A rough time

Yes, who else but me is having a rough time again.. It seems like a life rough sailing is what that has been predestined for me.

Actually I am not the one who's having it worse, my mom is. She has suffered pain on the left side of her neck down to her shoulder for a while already. Her self treatment was to apply the 'heating' neck & shoulder rub, or putting on a pain relief patch and regularly massaging the pain spots. She treated herself in the above ways for the past 1 month, but they proved to be futile. One occasion she told me it was so painful to the extent of feeling like dying. Thus, I decided to take leave from work and bring her properly to a doctor.

Instead of going to a general practitioner, she chose to go to the polyclinic. Painkillers were issued to her that time, but the pain did not go away after taking the meds. Eventually she couldn't take the pain anymore, but she still insisted on going back to polyclinic. This visit at the polyclinic gave us a clearer picture of her current situation. The X-ray shows her left neck/shoulder area with her soft bones (disc) suppressing onto the nerves underneath, that's why the pain is so excruciating. The doctor said it is best to speak to an orthopaedic, and find out the best treatment.

The doctor referred my mom to the nearest hospital within the vicinity, and guess what? The earliest appointment to see the specialist can only be 25 Feb..

The pain got more unbearable for my mom, and I had to bring her to the A & E department of the hospital where she is due to meet the specialist. A pain relief jab was given to her in hope to ease my mom's suffering, but it didn't work. The very same night, my mom was in so much pain that she didn't sleep a wink at all; and she was weeping in pain in the living room.

Again, I had to rush my mom to the A & E and this time in another hospital. She was kept under observation for close to 12 hrs before the doctor decided to ward her. Me, Rianne and my uncle's wife (lucky I have her who helped me with Rianne!) spent 12 hrs in the hospital waiting and waiting! It was so tiring, and I honestly thought I could die if I have to continue waiting for another minute..

My mom was hospitalized for a whole week, and all she got was tonnes of painkillers which apparently was the only treatment for her. On the day of her discharge, my mom bravely proposed to go for acupuncture.

We went to the renowned TCM physician who treated my back previously when I had a fall. A long wait again (3+ hrs!) to see the famous sinseh, but it was all worth it accordingly to my mom. She felt a lot better instantly, and she was told to return within a week for another acupuncture session.

I am still observing my mom to see if she's capable to perform her daily activities and including caring for Rianne. I cannot continue taking leave as much as I have to. Thus, my mom really need to get well else I may have to consider some alternative options.