Monday, May 10, 2010

Getting in touch with humanity.....

When life is kind to us and everything goes on well, we tend to take everything for granted. All worldly difficulties can be solved, given enough time and effort. But the moment something goes wrong with you physically, not just having a cold or a slight headache, your perspective of life and humanity begins to change.

That's how I felt when my left leg suddenly became numb, with all the muscles pulling and stretching at my thigh, calf and the sole of my left foot as if trying to burst open. Don't know what is the cause although Dr Ganesan at the family clinic said it could be due to a slip disc which had hit on some nerves. Some friends said that even if that was true it could not be a severe one for the pain was not so terrible. A severe slip disc would cause a constant jabbing pain as if a knife is being driven through you. God forbid. Nevertheless the tightness around my left foot is so severe that it disturbs everything I do and walking becomes a torture.

I have already seen two traditional masseurs to give my left leg a good massage. After seeing them about four times without any palpable improvement, my wife took me to the Orthopedic Division of Ampang Putri to undergo a thorough check-up. The last time I was there was to undergo a by-pass operation. That was almost two years ago.



Going to a hospital as a patient is always a traumatic experience for me. The moment I see people with all sorts of ailments and sufferings, Ifind myself so helpless and unworthy before God, and feeling that the healthy people in the world really don't know how blessed they are. I see the sick and incapacitated as humanity at its lowest level of wellbeing and whatever my own suffering was I felt that God was kinder to me than most of the patients that I see. Some were bed-ridden, some moving about in wheelchairs or with the help of a four-stump walking stick, with a hand or almost half the body hanging loose and lifeless.
It's a most sobering experience, especially when you go in as a patient yourself.

I had to undergo all the tests including an xray of my vertebrae and pelvic zone. I was next sent for physical therapy and from the moment you go into the treatment room, you feel like an invalid although you're not. I thought I would be given a massage but it was a machine with tentacles that were attached to my back and my calves. The machine heats up those areas for 15 minutes, sending waves of electrical energy with some seven variations of intensity and and rate of pulsation. God, I felt like I was being roasted although I refused to ring a bell and call for some adjustment. If that was the treatment that could dispel my discomfort, I had to take the ordeal. Then the same spots were treated with some cold vapors or ointment. It was a welcome change from the 'roast'. The exercise I was asked to do after that which included knee-bend, knee-jerks and push-ups were a cinch to perform.

And that's it. After getting some medications as prescribed I was driven home by my wife, with my left foot, especially at the ankle and the sole of the foot feeling as thick as a leather carpet and as tight as a stretched elastic band. It felt so tight that it hurts a lot. However, the thought of those other people whom I left behind in the hospital ( and I wasn't forced to stay back) made me feel quite fortunate.

11 comments:

abdulhalimshah said...

Akhi Norzah,
The same feeling was evoked when I visited Ustaz Husin at his house in my earlier posting.We need to remind ourselves continuously on the Blessings and Mercies from our Creator. As I always tell my friends, the phrase "Alhamdulillah" is manisfested not just by uttering it, but by looking at how others fared worst than us in all respects. My "Doa" for your return to normal condition on your ailment and Zikrullah always.
Salam.

norzah said...

Syukran jazilan ya Akhi Halim. Dr Ali Noor Ghani, the specialist in Ampang Putri said there is no serious slip disc but just some normal wear and tear of the nerves.
But if there's no improvement with his medication then I've to go for a thorough scanning. Yes, this is nothing compared to the sufferings I see at the hospital and I thank Allah for imposing only a minor trial on me.

rambomadonna said...

Luckily u don't have to wear corsette like our dear YY. Else susah nak garu kalau gatal. But of course more reasons to have total body scrub hahahaha.... (teringat YY last entry)

Anyway, personally I marvel at your zesty life. Mana tak sakit kaki, both u and Datin are such active people ... cepat jer up at your feet. But anyway, maybe take a breathe for a while.... nanti kalau kaki dah OK balik you jive and shuffle lah balik.

We have many more activities this year and I am definitely looking forward for another "rendezvous" hehehe

Si Yoyop Bah... said...

Hahahaha...Mmg amat susah nak garu kalau gatal. Terpaksa baring, kemudian masukkan sikat/pembaris yg pjg.

And u-no-what J. 2 org yg i jumpa ms SPOT LANDING last weekend kata i slim, and putih. Berkesan jg pemakaian bengkung tu.

Norzah, get well soon.

kaykuala said...

Akhi Norzah,
Your first person a/c was so vividly described that I thought I was there sharing the pain and the anxiety with you.
As OP Halim had rightly said, we should be thankful to ALLAH SWT that we are able and allowed to enjoy life’s offerings up to this point.
We just have to put the brakes and adjust for the time being to let our body mend its ways. Some take longer, others a wee bit shorter. Whatever it is, we owe it upon ourselves. Easy does it. Wishing you speedy recovery.
Salam

rambomadonna said...

YY ... ko cepat jak ya kalau kena puji. Lupa nak wish and pray for your speedy recovery Norzah.

norzah said...

J and Yy, I have already replied to your comments but somehow it doesn't get processed. I'll wait and see if it will eventually come out or not and then write another one if necessary, Thanks for wishing me a speedy recovery.

norzah said...

Akhi Kk, thanks for wishing me a speedy recovery. Ini memanglah peringatan dari Allah untuk bersyukur dan terus bersyukur atas segala nikmat yg dikurniakanNya, khususnya kesihatan yg dengna begitu senang boleh ditarik balik. Apa yg diberi ku terima dengan redha disamping berusaha mencari ubat penawar. Salam mesra.

norzah said...

J dan Yy, my earlier reply doesn't seem to appear. I laughed when Yy said that wearing the corsette makes it very difficult to scratch an itchy back, kena pakai ruler panjang, hehehe. Memang benar kerana I dulu patah tangan dan kena plaster. Bila buka plaster memang putih melepak tapi....macam berbelang berbanding dgn warna tubuh yg lain. Kalau seluruh badan kena plaster (korset), bila buka tentu macam telur dikupas, hohoho. Apalagi sesudah discrub....Hilang sakit kaki kerana ketawa, hehehe.

Al-Manar said...

Norzah
At younger age we tended to pooh pooh any pain and sickness. Now we look at every small sign of disorder with concern.It is just as well we feel so, so hat we do nt forget to be grateful to HIM for the goodness that we tend to take it for granted as our right. I was concerned when I got Bell's palsy a couple of months ago although I was assured by two doctors that all would be fine. Let us count our blessing. Pray all will be back to normal wih you soon - that you wll enjoy the Westside story.

norzah said...

Thank you very much for the kind reminder to thank Allah for the blessings that He had bestowed on us so far, Pakcik Hassan, in fulfilment of the injunction "watawa saubil hak watawa saubil sabri", I've accepted the fact that as we grow older there're many frayed nerves and muscles that will impair our health but behind every predicament there's always a hidden blessing: innamaal usriyusra, painnamaalusri yusra.
As such I'm always thankful to Him for everything and will accept everything from Him dengan redha. Subhanallah. Syukran jazilan.