40. "Old Men Ailment"

Three years went by before father had another health problem that was common among men of his age - an enlarged prostate that had blocked the urethra that drains the urine from the bladder, and caused great discomfort and pain during urination. I took him to the Taiping hospital and the doctor inserted a catheter through his penis and into his bladder to drain urine into a plastic bag which he had to carry along wherever he went.

However, this equipment had to be replaced every week for hygienic reasons. This weekly procedure, sometimes, at the out-patient clinic, and sometimes at the emergency unit, was a big hassle and painful process for father as the hospital assistants were rough and uncaring. The doctors were just as inconsiderate and they told father that he would have to live with the contraption for the rest of his life. Without much thought, they referred him to a specialist at the General Hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

We went there with high hopes. But, for all the pain and discomfort that father had to endure for this trip, the specialist told father that he was too old and weak to survive the operation. He told father to get fit first before coming back to see him again.

After all these frustrations and uncaring attitudes we received from the very people who pledged to serve and heal the sick and helpless, we decided to send father to the Ipoh Specialist Hospital at Jalan Raja DiHilir in Ipoh.

It was in the morning when we consulted Dr. Ding, the resident urologist, who convinced us that our father's problem could be easily treated with a simple, safe, and common surgical procedure.

That very evening, the specialist did a trans-urethral resection of the prostate by inserting a scope through the penis and removing the prostate piece by piece. Father was given local anesthesia and was fully awake throughout the 3-hour operation, and he described the sensation like being bitten by ants.

After two nights of rest and recuperation at the hospital, father returned home cured of his problem. In appreciation, everyone of us contributed in our own ways, but Suit Meng and Sweed Lean shouldered the major portions of the costs incurred. After this episode, father was well and healthy again until the second half of 2001 when his overall health began to falter.

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