If you’re an avid reader of this blog (naks! maka-AVID reader naman ako), you’d probably have known that I was rushed to the ER last Monday morning because of severe tummy ache. So here’s what happened…

At around 11PM’ish, Sunday, I was already feeling some uneasiness on my tummy. Not aching, just uneasy. Then by around midnight, I started to feel some tummy aches already. Akala ko lang talaga hindi ako natunawan because I ate a huge burger the day before. I tried to brush it off by trying to sleep and hoping that the next day, I’ll be okay.

But come 2AM, di ko na talaga kaya! Good thing my sister is with me. It’s her off and she’s on a night shift so basically, she was just surfing the net the whole night dahil kakagising nya lang. Told my sissy that I got tummy aches and asked her to prepare a cup of tea for me. I have a tea addiction you see. And I really thought hindi lang ako talaga natunawan.

At around 3AM, bongga na yung sakit. I really can’t take it anymore. I can’t breathe and it’s really so painful so I asked my sister to accompany me to the hospital.

Manila Doctors Hospital is just one tumbling away from my house. I just hailed a tricycle and asked us to bring us there. Super lapit lang talaga. At dahil nga sya ang pinakamalapit na private hospital sa bahay, sanay na ko sa kanya. I had my tonsillectomy there 5 yrs ago. And besides, it’s a private hospital so I have high trust on the place.

The thing is, upon arriving at the hospital I was asked a dozen questions first before I was attended to by a doctor. Sa totoo lang okay ako sa line of questioning like – name, age, height, weight, anong masakit, kelan nag start sumakit. They need those right? But hindi ko keri yung – name of company, anong trabaho, san nakatira, suking tindahan (char!) questions. I mean, anong connect? Can you ask me those later AFTER I’m okay? And besides, I already flashed my health card. Meaning, my health card can pay! And also, can’t they keep like a record of their patients? Para one search, boom! All info there! No more questions? Diba?? That’ll be bongga!! Especially for patients like me who’s been on that hospital a couple time already.

And so ayun, nilagyan na ko ng IV for the meds and kinunan na ko ng dugo and wiwi for the lab tests. After a couple of minutes (which feels like a century) tinusukan na ko ng gamot. The pain subside a little pero masakit padin. Though I’m already thankful coz atleast kaya ko na yung sakit.

I told my sister, “pumasok ako dito tyan ko lang masakit, ngayon pati kamay ko (cause of IV) at braso masakit na din. Buhay nga naman oh!”. And we were actually laughing. Ganyan kami magkapatid eh. Nasa ER na’t lahat nagagawa pang mag-joke. My sister was even telling me her Enchong Dee stories non-stop. Nakakaloka!!

After that I was given another shot of meds which made me suka and pupu. But still, sumasakit padin sya. I was thinking, they’d make another set of tests coz masakit padin. And so I waited.

By the way, let me tell you guys na may pagka-epal talaga ako. At soooooobrang matanong. So everytime they’d shot some meds on me, tinatanong ko talaga. What is that called? What’s that for? Why do I need it? Karapatan ko naman yun diba?? But the nurses are not responding to me properly. They’d answer me like “para po sa sakit ng tyan”. And at the back of my head I go, “malamang! alangan para sa sakit ng ulo eh tyan nga nirereklamo ko.”. How difficult is it to answer me properly?? Syempre I want to know. Hello???!!!! Pinapadaanan nyo ng chemical ang mga veins ko, so gusto kong malaman ang history ng chemical na yan!!!!!!!!! How hard is that?

They even made me drink a milky substance that’s quite familiar so I said, “maalox ba to miss?” which she replied with a nod. Hay! Hirap nila kausapin. I just let it pass. I’m not really in the mood to throw tantrums and I just want the pain to go away.

So at around 7AM, the doctor went to my bed and said “Ano ma’am papa-admit ba kayo?”. As in yun lang! No explanations of my sickness. They didn’t even tell me the result of the lab test. As in wala! And so I was like “Huh? Bakit po ako papa-admit?”. Then they told me I have some “sistic” thingy which they’re not sure coz my blood test result is kinda high from the normal.

I was trying very hard to process all the medical terms they were saying. 2 sentence worth of medical terms actually.

But because I haven’t gotten a decent sleep and I still have tummy aches, sumuko ako. I just went “ano po yun? Kelangan po ba ako ma-admit?”.

