I ready admire the seniors around me looking so healthy and strong without any illness. I had just joined the senior club recently upon reaching 60 years old.
At the age of around 25 years while serving as a teacher in Kapit, I was told that I had been born with a heart problem. From then on I had to take medication. I didn’t question GOD then nor stop worshipping HIM. From then on, my heart problem progressively got worse until 2002 when I started suffering from momentary blackouts and the doctor recommended me to go to IJN for corrective procedure. So in 2003 I went to IJN for the procedure.
During the process, before the laser beam was fired to ablate the extra nerves, the doctor told me that I had only 50-50 chance of success. There was a possibility that the centre of my heart might be hit by the laser beam as the technology at that time wasn’t advanced enough. I refused to continue, so the wires were all taken off and the doctor gave me new and more medication.
After taking the new medication, I developed side effects from the medication that nearly cost my life. I believe GOD’s hands were at work and the doctor at the GH managed to control the side effect, but my heart problem remained unsolved. In 2008 it got worse with more frequent blackouts. Again GOD intervened and saved me as I managed to get to IJN in time and this time the technology was greatly improved with the risk greatly reduced. This time, the doctor at IJN discovered that I had three extra nerves that caused my heart problem (I am one in a million to have this sort of illness). So using the laser beam the doctor successfully ablated the three extra nerves. But I still needed to take medication.
In the early hours of 21 November 2016 (1 am), I woke up with discomfort at my chest and my heart was pumping faster than usual. So my wife brought me to the emergency ward at the Pusat Jantung. After checking, the doctor decided to detain me for further monitoring and that I should have an angiogram the next day as my condition deteriorated fast and showed signs of a heart attack. I contacted brother Pang Chang Quan to ask him to call our senior fellowship members to pray for me during my angiogram the next day. I was admitted into the ward at around 5pm on 21/11/2016. At around 6pm, after settling in ward 501, I felt chest pain and the doctor thought it was a heart attack. So I was wheeled into ICU to be monitored until my angiogram the next day. All night through the chest pain was on and off.
While waiting for the angiogram procedure in the ICU, I looked up at the ceiling. At the ceiling panels where there was a glass pane, I saw images of a swarm of black birds circling continuously. I knew it was the work of Satan. So I prayed silently to GOD for HIS guidance, mercy and blessing. While in the OT (8.30 am), my chest pain became more severe, but the doctor went ahead with the angiogram procedure. After the procedure, I was wheeled back to the ICU. Since I was hungry, I asked for something to eat. After taking the food, all my chest pain was gone and later the doctor told me that I had 4 heart vessels that were blocked, some up to 90% and a by-pass surgery was needed to correct it. I asked myself why I was having this as I had been careful all this while, maintaining a healthy diet and life-style. Then I remembered the other day during the senior fellowship gathering, Pastor Pau had talked about GOD’s Authority. So I accepted that it was GOD’s plan for me to have a by-pass. I had to submit to HIM. He is the giver and the taker. He is also the Healer.
I think the devil still didn’t want to leave me alone. Some of my other health issues started to resurface. My haemorrhoids appeared again. The ward doctor delayed the scope of my stomach for a week. The stomach scope was only carried out on 28/11/2016 and it was alright although there was a minor sign of gastric problem but there wasn’t any ulcer or bleeding. Thanks and glory be to our Lord. I was to wait for the surgeon to come back from his leave to fix the date for my by-pass surgery.
On 5/12/2016, a member of the cardiac team came and told me that the operation was scheduled for the following week on 17/12/2016. I was wheeled into the OT at 8am and the procedure took about 5-6 hours. I woke up in the ICU at about 3.15 pm. I practically died for about 4-5 hours as my heart stopped during the operation. I was resurrected again and woke up at about 3.15 pm on the same day.
After the morphine tapered off the next day, I started to suffer the side effects and had hallucination. I saw things, people and animals but no ugly things. When I closed my eyes wanting to go to sleep, I would see all these things around me and I couldn’t go into sleeping mode. It would appear for a whole day until I managed to fall into sleep around 10 or 11 at night.
I woke up early the next day and I asked to be seated on the chair instead of on the bed. While seated on the chair, I could occasionally stand up. Toward the mid-morning, I could walk around the ICU ward. The next day 20/12/2016, the drainage tube was taken out and I could move more freely. By late afternoon all the other tubes were disconnected and I was discharged to the ordinary ward. How amazing that I could recover so fast. It was GOD who empowered and strengthened me. Then on the next morning the doctor said that I could be discharged from the hospital. After taking the supply of medicines, I went home at around 1pm.
Thanks and glory be to our Lord, I am on the road to recovery. But the devil didn’t let me rest peacefully. On early morning of 26/12/2016, I found that my penis started bleeding. So I went to the emergency ward of Pusat Jantung again. It was found that one of the medicines had caused the problem, so I had to stop that medication. Since then, everything has been quite smooth. On 19/01/2017 I went for a clinical visit, the doctor said that I was doing very well.
Until 20/02/2017, two months after surgery, I am well and sound. Glory be to the Father, our GOD. I am now able to go about places and back to my church attending fellowship gatherings. And this is my song of praise to my GOD:
The Lord
is my Shepherd
HE leads me to quiet waters and, makes me lie down in green pastures.
HE guides me in paths of righteousness and walks me through valley of the shadow of death.
HIS staff comforts me and HE fills my cups to the brim.
HIS Goodness, Love and Mercy follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in HIS House forever and ever.