Thursday, December 13, 2007

It's a Small Small World

I feel that the world is indeed getting smaller.

I have a colleague whom we got acquainted when her department was sitting on the same floor as my department. After her department moved to another floor, we still bump into each other once in a while, and we continue to exchange our hellos and chat up a bit.

Then she found me on Facebook. I was browsing through her list of friends and I noticed that we have many common friends. The best part is she even knows both my sisters-in-law (they don't know each other). Come to think of it, she's probably the only person in Singapore who knows both my sisters-in-law, ie Chester's sis and my brother's wife, before I even know them!

The search continues.....

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Matters of the Heart (Part 2)

Doctors told us that given Mum's condition, she's actually lucky to have been sent to the hospital in time. Nonetheless, we were given 2 options: (1) to do a heart bypass, or (2) take blood thinning medication and hope for the best. Mum gleefully opted for the 2nd and her mind was set on going home.

But we all know that there is actually no choice - she may have an attack again and may not be that lucky the next time. I guess she's in denial of the situation and was afraid to take the chance for a better quality of life after a bypass when mortality could be the end result of the op.

Then she continued to experience chest pains and was given a series of medication to help her cope better. The doctors were very concerned and transferred her to the High Dependency ward for closer monitoring. I believe it was then she realised the severity of the situation and finally agreed to the surgery, but not after the angiogram specialist took the time to explain her condition to her and persuade her to do the surgery.

She was trying to keep her spirits up, but many times, usually when we talk about Mayenne, her eyes would well up.

The surgery date was originally scheduled on 1Nov07, which was at least 1.5 weeks from the time she had her angiogram. That seemed like a long wait, but we didn't have a choice as the operating theatres are fully booked. We were concerned that Mum will worry and think of things that will make her more sad while waiting for her turn for the operation.

She was still experiencing angina, and was getting more and more breathless and weaker by the day. We could literally see life draining from her, and the doctors were very concerned about her condition. Her surgeon then decided to request for an emergency operation by taking over a slot for a non-emergency operation, and the date was 26Oct.

...... to be continued