Asian Hospital, Acute Tonsillopharyngitis t/c Peritonsillar Abcess & Pneumonitis

SUMMARY

I mentioned in my previous post that people have been getting sick this new year. It must be the cold weather. It’s been breeding some mean virus & bacteria which is very unfortunate for us humans . I was sick first week of January. I didn’t have my voice then and I had a slight fever. But that was all. Thank God I had my flu and pnuemonia vaccination in 2007 which was probably the reason why I may have built stronger resistance against this kind of infection or flu. As for my husband, Peter, he was not so lucky. Suffice it to say I spent 7 whole days babysitting my poor, sick husband.  It is at times like this when vows made in marriages (in SICKNESS and in health…) are truly put to test. It didn’t help that Peter can be very stubborn, so stubborn in fact that it almost (almost but not quite) cost him his dear life.Thanks to his  loving friends, they were able to motivate me to practice some tough love on my not-so-tough darling baby.

So anyway, by the 2nd week of January, Peter was already complaining of sore throat.  So I figured, he got it from me. I did the best I could to help him.  I let him take bioflu capsules and when that didn’t work, I bought him antibiotics (amoxicillin). He took a sick leave from work Thursday last week. I asked him if he wants to go to the hospital and he said that he’ll let the antibiotics do its job first. But as days passed by, it was just getting worse. He couldn’t eat, he couldn’t even drink the tea and sip the soup I made for him. Until last Sunday, he was already having a difficult time breathing. He was choking in his own saliva! This alarmed me so much that I plurked about it. His friends immediately insisted that I bring him to a nearby hospital. Asian Hospital is just 5 minutes from our house. It’s open 24 hours daily and so by 3am last Monday, Peter  (despite his condition) was able to drive us there (I should really learn how to drive!). He was admitted to the E.R. and was given first aid (throat spray to numb the pain). The doctor on call advised that he be confined. He will be given two types of antibiotics that will be administered intravenously for faster results. He resisted. He said he was more comfortable at home and he didn’t want to be injected.  For a guy with a high threshold for pain, I really couldn’t blame him. He witnessed his Mom die in a hospital after a long bout of illness (breast cancer that metastasized to the thyroid, lungs and brain) and prior to that, he was also there every time a nurse incorrectly injected a needle to his mom’s veins over and over again. He knew how much pain that caused his mom and he didn’t want to experience the same thing. So  I really don’t blame him for having such disgust at hospitals and nurses.  But I also didn’t want to be swayed by his pitiful requests. I wanted him to be treated as quickly as possible. The only minor concern I had then was how much it would cost us. Knowing that  Asian Hiospital cater to the more high-end  class of society, I was already expecting and considering paying big bucks.  And since we don’t have any health insurance covering for us, I more or less expected  a huge dent in our pockets. The doctor estimated that he might be confined for at least three days at an estimated cost of Php50,000.00. I said, okay. If that’s what it costs for Peter to finally stop his vice (smoking) and finally live a healthy life, then I’m all for it,  thinking that I’ll just postpone whatever plan I had of going to Jakarta and Bali. It’s just money. We can earn it back.  After much debate, Peter conceded.  He was given demerol  (a narcotic drug sort of like morphine) so he wouldn’t have to feel the pain anymore and that was when he finally slept. For the first time since Thursday last week, he was out.

“I never knew I could miss him snore as much as I did whan I heard him finally sleep.”

I never knew I could miss him snore as much as I did whan I heard him finally sleep.  To make the long story short,  after 20 hours, the two antibiotics they’re administering via IV worked.  The abcess in his throat popped & he was able to spit the pus. Otherwise his throat would have to be aspirated. Afterwards, he can  already talk & eat.  I thought everything would be okay. Then he started having chest pains. The x-ray results say he has pneumonitis or inflammation of the right lung. Fortunately, the tonsils got treated immediately with the right antibiotics so  that already  pretty much covered his lungs too. Otherwise, it could lead to pneumonia & that can be fatal.

Peter is now up and about. He got discharged last Wednesday (January 14). He still has 6 more days to finish the rest of his antibiotics though and hopefully never experience this kind of illness again.

ASIAN HOSPITAL

When you go to a hospital like Asian Hospital here in Alabang, you naturally expect the best. Their brochure says so on page1:

“ This is our commitment to you. At Asian Hospital, your health and well-being are important and we endeavor to make sure that with our hospital services, your experience will be as pleasant and as hassle-free as possible.”

So, I was a bit disappointed when I experienced several minor hassles. The following account was written as things were happening. I just copy-pasted it here:

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