As luck would have it, the doctor came by when I was there. We discussed - with me on WhatsApp with my siblings as well - and decided not to insert a stent but to use medicine to try to flush out the stone. They started her on the medicine that night and discharged her the next day.
Last Monday, MZ took her back for a review. The stone was still there! So no choice, surgery. And it was my turn to send her in.
I left before the kids woke and got to AMK by 7 am. We reached TTSH by 7.15 am. Registration etc was fast though we spent some time waiting on a bed before being told to change and verify documents etc. I realised many of the staff were non-Mandarin speaking but they got a Mandarin-speaking nurse to be with her during the procedure when family couldn't be present to help. She was pushed in just before 8.20 am.
The procedure was expected to take two hours. So I thought I would grab some breakfast and read while sipping coffee. But I forgot about no dining in :(
I bought a pancake from Mr Bean and ate it while looking at the mall directory. Grabbed a coffee from Wang and sipped at it in NTUC - supermarkets open early woohoo! - where I looked at the nutritional labels of cooking oils, hoho! Wanted to compare omega 3 vs. omega 6.
Next was Japan Home. Love going there to look at storage solutions, ironing boards, pots etc :p But I wouldn't buy anything since there's one near home.
But there's no Don Don Donki near home! And the last time Sito and I tried to go into one, there was a long queue. So I got some snacks for the kids and a packet of ramen for the adults. Also got a pair of cleaning beans for water bottles - can't wait to try them!
Then I spent a long time at Daiso. This is a small one but I went through all the household and kitchen products to identify interesting ones and those I could potentially use. Of course I topped up my supplies of wet wipes :p
At Daiso, I received a call from the hospital to say that Mother was done with the surgery and would need to be observed after GA and be reviewed by the doctor before she could be discharged. And I could not go back to the hospital yet.
I went through the mall another time before moving to the adjacent mall. Found a Guardian which was well stocked with masks so I took my time reading their useful comparison charts and selecting two boxes to buy. I stuffed everything into my Donki bag, which was filled to the brim after Guardian.
I went through this mall and found nothing of interest. Eventually, I went back to the first mall. I considered a foot massage but it was more expensive than our usual place and quality unknown. I also wasn't sure how much longer it would be. I thought I would check out a massage place I went to years back. But along the way, I passed by a TCM place, which offered a 20 min shoulder massage - I just had a massive knot in my left shoulder so I went in.
The massage was good. And it came with a concurrent 10 min moxibustion which I chose to do at my lower back after all that walking, and a 15 min infrared foot roller massage. What a life saver!
I didn't know what to do after that. So I bought a snack and ate outside the mall, facing the hospital. Still no call.
Needed a drink so went to this shop I bought from years back - it's still there and facing a.... TAXI STAND! I finally found seats!!!!!
I was so happy to be seated! T.T
But shortly after, my back started to itch. The parts that were massaged with hot oil and underwent moxibustion were very, very itchy! Just as I couldn't stand it anymore, the hospital called. 1.20 pm - gosh.
The nurse explained everything to me and I keyed into WhatsApp at the same time to inform the others. There was even a little souvenir - the culprit stone! It was tiny!
Mother was a bit dizzy and felt like puking - normal GA side effects. MZ came down to fetch her from taxi and I continued home. She later puked and felt better.
When I got back, I realised I was very tired. And I realised it was because my core is very weak and cannot support long periods of strolling and standing. I was also using a shoulder bag which meant I had to counter-balance it. And those darn slippers. Should have worn walking shoes. Need to exercise to get my core back in shape - think there was no shape since Yang or Yu :p
Anyway, I told Kai and Yang where I went when I got back. Kai was absorbed in Nintendo but Yang said, "What? How come there's a stone in the body?!" Yes, boy, drink more water!
Called Mother today to make sure she was taking her medicine coz she has an issue with tablets. As expected, she didn't take the painkiller coz not so painful!! Hope she's taking now...
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