To the Respiratory Specialist Clinic

4.12.2012 ( Tuesday )

The  District Hospital had someone called me yesterday to remind me of the appointment with a visiting specialist in the respiratory clinic . I was asked to come in  at 8 :30 am , half an hour earlier than scheduled previously.

I arrived at the hospital on time , got my number  “1006” at 8:21 am .After that ,  I had to wait close to 3 hours  before I got to enter room 25 of the specialist clinic ! Surprisingly , I waited patiently , not a bit angry nor agitated  having to wait that long !

I was impressed with the female specialist in attendance ,she exuded confidence , friendly , not in the least intimidating and I felt  very comfortable with her .  

She  said that my phlegm problem could be due to the HBP medicine ( Cozaar ) that I am taking . I informed her that the phlegm problem existed before I started  Cozaar. I also  told her that the phlegm problem started in Nov last year ( 2011)  and in between then and now , I had a few bouts of flu .I thought the phlegm would take  some time to clear off after each episode  of the flu attack . And since the episodes of flu were quite close to each other ,  I felt like I was having the phlegm all the time ! To this , the learned Doctor said that I was still having the flu , that  the flu never went away ! This is really something new to me – could a person be having flu for that long ?   The doctor said yes , she found my voice very nasal . I had a referral for  ENT  clinic . Since the district hospital does not have a resident ENT doctor , I had to make a appointment to see the visitng specialist that comes only once a month . The person in charge told me that only 40 patients are allowed  at each of the specialist ‘s montly visitation  . Guess what , I only managed to get an appointment for sept 2013!   Dear health minister , Is Malaysia that short of  medical specialists ? Every district has  huge , fully furnished , impressive new hospitals  but where are the doctors ? 

My HBP medication was also changed to Amlodipine  ( Vemlo 10) manufactured by Ranbaxy , I received a 3-month supply .  Of course I will consult my family physician regarding the change . 

I also learned from the doctor that  the “ choking feeling “ I sometimes felt especially when eating hot , spicy food or sour stuffs was due to acid reflux  or GERD ( GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease )