Monday, October 31

11th Day - 15/10/2005 (Saturday)

Again I am awake before Subuh. I lie awake on the bed and listen to the sounds of the morning; the nurses changing shifts give briefings to one another, the auntie next to me crying in her sleep, the ah poh in front of my bed calling for her mug of Milo.

After breakfast, the nurses move me into a room. Yeah, finally! It’s a small room with big windows above my bed and on the left side. Now I do not have to walk far to go to the washroom. It’s very quiet in here compared to the outside. But the rooms are near the nurses’ station. If I look out the windows on my left while lying in bed, I can see the remaining top floors of the hospital, the great blue sky. It is raining now. And the room is air-conditioned. Brrr! It’s cold in here.

My mother and brother Saufi come to see me. I am so happy to have people to talk to! In this room, we do not have to worry about talking too much or too loudly, which is good. They fill me in on all that’s been happening at home and how my grandmother calls everyday to ask how I’m doing. After staying for almost 2 hours, they leave to see my sister Adora in UIA.

After a while, the doctor comes to take out the line at my neck. He takes off the transparent filmy plaster, cleans the area, and tells me, “Now hold still while I cut the stitches.” Stitches? Whoa, wait a minute! You mean you stitched my neck? I hold very very still and the doctor cuts and removes the sutures. Now comes the part we have all been waiting for, the pulling of the line. I do the same as before. Take a deep breath. The doctor pulls it out and plugs the hole with lots of gauze. While he stands there, we talk about how the line was put in. Some doctors would avoid going through the neck, as it might be traumatic for certain patients. Instead they would start at the arm and take a longer route to the heart.

The doctor checks the wound again and tells me that they might start another IV line on my hand, but it will not be connected to any drips or medication. It is to be used in case of any emergency. I understand. He plasters clean gauze over the hole now that the bleeding has stopped. He tells me that I can take it off tomorrow.

About half an hour later, hubby comes in through the door. I am ecstatic, as today he can stay from now till six. He tells me there’s a horrendous traffic jam on his way to the hospital and that has caused the delay. He brings me a Dunkin Donuts sandwich and 2 doughnuts. I will eat the sandwich for dinner since I’ve already had my lunch. Yum! We fill in each other with what has happened since his visit yesterday. Then we talk about so many other things: work, friends, and my student years in UM. And of course before you know it, it is 6 p.m. already. Hubby leaves with the promise of returning a little earlier tomorrow.

They serve dinner, which I decline. I have my chicken mayo sandwich and read the newspaper. After so many days of not seeing one, I open first the cinema listings to see what new movies are playing. Haha! Don’t think I will be going to any movie theatre anytime soon, though.

I hear the call for prayer. It’s much clearer and louder heard from here compared to when I was outside. Sometime after, I doze off. I awake from a bad dream and realise that the call prayer I heard earlier was for Maghrib, not Isya’. So it’s still pretty early.

In this room, falling asleep is easier, even though I still feel sore on my left shoulder and neck. After rubbing in some medicated oil I go back to sleep.

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