dad to a hospital for a further check and the doctor wrote a letter advising admission.
From the clinic to Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) we went, where we were told that they were not seeing anymore patients for the day (walk-in ones, that is). We were referred to the HUKM Premier Clinic in Bandar Tasik Selatan instead. I tried to call ahead to see if we could ensure someone looked at Dad but were told that we should just 'try our luck' to see if they were full or not. Plus we had to make sure we got there before 11.00am. (But that's a rant for another day.)
Another drive to the HUKM Premier Clinic, where we got 'administratively shuffled' from one counter to another just to get registered and to see the doctor. As we were waiting for our turn, Dad said his face felt a bit numb / tingling sensation. Not a good sign. (See MayoClinic's signs and symptoms of stroke.) That was where I called Chen (so sorry to have disturbed her in the middle of a lecture!) to ask if it was symptomatic of a stroke. We decided that it wasn't worth the wait, and left immediately.
The nearest private hospital in Cheras was Pantai Medical Centre so I drove there pronto. Dad was whisked into the emergency ward while I did all the registering stuff after which we waited for the doctor-on-duty to finish examining him. His blood pressure had gone even higher then - 230/141 - and the attending doctor said that it was the highest he'd ever seen. It was thought that it could possibly be signs of a minor stroke in progress, so they would conduct further tests - a CT scan of the brain for blood clots, an ECG test and a blood test. In between, my Mum and I were praying really hard and contacting all we knew for prayers as well. Our thanks to all who responded to our phonecalls, SMSes and messages. We really appreciate it.
When the tests were over, we were called back to the hospital to do the admission procedures and hear the results of the tests. Praise the Lord that Dad is alright - the CT scan was clear, the blood tests were fine, everything was alright except for the blood pressure which was still high. (It's come down to 170/98 now.) So he is warded for monitoring tonight and we'll see how things are tomorrow.
Thankfully we remained calm throughout and the grace of the Lord is sustaining all of us. Please keep us in prayer, ya?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A tumultous day... emotionally, physically, spiritually
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19 spins:
Oh dear...
But glad to know that dad's test are all a-ok...
Take care, hugs!
that is indeed a close shave. thank God dad is alright. i can understand how you must have been feeling. *big hugs* *phew again*
poor daddy!
thank goodness he's alright! :)
Get your Dad to rest well, take things really easy, drink lots of water, eat well, and give him lots of tender loving care.. Play scrabble with him, go for strolls, do things together.. Happiness plays such a huge part in recovery.
Had a shock when reading and luckily all scans and tests were fine!! Prays tat ur Dad gets well soon... Big hugs to Rinnah!!
thank goodness!! give him loads of hugs too .. it helps in time such as this ..
take care dear *warm cuddle*
angel: It's the best news we had so far today. :o) *hugs*
mistipurple: A bit too close for comfort! *hugs*
kyh: Yup, I'm glad he's alright. Not 100% yet, but on the way there!
l b: That's what we've been telling him to do even way before today. Hopefully he'll listen now!
wennnn: No shock! All's ok now. *hugs*
cp: Yeap... hugs aid the speedy road to recovery! *cuddles back*
Thank God your dad is alright and the CT scan is normal. Likely this is Transient Ischaemic Attack. Hope he will get well soon.
Btw, don't feel bad about the disturbance as this is indeed something urgent. I was just giving lecture to the medical students.
Glas to hear that the CT is ok. The neurological symptoms have gone too?
i just said a small prayer for your dad... since everything is clear... i guess the blood pressure should be coming down soon.
thinking of you and your dad. offer this recent trial to God. *wink* He has good use for them. one of His mysteries ya? *hugs again*
You might wanna advise ur dad to eat healthy. Eat lotsa veggie and fruits. Drinks plenty of water each day. Cut down on alcohol and high cholesterol food intakes (seafood, meat etc). :)
I kept your Dad in my prayers. I'm sure he will be all right as God is with him. Take care now :)
I'm glad everything was all clear. Get him to rest and take things easy for a while. And you too, take it easier now that the scare's past yes?
I said a quick prayer for your dad. It's a miracle that he didn't get worse.
Hope that your dad will recover fully soon ;)
chen: The doctors have classified it as a minor stroke. But lucky it is not a major one as he is still quite 'normal'. :o)
bernard: Praise the Lord that the CT scan was clear. The neurological symptoms are still there... the finer control of his right side is not there.
zewt: Thank you. :o) The blood pressure has been fluctuating today but Dad seems much better.
mistipurple: We are thankful that it is a miracle in itself that it wasn't worse. :o)
kyh: Yup. He'll be on a strict diet from now. Hehe. It's a good thing he's not a smoker nor drinker, else it could have been much worse.
giddy tiger: Thank you. We are still praying for a complete recovery.
parisb: Yup, rest is the best cure for him right now. I look forward to getting my Daddy back!
adino: Thank you. Yes, that is already one miracle. :o)
jo: I hope so too! :o)
glad your Dad is in the clear. hope he recovers 101% before Christmas. my best wishes to him, and you take care yourself too, ya?
hugs!
may: We're hopeful that he'll be almost back to normal by Christmas so that he can come to church with us! But we're taking it one step at a time... baby steps, really.
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