Yvonne Foong

Thank you everyone for the encouragement and warm comments you left on this blog while I was away. I’m up and about now, but still lack of energy. Thanks Poh Kheng for the kind update on my behalf. She’s such a doll who bought vegetarian food for Mom or we wouldn’t know where to get them.

Poh Kheng is right. The Acoustic Neuroma was successfully and completely removed, and the facial nerve is INTACT. Meaning, my face is the same as before and not totally paralyzed. It could have been much worse, with the eyelid remianing shut and dry. On top of that, my slit eyes became almonds. I’m still not very used to seeing myself with big eyes in the mirror. I suppose the tumor exerted on the facial nerve, causing the eyeballs to sink. My mouth, however, is facing temporary numbness. The hospital kitchen, “Meals On Wheels” have a very extensive selection of meals that changes everyday, but I was unable to savor much. But no worries, doctor assured me that the numbness will soon go away.

After surgery, I stayed in the ICU for one day. I have never been sponge bathed by a male nurse before so there were awkward feelings, but when you’re that sick, you wouldn’t be able to care much about modesty. Staying in the ICU was a much painful experience than the previous surgery, probably because the incision this time was longer. Besides reaching the tumor in the auditory canal, they also need to place the ABI into the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem. Besides pain on the left ear which is still swollen right now, there was also pain around the head where parts of my skull is now replaced with a titanium plate. But the most painful part of me at that time was my lower back. The nurse said it could be due to spinal fluid retention, but I believe it’s due to the long hours lying down.

Doctor said I was given a pint of blood during surgery. Feels weird to think that a stranger’s blood is flowing inside me right now. ICU was very uncomfortable, with two IVF drips on each hand, an oxygen supply that entered my nostril and went straight into my lungs, an oxygen mask over that, and many, many wires attached to my body. I don’t like the feeling of being confined. But the doctor have to becareful. Later, I got to know this NF2 patient named Jennifer from Illinois who was operated by Dr. Friedman a day before me. Jennifer lost consciousness after surgery and had to rely on an incubator for two days.

While at the ICU, I waited anxiously for Dr. Stefan to come discharge me, so that I can have the freedom of my own private ward, free of wires, less drips and the lot. That soon came true. I was sent back to the ward on that evening itself. By the way, all wards here are single occupancy, fair and square.

Now that I have some privacy to myself (when mom saw me at the ICU, she was warned by the nurse not to touch me. LOL! I must have scolded the nurse in my subconciousness) another 6 days began with lots of headaches, backaches, fever, sleepless nights, painful hands due to the drips, and lack of appetite. But these obstacles proved to be much easier with the gentle, loving care of the nurses.

While at the ICU, I swore that I would have a lot of horror to blog about, but now I’m here, I don’t actually have much to write. Proves how resilient the human spirit can be.

During surgery, the Drs discovered two tumors on my neck that, in their opinion, needs to be killed by radiation. Invasive surgery will leave me unable to swallow. Ah, from one tumor to another tumor. I’ve personally seen how SRS kept failing in Malaysia, patients going for radiation again and again, recurrence after recurrence, that it’s seriously frightening me. Personally, I would prefer the FSR, which administers smaller dosage over a few sessions, instead of the single dose SRS. But that would mean fundraising all over again. FSR is not available in Malaysia.

But….Let’s focus on rehabilitation right now and leave the neck tumors until later.

Dr. Hitselberger sent me for a brain MRI this afternoon, saying that the ones done in Malaysia are no good. haha! I must have pulled his last straw over the years.

As for today, I’m back in Seton Hall. Still have to be very careful with what I eat because I have been throwing up.

Oh, and, before I forget, surprise surprise! Even without balance nerves, I can walk without aid! Before surgery, I was worried the same that happened in GHKL 3 years ago might unfold again. I worried the world might seem lopsided, myself unable to remain balanced and I’d feel dizzy all the time. But as it turned out, none of that happened and I’m so amazed!

A big thank you to all surgeons involved in this surgery! Praise God!

Without firsthand experience, I don’t know how blood donation works in Malaysia, but I vividly recall blue-black marks on my arms after having my blood taken for tests. In Malaysia, blood is taken several times from patients after surgery to monitor their progress. Pre-surgery tests might have involved only 1 tube of blood but my memory is gradually failing on me, which may not be a bad thing in this case.

Anyway, after lunch today, I met up with Dr. Stefan the internist at his office, on the 2nd floor of the institute, who ran several tests on me including the strength of my heart. Dr. Stefan appears to be an intelligent man by the way he quickly process my words when asked to report on bodily problems. Very often, doctors back home are met with blank stares, or maybe it’s the way they look. I told him about my swalloing difficulty, tingling sensations in the throat, poorer balance, and dry eyes - all associated with Acoustic Neuroma and nerves inside the auditory canal. I promptly purchased a strong eye gel without preservatives meant for severe dry eyes. It works just fine, with a cooling effect, very much like mint.

In the evening, mom and I took a bus to Santa Moinica, which is to the west of downtown LA. At first we got on the wrong bus although in the right direction. I thought all buses heading to a direction goes to the same destination, but that’s because I was lucky to get it right away last time. So we got down from that bus and waited for less than 2 minutes for the correct bus that took us all the way to Santa Monica and even made a special stop for mom and I at the pathway leading to Santa Monica Pier.

There, I captured some photographs on my digital camera, but was not quite satisfied, wishing the camera would record exacrly what appeared through my eyes. Perhaps a 360 degrees paranomic view, The pier even had a mini-circus but was still too early to sight anyone in it, or maybe the air temperature was too cold. To my amusement, there west mist in the air! Right here in LA! It’s the beginning of autumn right now so flowers are blooming along sidewalks and on trees. There was hardly anyone at the beach.

An evening at santa Monica could not do without taking a stroll along 3rd street, which is basically two row of shops intersecting two main roads. There are branded shops like GAP, SWATCH, and even Borders and Barnes & Nobles. I am not a brand kind of person so the names have already escaped my mind by now. Most people went just to stroll because none of them held shopping bags including myself. There wasn’t many people anyway. I wondered where everyone went. Even the buskers took a day off!

Coming back was quite an adventure though, because I couldn’t find the main THIRD STREET that should have been above Wilshire. There was only a desserted California Blvd. I think we circled the block at least twice, stopping to ask several passerbys who were clueless about downtown LA. None of them knew any Third streets except for the mini ones in Santa Monica. Even then, there are two including a backlane. We asked this guy in yellow top who seemed like a know-how.

“Hello sir. Do you where Third street is?”
“There this one, that runs from there and all the way to the bottom”
“no, not this one. I mean the MAIN, BIG Third street”
He mumbled more, pointing and there…
“No no… the one that takes us to downtown LA”
Shakes his head, now pointing to the east
“No, not THAT one. Another one…”
He then pointing here, there and everywhere…

Seeing that he was just as clueless, we walked off and ventured into the unknown. In the end, I decided that we should just board a bus on Wilshire that take us to Alvarado because St. Vincent is at the junction of Third Street and Alvarado. But I thought I wouldn’t be able to recognise Alvarado on Wilshire, so I got mom to tell the bus driver to inform us when we’re there. The bus drivers here are very helpful, but this one was probably impatient to end her shift, so shje didn’t tell us when we reached Alvarado. Looking out the window all the time, I spotted a nice lake, then a 99 cents thrity store, then a Japanese restaurant, and hey these look familiar! I got mom to ask the bus driver, who said we have arrived, Yay~!

But we still had to walk up the hill on Alvarado to St. Vincent, but somehow, although tiring, it’s not as bad as straining muscles amidst the humid weather of Malaysia.

Ok that’s all for now. My friend and her son, Greg, have arriived at Seton Hall for medical check-up. Knew them through the NF2 crew and now I can’t wait to catch up!

P/S: Tomorrow morning comes surgery. Pray! Pray!

Slept deeply and soundly throughout last night. The guest center bed seems thicker, probably a feather bed that sinks in and takes on the shape of your back. Had bread, cheese, and coffee this morning before walking over to House Ear Institute to meet Mr. Steve Otto again. This time we used the connecting bridge to avoid acrossing the wide and busy Third Street. The front was under construction so we walked around to the side entrance.

I was his first patient this morning so when he came to get me at the clinic, he still had a cup of coffee in hand. We couldn’t venture upstairs without his escort because some doors needed card access. The reason for this is simple. There are expensive lab equipments everywhere that they cannot afford to lose. On one floor is a room where video conferencing is wired to operating threatres at St. Vincent across the street. Every case of ABI implant may be recorded and documented as precedence. The Institute provides fellowship opportunities to eligible medical practitioners who will sit through such sessions.

There were many documents to sign including one that gives permission to House Ear Institute to publish photographic images of my surgery. Every ABI receipient is considered as case study. We must inform the Institute of any findings during our lifetime using the ABI, which comes with a five year warranty. Some people back home may think willing myself to research is stupid and a waste of time, but I think it gives me a sense of purpose in life.

