Tolong kak, saya takut...

I was relaxing at home watching TV on Monday night (I did mention in my previous posting that all I did on Monday was relaxing at home, didn't I?) when a text message came in. The SMS was from Lin - asking me if I'd be free on 22nd April and if I could accompany her at the hospital for her appointment.

Hmmm... she had gone for her hospital appointments for some time already, without needing anyone to accompany her... why would she need someone now?

Well, she was scared she may get a scolding from the doctor. Ahah, she must have been guilty of doing something she's not supposed to do then, right? Indeed...

"Saya takut kena marah sebab saya tak makan ubat."

No wonder lah, she had not been taking her ARV medication. Yes, she went to the hospital, got the supply of medication (expensive ones too!) but all the ARV drugs are left untouched at home. Why? Because she's scared.

Aiyo! Makan ubat also takut... doktor marah also takut... how lah like that?

Frankly, I do understand her fear of taking the medication. If you had read my posting here, you may remember that Lin had started taking her ARV medication last year, but she had severe allergies to the first combination of drugs given to her - resulting in swollen feet and bloated face and lips. It was so bad I almost didn't recognise her when I went to visit her at the hospital. She had to be hospitalised for about 3 weeks, and as a result, lost her job. The doctor stopped her medication for a while and only gave her a new combination of ARV drugs after she got better.

All these while I thought Lin had been taking her new combination of ARV medication religiously. As a matter of fact, during my last visit to her house, I asked her how her body was reacting to the new drugs. She said she was okay and there was no side effects. Now I know she lied. There was no side effect with this medication because she just kept them at home! The only side effect is that she is now afraid to face the doctor!

While I understand her fear of taking the medication, she should still have voiced out her fear - if not to the doctors, she could have voiced it out to me. She usually doesn't keep anything from me when I ask her anything. Then I remembered, when I last went to visit her and asked about her reaction to the new drugs, it was during our Sponsorship assessment visit. I brought along 2 other buddies with me to her house. (One of the criteria for the sponsorship assessment visit is that at least 2 committee members other than the buddy involved, need to come along. This is to ensure there'd be no biased assessments.)

Even when I told her earlier that I'd be bringing along 2 other volunteers to visit her at home, she was already worried. But since she needed the financial help for her children's educational needs, she relented. But to open up when there are 2 other "strangers" around, no way!

Lin came to Ipoh GH for her blood test last week. That was when she started worrying. Since she had not been taking her medication at all, she's afraid of the results of her blood test. If her CD4 is lower than before, definitely the doctors/pharmacists will ask if she had been compliant in taking her medication. She will only know of the results during her appointment.

Yes, Lin knows she's at fault. And she expects to get a scolding. But being the sensitive soul that she is, she is afraid she may break down and cry when the scolding comes. Which was why she asked if I could accompany her during her appointment. As I told her, if the doctors want to scold her, they'll still scold her anyway, with or without me around. Lin is well aware of that. She's hoping that at least she'd have someone around IF she ends up crying. Poor thing!

I already have prior appointments at the office tomorrow morning, so no, I can't accompany her. I told her to simply tell the truth to the doctor/pharmacist, and tell them too about her phobia due to the side effects of the first combination of ARV drugs given to her last year. I also promised to meet up with her in the afternoon, after her appointment. If she needs to talk it over, she can do so when we meet up in the afternoon, insyaAllah.

Let's see how it goes tomorrow...

Of PLWHAs and Volunteers

We had just finished the elections of office bearers during our AGM last week when a call came in on my hand phone from an unfamiliar number. I jokingly told my colleagues somebody was already calling me to congratulate me on my new post…

I was taken by surprise when the guy who called introduced himself as so and so from Cameron Highlands Hospital. He said Yah was in Cameron Highlands that day and did not bring along her medication – her HIV meds which she was not supposed to miss. So she went to the hospital to ask if they could supply her with the particular meds. Not knowing the name of the drug, she just told them “ubat yang warna biru tu”. Duh! When they insisted to know the name of the drug, she gave them my phone number, telling them that I was the one who’s taking care of her. (Huh?? Since when did I become her nanny?!)

I told the guy I’m from an NGO which provides support service, and as such matters regarding medication etc must be referred direct to the HIV clinic, not to us volunteers.

Yah… Yah… who does she think I am… easily giving away my phone number to others? And what was she doing in Cameron Highlands?! If it was a planned trip, she should have remembered to take her meds along. Did she go for an unplanned date or something?

Aduuuh… I miss the old Yah lah. I mean the pre-Mr. Darling Yah. *Sigh*…

Anyway, lucky me, during my recent holidays, none of my PLWHA clients called. I only told Fuzi about it when I visited her last week but none of my other clients knew about my trip to Langkawi. Good thing none of them had problems to discuss during that time. So that was really a good break for me.

But just one day back from Langkawi, I received a text message from Shila, telling me that she had missed her medication for 2 consecutive nights already. When asked why, she said she was so tired she slept early and as such she missed her medication which she’s supposed to take at 9 pm. I told her that even if she was tired, she should have asked someone else in her house (her mother or her sister) to wake her up at 9pm to enable her to take her meds. Or at least she should just set her alarm to ring at 9 pm so that she’d be reminded of her medication whether or not she’s sleeping at that time. She has not been doing so because she said so far she had not missed her meds.

That’s the trouble with some of these clients. I always tell them to set the alarm (either alarm clock or their hand phone) so that they’d be reminded EVERY time to take their meds. But NOOOO…. they always insist they won’t forget and as such there was no need to set the alarm. So stubborn! *Sigh*…

Last night we had our Board Meeting – the first board meeting after our recent AGM. Hence the first board meeting I chaired. Last night’s meeting was more to determine who’s taking which portfolio. Something like sorting out our cabinet lah – except that we didn’t have to worry about watikah perlantikan or angkat sumpah… (sumpah-menyumpah maybe lah!)

I am still handling the Education Fund and Sponsorship for Children, so those of you who are sponsoring any children through Buddies, you can still liaise with me on this matter.

Other portfolios include Outreach, Client Welfare, Training, Volunteer Care, Fellowship, Fund Raising, HIV Clinic and Buddy Bears.

What was obvious during the last AGM was that we are really in desperate need of more volunteers. It’s the same pool of people we have to pull into the various sub-committees… and as such, I’m afraid soon we’re going to have a group of volunteers suffering from burnout (myself included).

So last night, we decided to create a new portfolio for Publicity and Recruitment. This sub-committee will have to come up with ways and means not only to publicize our NGO, but also to create more awareness amongst the public on HIV/AIDS. Along the way, we hope to be able to get more volunteers (especially the young and energetic ones) to join us.

Those of you staying in and around Ipoh - any takers?