The Beginning

It was painful. I know it not just an ordinary pain. It was different.
I could not focus on my calls. At first, it was just a smooth pain that I can just let it pass. But the more I think about it. The pain gets heavier. It's 5 minutes before the end of my shift. I can't wait to end my call and log out into the phone. Beep! At last, I'm ready to go. Oooppss... TC Romel was calling for a huddle, like always every end of the shift and I almost forgot it. Still, I'm trying to hide the torture of the painful thing in my cervix. Until I finally decided to act and told my TC to excuse me and that I need to go because I am not feeling well. Good thing TC Romel was too kind to let me go. Maybe I pass the quota at that time. Then went I go.

I contacted my best friend that day. I called him that I'm not okay and that I need to go to the hospital, the painful thing is giving me a trembling feeling already. And I know that there is something wrong. Thank God, the best friend was near to the Hospital and he was not busy. He accompanied me to have a checkup first. That day I have the HMO Doctor still open. He checked me and did some pushing on my tummy, and it's still painful. He said I should have an ultrasound to check what's that painful thing I am suffering at that moment. His first diagnosed was appendicitis. Good Lord, why would I have this, I asked myself.

After the HMO Doctor checked me. He referred me to the ER. There I was answering some papers and handed them my HMO card for verification. Then they let me wore a robe for admission. The process was fast because it was a Private Hospital. After a series of answering a series of inquiring from the nurse. They deliver me to the ultrasound room. There I met the Doctors who will be doing the test on me. It was my first time to be in the Hospital and I was kind of scared because the best friend was outside. He is not allowed to go with me.

I don't remember if I pray during that moment. So, I was lying in an operating bed and they want me to get rid of my underwear. They let me have my thigh open so that they can do the test on me. I feel so cold and scared at the same time. Wishing I let go of the idea of coming to the Hospital. But it makes me prying what's the pain all about.

It's very cold and slimy. I can feel the hard thing inside my cervix though the Doctor already warned me about it. It was too painful that I need to irk and almost wanted to cry. Then I thought of when was the last time I have coitus? Oh, I was laid for almost 2 years already.

After the checking. The Doctors surprised me of having an ovarian cyst on the right side of my uterus. They let me see the ultrasound they have and I can see clearly that there is a bump on my uterus, waving at me. The Doctor said, that it was the cause of the painful feeling I am having and that I needed to have it operated because it might be cancer. Oh, Lord. Cancer? What?

They took me in a wheelchair because of the pain. The best friend was waiting for me. I told him the bad news. And he was shocked more than I am. So I told the Doctor to have myself think about it and tell my parents of the news. The Doctor was too kind to tell me that she will take good care of me and she promised me that she will save me. The thought gave me an inspiration and she gave me a pain reliever.

I went to my parent's house which is near to the Hospital where I have my checkup. I'm glad the Mother was there. I told her I will have a major operation tonight. As I remember, she was not worried. More of like she was surprised. Because if she worried about me, she will accompany me instead of my best friend. But she did not. She doesn't care. At least, I let her know if in case the operation didn't well. They can get something from me though.

Before going to my quest. I get some stuff I needed because I know for sure it is just not an overnight kind of thing. The best friend was still there for me. Always giving me a positive vibe. I kind of missing him now. Anyway, so we went back to the Hospital and gave the referral papers I have for my operation. They gave me a robe again. They took me to a room with lots of patients. I was too thankful that the best friend was there for me to help me out. Until the nurse gave me a sleeping liquid injected to me and the next thing I know...

I was inside the operating room. It was too cold. My two arms were wrapped by a clothing to check my blood pressure. Every now and then the clothe will pump out. I can hear someone shouting that BP was too high. My head was covered with green clothing too. The next thing I know, I was in the recovery room where there is another patient next to me. I was chilling because of the full AC. I feel so reeling. I fall asleep.

I wake up in a small ward with 6 beds. No one is around me and I don't know what day or time was it. No Mother, Father or siblings were there. I can't find my best friend. My mind was too tired to think of anything rather than the thought of sleeping back again. I didn't know how long I was sleeping.

I woke up and noticed someone beside me. It was Joseph, one of my friend who was working in the Hospital. He was there the entire time he visited me. I could not fathom the joy of having him around. For a couple of days, he is the first person I saw and I'm so glad he was there to look for me. But the joy was outgrown by the tiredness I feel. I feel so very very tired that I need to tell him I have to sleep back again. He said he won't be too long here because he has to work. And I said okay and asked him a favor to call Kaleng, my other best friend. Then off I sleep back.

You noticed that I remember everything, right? Maybe my memory is working at this moment writing this. Anyway, back to my narrative.

I woke up having Kaleng by my side. And she was not alone. She is with someone I know. I ask her to look out for me while I'm trying to contact my parents. I don't know what day it was but I believe I've been there for 5 days. I still cannot move my legs and I have a tube inserted in my back that every time the nurse will visit me and injected something, I can feel the coldness and the numbness, and that's the first thing I know it was anesthesia. Then there is a long tube from my cervix down to my bed. I have my first catheter.

They still don't want me to eat or even have water. I can't sit because my operation was still fresh. Then my best friend John and Billy visited me and bring me some food. I was glad that they visited me while none of my parents or my siblings visit me there. The usual, they make me laugh and every time I laugh, my tummy hurts pretty bad.

It's not all the time I should rely on someone so I called my parents and asked them to visit me. Thank God. They have time for me. My Father and Mother was there as well as my 3rd Brother. They didn't even worried about me, I can sense that. Instead, they are curious about it. After a series of chit-chat, they left me with my 3rd Brother. Which is very kind to watch over me for the night. And it makes me feel better.

It took for me almost a month of confinement and because of that, I have a very huge excess. I exceeded the limit of my HMO. I wonder why it's too expensive. I check the bill and there I found out I have a CT scan. And asked myself, why would I have a CT scan? Then I remember. I was taken to a room where there is a huge kind of space thing, I was taken inside it and scanned me. That's the cost of I'm having a very huge amount for my bill.

I asked help for my teammates and my TC which they opted to help me. They work some paper for my HMO and the bill was lesser and it's still too big amount. Since I have no one to help me out. I beg my parents to help me. They ask the Doctors and even the Hospital's Director because they saw something irregularities on my bill. That was the first time they helped me.

It was the year of 2008 when I was diagnosed with having an Ovarian cyst. Thank God it was benign, not cancerous.

And I thought that would be the end of my Hospital meeting.

I was wrong. That was the beginning.