hospitalised
A bunkmate of mine fainted and got admitted to NUH.
I have to admit it was much more serious than I thought it would be. It was supposed to be just high fever, but who would have thought it would lead to fainting and short term memory (or rather no-term memory) and symptoms that don't add up to high fever?
I visited him this noon. Was a bit taken aback by his unfocused demeanour and small wounds. He kept asking for the day and time and generally the same questions. I was asked what I wanted to do later like, 3 to 5 times. Within a short space of 10 minutes. Other than the apparent memory loss he looks lucid enough, I think...
From what I perceive (it's gonna get a little hypothetical here) he's still like drifting between dreaming and waking. He seems to be continually distracted by something else, and when I asked him if he can see me he glanced at me and then looked away. It's as if he couldn't focus on one single thing. Which could probably explain the STM since he didn't/couldn't pay attention to whatever I was saying.
That aside, I was struck by how.... well, caring he was despite his daze and fever. Thing is, he just had a spinal fluid extraction, and believe me it kind of hurts, much like bone marrow, I think. Further, he's just....in this continual daze that resembles a longterm lack of sleep, but he was still trying to keep awake and talking to humour me. When I run out of questions he'd pop up with his repeated questions, but it was as if not to strain the silence and to keep talking. And not once were they about himself. I could tell he was really tired, though. It's as if the lack of sleep for the past week (I believe he didn't sleep more than 2-5 hours every night) just caught up with him and he was a bit unable to deal with it.
For me if I keep awake to the limit (which is only 24 hours I think) I'd start nodding off and having hallucinations. Although I can usually tell that they're hallucinations. Perhaps that's in part what he's going through now, and hopefully with sleep and the IV drip he'll recover soon.
The thing is, I personally don't think he deserves this. Nobody should deserve something like this, much less someone who is as open minded and accepting as him. Come to think of it, he is rather tactful usually, and I find that endearing coz I'm such a weird person and I don't really think I can have a conversation without pissing off the other person in some way.
In any case there's nothing much to do for now, except to conjecture the possible causes, which I personally feel is just too much alcohol + lack of sleep which led to fever and dehydration. With hope, and time, and best wishes from all of us in the camp/company line, I'm rather sure he'd get well soon.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it. Why fate arranged such a thing to happen now.... I cannot bring myself to believe that things happen as coincidences, or it just happened because it had a chance of happening. There must be a larger plan, an overall pattern that we cannot perceive, that we cannot predict either. It may be fatalistic to blame everything on fate, but sometimes things must happen for a reason.... If his condition takes a turn for the worse...
I believe my life philosophy has changed for the better. I'm more optimistic now, so I tend to view hurdles as obstacles that make me jump higher and reach out further, yet I don't know if I can stand the sort of emotional pressure from debilitating/terminal illnesses or bereavement. It seems foolish to hope optimistically against what fate has in store for us, yet.... I'm certain if I were in his position, his condition, I would have shutdown and gone inward.
I'm not making much sense here, since I'm actually rather tired. Sigh an 8 day exercise next week. Not much fun to look forward to. =(
I have to admit it was much more serious than I thought it would be. It was supposed to be just high fever, but who would have thought it would lead to fainting and short term memory (or rather no-term memory) and symptoms that don't add up to high fever?
I visited him this noon. Was a bit taken aback by his unfocused demeanour and small wounds. He kept asking for the day and time and generally the same questions. I was asked what I wanted to do later like, 3 to 5 times. Within a short space of 10 minutes. Other than the apparent memory loss he looks lucid enough, I think...
From what I perceive (it's gonna get a little hypothetical here) he's still like drifting between dreaming and waking. He seems to be continually distracted by something else, and when I asked him if he can see me he glanced at me and then looked away. It's as if he couldn't focus on one single thing. Which could probably explain the STM since he didn't/couldn't pay attention to whatever I was saying.
That aside, I was struck by how.... well, caring he was despite his daze and fever. Thing is, he just had a spinal fluid extraction, and believe me it kind of hurts, much like bone marrow, I think. Further, he's just....in this continual daze that resembles a longterm lack of sleep, but he was still trying to keep awake and talking to humour me. When I run out of questions he'd pop up with his repeated questions, but it was as if not to strain the silence and to keep talking. And not once were they about himself. I could tell he was really tired, though. It's as if the lack of sleep for the past week (I believe he didn't sleep more than 2-5 hours every night) just caught up with him and he was a bit unable to deal with it.
For me if I keep awake to the limit (which is only 24 hours I think) I'd start nodding off and having hallucinations. Although I can usually tell that they're hallucinations. Perhaps that's in part what he's going through now, and hopefully with sleep and the IV drip he'll recover soon.
The thing is, I personally don't think he deserves this. Nobody should deserve something like this, much less someone who is as open minded and accepting as him. Come to think of it, he is rather tactful usually, and I find that endearing coz I'm such a weird person and I don't really think I can have a conversation without pissing off the other person in some way.
In any case there's nothing much to do for now, except to conjecture the possible causes, which I personally feel is just too much alcohol + lack of sleep which led to fever and dehydration. With hope, and time, and best wishes from all of us in the camp/company line, I'm rather sure he'd get well soon.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it. Why fate arranged such a thing to happen now.... I cannot bring myself to believe that things happen as coincidences, or it just happened because it had a chance of happening. There must be a larger plan, an overall pattern that we cannot perceive, that we cannot predict either. It may be fatalistic to blame everything on fate, but sometimes things must happen for a reason.... If his condition takes a turn for the worse...
I believe my life philosophy has changed for the better. I'm more optimistic now, so I tend to view hurdles as obstacles that make me jump higher and reach out further, yet I don't know if I can stand the sort of emotional pressure from debilitating/terminal illnesses or bereavement. It seems foolish to hope optimistically against what fate has in store for us, yet.... I'm certain if I were in his position, his condition, I would have shutdown and gone inward.
I'm not making much sense here, since I'm actually rather tired. Sigh an 8 day exercise next week. Not much fun to look forward to. =(
posted by Endolori | 12:53 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home