Friday, August 12, 2011

Confined in San Lazaro Hospital H4 Ward (part 1)

It was August 3, morning, Wednesday. I was on my way to San Lazaro from work, when I started to feel unusually tired. When I arrived in San Lazaro to have some lab work done, I was already feeling weak, so weak that I could barely walk far. I decided to go to the H4 ward to have a temperature check or perhaps an impromptu check-up, but all my vital signs were normal, so the nurses told me to go home and take a rest; so I did. In the train, I was so weak I can barely hold tight on the metal bars for support or even on the over head bars. Good thing I was able to find myself a seat. I was able to go home safely that day. A few hours after I arrived home, my fever shot up to 40 degrees. I called up the ward to tell them what happened and what to do. They told me to take paracetamol tablets. The next day was my check-up; so I'll have everything checked on that day.

Check-up day came, August 4, 2011. I was feeling a bit better, dad drove me to the hospital that morning. My fever was intermittently high on some hours and I have to take paracetamol for it to go down. I was inside the car the whole time because I was so weak to even sit on the plastic chairs in front of the ward. When it was my turn to be checked, the doctor asked me if I wanted to be confined, I said no. Although he warned me that anytime that I feel something else aside from the fever, I need to be confined right away, the doctor also told me to observe anything unusual so we can determine what causes the fever.

August 5, 2011, I woke up in the morning and saw my arms with bright red spots. I told my dad who then just arrived from the market. He told me to pack my things, I am going to be admitted. While we were in the car, I started informing people that matters that I am going to be confined. Everybody responded with well wishes. I was soon to know who will visit. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors were on lunch, so we have to wait a couple of minutes more. My fever started to get high again so I was shivering at the ward's lobby, I laid myself down on one of the benches and slept. My name was called after some time, and a wheelchair was waiting for me to take me to the doctor's office. I told the doctor I am ready to be admitted, so the doctor arranged all the needed documents. A bed in the female ward was prepared for me along with other male patients who were just kids. The only female patient in that room was a pregnant girl. we'll call her Female OFW.

DAY 1 - It was my first time to be confined in a public hospital. This is better than nothing at all, I cannot afford to to be in the pay-ward anyway. I was put in the female ward, with only 1 female patient and with three males; all three were in their early twenties. The room was around 50 square feet with green walls and screened windows. There were 5 beds that were made of old hospital metal frames and some foams already have cracked because of age. My bed was the one with the cracked foam and was at the very end of the row of beds. At my right was a kid with both of his parents at his side who frequently has severe fever attacks at night, let's call him wiggly#1. On my left is a small space where some stuff are stored a bit further down and was Female OFW's bed, and at the foot of my bed is bikiniboy, the twenty something provincial lad who was confined because his body reacted violently to Nevirapine. At my far right was a twenty year old someone from somewhere in NCR, let's call him wiggly#2. While my dad was at the mall shopping for supplies I need. A friend from work who lives nearby was the first one to visit me with her boyfriend. We had a little chitchat and we caught up with some stuff at work and about her kid. She helped me settle down some of my stuff I brought with me. My dad came back in the room late afternoon and my friend and her boyfriend had to go, we had fun catching up. My mom came late afternoon and I told her to have dinner with my dad. While the two were away I was left alone on my bed, half asleep, when the mother of wiggly#2 told me that I was bleeding. I looked at my hand and saw a fountain of smooth flowing blood gushing out of my wrist. My IV tube went out, thus, the bleeding. The blood was gushing out so fast that almost half of the bed-sheet got wet of blood. Infairness, I was at awe on how much blood gushed out and how beautiful the flow was that I almost did not bother to stop it from bleeding. The next thing I knew was that my hand was full of fresh, warm blood, and so as the sheets. The nurse came and and immediately wore his gloves, took the paper towels at my stainless steel desk and stopped it from bleeding. Half of my bed was full of paper towels because I have to pat it dry. My IV tube was then transfered to my right wrist. Anne, my best friend was the one who was with me on my first night in the hospital. I asked my dad to go home and take a rest. Anne was very diligent on checking my temperature and wiping my back and changing my clothes. I never knew she would do it, not until that day. She bought DVDs and a player with her. So after watching a flick, we slept. She was not able to slept soundly because I kept on coughing and moving around all night and I was sweating like a roasting pig with my pink-rashed skin.