Next, we were led to Laurie’s room where she prescribed me with some medications to help ease swelling of the facial nerve tomorrow. We were then led to another room to see Dr. Hitselberger, who somehow made me feel very much at home. Dr. Hitselberger seemed to have aged a bit since I last saw him two years ago. His hands are now a little shaky and his movements are slower. It’s funny how he managed to touch a soft spot in me. I was reminded that, hey, here he is, my kind and loving neurosurgeon aging as I struggle to raise money for surgery.

The cost of surgeon fees is only USD14,300.00, between Dr. Friedman, Dr. Hitselberger, and the internist Dr. Stefen. If divided equally, each of them will receive less than USD4,000 after further deduction to the clinic itself. I think that’s pretty kind of them, considering the complexity of the AN removal and ABI implantation. There are only a handful of surgeons worldwide familiar with the ABI implant and Dr. Hitselberger is one of them. He was there when the late Dr. William House invented the ABI and he is still here today. Lest we forget, he performed my previous surgery for free. *sob*

After parting with Dr. Hitselberger, we ventured back to St. Vincent laboratory to have my blood and x-ray taken. Someday, I’ll explain how that is done here in America, with the use of a single needle that drains blood into detachable test tubes, easing the process of collecting several specimens. In Malaysia, the nurse will poke and re-poke until your hands turns blue. I’m serious!

What a tiring day it was, mainly because I did not get enough sleep the night before. My body clock is still set to shut down at night timw in Malaysia, during which my eyes would become dry and blur, and my muscles would refuse to charge. However, I still had some reserved biological batteries to get breakfast at the hospital cafeteria this morning. Avoiding the steep path, I used an easier and more practical route which went directly onto the cafeteria floor. Once inside, I found my way through the underground maze by autopilot. Had scrambled eggs, sausages, a large cup of fresh orange juice and that was enough to keep me from hunger for the next few hours.

After having breakfast, I went back to Seton Hall to fetch my just waken mom to eat her breakfast, before walking past two blocks to a Mexican supermarket where we stocked up on bread, fruits, cheese, instant food and the like. For vegetables, we figured that it is best to get them from the cafeteria’s salad bar. There are three microwave ovens in the common kitchen, but no other cooking utensils are permitted in the premise, in case someone decides to burn down my medical refugee camp.

Carrying a few bags of heavy groceries drained significant amount of energy from the both of us, so we took a short nap before hopping out of bed, grabbed a few belongings, and off we went to House Clinic across the street. Today’s very sunny in LA, but not humid. Poh Kheng said it’s due to Santa Ana wind blowing from the dessert’s direction.

At House Clinic, we registered ourselves at the front desk, and was told that I still owe them the cost of 2 appointments. Puzzled, I dived into my big bagpack and fetched some documents to verify my identity. Apparently, there are two Yvonne Foongs in record. Strange. So now I’m a clarified debtless patient. After waiting for what seemed like eternity, a man in sunny shirt and grey hair introduced himself as Steve Otto. We were led to his office on an upper floor where he explained more about the ABI and what to expect. Upon parting, I was given yet another agreement to read and sign over tonight. He cautioned me not to be intimidated by the legal jargons.

We were then brought to the attention of an audiologist who conducted hearing tests on me before leaving. At first, they wanted me to see Dr. Friedman but I got so sleepy I reminded them that my appointment with him is actually on Wednesday morning. The energized Yvonne would not have passed up the opportunity to meet my handsome doctor in advance!

Back at Seton Hall, I slept a good 3 hours and now here I am reporting at the common dining room once again.

P/S: I can’t find my camera cable!

It’s now 3:15am in the morning. I had about 3 hours sleep before I was waken up by my bored mother. She felt hungry so we dived into the pantry refrigerator to find some shared food bought by other patients. The ones that are not shared have names written on them, while the shared ones are indicated so. We also have our own mini bar in the room which is still empty.

While chewing away at mini Pritzels, mom browsed through the Seton Hall guestbook and found a guy named Khaled (I have a reader with that name too!) who was here to remove a 3.5cm Acoustic Neuroma and got an ABI last July by Dr. Brackmann and Dr. Hitselberger. There was no facial nerve paralysis and the ABI works well on him. That really made my day. Praying for the best to happen this Wednesday.

I have arrived! After 16 hours crammed in an economy airspace, I am finally here! The flght was smooth, though we suffered turbulence all the way during first half of the journey. I read a quarter of Marley and I and spent the rest of the time sleeping and looking out the window. Oh my, despite flying so many times, the beauty above the clouds never fail to captivate me. I think my tummy shrunk because I could only eat half of what MAS served before feeling bloated. That’s probably a good sign for slimming.

