If Only There Are More Angels

The doctor’s team came around. I was given a piece of good news by Dr W, “Your ovaries are in good condition so I didn’t touch it. The tubes are also fine. ” Then she paused for a moment, “However, we saw your liver. It looks like you have tissue scaring. You need to have a biopsy. We will be referring you to the GI (Gastro Intestinal) Ward. But I will still be discussing with the GI doctors. We will make sure you get well soon.” 

Neighbors from a church came to see me. They prayed for me and one kept asking me to accept Chris as the savior right now and then, “Then Christ can save you.” She insisted.

“If I don’t, doesn’t Christ love me?”

“Christ can only save you from pains and sufferings if you follow him.”

I kept quiet. Doesn’t a loving God love all human? Does it have to be like buying a ticket before you can get a seat in Heaven?

I thank them. I was very tired after listening for over an hour. My head wasn’t very clear today.

The wound from the surgery is still painful. I asked for help to get in and out of bed and to untangle the tubes from the ascites bag. 

The blackened portion inside the body is the peritoneal fluid.
The fluid is heavy, I feel as if I am carrying a child.

Only a few of the nurses were nice, others scolded me when I asked for help. “You go and get up by yourself, I am busy,” was the answer I often got.

I wonder how they got all the accolades, displayed on the wall, from past patients. The doctors, yes. But all the nursing staff? 

Pong came to my mind. If I have these kinds of treatment, how about Pong? When I asked her about the treatment at the KLGH for her, she told me, “Don’t talk about it. I rather prayer to Buddha for good things to come.”

The first year nursing students were mostly nuisance. A few came around to do my pulse and temperature but most did their handphones behind my curtains. If I asked for a bath, massaging of my swollen ankle as prescribed by the doctor, some warm water, or help me to the toilet, they walked away.  The dressing on my ascites tapping hole needed to be changed. Only a few of them were willing to learn. If I waited for the nurses to be free, I would have very wet dressing on me most of the time. 

IV drip of human albumin is given to me 

after every 5 litres of draining.

A young one from Sabah was one of few who were keen to learn. By now, I already knew what plaster they should use and how to cut it, and how to apply saline water with a cotton ball. “Do you want to work in KL?”I asked her.

“No, I want to finish my study and go back to KK. My family is there.” She was gentle with her application









We chit-chatted. She tended to me for almost two hours, brought me hot water and massaged my swollen ankles, and set up the IV for the human albumin. I thanked her. 

“Please thank your ancestors for me for having such a kind granddaughter,” I told her.She smiled happily. 

If only there are more of her around.

By Ching Ching