The original operation date was Jul 12, which was then brought forward to Jul 07. Thus I was supposed to go to the hospital a day before to get myself admitted for all the necessary pre-op procedures.. so I went in the morning of Jul 06 with my sis, who was working afternoon shift on that day..
Before they can admit me, I have to get my ECG and chest X-ray done.. Since my sis knows the layout of the hospital well, we managed to get to the individual dept very fast and had both done fairly quickly.. then we went back to the ENT department to fill out more forms and sign more approvals.. Once that was done, I need to have a venous cannula inserted on one of my hands to facilitate the administration of intravenous fluids (like medicine or saline drips). My sis performed the insertion on my left hand without much pain.. :) Then off we go for admission.
With all the forms and charts, we were led to the payment counter first. I requested for Class II ward and paid the required deposit of MYR$ 400. As an ENT patient, I was allocated a bed in Ward D1. As part of the protocol, I was supposed to wait for an ambulance to take me to the ward. But since my sis is a doctor there and I can walk, we requested and was granted the permission to walk to the ward instead.
Once there, my sis gave them my charts and forms to the nurses to process my admission. I was given Bed No. 15, in a non-air con section and a pair of green hospital gown to change into. Then my sis left for work, but not before she bought me lunch from outside as the food provided in the hospital was not very appetizing.. :p
Around 2pm, a doctor from the Anaesthetic Dept came over to brief me about the procedure and risks of general anaesthetia during this operation. Of course, I knew the risks and I do have my own fears about them.. but what needs to be done has to be done.. so I signed the consent form after his explanation and try not to dwell too much on them..
In the evening, I was transfer to a 4-bed room that was air-conditioned. The room has its own toilet and bathroom. It offered more privacy and less disturbance as it is enclosed thus able to keep the noises (of patients groaning/vomiting/snoring/etc) to the minimal. And I was fortunate to have the entire room to myself as I am the only patient in the room.. So I chose a bed, Bed No. 8, closest to the window and furthest from the door.. :)
Around 10pm, I was given a pill (a kind of sedative, according to my sis) to allow me to sleep better so that I would be fully rested and ready for the 3-hour operation the next day. And I was to fast from 2am, then later changed to 8am, onwards as part of the prep for my operation the next day.
Ever since I got admitted around 11am, I couldn't go anywhere but stay inside the ward. And I was advised (by my sis, no less) to not wander around the ward. So in the end, all I can do was sit/lay on my bed and read, which I did, and I managed to finish "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien by the end of the day.. :p
All the above happened on Jul 06. Then came Jul 07, the day I was supposed to have my operation. But due to unforeseen circumstances, a patient had to be operated on urgently, so being a non-urgent case, I had to give way. Luckily, my surgeon (Mr. A) was able to negotiate for a new operation time-slot the next day (Jul 08). And so I waited for another day...
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