Insurance! Just get one! Thankfully, I did. This would be a very different story if I didn’t have one. The free public healthcare here in Malaysia is great, save for the slug-like pace of the whole thing. It’s literally appointments over appointments to even be in the queue for endoscopy or colonoscopy. Back when my dad had his endoscopy, it took him about 3 months to be scheduled for one, and about 3-4 hospital visits in between. I’m not that patient, sadly, nor do I have the time to be off work with such frequency.
So my first visit to the doctors started out with a bunch of lab tests, mainly to assess my blood count, inflammatory levels and etcetera. The doctor did have a few general question to confirm his suspicions. The ones I could remember were;
- How often is your bowel movement
- What is the consistency (Bristol Stool Chart)
- Any abdominal bloating
- When did it begin
- How are you currently feeling
- When was the last time you had a movement
There were more, but that’s about all I could remember truthfully. My GI then immediate decided to ward me to begin bowel preparation for colonoscopy and endoscopy the next day. I’m scared of the procedure, but I’m somewhat relieved now that I’m getting professional help. I now hope things will improve for the better.
Thanks for reading!
