Out of CICU and encouraged to walk, again

The day started with eminent cardiothoracic surgeon Tan Sri Mr. Yahya Awang making his rounds at the CICU. He reviewed my father's case and felt that he was good to go back to the wards. Naturally that brought joy to my father. It is easy to tell that he was bored being 're-couped' back in the CICU for two days. However, he was more careful these past two days. He hardly moved and kept lying on his back, most of time.

Left: Tan Sri Mr. Yahya listening in on the heart

Tan Sri Mr. Yahya instead asked him to move about. He should be walking around the room and by tomorrow, the surgeon will decide whether my father should restart his physiotherapy exercises in the Rehab. Infact, Tan Sri Mr. Yahya said he will recuperate faster the more he walked.

So the nurses made the necessary arrangements to move him immediately, back along the long corridor to his room, right at the far end of the ward. Now, more people can visit and spend more quality time in private with him, especially his children.
Right: Moved back to the room, the easy way






This time, they wheeled his bed out of the CICU and exchanged it with the bed in the wards, instead of making him get out of bed, onto the wheelchair and get him onto another bed, 50 yards away.
Left: Being wheeled down the long corridor of fourth floor ward



He wasted no time on being optimistic in regaining his life back, the moment he arrived at the wards. As soon as the anxiety of being transfered subsided, he started to blow into the breathing apparatus. He did a little better than in the CICU earlier in the morning. Aishah, eagerly supervise and keep track of the score.
Right: Aishah helping out in breathing therapy






Left: Datuk Karim called on Abah
The moment he arrived in his suite, an old work colleague and my mother's friend for a long time, called on him. Former MARA Director General Datuk A. Karim Haron and Datin Ani brought both my parents a lot of cheer. They started in MARA together and have been promoted almost on the same day, throughout their service. My father called it quits after 24 years of service and opted for early retirement the moment he could whilst Dato' Karim stayed on to head the agency.

Later another MARA colleague dropped in. Former Deputy Director General Dato' Mohamed Zahudi Abdul Jalil also came by, for a chin-wag. Its a pleasure for these old work buddies to catch up of issues and the support given towards Abah for these trying moments is really encouraging.
Right: Dato' Zahudi sharing his experience about his only brother
Two other MARA contemporaries also came for a visit. A neighbour Hj. Mohamed A Bakar and former MARA Holdings Sdn. Bhd. MD Dato' Ismail. Dato' Ismail came after a round of golf at KLGCC, where he won a hole-in-one. The club treated him for a RM 2,000.00 Japanese dinner!


Today, he was very inspired to to do better, after Tan Sri Mr. Yahya's earlier 'pep talk', that he asked the physiotheraphist Hazimatul Akmal wheher he could try to walk along the corridor towards the nurses station. As promised, we asked here to come for the evening physiotherapy session after four. We walked with him, to ensure that he was encouraged.
Left: SRN Shazanur helped to bring the chair after physiotherapist Akmal walked him










Right: The 'posse' to walk him back to his bed
Of course the moment he almost got the nurses station, he had to sit down for a while. Akmal said their SOP is when a "Cabbage" (Cardio Aterial By-Pass Graft or CABG) patient passed the 'six minute on the threadmill test'. Abah is inspired more!