Trauma

Last Thursday, 25 October, started out as a normal day. I had looked forward to spending a day with Emma. My daughter sent her over late, with the maid, Christina. Jason was in China on a business trip. I had wanted to collect my trousers from the cleaners. So we waited in the basement for my wife to come down. Emma was in high spirit playing hide and seek with the maid.

We finally left for the market. I held on to Emma, who followed me all the way to collect my trousers from the cleaners. On the way back, we stopped at 7Eleven to buy some candies, after which I left Emma with her grandmother. I walked home alone.

Back home, I made my coffee and started to read the newspapers. Meantime, my wife had got home with Emma and the maid.

It must have been past eleven nearing twelve noon, when I suddenly felt something wrong. I felt light headed and everything started to turn around me. Immediately I went to my room and took a Dhaperazine tablet, recognising the symptoms of a vertigo attack. I sat on the bed and tried to lie down. Suddenly, my stomach started to churn as I ran to the toilet to vomit.

It was then all hell let loose, as the toilet started to spin round and my vomiting got worse. I struggled over the toilet bowl throwing up everything inside my already empty stomach, it was agony. I could not move as movement aggravated the spinning sensation. I could only close my eyes and broke out in a cold sweat. The pull on my stomach was very painful because my stomach was empty and nothing more could throw up. When I opened my eyes, the spinning got worse. Thinking my nausea had finally stopped, I staggered to my bed. As soon as I sat down, the nausea started again and I had to run to the toilet bowl. This went on and on. I could not check on the time, but it was already late afternoon when the nausea finally stopped.

My wife had checked on me during this time and I had to throw up into wads of tissue paper in bed. I kept praying to God to help me. Finally, lying on my bed, I had to keep my eyes closed to avoid seeing the ceiling spinning round. I then managed to take another pill because my first pill had gone out with my vomit.

Lying in bed in agony, I felt Emma coming to me saying to me "Sorry, Kakoong, sorry!" Even Emma was traumatised by the whole thing. I heard my wife calling for my son on the phone. He rushed home asking me if he should call a doctor or send me to A&E in the hospital. I was lucid enough to tell my son not to bother as the effect would soon go away.

My son left and came back with a Dr. Neo. The doctor examined me because he was afraid it could be a stroke. Luckily it was not. He gave a me a shot with the very same medication that I had taken orally. After he left I realised it was already six o' clock. Things began to stabilise and my vertigo attack had dissipated. That house call by the doctor must have cost my son quite a packet. Anyway when things got back to normal by then, I managed to take my shower and changed to clean clothes. What a traumatic day!

This has always been something I dread very much. Unfortunately I have to live with it and pray that God will have mercy on me and heal me of my sickness. I carry the pills with me everywhere I go. Since my last attack before February this year, I had mild encounters only. But this last one was a real terror. I noticed a slight change in the mode of the attack. In the past, the spinning was so severe that even with the eyes closed, I could see the spinning sensation like two spinning red lights. This time, with my eyes closed, it was not so severe, although my stomach kept churning.

I have since recovered, and spent a very pleasant Sunday lunch with my daughter, Jason, Emma and my wife. I still feel rather edgy, as I check myself periodically by staring straight ahead, to make sure my vision is not floating or spinning round.

Till then....