I got admitted into CCU, HKL, on Tuesday evening. Was given a bed by the window.
Do you know that there are NO toilets for the patients in CCU? We had to do "everything" on our beds. Well, to be fair, most patients there are debilitated. I just happened to be one of the rare ones who got there still active and lucid.
Which made it super difficult to just twiddle my thumbs while trying not to move too much - can't get the heart beating too fast you know! So I got a nurse to tutor me on what those figures on the monitor meant. From then on I monitored my own heartbeat, BP, oxygen level and breathing.
The 2nd lesson:
Your BP [blood pressure] doesn't need to hit the roof for a heart attack. Mine was a steady 120/80 and below throughout my life. With it going lower when I didn't rest/eat well. Which is pretty normal for me :)
Before I had angioplasty done, my heartbeat would rise even for mundane activities like brushing my teeth. I didn't realise that I was doing it so energetically! Had to slow down to a snail's pace.....or was it even slower?? Felt like it anyway.........
Having good breathing techniques help a lot. Thank goodness I was taught to breathe properly as a child. I guess being on the brink of death at 7 made me the recipient of many "wisdom" from the older folks around me. I was the only CCU residents sans oxygen paraphernalia - although they insisted on me breathing bottled oxygen initially. The air-conditioning coupled with oxygen-tube-in-nose caused my nose to bleed. So I got off it. Yea......although hidung sakit untuk beberapa hari.
Because I breathed "well", I passed the breaths-per-minute test with flying colours :)
Oh and when you're in this "fragile" situation, even sitting up isn't allowed. It taxes the heart it seems. So I could only sit up for meals, during sponging, and doctor's examination. Bleaaarggghhhh.........
So I practised being demure - with hands folded over stomach, sweet smile on face.......
Gives one lots of opportunity to berzikir for sure........
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