spent an entire day in clinic and hospital.
been down with a bad sorethroat that developed into the flu since i came back from london 2 days ago. thought i'd rest one full day and be up and running again the following day. but, no. wasn't that lucky. nose-block got worse during the night, had difficulty breathing and sleeping.
woke up after noon, had a bread before going to the clinic (luckily). timing myself to be back in approximately an hour or so after the consultation, i throw my laundry in the washing machine to wash, thinking that i'll be back home as soon as it's done washing to hang them out. then i left for the clinic.
as part of the procedure, i was asked to fill in a form pertaining to my whereabouts in the past 2 weeks and my current health condition. since i just came back from london, one of the city that is categorized as an affected area for local transmission of h1n1, i had to be isolated from the rest of the patients in the clinic.
from then on, everything feels abnormal...never have i been through any of these situations before. so, i've no knowledge whatsoever to prepare myself for anything ahead of me.
the doctor came into the 'special' room that i was put in, and did the usual stuff; check temperature, check throat, check breathing and then he showed me the list of affected areas and told me that he will have to send me to the hospital for screening of the h1n1 influenza since i was just back from the UK, with the flu. i was especially stunned when he mentioned about arranging a transport for me to the hospital.
i ask, "what transport?".
he said, "an ambulance".
"can i just take a cab there?", just trying my luck.
but of course, i know i was being ridiculous. it's a procedure and it's all over the news already.
i sat there in the room wondering how it's like to be in an ambulance. how embarassing to be walking into one...
was asking sis over sms, "will there be a brown paper bag for me to put over my head?"
sis says, "yeah, you probably need one so that if any reporter wants to interview you, you'd be glad you have the bag on since you don't have your make up on."
damn! is that all i am, a vain pot?
...it's a different story if you're on a stretcher. anyway, let's not go where it's sensitive. no one wants to be in an ambulance.
i waited for 3 to 4 torturing hours within the four walls of the room.
ambulance finally came. got the weird eye from passer-bys. what an awkward moment. glad i had my spectacles and the face mask on. but even if i hadn't, no one would know me. it's just a sense of security knowing you're masked.
to cut a long story short (although it's already long enough), will let the pictures do the talking...(promise to take better pictures next time)
civic ambulance welcomes you on board
for those who has never been and will never be in an ambulance...it's creepy being in here, imagine what the interior has seen...
and here's the temporary set-up for patients with h1n1 symptoms. the ambulance drop-off point is right outside here instead of the usual A&E entrance. it all feels so alien to me. but the doctors and nurses are nice and caring. imagine the long and stressful hours they have to endure...and then they still maintain that warmth. 10 points for them.
this will be the holding area where patients wait for their medications, results, or an ambulance to bring them back home
each patient gets his/her own table 2metres away from another. as you can see, the patients' area is equipped with a bin for your used-tissues and other trash, a bottle of sanitizer, a box of tissue and an attendant call-bell.
and on the surface of the table is this note. read.
after a few more hours of waiting, i was sent home in another ambulance. was told to be put on home quarantine. meaning, i'll have to isolate myself from the general public until the hospital informs me of my test result which is out within 8-24hours. in this case, as i'm staying with my housemates instead of my family, it's just right that i do not leave my room so to not have any contacts with them.
funny thing is...(i still find it amusing even though this is all suppposed to be taken seriously) i have to lock myself in my room and sis will 'deliver' food to my 'doorstep'. i'll open the door. retrieve the stuffs. close and lock myself back in.
lucky thing is...i have an attached bathroom in my room. otherwise, there'll be additional precautionary steps to be taken to answer nature's calls instead of the usual few-steps.
from small talks with the attending doctors and one of the hospital staff, i gathered that at least 700-800 patient's suspected with the h1n1 flu are sent to the hospitals from clinics all over singapore for screening, each day. with this overwhelming number, it's no wonder why the ambulance took 4hours to reach the clinic i was at. i just hope that they'd have standbys for emergencies. one thing i discovered from this whole experience is that the asian countries are well prepared for pandemics like this ever since the catastrophic SARS hit. we can only hope that the current situation doesn't get worse.
NOW that all is said and done, it's bedtime for the sick cat.
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so there you go, yummy duck rice and a nice walk in the park (and how could i forget, a great company cum camera man)...makes half my day.
