Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Monday, November 07, 2005
Intensive Care
Ram’s brother-in-law, the husband of her late elder sister, who is now 81 years old, is in hospital. He has been in hospital since October 25th, initially admitted with complaints of being too tired, exhausted, and unable to get out of bed unaided. He was brought to the hospital by ambulance. He was reluctant in going. This was two days after he held a prayer session in his house for his late wife who passed away just about a year ago, on the 20th day of Ramadan to be exact. Most close relatives came for the prayer session. He already appeared very weak then and had difficulties moving about, meeting the family members, welcoming his neighbours and other guests. On hearing that he was taken into hospital, most went to visit him in the hospital too. All agreed that he was too weak, pale and frail.
Ram and I visited him too. He was his usual talkative self. We noticed that, in spite of being weak and frail, he was always moving, fidgeting, and appeared easily agitated. He does not seem to be happy where he was. He seemed to want to be taken home. He even said so. They keep taking samples but never found anything, so I might as well go home, he said. The hospital was thorough in the tests, they have to be, in order to have a proper diagnosis. They administered medications and treatment to him but his condition got worse. It was noticed that he was not accepting the health administration but was instead fighting it. He even removed by himself one of that stuff that they stick in his arm to administer treatment.
He was moved from the normal ward to a close observation ward but a few days later had to be taken into the Intensive Care Unit as his condition got worse and worse. He had problems breathing, with poor lung condition and pneumonia. Oral administration of medications failed as he kept vomiting them out. He had to put on a breathing mask and that too he kept trying to take off. He appeared to be fighting the treatments given to him, weak and frail as he was. He did not, and could not talk, but gave signs that he wants out. One of his daughters gave him a pen and he wrote that he wants to go home. He gave the nurses a rough time, but they persevere. They carried out their duties, nursing him, with dedication. We were all praying for him to get better, the nurses and the doctors helped to make it better for him, and all of us submitted to the Almighty to ease it for him whichever way it was but he was, all the time, persistently avoided treatment.
He was taken into the ICU the last day of Ramadan. His condition had gone from bad to worse. He needed help to sustain. Various gadgets were hooked up on him. He appeared lost, disoriented and I assume extremely stressed out. He had used all the energy he had to fight against whatever treatment administered, and that probably was one of the reasons his condition deteriorated. It was decided that he be allowed to have complete rest while treatment is given to his lung condition and it was agreed that the procedure be initiated the day after he was taken into the ICU, that was the first day of Eid’l Fitri.
After the Eid’l Fitri morning prayers, Ram and I went straight to the hospital. His children were all there too. It was explained to us that he will be put under sedation, a breathing apparatus will be hooked up and he will be aided to breathe and that treatment of his lungs and the pneumonia be administered. He will not be aware of the treatment, and under the relaxed condition it was hoped that treatment will proceed positively. It has been five days now and it was reported that his lung condition had improved much and that he can be taken off the breathing aid. All his children played a role in his recovery I think. Their Eid’l Fitri celebrations were very subdued, spent mostly in the hospital, keeping vigil on their father. One of his daughters, a doctor, played a major deciding role in all the medical processes. His eldest son, a General in the army, shuffled time between his duties to the nation and duties to his father, coming to the hospital two or three times in a day, and he did well. Another son, living in a neighbouring country came twice and both times spending most of it with his father. His other children too paid similar attention to their father. Ram’s two other sisters, Siti and Shidah, living in the south, came up to visit as well. All, in a way, contributed to his recovery, as it would have reassured him knowing that they all stood by him.
They have stopped administering the sedatives since this morning allowing him to recover naturally. Indeed when we saw him today he was responding to our call, but he was, as before the administration of the sedation procedure, moving his hands, legs, body and so on, perhaps slowly feeling conscious and feeling all those intrusive gadgets on his body. The breathing aid will be taken out as soon as he is fully conscious. We are yet to see how his response will be when fully conscious but we have high hopes. We would like to see him continue with life as normal, to be self sufficient, able to move about and attending to personal needs unaided. We continue to pray for guidance from the Almighty as we believe in putting our whole trust in HIM. We try, we do our best possible but in the end it is HE who decides one way or another and to HIM we submit………..
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
Ram and I visited him too. He was his usual talkative self. We noticed that, in spite of being weak and frail, he was always moving, fidgeting, and appeared easily agitated. He does not seem to be happy where he was. He seemed to want to be taken home. He even said so. They keep taking samples but never found anything, so I might as well go home, he said. The hospital was thorough in the tests, they have to be, in order to have a proper diagnosis. They administered medications and treatment to him but his condition got worse. It was noticed that he was not accepting the health administration but was instead fighting it. He even removed by himself one of that stuff that they stick in his arm to administer treatment.
He was moved from the normal ward to a close observation ward but a few days later had to be taken into the Intensive Care Unit as his condition got worse and worse. He had problems breathing, with poor lung condition and pneumonia. Oral administration of medications failed as he kept vomiting them out. He had to put on a breathing mask and that too he kept trying to take off. He appeared to be fighting the treatments given to him, weak and frail as he was. He did not, and could not talk, but gave signs that he wants out. One of his daughters gave him a pen and he wrote that he wants to go home. He gave the nurses a rough time, but they persevere. They carried out their duties, nursing him, with dedication. We were all praying for him to get better, the nurses and the doctors helped to make it better for him, and all of us submitted to the Almighty to ease it for him whichever way it was but he was, all the time, persistently avoided treatment.
He was taken into the ICU the last day of Ramadan. His condition had gone from bad to worse. He needed help to sustain. Various gadgets were hooked up on him. He appeared lost, disoriented and I assume extremely stressed out. He had used all the energy he had to fight against whatever treatment administered, and that probably was one of the reasons his condition deteriorated. It was decided that he be allowed to have complete rest while treatment is given to his lung condition and it was agreed that the procedure be initiated the day after he was taken into the ICU, that was the first day of Eid’l Fitri.
After the Eid’l Fitri morning prayers, Ram and I went straight to the hospital. His children were all there too. It was explained to us that he will be put under sedation, a breathing apparatus will be hooked up and he will be aided to breathe and that treatment of his lungs and the pneumonia be administered. He will not be aware of the treatment, and under the relaxed condition it was hoped that treatment will proceed positively. It has been five days now and it was reported that his lung condition had improved much and that he can be taken off the breathing aid. All his children played a role in his recovery I think. Their Eid’l Fitri celebrations were very subdued, spent mostly in the hospital, keeping vigil on their father. One of his daughters, a doctor, played a major deciding role in all the medical processes. His eldest son, a General in the army, shuffled time between his duties to the nation and duties to his father, coming to the hospital two or three times in a day, and he did well. Another son, living in a neighbouring country came twice and both times spending most of it with his father. His other children too paid similar attention to their father. Ram’s two other sisters, Siti and Shidah, living in the south, came up to visit as well. All, in a way, contributed to his recovery, as it would have reassured him knowing that they all stood by him.
They have stopped administering the sedatives since this morning allowing him to recover naturally. Indeed when we saw him today he was responding to our call, but he was, as before the administration of the sedation procedure, moving his hands, legs, body and so on, perhaps slowly feeling conscious and feeling all those intrusive gadgets on his body. The breathing aid will be taken out as soon as he is fully conscious. We are yet to see how his response will be when fully conscious but we have high hopes. We would like to see him continue with life as normal, to be self sufficient, able to move about and attending to personal needs unaided. We continue to pray for guidance from the Almighty as we believe in putting our whole trust in HIM. We try, we do our best possible but in the end it is HE who decides one way or another and to HIM we submit………..
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Eid'l Fitri
Ramadan has ended. We have entered Syawal in the Hijri calendar, which means the end of Ramadan fasting, of abstaining from personal pleasures during the daytime, of restraining oneself from daylight personal delights in food, drinks and those that one usually take pleasure in. It is not the end of fasting however, because it is espoused in the religion that one should continue Ramadan month with 6 days of fasting in Syawal to derive benefits of fasting equivalent to one year. The 6 days can be performed any day in Syawal except day 1, which is the day of rejoicing, of victory from one’s fight against temptations, succumbing to the daily pleasures in life. Why one month of Ramadan and six days in Syawal is equivalent to one year? I look at it this way. It has been said that the benefits provided for our deeds are usually given in multiples of ten. Taking the ten multiplying factor, one month of Ramadan is equivalent to 10 months and 6 days in Syawal is 60 days, or two months making it a total of twelve months.
