A Hernia operation is a minor operation
which will repair a rip in the abdominal wall by patching a mesh for some to keep all the intestines back to where they were to simply put. It really sounds simple except the world is currently fighting a pandemic which God knows how long this situation would last. Ok, so to again simply put, the medical bills will SURELY sky rocket than normal due to the pandemic measures before an operation is performed and the 'normal' that I'm pertaining to is the already hefty cost of healthcare not just in the country but all over the world.
My dad is headstrong person and he wouldn't budge even if we fight it over with him to AVOID going out unless it's necessary/a matter of emergency given the current situation so just imagine how stressful it was for us everytime he comes home from a non-essential trip outside because he doesn't comply with our strict household protocols to NOT wear any personal effects used outdoors inside the house not to mention he's a high risk since he's an elderly.
Going back, the swab test cost Php4000 with senior discount and only took less than 24hours. As for the result, t'was sent to my elder sister's email which was also totally convenient aside from the patient has an option to let the community know about his/her result otherwise anonymous. I know it costs much more down south and where I'm from, there are only a couple of authorized Covid testing facilities. After the swab test was released, the patient will be required to as much as possible stay indoors to avoid contracting the virus pre-op. The swab test by the way is only valid for ONE WEEK.
The schedule for the hernia operation was set already set except t'was put off for 3 days as per his Cardiologist's advise since he needs to stop taking one of his maintenance medications to avoid excessive bleeding during the operation. Alright so, after three days, the operation finally happened at our trusted local private hospital which only took 2-3 hours including his time at the recovery room.
We had the shock of our lives come discharge time because his hospital bills went to a little over Php150k then down to less than Php100k because of his health benefits for a four day confinement. Health constraints is common with elderlies that's why as people get older, they have to be more careful with their health and well-being and not take the risk because the risks are extremely high for their age group given this pandemic. So, for the grandparents out there, please do not be stubborn because the virus spares no one, young or old, healthy or not. With these being said, the cost for healthcare is no joke and the least we can do is to keep ourselves healthy for as much as possible. In my dad's case, he lifted a heavy load of a water container when no one was watching thus explains the hernia which could've been avoided. He may NOT have contracted the virus but a hospital isn't a safe place neither because not every person, patient watchers most especially, are not required to undergo a swab test.
I personally was never allowed by my siblings to visit the hospital because of my autoimmune condition (Hypothyroidism) no matter how I wanted to go to the hospital to visit my dad which I understand as a precautionary measure since we're all facing a pandemic and if you cannot help then do not be part of the insurmountable problems our world is faced nowadays.
To wrap up this writing, stay safe & healthy everyone and to always look after one another and please please please, avoid getting hospitalized because the medical expenses can be really cosmic these days! A two week confinement at a private hospital may even rack up to half a million pesos and and I'm not even exaggerating.
STAY SAFE and drink heaps of Ginger tea with a squeeze of Lemon. I think that helped my dad a lot and the rest of us in our household to flick the virus away. ๐
