A Scary Morning (and a Huge Relief)
We had an appointment with a neurologist this morning. We promised “more on that later,” and… this was later.
We left our condo at eight, quietly, with that heavy feeling in our chest that came from not knowing what we were about to hear. We walked to the bus stop opposite Jakel Mall. Ten minutes later, we boarded Rapid KL bus #250 to Setapak. By 8:40am, we were at Columbia Asia Hospital, registering, sitting down, and trying to act normal.
But we weren’t normal. Not inside.
We waited for our appointment with Dr Tan Wee Yong, and the waiting felt endless—because for two weeks, we had been living inside a question mark.
What Started It All
It began as a tingling in the right arm—like that sharp “funny bone” feeling when you knock your elbow the wrong way. At first, I tried to brush it off. It was easy to tell ourselves it was nothing.
Then it wasn’t.
The tingling became numbness—starting at the pinky and ring finger, then spreading down the right side of the body, all the way to the little toe. I noticed the right leg felt off. Simple things—like moving a trouser leg properly—suddenly felt clumsy, uncoordinated, wrong. That quiet fear started creeping in: What if this is serious?
And then came the moment that truly shook me.
I was showering, and only the left side of the body felt the warmth of the water.
That was the moment my stomach dropped.
Two Weeks of Uncertainty
This started two weeks ago, on 12 July 2024. We went to a GP nearby. She listened, looked concerned, and said words that instantly made everything feel real: she worried it could be a mild stroke. She referred us to a neurologist. An MRI was done.
And then… we waited.
Work commitments meant we could not see the specialist right away, so we carried on with life while our mind kept circling the same fears. We smiled in front of people. We did our tasks. We kept moving. But in quiet moments, the worries got loud.
Every day we asked ourselves: What if we waited too long? What if this changes everything?
The Appointment We Needed
Sitting there today, waiting to be called in, we were trying to prepare for anything. We braced ourselves for bad news because uncertainty had already worn us down.
And then—finally—we got the words we had been desperate to hear.
After going through the results, Dr Tan gave us encouraging news. He prescribed medication for hypertension, diabetes, and neuropathic pain, and he expected a full recovery.
We cannot describe the release we felt in that moment. Two weeks of fear didn’t vanish instantly, but it loosened its grip. We could breathe again.
The Wake Up Call We Didn’t Want—but Needed
Dr Tan’s advice was clear, and it hit us in the most honest way:
- Watch what we eat
- Begin cardio exercises
- Lose weight over time
- And maybe the hardest instruction of all: take it easy
It was a relief—but it was also a reminder.
We loved our adventures, our walking days, our food hunts, our “let’s just go” moments. But today made one thing painfully clear: nothing—absolutely nothing—should stand in the way of our health.
So yes, we might need to tone down the gallivanting. Or at least cut the sugar, watch the calories, and stop treating rest like a luxury. Because we wanted many more trips, many more videos, many more mornings where we woke up excited instead of afraid.
Grateful, Grounded, and Moving Forward
We walked out of that hospital feeling lighter than we had in weeks. Not because everything was “perfect,” but because we finally had clarity—and a path forward.
We were grateful for good medical care. Grateful for answers. Grateful for the chance to change direction before it was too late.
And most of all, we were grateful that we were still here—together—making plans again.
Stay tuned for our next destination, “The Land Beneath the Winds,” next month. But this time, we would be travelling with a new promise to ourselves: we would put health first, every single day.
(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)
📍 Location:
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Columbia Asia Hospital - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ovjjUPQ2Zk4HEF3W8