It is the practice in our community that on the last day of Ramadan, and eve of Syawal, immediately after the post dusk prayers, we go house to house within the community and recite the ‘takbir’, glorifying the almighty and offering short prayers. We divide ourselves into streets and in my street there are about 15 households to visit. Children will usually follow the adults and take part in the takbir and then partake on the food that each house lay out for the guests, neighbours really. However that’s not all that the children look forward to. It’s the ‘duit raya’ or money in colourful envelopes, that is top in their list. Babang and Dedek followed us around but halfway through Dedek could not continue as he was sleepy. The house to house visits ended at just after midnight and Babang followed us all the way to the end.
In the morning, at about 8.30 there will be a congregation at the mosque offering Eid prayers, afterwhich the family will get together in the house and the young ones seek forgiveness from the elders and there will be exchanges of those little, colourful envelopes again, usually to the children and to the elders. So for those who are still working, it will be give only while we retirees give and receive!! The family will sit together over breakfast, a heavy one indeed, the spread usually of rice, meat chicken and various other food, cooked extensively beyond the normal daily food. Then the younger ones in the family will start moving about seeking their elders to seek forgiveness. So Ram’s and my nephews and nieces would come and visit us. Ram and I had prepared for this morning breakfast days in advance. We prepared sweet meat, spiced chicken, rice cubes, and rice cooked in coconut leave packs, and also macaroni. Some of these were offered at the evening takbir. Son Shaffik prepared our traditional family drink, a concoction that is prepared using 12 various herbs and spices, good for cleansing the body system. The recipe of this drink was handed down from my great grandmother, and five generations now.
The whole month of Syawal will be a month of visiting the elders, neighbours, friends and colleagues. There will also be a lot of eating. Many will hold open-houses and invite people over. Food caterers will be making roaring business catering to the open-houses. Royalties, Ministers and Dignitaries will usually hold their open houses on day 1 or 2 of Syawal and open to the public. This is one occasion that the public can get very close to the King and Royalties, the Prime Minister and other Ministers and their family members and shake their hands, and partake in the food spread offered. So it will be a month of eating and be merry. One whole month of food, glorious food. One month of fasting followed by one month of eating….. in the end back to square one, and you wonder why you are overweight?.........
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
It is the practice in our community that on the last day of Ramadan, and eve of Syawal, immediately after the post dusk prayers, we go house to house within the community and recite the ‘takbir’, glorifying the almighty and offering short prayers. We divide ourselves into streets and in my street there are about 15 households to visit. Children will usually follow the adults and take part in the takbir and then partake on the food that each house lay out for the guests, neighbours really. However that’s not all that the children look forward to. It’s the ‘duit raya’ or money in colourful envelopes, that is top in their list. Babang and Dedek followed us around but halfway through Dedek could not continue as he was sleepy. The house to house visits ended at just after midnight and Babang followed us all the way to the end.
In the morning, at about 8.30 there will be a congregation at the mosque offering Eid prayers, afterwhich the family will get together in the house and the young ones seek forgiveness from the elders and there will be exchanges of those little, colourful envelopes again, usually to the children and to the elders. So for those who are still working, it will be give only while we retirees give and receive!! The family will sit together over breakfast, a heavy one indeed, the spread usually of rice, meat chicken and various other food, cooked extensively beyond the normal daily food. Then the younger ones in the family will start moving about seeking their elders to seek forgiveness. So Ram’s and my nephews and nieces would come and visit us. Ram and I had prepared for this morning breakfast days in advance. We prepared sweet meat, spiced chicken, rice cubes, and rice cooked in coconut leave packs, and also macaroni. Some of these were offered at the evening takbir. Son Shaffik prepared our traditional family drink, a concoction that is prepared using 12 various herbs and spices, good for cleansing the body system. The recipe of this drink was handed down from my great grandmother, and five generations now.
The whole month of Syawal will be a month of visiting the elders, neighbours, friends and colleagues. There will also be a lot of eating. Many will hold open-houses and invite people over. Food caterers will be making roaring business catering to the open-houses. Royalties, Ministers and Dignitaries will usually hold their open houses on day 1 or 2 of Syawal and open to the public. This is one occasion that the public can get very close to the King and Royalties, the Prime Minister and other Ministers and their family members and shake their hands, and partake in the food spread offered. So it will be a month of eating and be merry. One whole month of food, glorious food. One month of fasting followed by one month of eating….. in the end back to square one, and you wonder why you are overweight?.........
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
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