DAY 2 - More visitors came by to greet and bring food. Anne's dad dropped by and brought food during lunch time. I also was able to get to know more patients as I my fever goes down and I was able to walk around inside the ward. I was able to talk to a mom of a mid-20-something boy who has a CD4 count of 10, let's call him wiggly#3. Who struck me the most was Alexis, more of him later. Rico, was a former OFW, he was confined at the same day I was and because of high grade fever. There was Marsha, a loud, flamboyant, and very funny gay guy who was already there for more than two months because of a fungi infection in his brain; because of HIV. Wiggly#3, Alexis, Marsha, and Rico were at the room opposite to the female ward, that's the male ward, with a brighter atmosphere and big windows with plenty of fresh air circulating. Marsha, is so loud that he screams when he is in pain or wants attention from everyone. I noticed him when he was yelling... "ANG SAKIT... ANG SAKEEET SAKEEET... NG ULO KO!'. All the nurses came running to his bed and I came to the door of their room to see what the commotion was about. He asked the nurses if there is are pain relievers he can drink to ease his headache, he said "Nurse, may gamot ba?" ...all the nurses said was "wala kaming kumot Marsha eh, wala nang extra". Marsha said, "Aanhin ko ang kumot, kelangan ko ng gamot! Jusko"! I walked back to my bed with a grin on my face. Night of day two, I asked my dad to go home. I am strong enough to take care of myself anyway, even if I have an IV inserted on my wrist. I don't need someone to watch over me at night. So he went home that night and I chatted with the other patients until bed time came.

Part 2 here

17 comments:

  1. hope you'll feel better soon! :)

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  2. For a fleeting moment I thought I was sick, too. Fungi infection in the brain: nasty, I can only imagine how it feels and be more thankful for migraine.. :|

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  3. weird, RITM suggest not to take paracetamol when a fever arise.

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  4. @Chemistry: Taking paracetamol is a no-no when a patient is taking ARVs. However, if the fever reaches 40 degrees above, paracetamol needs to be taken.

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  5. hi ther.. im 21 yrs old now.. just call me harvey,yes! im gay.im not active in sex. there was 1night. galing ako skul, (to make the story short)imbes na dalhin ako pauwi s aming lugar iniba nya ang dreksyon at tinakot ako.alas7pm nun. sa isang madilim at tahimik na lugar. hindi ko na rin alam kung san yun sa tkot ko nung gabi.. at yun' pinilit nya akong mkipagsex s kanya. (to mke the story short)nkiawa ako kung pwede bj lng. at pumawag n din ang gagu! para matapos na ginawa ko nlng din kasi pinilit na nya ako.pinilit nyang ipasok ang ari nya s bibig ko.. (to make the story)may nagyari yung gabi.. bj yun! pag.uwi ko. gusto ko sanang sbihin s tito't tita ko ang nagyari sa akin kaya lng umalis pala sila sbi ng kasambahay.(s knila ksi ako nktira while studying, nga pala 17 yrs ols ako nun,ngaun 21 na ako)

    ngaun.after that happened few months mdalas na akong lagnatin..mild fever.. tapos early this yr 2011.. may unusual feeling na akong nararamdam.. like sobrang sore throat, right goiter ko parang lumaki ng kunti.. tpos sobra akong pagpawisan.. khti kunting galaw lng. kahit bgong ligo.. basa akat ang armpit at ulo ku ..parang nliligo na ko s sobrang pawis. so, i decided na mgpacheck.. (alone)i told the doctor about what happen kasi nga baka may hiv na naku.. at naiiyak iyak pa ko nung ngkwento ako.. sbi nya one way to find out.. mgpa.hiv test daw ako.. ok! one week after nglakas loob akong mgpatest.. cbc was normal though lymphocytes were high a bit. and negative hiv result.. bumalik ako s kanya after 2 weeks. sabi nya ok lang daw yun kasi nga ng.negative nmn hiv result ko. at wbc ko normal nmn daw. sbi nya baka dhil s stress lng daw yun. ok.. life goes on sabi ko s srili ko.. parang nbunutan ako ng tinik nun.. month of june yun.. after nun.. 4th yr na ako. sympre back to skul na..here comes sept. i stated coughing. dry cough. though dati may dry ako..pro this time i much bother. at during sept october may parang white something wen i cough, sabay sa saliva ko.. at sumasakit na likod ku dati rin nmn msumasakit likod ku pro ngaun kahit walang ginagawa masakit tlaga sya. so i bother. last week of october parang nagblebleed na gums ko.. i just let it.. ksi baka s vitamin c ko lng yun.. then until one day may something parang pimples na s likod ko parang 8 dots na bright red.. nawawala after 10 days. tapos another na nman.. pwede tulungan nyo ako. takot na takot na talaga ako. i need your suggestion and im open for your reaction. pls.. thank u

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  6. @Harvey: Send me a private email so we can correspond in private. I don't think what you're experiencing right now is HIV related, I think.

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  7. I would like to know lang po ang procedure pagpunta sa San Lazaro. It's about my brother, my referral po ang doctor from Lung Center. Di ko po alam kung pano magstart pagdating don. Kung saang room unang pupunta. Saka yon po pang mga lab test ay free? San po pwedeng lumapit to seek help regarding fees. Kasi wala namang work ang brother ko at parents namin. 2 lang po kaming magkapatid, I'm married with a 3-yr old daughter, sister po nya ako. Wala naman po akong ibang income maliban sa regular work ko. So we really need to find some ways para masuportahan ang treatment nya. Sabi ko magbasa basa sya ng mga blogs tulad nito, kaso parang di pa ata nya kayang maka-encounter ng anything with regards sa sakit nya. Last Jan 21 lang po lumabas ang result nya. Di pa raw sya ready pumunta sa San Lazaro, nire-ready pa nya ang sarili nya. Sana matulungan nyo po ako sa mga procedures.

