The German Connection
Many Singapore students take the General Certificate of Education 'A' Levels (GCE 'A' Levels) when they reach the age of 18 years. This examination is a national level entrance examination for a place in the Universities, local and overseas. Like many thousands of my peers, I had studied long and hard for these examinations, but it was unexpectedly disrupted a week into them. I had contracted German Measles or Rubella, a highly infectious medical condition that requires one to be quarantined.
My elder brother had caught German Measles in his Army barracks earlier. The whole family knew about it because he was quarantined in barracks. Unfortunately, he was prematurely released, no thanks to the inexperienced Medical Officers in the Armed Forces. My brother unwittingly passed the virus to me when he returned home.
There was no other choice. I packed my bags immediately, taking along my study notes and books, and checked into the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). I did it all alone, I knew that I had to do it, I didn't get anybody to accompany me. Walking around and otherwise pretending that nothing has happened wasn't the responsible or right thing to do. This is the story of how I ended up taking part of my national 'A' level examinations in the hospital.
What has this got to do with my epilepsy, you wonder?
Well, a Dr Monteiro reviewed my medical case while I was in the CDC and noticed my epilepsy condition. After 3 years on Phenobarb, and seeing no improvement in my condition, he suggested that I see an epilepsy expert at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He prepared the necessary papers which would admit me to the Specialist Centre in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. I duly admitted myself, again, to TTSH not long after my discharge from the CDC.
The next stage of epilepsy treatment had just begun.
My elder brother had caught German Measles in his Army barracks earlier. The whole family knew about it because he was quarantined in barracks. Unfortunately, he was prematurely released, no thanks to the inexperienced Medical Officers in the Armed Forces. My brother unwittingly passed the virus to me when he returned home.
There was no other choice. I packed my bags immediately, taking along my study notes and books, and checked into the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). I did it all alone, I knew that I had to do it, I didn't get anybody to accompany me. Walking around and otherwise pretending that nothing has happened wasn't the responsible or right thing to do. This is the story of how I ended up taking part of my national 'A' level examinations in the hospital.
What has this got to do with my epilepsy, you wonder?
Well, a Dr Monteiro reviewed my medical case while I was in the CDC and noticed my epilepsy condition. After 3 years on Phenobarb, and seeing no improvement in my condition, he suggested that I see an epilepsy expert at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He prepared the necessary papers which would admit me to the Specialist Centre in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. I duly admitted myself, again, to TTSH not long after my discharge from the CDC.
The next stage of epilepsy treatment had just begun.
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