2nd Day of School - gastric

2nd day of school saw me getting out of bed at 5.45am for a 10am lesson. Alright, so I had to go to school earlier because I had not printed today's (what I thought were) required notes and I still had to finish reading through all 40 pages of it. Turned out the lecturer/tutor did not touch the notes at all.

Today's lesson was a nice 3 hour laboratory session from 10 am to 1 pm. Laboratory lessons in Psychology typically means research and statistical based lessons where we learn how to and to actually carry out experiments. This particular one is based on Social Psychology. The content of the class is not of importance in this post, though may I add that I was trying to decipher what the lecturer/tutor was talking about half the time because he is an Indian who, unfortunately, talks with quite a strong accent. Other than that, he is really quite a nice person.

By the end of the class, I could hardly concentrate anymore because I was both mentally exhausted from concentrating on what he was saying as well as the fact that I was feeling the beginnings of what would be a full-blown gastric attack which lasted slightly more than 4.5 hours. Time period between breakfast and lunch was too long.

After meeting somebody to sell a book off, I headed straight to Arts' canteen and was faced with the horrible scene of extremely long queues. I was starting to walk with a hunch because the pain did not permit me to stand straight. Having found a table a short while later, I was in the queue for a good 15 minutes or more before I finally got my Chicken Stewed Rice which was barely lukewarm. Stomach acid was really waging a full-pledged war against my stomach lining. Fidgeted a lot while in the queue. Turns out my stomach did not like the food at all and started to protest really badly. I think I was squirming really badly in my seat while eating. Embarrassing. Unable to finish my food, I took the dreaded gastric medicine in the hope that it would help.

I started walking aimlessly around really slowly because I could not figure out what to do. I desperately needed a place to rest but everywhere seemed too far to walk to. I needed to check out the bidding for my last module (which I did not manage to get in the end) but the pain was far too much to handle. Halfway to Central Library, it occurred to me that I was heading in the wrong direction but I could not bear the thought of walking back the entire way to goodness-knows-where after I'd painfully, literally, walked this whole way. So I finally landed up at an empty table in the middle of nowhere and did the only thing I could do - bent over and waited for the pain to stop.

It's funny that in the midst of all that pain I could still twitter. Haha. I was laughing at myself. Talk about craving for care and concern and the wish for the presence of somebody, anybody, who would know what to do. I tried messaging my friend but he did not reply, and subsequently I realized there was nobody in school I could call on for help. Miraculously, Eng Wen walked by half an hour later and saw me seated, staring blankly into space. Upon hearing what I was doing, he insisted that we go to the University Health and Wellness Centre (UHWC) to either see the doctor or to buy pills directly. He walked me there and further insisted that I see the doctor because I had absolutely no idea which medicine to buy. All this time I'd popped whichever gastric pills I could get my hands on. FYI, the medicine I ate earlier on was 3 years old and falling into pieces. Threw it away before entering the clinic. Was really edgy about seeing the doctor because I simply don't like it and protested to him, but he was damn insistent. Eng Wen then left to do his things and instructed me to call him after I was done at the doctor's. Sad to say, I did not call because I realized that I did not have his number.

After having sat there for half an hour or so waiting for my turn, writhing silently and as little as possible in pain, my cousin showed up with his friend. I thankfully entrusted him with the task of going to the nearest computer lab to up my bid points for that one module because I was unable to get out of the chair. I chatted with both of them until most of the pain seemed to have mercifully faded. Saw the doctor who prescribed me the exact medicine I just threw away and learnt that it was supposed to be swallowed instead of chewed, which was what I have been doing. That explains the extremely horrible taste unlike that of other gastric medicine I've eaten.

Pain came back again so we headed down to drink some hot milk (yes milk works for me, I don't care if it does not work for you), but the stupid stall did not sell milk, only milo. I had that, but it activated the pains so badly that I found it hard to talk or smile. Swallowing the pills with plain water made it worse. Some half an hour later, the three of us finally headed to the bus stop and my cousin very kindly volunteered to see me home (because he wanted to go late for work). I slept throughout the journey and left him to deal with the heat in the bus as well as what I learned later was the onslaught of slight motion sickness.

Oh I skipped the auditions for NUSSO. Wait I end up squatting or lying down on the floor.

Felt so touched by the twitter replies of arzhou, uzyn and paddy, the direct SMS of JY, as well as Eng Wen, my other cousin and his friend's concern towards me. My sincere thanks.

Yes sirs, yes madams, I will bring snacks in my bag from now on. Next time you all talk to me, I start grinning and my teeth are black, don't blame me hor. I most probably ate Oreos.