Contributed by I Travel Rox
Everyone has their own stories to pursue travelling. Some people travel to find themselves, some just got out of school to take a break, some just quit their job and took several months of sabbatical, some just had a broken relationship and needed to escape for a while, and a lot more reasons only an individual can tell.
I have lots of reasons why I travel – a broken relationship, of finding oneself, but one reason that weighed a lot to let me travel more was my unexpected health threat.
Also read: It’s Okay to Be Addicted to Travel but Clueless With Life
It was early August 2014 when I went to Camiguin with my mom, my sister and some friends. After a few weeks, I needed to see a doctor for an annual breast check-up. Actually, I was seeing three doctors that time for another opinion until the second doctor recommended me a specialist. I even asked my mom to accompany me.
I was able to see a breast specialist, a surgeon, and after a few minutes of observation, she recommended that I needed to undergo a biopsy to remove the breast lump. I was worried about the money since I don’t have the amount to schedule for the procedure right away. I asked the doctor if it was okay to delay for a few months since I had scheduled a trip to Hong Kong last October 2014. She told me to have the procedure ASAP or it could get worse. To think, I was working night shift before; I guess it added to the stress. I told the doctor that I need to save money to reach the amount after pay day. One thing I was scared about the procedure was the scar; I freaked out about the idea of having a bad breast shape.
I told this situation to an online friend whom I never had the chance to see in person. He is happily married and an excited father to a son. He understood my situation, how hardworking I am as a person that he even offered to pay for the procedure. I was so touched that I told him I would pay him in return. I told my mom about it and we scheduled for a procedure two days after I got the money.
Also read: How to Balance Your Work and Travel Life
I’ve never been hospitalised before, except for the day when I was born. I was really nervous because I never had any major illnesses that needed me to be confined. Never in my life have I experienced being cut with a scalpel. It was my first time inside the surgery room wearing that hospital gown. It was really weird.
I was on the operating table while the doctor injected anaesthesia on my right breast. During the procedure, I was wide awake while listening to the doctor and her assistant, and we had a little talk for a few seconds. My right breast felt so numb like it was a rubber while the doctor was cutting and opening the skin.
Few hours have passed until I screamed and cried in pain. I thought the procedure was supposed to be painless because of anaesthesia, but it loses its effect. The doctor injected more; you could just imagine what happened. At the time, she was cutting a blood vein. I could still remember how painfully traumatic it was for me. Although the pain subsided, it was temporary. I knew that I would be experiencing agony in the next few days.
The breast lump of 13mm had been removed. Since I got home, I was crying every day and every night without enough sleep. I was overdosed with anaesthesia that I even paid more for an extra small bottle. A lot of scary things were on my mind. I wasn’t working for many days. I was emotionally and physically affected by what happened.
I spent the first few days of September just alone in a room crying. I told myself I would travel more. I felt like I needed to enjoy life as you only live once.
But I have to be careful with my scar and myself. I needed to heal physically. I wasn’t allowed to carry heavy things.
Also read: Travel Will Make You Question Life and Everything Else
Despite the torture, I have to be thankful especially to that friend who offered his help without asking for anything in return. I just wished him happiness in life and he found it. I, on the other hand, needed to recover, to get back to being happy. I looked back at my travel photos, wishing that I could travel again to fully recover until I got a tempting invitation for a free one-way ticket to Palawan.