While in the cab just now, half gazing out the window, my eyes were glued to the meter that ticked so fast that LAX ti St. Vincent cost us USD50! My golly, that’s more expensive than air travel. If we’re gonna come here this often, I might as well insist mom to get an international driving license. Tipped the drive two dollars.

I am thrilled being in LA again. Everything feels so familiar and natural, just like home. On the way here just now, I saw a nude shop, the train station on Alvarado Street where I ventured on my own two years ago, the lake, I also saw a shopping mall that had a big Borders sign! Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the mall even though I kept reminding myself earlier on. Nevermind, Santa Monica is just to the East hence cheaper to go. Pray I’ll get enough sleep tonight to adjust my body clock or else I’ll morph into a night owl.

By the way, we were informed at KLIA that the American Immigration forbid the carrying of liquid of any kind into the cabin, but check-in luggage is okay. I thought they would be lenient to me, but my liquid foundation was confiscated. Should have been wiser.

Should I, should I not, should I, should I not. Maybe I should publish my contact details. Besides, going off for one month doesn’t mean I should live in isolation. hehe… I can be reached in US by mail at:

St. Vincent Medical Center,

Attn: Yvonne Foong - Seton Guest Center

You may also call the hospital gift shop at #213- 484 5580. Besides cards and flowers, anything edible and practical is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Our rooms at Seton Guest Center and the hospital have their own phones too, but better not reveal because they have a very loud GGGRRRRIIIINGGG sound which is counter-productive towards my beauty sleep.

Thank you everyone for the well-wishes! I am getting excited too! Here’s what I keyed into my handphone calendar because Yvonne has been forgetful lately.

Medical Appointments for Yvonne, LA time

Monday 23rd October 2006
1415 - Hearing test by audiologist, House Clinic
1500 - ABI consultation with Steve Otto, House Ear Institute

Tuesday 24th October 2006
0830 - ABI consultation with Steve Otto, House Ear Institute
1000 - Be at St. Vincent Medical Center’s Laboratory
1200 - Meet Dr. Hitselberger, Ocean View Suite
1400 - Meet Dr. Stefan, House Ear Institute

Wednesday 25th october 2006
0900 - Meet Dr. Friedman, House Clinic
1000 - Check-in at St. Vincent for surgery!
1200 - Surgery begins…

I hope I didn’t miss anything.

With the bulan Ramathan coming to an end soon. I am inspired to write a quick note to my muslim fans out there. I know this is going to sound strange but I am greatly touched by the support of the malay muslim community towards my cause. They come around here and there, but enough to show evidence of a rather sizable group.

Thing is, I am not a racially or religiously bigot, but rather, a firm believer in Christ who strives to live in harmony. With the frequent biased propagandas aired out by our own politicians, the people are becoming more segregated by the day. I often wonder, is this country as racist as some politicians make it out to be?

Thank God because my own fundraising have, in an ironic way, mock the words of people who chose to put down another religion to glorify theirs. While they are doing that, somewhere out there, their fellow brethens are showing much love to me despite my firm belief in Christ.

But I can’t help but fear, everytime I meet a muslim, wondering “oh no, will they think of me as a religious bigot?”, “will they think I am judging them?”. I know it is silly to think that way. That is what I mean by the fear of being stereotyped, because I am not like that.

Strange post, I know. But when it comes to topics like this, I am rather afraid of sending the wrong message across. I respect other religions and more so when their believers have shown me so much love.

Hence, I take this opportunity to wish all muslims out there a joyous fasting and feasting season! While you’re at it, I’ll be in the hospital.

Last Saturday, we had a Bon Voyage dinner at LookOut Point Restaurant, Ulu Langat.

My friend, Carrol Lawrence’s sister and brother-in-law owns the place.

Besides the Oooh La La! view, I liked the windy atmosphere to get away from the heaty and hazy KL central.

I didn’t do a head count, but we probably had 20-30 people who joined us for dinner that night.

LookOut Point restaurant serves both western and asian food. I had BBQ lamb chop, which tastes exquisite! Oooh… I am salivating right now. It’s their chef’s special recipe, and not a copycat style.

They also invented their very own strawberry drink, in which real strawberries are blended and mixed with syrup. I love the taste!

We were thrilled meeting Fiona, her brother and his girlfriend! Very sweet people.

A Big Thank you to Carrol and family for organising this memorable, romantic dinner for all of us who came! I’m looking forward to visit LookOut Point again. My gosh… that place is tantalizing I tell you. See I’m not writing much because the place just cannot be summarized with words.