+ Parents | What's Wrong Dad?

Had a call from Mom on Saturday night, 23-Jul-05. She was very concern with Dad as she noticed he was not himself the last few days.

He was normally always in the Garden, or at the kitchen doing chores or looking to do one. He could never kept still, always something to do around the house.

Lately she noticed that he was always resting, not watering the plants outside and care little about their Parrot Fish they care dearly. She came to know when she saw him rubbing ointment onto his stomach and his expression of pain. This kept going on for a couple of days until she called me that night.

I offered to take him to their doctor, Oxford Clinic in Pasir Ris, or even just the doctor downstairs in their block, but Dad just declined saying it was just gas or some heartburn. Self medication should just be fine, he said. My persuasion did not get through that day.

Mom called me to inform that Dad had the worst pain Sunday night. With some family contacts here and there, my youngest sister and her hubby in Woodlands rushed them to the clinic below joined by my 2nd eldest sister with her hubby at their home.

The GP diagnosed him as having too much air in his stomach. Prescribed him something to ease his stomach distension. Two days passed and the pain did go away. Phycologically I think Dad thought the pain eased because of the medication, but on Thursday night, the pain was the even worst.

Dad waited the night in excruciating pain instead of telling his children immediately. Mom called me and was crying of fear something really bad was happening to him.

I was about to leave the house for work in JB, but fortunately she got me in time before I went passed the immigration. It will be a hassle to get back once I was across the causeway. Took urgent leave that day and rushed him to A&E. Fortunately though, my brother-in-law who lives in Ponggol fetched him and went off the SGH.

We met at SGH Outpatient Clinic at about 9am. They then referred us to A&E instead. The A&E doctor attended to my Dad with a series of tests - Blood, Urine and X-ray after some physical examinations. All looked good, but because he was in pain and his age, the doctor referred him to the Colorectal Consultant at Clinic D.

At 2pm the same day, we registered and Doctor Ooi Boon Swee attended to him. After examination, he could not find anything wrong outrightly, so he recommended that my Dad go for Colonoscopy to see if anything is blocked by hardened feces or a tumor growth in his big intestine.

We had to come back for the check the next day, Sat 30-Jul-05 at 11:25am. He had to fast after 6:oopm and took two packs of laxatives to clear whatever food off his stomach.

Hope nothing was serious, but Dad should know best how he was feeling. We had to wait out till the next day.