I was supposed to make a contest earlier today since I the previous contest for the the past week concluded. However, we were informed that they have to rush lolo (grandfather) to the hospital because he has a hard time walking and his cough makes it hard for him to breathe.

Back to a familiar place.

Back to familiar hallways. Back to familiar faces. Back to familiar rooms. There are some of the staff that I recognize especially those who are at the front desk. Although with our lolo (grandfather), it is no longer new for him to be here. Due to indiscretion in his diet, he ends up in the hospital. Back to disturbing rounds and routines that the nursing staff and other department staff had to do that we have to put up with.

Usually, when a familiar member gets hospitalized, it is my sister who will be watching over the patient. I visits as often as I can. Good thing there is a private room available. We prefer going to this hospital because my brother works there and we could get discounts from expenses we incur. Hospitals here charge you everything you use and I mean everything from cotton to gloves, etc. When the bill comes, you have to be thorough in checking what were you charged of and have you used it or not.

We are making this hospital richer

This is the third time this year that a familiar member has been hospitalized.

Back in January, my sister had to undergo emergent surgery because of ruptured appendix. Incidentally, they found an ovarian cyst. They elected to do surgeries for both.

Unfortunately, she has no health insurance or any kind of insurance. It is common in our country that some employers do not provide mandatory benefits to their employees. That is the risk many are willing to take because of poverty, inability to be employed some place because they are not qualified or cannot meet certain requirements, lack of experience, etc.

Because she has no insurance, we have to pay out of pocket the amount of PHP100,000++ (USD2000) for all the fees and expenses of her hospitalization and surgery. My sister has recovered from her surgery and has to deal with some issues about her wound and effects of her surgery but for now she is stable.

Last April 1, 2018, another unfortunate thing happened. (Read here)

My brother had a motorcycle accident. He was on his way home from work. He fell asleep, hit his head on the curb and fell in a ditch. We can only assume what happened. The impact of hitting the concrete shattered the helmet and shattered bones in his face.

He has to undergo surgery to remove the bone fragments and see if there are other bones that can be repaired and restored.

With that, we have to raise another PHP80,000 (USD1500) for the plate and screws needed to put in place of the bone that was damaged. Again, he has no health insurance or any kind of insurance and he has no savings. We have to raise this kind of money so he can undergo the surgery. It is the company policy (where the plate will be purchased from) that they should be paid the said amount before releasing the hardware. They used to loan the hardware but since patients have a hard time paying and worse some cannot pay, they now have to collect payment first before giving the hardware.

We do not have that amount readily available so we have to come up with that quickly before further damage can be done. Once funds were available, the surgery was done. My brother is still recovering from the effect of the accident and the surgery. His affected eye is getting better although slowly. He has been out of work since the accident. His wife has been the one working hard for the family since they have a kid to take care of.

And now, my lolo is sick.

Where is the exit?

When they called my mom that they are bringing lolo to the hospital, I can feel the frustration. We have just barely made it through the past two instances above and yet here comes another blow financially. We are still paying for what used during my siblings' hospitalization and yet here comes another.

If only there is an exit when things like these happen where we can press pause and stop for a while. However, life goes on and we have to move along with it. Even if there is an exit, we cannot really do so. Family comes first. We have to do everything for the sake of the family.

I question myself why do these things happen to us? My answer is why should it happen to others? I cannot blame people cursing whoever they can curse when such series of unfortunate events happen to them. Just like us. This is not the only thing that we are living for. We also have other things we have to attend to. There are other needs. We are not working hard so others can have something to use when they are hospitalized. It is stressful, money draining and energy draining times. Hard times hit and they hit hard.

My Mom's Plight

My mom has her own health problems. She has trouble walking because of problems in her joints and bones. In some of her joints she lost synovial fluid. In her back she has a slip disc that is impinging on some of her nerves. These have been brought upon by the years of her working hard. She has not been maintaining medications or doctor visits or therapy because she would rather spend it to whatever other needs. She is supposed to have surgery but she elected not to do it. She has to forget herself for the family's sake. She should stop working but she always finds the will to do so. It was medically advised that she should rest but she said that it gives her more pain when she is doing nothing. She is my hero. My complaints are nothing compared to hers. I am amazed by the strength and will she has. As a family, we do what we can to survive and make it through. There will always be struggle. There will always be pain and suffering. As a family, we should be bound together and help each other.

I went to see lolo today and they have prescribed him 4 different kinds of medications. The last one I bought was for his blood sugar. That is one bad habit that he has. He likes his coffee sweet. When he drinks coffee, it is not just once a day. It could be two or more. Also, the pain and swelling on the right side of his body did not just occur yesterday. He had been enduring and tolerating the pain and when it was unbearable, he asked to be taken to the hospital.

I always believe for a better outlook. I mean there must be and there should be. Otherwise, we cannot be ready for the next blow.

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