boh huei liao lar! (and other anecdotes)
This is a very common scene in the wards… especially the geriatric or general med ones…
doc: ah pek, lai, wa tiu dam poh huei hor…
doc: ah pek, come, let me take your blood…
ah pek: har??? ai tiu huei? an zua kia lo kun chu diam diam tiu huei?
ah pek: Wat??? want to take blood again? how come you all keep taking my blood?
doc: ai ngiam huei mah… kua ler ai huei lai bin wu pai eh ming kia boh…
doc: must chk mah, see if there’s any ‘bad’ things inside…
ah pek: wa bo huei liao lar… kgnia jit tiu jin juey liao, bo huei liao… mai mai…. wa bo huei liao…
ah pek: i no more blood liao lar. yesterday taken so much already, no more liao, no no… no more blood liao…
doc: uncle… mai tiu huei ki ngiam boey sai deng chu ah!
doc: uncle… if you don’t chk blood cannot go home!
ah pek: wa jin ho! bo ga sao, bo chuan, ba tor bo tgnia la! eh sai deng chu liao.
ah pek: i am very well! no cough, no breathlessness, no stomach pain! can go home already.
doc: persists in placing tourniquet and preparing needles, then swiftly jabs needle into the veins… blood starts to ooze into the syringe
ah pek: dares not move but shows his displeasure by complaining loudly and waving the other hand. or starts to complain to another old man in the neighbouring bed bo huei liao lar! wo ga ler gong liao mah… wo ai si liao lar, tat jit tiu huei, tiu kar bo huei liao!
ah pek: no more blood liao! i tell you already ok, i am going to die liao lar, everyday take so much blood from me!
doc: syringe filled, withdraws and happily packages all the blood into their respective tubes
ah pek no2 (in the neighbouring bed): looks fearfully at the syringe full of blood and then at the doc, he must be wondering, ‘will i be next?’
doc: ok liao la ah pek. ler hui sek hor… and walks away
doc: you rest well…
ah pek: resigned to his fate, retires grumpily and continues to complain to his neighbours…
at this juncture, if the doc returns to the cubicle again with another tray, all other patients in the ward (who are still alert and communicative) will practically sit up with trepidation, their ears all pricked up in anticipation…
medical student saunters with tray for blood taking towards the direction of an old man…
old man (on seeing student): kiu miah ah! kiu miah ah! (help! help!)
student takes a 180 degrees turn and takes off on his heels…
today, to my great excitement (as well as heartfelt sadness for the patient) and maybe to the patient’s great chagrin, i saw a patient with severe expressive dysphasia with an element of receptive dysphasia (probably quite mild). For the non-medical, here’s what expressive dysphasia feels like:
imagine understanding everything people around you are saying, and understanding what they ask you, but being unable to answer them.
for example, you are unable to name objects (like pen, paper, nurse…), you are unable to say your name, your age or tell people anything at all. You might still be able to write them out, or draw them out, though very likely, both faculties were affected as well.
in receptive dysphasia, you cannot comprehend people around you. it’s a strange feeling isn’t it? to wake up after a short period of confusion or loss of consciousness and realise that the whole world is speaking in a language you don’t understand! and when you try to say anything, it comes out all wrong, wrong words, incomprehensible language, totally unintelligible!
To put it succinctly, it’s like playing pictionary and taboo where almost all words are taboo and where your hands are all bandaged up so you can’t draw properly!
sighz.
