Prayers Requested

I am finally back from my extended business trips. The kids had fun at Sentosa Island, Singapore while I attended meetings. I then had a whirlwind repacking frenzy - less than 12 hours back home to drop the kids, unpack, swap luggage and repack, and then Hubby and I left for Incredible India where we spent a couple of days touring Delhi and Agra before I started my string of conferences.

While we were in India, we received news that my dad was down with the common flu and cough. What was worrying was the fact that he fell down. Despite our insistence that we bring him to the hospital, he declined. I don't know how the siblings managed to coax him, but eventually they went to the hospital where he received nebulizer treatment for his persistent cough and phlegm in his lungs. ECG was done but found to be normal and he was allowed to go home. 

Unfortunately he fell down again at home, a few hours after they left the hospital. This time, no one realized that he had fell and they only found him during Subuh. He barely had the energy to pull himself up, so collectively the siblings decided to admit him to the hospital for one night. He had a fever, high BP and his lungs were congested that the doctors were worried that he might have developed an infection. Closer to the afternoon, he started talking nonsense and didn't make sense. Everyone thought it was because the medication was so strong and he was groggy. 

Mind you, when all this happened, I had just sent Hubby to the Delhi airport for his journey home and I was busy preparing for my conferences in Delhi and Mumbai. I barely had time to look at my phone. 

As the days went on, my dad's condition continued to decline. He couldn't pass urine, his lungs were congested and his speech was still slurred. But he was able to move his hands and leg normally and he had a good appetite. 

Finally, I arrived home on Friday morning. Papa's condition was still the same. They did an echo but found that his heart was fine, and there were even talks about discharging him right after his lungs cleared. After discussing with Hubby, we decided to make a trip home to Ipoh for the weekend, to visit both Papa and the new baby (I had a new nephew while in India). 

We arrived at the hospital on Saturday afternoon. He looked absolutely fine except for his speech (macam lidah pendek, so I couldn't make out what he was trying to say), the occasional nebulizer treatments for his lungs and a slightly elevated BP. He kept indicating that he wanted to go home. I guess he had enough of the hospital already. 

We left the hospital late afternoon to check in to our hotel. I promised him that I would come again at night, and he nodded to indicate that he understood.

Well, everything spiraled downwards right after that. He complained of chest pain, his oxygen level declined, high BP. Drastic change, so the hospital decided to move him to the High Dependency Unit (HDU). They did an MRI on him and found a small blood clot in his brain. Due to that, they suspected that he had a mild stroke. During the night, his heart rate spiked and he developed AF (irregular heart beat) so they gave him medication to prevent the risk of stroke.

The next day he was struggling to breathe, so the hospital moved him to ICU. His body was weakening and the doctors suspected that it was because of the lung infection. We rushed to see him that morning, and he looked so sickly. He was struggling to breathe, gasping for air and wearing an oxygen mask. They gave him some relaxants so he was asleep when we came in. In the afternoon visiting hours, he heard us and opened his eyes. He tried to remove the wires on his body and indicated with his hands that he wanted to leave! We tried to calm him down and coaxed him to sleep. That night, since his oxygen levels were so low the doctors decided to put him on life support. 

The next day (Monday) he was still on life support with no improvements. Monday night, the doctors told us that he was in critical stage, and asked us to sign a DIL notice. DIL stands for Death In Line, meaning the condition is very serious and can lead to death. The doctors asked us to prepare for the worst. As of today, there is still no change in his condition.

I've never been close to my dad as I practically grew up without him in my life. But still, it hurts to see him in so much pain. If it is not too much to ask from my readers, can I ask that you extend a prayer for my Papa. If the best is for him to recover, then pray for him to get better soon. However, if it is time for him to go, then make it quick, easy and painless for him. Let him go dengan tenang, mudah dan selesa.

Thanking you in advance, for your sincere prayers.

Much love,

Liz