I am slowly turning into a piece of wood, day by day. Approximately one month after the IVIG treatment, the effects are quickly beginning to wear off. Dr Prefix had pronounced a 50% improvement just 2 days earlier and I was beginning to have some hope of recovery when everything crashed and started to go downhill.

Those who are new to my blog are probably wondering wtf I’m blabbering about. Please read “our changing values in life parts 1,2 and 3” in the archive section if you have the time and inclination.

So it looks like I’m probably never going to recover. Instead of spanking the monkey, I’m probably going to have to carry this monkey on my back till I die. Oh well, I’ve had a good life so far and I can always pull the plug if I get fed up enough.

Today’s last and final “lessons from the hospital” that I wish to share with you is that you should take the effort to consciously look after your health. Yeah, yeah, I know you’ve been there, heard that repeatedly, want me to shut the fuck up cos its boring stuff.

It’s your choice, dude. There’s no two ways about it. You can either look after yourself or you can pay in Ringgit. Trust me, when I say pay, I mean PAY. You have to stay healthy to avoid serious financial loss.

What’s that? You have insurance, do you? Well, so do I. RM4000+ worth a year in premium to be exact. The agent assured me I was covered for everything when I forked over my money. Now he says “Sorrylah, that one not covered.” Insurance companies are not stupid. They’re in business to make money, not for charity.

Don’t even get me started on the government hospitals here in Malaysia. You’ve either just had a Lobotomy or desperately need one if you think you can depend on them.

Anyway, it’s good to have insurance and to know that the GH is there, but these are not the solutions. The solution is simple really – take care of yourself. If you do look after yourself but still end up with some horrid disease, than blame your bloody karma and go smoke some Jamaican weed to forget your sorrows.

Talking about sorrows, in today’s “instant” society and ultra fast paced lifestyle, we have to watch out for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Add excessive drinking and smoking and you’ve got a potent mix.

Medical costs are rising. The cost of medical supplies is going up. The cost of medical procedures and treatment is going up. The cost of managed healthcare is escalating. Imagine the medical costs for someone who has a disease and who needs to see six doctors before he can be diagnosed accurately.

You do the math. Can you afford to pay specialists’ fees on a long-term basis? On a life-long basis? Treatments may need to be repeated. There will be many hospital admissions over many years. Most insurance companies will make a one-time-only payment on diagnosis of a lifelong illness. You will experience loss of income as you become unable to work.

I’ve already forked out close to RM30, 000 so far. It costs about RM40, 000 for a coronary bypass, RM40, 000 to 85,000 for a device known as an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator, a life saving device for post heart attack survivors. Temporary alternatives to heart transplants cost upwards of RM100, 000.

Do I have your attention now? You need to invest in your health right now.

Start simple. Monitor what you eat, because the calories you eat now will hold you accountable in the future. For example, a plate of nasi lemak complete with chicken and sotong (cuttlefish) is not only 1230 calories; it is dripping with saturated fat from the santan (coconut milk).

You will need to walk for more than three hours to burn that off. We only need about 1800 – 2000 calories a day. Just because you are in good health now is no reason to neglect yourself. Everybody ages, and our bodily systems start to slow and break down.

I care about you, that’s why I wrote this
- look after yourself, dude