Yesterday was another fateful day for me that sent my heart racing the whole day.
To give you some context, on June 6th, 2024, Alycia had a freakish kitchen mishap. Her finger was badly sliced by shards of broken glass from a container when she was washing dishes at home. The injury was severe enough that she needed a 1.5-hour surgery, performed by a hand and microsurgery surgeon, to repair the damaged nerves and tendons and remove the glass pieces lodged inside. Everything seemed to be going well with her recovery, until yesterday.
Alycia had a restless night, unable to sleep due to the pain and swelling in her finger. By morning, things took a turn for the worseâthere was pus oozing out from the nail area. Alarmed, she Whatsapped a photo of her finger to her doctor. The response was immediate: she needed to go to the hospital to see him right away.
It all happened so suddenly. Alycia left for SJMC alone, as I was caught up with something else and couldnât accompany her. My mind was racing with worry when I got the call from the doctor. He calmly informed me that Alycia needed to undergo surgery in the operating theatre to drain the pus. My heart sank. The first thought that crossed my mind was, âWill our insurance cover this?â Her first surgery had already cost us RM30,000. Would this one cost just as much?
I quickly reached out to my insurance agent, and after more than 5 worrying hours, I received confirmation that the surgery was approved. We had to wait this long as the insurance website was down and the hospital had to submit the claim form manually via email, which took a longer time for reply. Relieved but still anxious, I immediately transferred RM1,000 into Alyciaâs account so that she could pay the co-insurance payment (non-refundable) required by the hospital. The surgery itself was minor, but the stakes felt incredibly high. The thought of going into the OT for another surgery sounds serious.
Alycia waited until 8:30 p.m. before she was finally wheeled into the OT. I stayed by her side as the nurses moved her bed to the operating theatre in another block. The surgery took about an hour, during which Alycia was under local anesthesia. She remained conscious the entire time, and my brave girl assured me afterward that the injection for the anesthesia wasnât as painful as she had anticipated. She didnât feel a thing during the surgery.
I still find it hard to believe that this happened. Just when we thought Alycia was on the road to recovery, her situation took a sudden turn. The doctor mentioned that had she not come in quick enough, the bacteria could have caused more severe damage to her tendons and nerves, potentially requiring another major surgery. I was also worried about sepsis (which could be deadly) when Alycia showed me her badly swollen finger in the morning.
This experience made me reflect on how complications after surgery can sometimes arise when you least expect them. I remember how, 15 years ago, Cass also had a bad post-surgery complication that required another operation two weeks later. And now, itâs Alyciaâs turn to face a similar challenge.
The doctor has sent Alyciaâs pus sample for lab testing, and weâre anxiously awaiting the results, which should come out tomorrow. Iâm hoping and praying that everything turns out fine and that Alycia can be discharged soon.
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