Mosquitoes
- who would imagine such pesky nemeses could cause great havoc in our
family this last one week or so. What started with intense headaches,
feverish spells, severe joint and muscle pain and exhaustion later
led to one most unbelievable finding - dengue!!
Faris
was the first casualty. That Sunday night when he picked me up at the
airport, he complained of the bout of headaches he's been having over
the weekend. Next day it got worst and he went to the GP to have it
checked. At the clinic, they did a blood test. Later that evening,
his blood test results came back and it was tested positive for dengue. The
GP quickly prepared the guarantee letter for him to be admitted at
KPJ Hospital. I was at work when Abe informed me of his development.
Next thing I knew, I was on the way to the hospital.
The
moment he was in the ward, the nurses started him on the drip and got
series of tests done. Tubes of his blood samples were quickly sent to
the lab for more conclusive diagnosis.
Hero
# 1 was down and Mommy still in denial.
Hero
#2
Abe
was supposed to be away on work assignment. That morning before I
left for work, I saw him packing his suitcase. His movements were
slow and he didn't look like he was at all excited to leave for
Curryland. I thought it was because of my last minute
tag-along-cancellation that got him upset; leaving him with little
motivation to proceed with the trip (perghhhhh....perasan kann!!)
Well, if only some (incompetent) people didn't mess up with the
travel itinerary.......
Anyway,
it's all history now. Close book. Fated. Tak de rezeki nak ke
Bollywood again.
And
nak jadi cerita lagi, he too fell ill. His headaches and sore joints
became worst. Topped by chess pains lagi! And all these got him going
to the clinic. Just hours before his departure, the GP asked to stay
put and declared that he was not fit to travel. Doctor prescribed
some medications and asked him to continue resting at home. This was
quite a blow for him. First time in his nearing 30 years service with
the power company, he experienced such an adverse misfortune.
Two
days later came the second whammy. His blood test confirmed the cause
of his aches and pains. Positive dengue jugak!
Abe
checked-in to the same hospital; just two rooms down the corridor
from where Faris was.
Hero
# 2 was defeated and Mommy turned into Nurse Florence.
Mommy
as Nurse Florence had to put a brave front. Couldn't possibly show
the two heroes how worried she was. Close family members and friends
on FB helped calm the squirms in my stomach. And this
“not-giving-up-nurse” dutiful prepared soup ketam, rebus bayam, starfruit shake, 100 plus - the popular food for remedy
suggestions received from friends near and far for her patients.
My
office was very understanding on my situation. I was away for three
days and during those days I was either hanging out in the hospital
or preparing food for the duo. On a few occasions I had to run to
the pharmacies, hunting for some ointment or cream to help ease the
patients' pain. It was nerve wrecking tiring!
Looking
back how, Alhamdulillah, the trying times have passed. Both heroes
are recovering. Abe was first to be discharged and two days later
Faris was allowed to return home. They are both making good progress
and today Abe has gone back to work.
Bila
ingatkan havocnya last week, macam tak terpikul di bahu. Ya Allah,
itu baru sedikit ujian dari mu; your reminder to us of your
innumerable blessings. Ya Allah, if compared to
those with greater tests in war torn countries or plagued by droughts
and famine, apa benarlah yang kami lalui ini.
I
believe all these that happened is full of hikmah. Thank you God for
helping us re-align our purpose and priorities. His grace
upon us, as well as His eternal mercy and compassion, we should
always be thankful. Our body, our health, our rezeki are
all the great deal of evidence showing profound and great love of
Allah. Kita adalah hamba Nya but He has such great love for us. Subahanallah.
To
my love ones, this was Allah's test on us because he loves us and
wants to bring us closer to him and his religion. This was His
reminder for us to be better Muslims. To face tough and difficult
challenges in life with faith put on Him. Some challenges may be
difficult to overcome, especially when the odds are stacked against
us. Go against the odds, have that "never quit" attitude in
life. InshaAllah, by observing patience, remembering Him and turning
only to Him for help and guidance during such times, He will be there
for us.
To
all friends and acquaintances yang tidak jemu-jemu memberi words of
encouragement, offering their doas and prayers for the our safety and
well being, from the very bottom of my heart, I wish to express my
heartfelt thanks for your kindness and thoughtfulness. Thank you
thank you so much for being there for us.