Of course, sa mga normal na taong gaya ko, having your doctor tell you that you need to get admitted to the hospital would effin’ freak you out right? Coz it only means you need some serious medical attention. SO ANO NGANG SAKIT KO???!!!

The doctors (yes, 2 of them actually) went:

Doctor 1: Ah wala! Mataas lang yung *insert medical term here* pero baka dahil lang yun sa sa allergic rhinitis mo
Doctor 2: Tska 6 points lang naman na lapas sa normal range. Mababa lang naman.
Me: Eh pwede naman po ako umuwi?
Doctor 2: Bibigyan ka naman ng gamot
Me: Ah, so pwede nga po ako umuwi?
Doctor 1: Kung gusto mo na.
Me: Eh gusto ko na po. Sige po uuwi na ko. Pero ano po yung sakit ko? (Makulit talaga ko eh!)
Doctor 1: Isusulat ko naman yun lahat dito. (sabay alis)
Me: (at the back of my head) gagong to!! Ayaw ipaliwanag!! Lech ka bahala ka basta gusto ko na umuwi.
Doctor 2: Tska pala kelangan mo ng ultrasound. So pagkatapos mo dito, punta ka ng laboratory pa-schedule ka ng ultrasound.
Me: Ay hindi po ba pwedeng dito nalang gawin yung ultrasound. Kasi doc, ang hirap ng ganung process dito sa ospital nyo. Kaya nga sa Medical City ako. Kasi aakyat pa ko sa old building para lang magpa-pirma sa healthcard ko bago ako ma-laboratory. Eh masakit padin ang tyan ko at nahihilo na ko sa antok.
Doctor 2: Eh may additional fee pag dito ginawa.
Me: Eh naka-card naman po ako. Okay lang siguro yun.
Doctor 2: Sayang nga yun. Mababawas pa sa card mo.
Me: Eh doc, pagod na pagod na ko. Dito nalang kasi baka hindi ko yan magawa.
Doctor 2: Wag ganun, importante yun.,
Me: Kaya nga dito nalang po. Importante naman pala.
*And then she left*

After that they made me sign some forms. Honestly, hilo na ko nun so I didn’t really understand what the form is. Nagkamali pa nga ko ng space na napirmahan. Then they asked me to settle the bill. I was thinking, what happened to the ultrasound? Probably not needed anymore?

I was waiting for the doctors to approach me as I sit on the waiting area. My previous experience are like that. The doctor would approach me, explain to me what my problem is. Then they would explain the meds they’d give me and tell me to do follow ups. But that doesn’t happen here.

Worst is, upon seeing that they still indicated the ultrasound thingy on my release form, I asked the nurse on the front desk to tell me how can I have the ultrasound and if I can schedule it that morning right away to which she replied with “Ay naku! kelangan mo ng 8hrs fasting dyan. Tapos magpapaschedule ka pa sa laboratory. Tska 8:30 bukas ng health card rep mo.”

WHAT??!! 7 pa lang nun!! Mag aantay ako ng 1.5hrs?? Nahihibang ba sila??

And then I noticed this the following day…

It was noted on my discharge form that I was DISCHARGED AGAINST MEDICAL ADVISE!!!! Whoah! Let’s all go back to our conversation earlier…..

Nabasa nyo na ulit? Asan dun ang pumayag ako na lumabas? I was asking them what my problem is.

If I need to get admitted to the hospital, atleast tell me first why???!! Anong mahirap dun??

And until now I still have tummy aches. And my discharge form said I have Peptic Acid Disease. Googled it and found out it’s a bunch of possible diseases. Anak ng tokwa! And I was not able to do the ultrasound coz I slept the whole day of Monday and I went back to work last Tuesday.

It was a horrible horrible experience. And I didn’t expect it from a private hospital such as MaDocs. I feel like I was not treated properly. No proper medical attention was given to me. And the worst is, they didn’t even take time to explain to me what my problem is.

Ano bang sakit ko talaga?? Sure ba kayo sa peptic acid disease??

And when I told this story to my friends, 2 of them actually said they experienced the same on MaDocs. And both actually didn’t come back after that.

I was thinking of doing exactly the same. Usapang health na to. And it’s no joke! And if I’m sick and was treated that way, madadali ang buhay ko. And no PAYING patient deserve that. Daig ko pa yung nasa public hospital. Buti pa dun sa public, yung doctor na tumingin sa pinsan ko, she explained everything to my cousin.

It’s such a shame they have to do this.