My grandpa

I was bathing when I heard the phone rang. Somehow my heart felt uneasy. I was actually getting ready to head out for some appointment, only to be informed that my grandpa has been hospitalized and I have to pospone my appointment. But still, I brought along my documents and stuff just in case I can still make it if I leave the hospital early.

We were all so worried and upset when we heard it was a stroke he had this morning. When we arrived at the hospital, the docs and my uncle was already crowding around his bed. I took a glance at grandpa, and sighed in relieved when he was able to sit up on his bed and response to the doc. He had the oxygen tub fixed up his nostril, the needle plastered on his right arm. Some reflex test were practiced on him and grandpa was able to touch his nose with his finger and using the same finger to meet with the doc's finger after that. This test was repeated for both his hands. He looks like a little kid, following the instructions closely, staring straight into the doc's eyes for reassurance.

After some discussions, the nurse came over to inform us that his condition is more like a seizure and will have to stay for another wk, else he can be discharge within 2 or 3 days if no other complications are found.

I took a look around the ward and glanced at the other patients, who looks as old as my grandpa, except for one young malay teen who seems to be in his twenties, with thin limbs and slightly blind. His father came over to chat with us in malay (thank god dad was able to communicate with him) and told us that the old man sleeping next to my grandpa has no visitors becos all his loved ones and relatives were in KL.

Then the old man woke up, looked around a little, then struggled to press the red button for the nurse. The nurse came over and looked over him. He could not tell what he wanted but the nurse padded his diaper and asked if he wants to change it? He mumbled and it was understood by the nurse. The curtains were drawn and shortly, the smell of faeaces overwhelmed the room, chasing the other visitors out from it, leaving their bed ridden loved ones, bearing with it. The smell lingered for quite some time before everything was resume normal. By then my grandpa has already fallen asleep. So we went down for some coffee and chatted while grandpa took his nap, before we returned to his bed side with a box of boiled guo tie. Grandpa has woken up and managed to finished one and a half of the guo tie before his dinner arrived and he was able to finished half of his porridge, drank some soup and took some soft boiled veggy.

The old man next to my grandpa, was still lying motionlessly with his eyes open. The food were left on the tray for some time before the nurse came over to help him with his meal, which was all liquid food that he can take. He looks weak and could not sit up straight on his bed. Two nurses have to pull him up from his bed, wind him up a little, forcing some tissues on his shirt before feeding him a spoonful by spoonful. Then he showed the nurse a hand sign, he wriggled his index finger, indicating "death". The filippino nurse laughed and said "you dont think too much ah, mind your business huh..come eat your meal", then wiped off the leftover on the side of his lips.

Life is so vulnerable. The hospital, is where you will get to see all sorts of different life stories happening around you and me....