One night last week my Dad had a big smile when I got home and waved a card at me: "Look what I got! I got a birthday card from my Cardiologist! He didn't say anything when I had my therapy this morning but then this came by post!"
It wasn't his birthday yet (it is TODAY), so he was excited and all smiles. "Look, it even says 'Happy Birthday Grandfather'," he said, "But I'm not a grandfather yet!" a little complain LOL I knew why it was written that way, almost everyone outside the family call him 'Opung' or grandfather in Batak language because of his old age (no sh*t, Sherlock! He's 77 years old today!) and all the grey hair covering his head.
He hasn't finished praising his Cardiologist, "I'm so touched that he even knows my birthday." -- well, it's written in your medical records definitely. "He even came to your brother's wedding with his wife." -- this, I was also surprised. "And he gave me a copy of Our Daily Bread with my name written on it last Christmas." -- this also touched me, so personal.
His encounter with dr. Raymond Suwita SpJP from Klinik CDG started in April last year, 2014. From the beginning of the 2014 my Dad's health was declining fast. He refused stents insertion, started getting problems in his brain due to lack of oxygen caused by slow blood flow through his heart, and he blacked out in February while talking to my brother. Got him 5 stitches in the head and a few days at the hospital. After he got out, he couldn't do much. The medications made him sleepy all the time, too tired to do anything, swollen legs. He got even more stressed out when his brother passed away early April.
At my Uncle's funeral I met someone who was surprised to see my Dad's condition considering he used to be very active. After listening to my story, she told me that she used to have the same problem but she found this place and had been getting therapy there for a couple of months and her heart function increased significantly -- no stent no surgery. She gave me the address, the doctor's name and told me to register him as soon as possible. We got his first appointment when I had to travel, so my brother took him there.
The clinic is using some uncommon methods in Indonesia for treatments. After almost day-long consultation (including blood test, EKG, CT Scan, etc) it was decided that for the first package my Dad would need 3 times of ILIB or Intravascular Laser Irradiation of Blood therapy (in between EECP) and 36 times of EECP or Enhanced External Counter Pulsation therapy (3 times a week). My Dad & my Brother were impressed by dr. Raymond on this first consultation. My Brother said: "He's very thorough in examining each test's result, very patient, gentle and didn't mind to answer all our questions."
The therapies were not cheap. But considering the recommendation, I was willing to try. He began the next day after the consultation. I was told that dr. Raymond kept checking on him and waited on him until the therapy finished. At one point, my Dad fell asleep in during an EECP session but dr. Raymond told my brother and the nurse to just let him sleep until he woke up by himself. If he slept that soundly, that meant he needed it. The whole package finished in about 3 months. By this time, my Dad no longer had swollen feet, he could do a little gardening again and taking care of his little pond. He improved significantly.
After that he was maintained with 2 sessions of EECP weekly and since a few months ago he only needed 1 session. He has to continue the EECP for as long as he lives and still has to take lots of medicines daily (but even with stents people still have to take medicines, so I'm okay with this). His medications are divided for his heart condition and his brain. dr. Raymond said that they couldn't fix it, the meds and vitamins are to slow down the deterioration.Since the therapies were expensive we asked him if could prescribed us with less expensive medication. With some, he could, but mostly not especially for the brain meds. Well, we all know the actual quality of Indonesian generic meds anyway; wouldn't want to risk it. But at least he tried, and we appreciated it. My Dad is now living happily, (almost) normally (no denying of old age too here) and travels almost monthly.
During those first 3 months of therapies, my brother told me that dr. Raymond remembered the name of all his patients and the patients' regular caretakers. He called my brother by name instead of the just 'the son'. Before he left the clinic, he would check if there were patients still underwent therapies and would waited on them even when his practice hour was over. And he did that every single day. This was the first time I found a doctor who treated his patients in a very personal way. God bless him! I want to thank him for the 19 months that my Dad had been under his care and for listening to our worries, answering our questions and for every special little thing he had done. May he stays strong in faith and uses his talents to help more people.
Now, HAPPY 77th BIRTHDAY DAD! Please accept the reality that yes, you're getting old ROFL We love you and wish you can be with us for many more years. Keep doing what you love to do and a blessings wherever you go.