    Thanks.

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  8. @Anonymous: Hindi ako masyadong familiar sa mga proseso, dahil simula ng initial HIV test ay dere-derecho ako sa San Lazaro, hindi kasi pwedeng dumerecho doon agad-agad kapag walang sulat ng naunang doctor, nakiusap lang ako kasi first time kong magpapatest ng HIV 'nun at wala akong alam sa kahit anu mang bagay o proseso. Subalit, dahil meron na kayong referral letter, dumerecho na kayo sa SACCL clinic sa loob ng San Lazaro, katabi lang ito ng pantry nila. May mga tao sa loob 'nun na pwede mong pagtanungan. May cut off sila ng 4PM kaya agahan niyo, mula doon, irerefer naman nila kayo sa H4 Ward na nasa loob din ng San Lazaro, ang alam ko kasi, may mga dokyumento pang kailangan asikasuhin sa SACCL clinic bago kayo irefer sa H4 Ward. Hindi libre ang mga lab tests, pero murang-mura at may diskwento kapag pasyente ng H4 Ward, dahil coded patient ang lahat ng pasyente doon. Ang CD4 test ay libre din kapag pasyente doon. Ang CD4 test ang pinakaimportanteng lab test sa lahat at yun din ang pinakamahal kapag hindi ka pasyente ng SLH. Mas maganda kapag may Philhealth na kayo kasi kailangan yun para sa Antiretrovirals kung sakaling kailangan na ng kapatid mong uminom ng mag iyon. Para madagdagan din ng diskwento ang lab tests niya, pumunta kayo sa charity office ng SLH, nakalimutan ko kung anung tawag sa opisinang iyon, pero mabibigyan pa kayo ng diskwento sa lab tests kapag humingi kayo ng tulong dun, pero kailangan, "enrolled" patient na ang kapatid mo, bago kayo humingi ng tulog doon, mahaba nga lang ang pila sa opisinang iyon. Mag-email ka sa akin at ibibigay ko sa iyo ang direct number ng H4 Ward para makausap niyo ang staff doon at mapagtanungan ng tamang proseso.

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  9. @Anonymous: O nga pala, sabihin mo sa kapatid mo, huwag matakot. Dahil mababait at maasikaso ang mga staff ng H4 Ward, minsan nga lang haggard sila lalo na kapag Thursdays dahil Out-Patient Day iyon. May mga makakausap din siyang mga tulad niya, tulad ko. Mas makakabuti sa kalagayan niya ang may makasalimuhang kapwa PLHIV (People Living with HIV) para madagdagan ang kaalaman niya at magkaroon siya ng mga bagong kaibigan na tiyak na maiintindihan siya at ang kalagayan niya.

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    1. Hi, thanks for the reply. Hopefully matuloy kami this morning. Kahit ako niready ko pa sarili ko sa pagpunta don. Thanks again

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  10. No problem, let me know how everything goes.

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    1. Hi,

      Last Feb 3 lang natuloy sa check up un bro ko. He was required to do various lab tests. Tanong ko lang po yong mga lab tests po ba (aside sa CD4)sa labas kailangang pagawa, wala ba don sa loob ng SLH? At kun don gagawin doon din po ba sa mga kasabay ng mga regular na patient? Kung sa labas naman,what if tanungin sya ng hospital kung bakit don magpapatest eh galing na sa SLH?

      Thanks.

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    2. Meron sa loob, 24 hours bukas ng lab ng SLH, kung may tests na hindikaya sa lab ng SLH, meron sa Manila Social Hygiene Clinic, kaso kapag doon, kailanagn sobrang aga niyo kasi ang lab tests doon ay sa umaga lang, kung wala din dun, mag private lab na kayo. Sa dami ko nang naging lab tests sa pangpubliko at pribadong laboratoryo, hindi naman sila nagtatanung kung bakit galing SLH ang doctor's referral. Oo, kasabay niyo ang mga ordinaryong pasyente kapag sa lab ng SLH kayo magpapalab test.

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    3. E di pag doon sa mga lab tests sa SLH real name ang gagamitin nya?Tanong ko lang, how much more or less ang nagastos mo sa mga initial lab test mo. At saka may nabasa ako na hindi na free ang treatment this year.

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    4. Dapat code na niya ang gagamitin sa lab tests kapag sa loob ng SLH. Hmm... Mga nasa P1,500 more or less ang nagastos ko, sa SLH na 'yun. Totoo, hindi na free ang ARVs simula December 2012.

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  11. Mahal ba ang arv? Wat time ang magandanv pumunta dun sa san lazaro? First time ko kse.. thanks

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