Day 1 in Ward 306

I will now relate my experience staying in Ward 306 of a private hospital in Penang.

From Dr H'ng's clinic I was ushered to my ward after clearing the payment via my insurance card.
Before allowing me to enter the ward, the nurse at the counter had my height and weight taken and asked me questions such as 'Are you suffering from hypertension, diabetes, asthma?" and "What drugs are allergic to?" I answered in the negative.

When I finally reached my bed, I was the fifth inpatient of the ward. On my left was a young man whose legs were bandaged. A middle-aged man was on my right. He kept resting and pressing his left palm close to his tummy. Opposite my bed were two Indonesian patients. On the left was a talkative old man and on the right was a quiet man who preferred reading newspaper to chatting.

Soon, a nurse came to read my blood pressure with a machine and my body temperature using an ear-thermometer. I must be excited because my blood pressure went up to 150/86. It could also be my walking quite a distance before being in the ward.

Before I could have a chance to know my ward-mates, another 'Florence Nightingale' came and inserted a plastic tube through one of the veins at he back of my left hand. Then she injected an antiotic (which I later found out to be mesoporin) through this tube. It is kwown as an intravenous injection because the liquid medicine goes into our body through the vein instead of through our mouth. The same nurse also asked me to swallow a capsule which I later learnt to be transamin - a medicine to stop bleeding.

By then it was 3.00 p.m. and I felt a bit hungry because I only ate some bread in the morning. The nurse told me that dinner would be served by 5.30 p.m. and a cup of Milo would come at 4.00 p.m. I was in the least prepard for this stay and hence did not bring anything. I went down to the store selling newspaper to buy a bottle of mineral water to quench my thirst.

I informed my wife that I was admitted to hospital and asked her to bring my HP iPaq Pocket PC, a tumbler, toothbrush, toothpaste, razer-blade, towel and other things which she thought that could be of use to me while staying in the ward as the doctor had said that I had to stay for a few days.

When dinner came, I was very happy because I was very hungry then. Though the fish and vegetables tasted so horrible, I enjoyed eating them because they would make drive away my hunger. When it was visiting time, my wife brought my PDA and other things. My daughter who had a weeks' experience driving her new car ferried her here. She asked me whether I needed her laptop and I told her I didn't feel the need to use one as I had my pocket pc which was as good as a computer.

I spent the whole night before sleep accessing e-mails through my pocket pc and I read the latest results of the World Cup through my handheld computer too. In between I was distured by the nurse who came to give me medicine or read my blood pressure and body temperature.
When I was just dozing off a staff nurse came to administer the mesoporin antibiotic intravenously through the plastic tube attached to my left hand. After that I slept until a nurse woke me up at 4.00 a.m. to take my blood pressure and body temperature.

That's what transpired on the first day of my stay in Island Hospital.