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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Day 209, Monday, 11th June, 2012

A bit of good news first for those of you who have been reading my blog: my father's dialysis has begun; as of writing this, he has gone through three sessions of hemodialysis, and I have received reports that he is feeling better. Thank you all for caring about him and for praying for his health. I am aware that this is not an illness that will go away; that he will have to go for dialysis throughout his remaining life; that he may - God forbid - fall prey to one of the horrible side-effects of this modern treatment and perhaps suffer more than what he was going through before his dialysis began; that this treatment may cause problems with the health of my mother, who also has health issues and is as old as my father. But through all this, I am also aware that there are many kind souls like you who will continue to wish well for him and perhaps that will spare him and my mother all those dire things I just mentioned. I always feel that if the quality of life has to be victim to modern treatment, it is perhaps better to have such life cut short ... but this may be a cruel thing to say about one's own parent, and so, I will pray this: that he should not suffer through the illness or its treatment; and this: that my mother, too, should not have to suffer much owing to dad's illness or treatment. May Allah spare both of them the travails of living through a chronic debilitating illness and Bless them with His Mercy.


Okay, so yesterday, I took the first step towards the realisation of one of my goals for coming to KSA. I "bought" a study package ONLINE from a web-site called www.onexaminations.com, for the purpose of studying for Part 1 of the MRCPCH examinations. This web-site is owned and managed by the very relevant and respectable British Medical Journal (www.bmj.com) guys. It will give me an opportunity to solve more than 2700 questions along the style of the examinations conducted by the Royal College of Pediatrics, UK. With this purchase, my journey to try and pass the MRCPCH exams has begun. Today, I also contacted the examinations secretary at the King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, KSA, and requested for information for the purpose of registering for the examinations in October 2012. I have received the documentation requirements from them already, and I will try and fulfill the needs and file an application within the next fortnight, inshallah.


My stay in the hospital continues. It has definitely made life easier in the mornings, as I have to only leave my room and climb down a flight of stairs to be in the hospital! On the other hand, lack of cooking facilities and a refrigerator makes life tough too. I generally buy my next day's lunch from a hotel the previous evening, open its containers and leave the stuff above my cupboard, hoping that the food will remain edible till the next afternoon. Dr. Shahid has informed me that he is, in fact, resigning and will leave the country within the next fortnight. I am hoping, therefore, to return to my old house after he has left ... or at least after his family has. In the meantime, I have been spending time reading, studying and so on. 


That's all for now, I guess. Do keep visiting the blog, and leave your comments whenever possible. I need your encouragement and prayers as always. Thank you.


P.S. My blog saw the maximum traffic yesterday, with over 80 new visitors. This is a measure of the love you have towards me and my family. Thank you again. I now have visitors from 36 countries. I do not know how may re-visit my blog, but to all of you I say thank you, thank you, and THANK YOU.

3 comments:

MUHBEEN said...

All the best for your exams taher. May Allah continue to bless ur parents with good health.

shama sam said...

My dad, in his 80's and in a rather advanced stage of diabetes with all the secondary effects which usually accompany this silent killer, makes me experience the pain that one generally feels when a loved one is in a similar critical state...Best wishes to you in your studies!

Holly Jahangiri said...

I will pray that your dad lives as long as it brings him more pleasure than pain, and that you and your mother have the strength and love to support him and care for him as he would want you to - whatever that means in the long run, including the ability to let him go when the time comes and hang onto all the best thoughts and memories, to keep those alive in your heart and to see them in your own children for many years to come.