Today we went to see the doctor for the first time since I entered high school. It takes well over two hours to get to the hospital from here even if we take the Tomei Expressway, so we had to start early in the morning,
I decided to make some notes on what I wanted to tell the doctor:
#1. It's getting difficult to walk. I fall over unless I have something to hold on to. I find it hard to move around because my legs get stiff. They're particularly hopeless in the morning.
#2. I often choke when I eat meals in a rush and when I drink tea.
#3. I frequently grin without noticing. (I noticed this when my brother asked me what was so funny.)
#4. What disease am I suffering from?
After waiting for a long time as usual, I saw Dr. Sofue and three young doctors. I had the same tests as before - bending and stretching my legs, patting, walking, etc. I suppose it was to examine my motor coordination and my reactions. Mom briefly conveyed my notes to them. She also told them that I now commute to an ordinary public high school with some help from my classmates.
After the examination, the doctor said, "Well, I think Aya should stay in the hospital during the summer holiday. Than we can give her a proper checkup and treatment. Please take the necessary procedures for admission into the hospital before you leave today."
Gee ! Staying in the hospital? How awful! But I accepted the idea without much fuss, thinking, "I suppose it's something I can put up with as long as I can get my body out of its present state." But what on earth is happening to my health? Something must be going wrong. I'll be in real trouble unless I get it fixed as soon as possible. I'm scared. So the answer to my questions #4 was suspended until my stay in the hospital.
"Is Nagoya University Hospital a good hospital?" I asked Mom in the car going home. "Can they cure my illness for sure? This will be my first summer holiday as a high school student. There are so many things I want to do. I hope my stay there will be short."
"Aya," Mom replied, "you should keep making notes of anything you notice about your health, as you've been doing up to now. Don't forget to tell us any little thing even if you don't think it's important. That will help with your treatment. Then you may not have to stay long in the hospital. If you regard staying in the hospital as just one moment in your lifetime, you'll remember it as a good experience. I'll only be able to come and see you on Sundays, so you'll have to do your washing yourself. But don't overdo it! I'll buy you lots of underweat and when we get home we must make a list of all the other things you'll need so that you can get prepared."
On the way back, we left the expressway at the Okazaki Interchange and dropped by my aunt's place
(Mom's youngest sister). Listening to Mom's explaination about me, my eyes filled with tears.
"I'll do anything to help her get better." said Mom.
"If Nagoya University Hospital turns out to be no good, I'll look around for somewhere else that can cure her - whether it's in Tokyo or even in America."
"Anyway, Aya," said my aunt, "let's hope you get better soon. Most diseases can be treated these days and you're still young.. But you will have to have the spirit of
'I WILL get better!' If you're sloppy and weak-spirited, even the best medicine in the world will have no effect. I'll come and see you when I can. Just call me if you need me to do something for you and I'll be there tight away. So don't worry about anything and do your best!"
Than she took out a box of tissues and make me laugh by saying, "Now blow your nose and drink your fruit juice. It will taste salty if your tears and runny nose get mized in it, you know!"
The hospital stay is still two months away. But I want to say, "Time, please stop!".. and, at the same time, "Aya's disease, please stop !"
