I inherited a lot of qualities from my late father.
Ofs all the things I got from him, I also inherited his snoring.
It’s a Sia family thing. Every single person in my family snore when they sleep. It’s something we’re born with, and it’s something our partners have to live with.
My mother practically lived with it throughout her marriage with my father. After a while, she just got used to it.
For me, things are a little bit more difficult.
My ex used to pinch my nose whenever I snore. If it got worse, I’ll get a whack on the arm. I could never get a good night’s rest with her.
But it’s not just with girls. I travel frequently, and sometimes I share rooms with friends. They would be all cool with me at first, until the following morning.
The first thing they said to me when they wake up is not “Good morning!”, but “KENNY LAST NIGHT YOU SNORED SO LOUD AH!”
Hearing stuff like that hurt my feelings. Then again, I also realised it’s selfish of me to disturb other people’s sleep.
But it’s not like I can help it! If I can find a way to stop snoring, of course I would.
The problem is, I just about tried every solution there and nothing helped. Tablets, nasal sprays, tapes that cover my mouth when I sleep, tapes than open up my nose when I sleep, oxygen machines. You named it, I’ve done it.
Nothing works. In the end, I decided to seek professional help.
I went to see a doctor.
The first doctor I saw was an Ear Nose & Throat ENT Specialist at Sarawak General Hospital. I don’t know how to say this diplomatically, but it was possibly the biggest waste of time I ever had.
Firstly, just to see the doctor, I had to get a recommendation letter from my GP. Next, I need to make an appointment with the receptionist and put on a waiting list for 1 month before I can actually see him.
That’s okay – it’s a government hospital after all.
One month later, when I turned up for my appointment, I was asked to enter into a crowded waiting area. There, I waited for ONE HOUR for my turn – even when I had an appointment booked a month in advance.
When I finally got to see my doctor, he was clearly looking overworked and exasperated. After telling him my problems, the first thing he did was stick a camera through my nose – all the way down my throat.
It was really as disgusting as it sounds. I could smell the lingering odour of KY Jelly after he took the device out.
The doctor saw nothing wrong with my breathing passage. He asked me again what I wanted to do. I said I want to cure my snoring.
His response? Go for surgery.
“Would surgery cure my snoring completely?” I asked.
“Not necessarily… There’s still a risk you would be snoring after surgery.”
Obviously I wasn’t ready for something so risky, expensive and invasive. Some more there’s no guarantee of me curing my snoring problem. So I asked if there’s anything else he could do.
All I got was a very confused doctor looking at me quizzically.
I was rushed out as soon as I rushed in. In the end, I decided to forget about seeking a Kuching doctor for help.
I did some research of my own on how to cure my snoring, and came across a new cure for snoring of called “The Pillar Procedure”.
It works by inserting plastic implants into the back of your throat to stop it from vibrating. In Asia, one of the doctors who pioneered this procedure is Dr Goh Yau Hong from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, in Singapore.
It might sound like a ridiculous idea to fly to Singapore to see a doctor. Thing is, I really wanted to end my snoring once and for all – without invasive surgery if possible.
Earlier this year (after some arrangements with ParkwayHealth’s PR team) I made the decision.
I made the trip to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for my initial consultation with Dr Goh.
It was the best decision I have ever made. Believe it or not, seeing Dr Goh in Singapore was 1000 times easier than than making an appointment to see the ENT doctor at the General Hospital in Kuching.
Mou
nt Elizabeth Hospital is under the Parkway Health Group, Singapore. In Kuching (and other cities like JB, KK and KL), they got a Patient Assistance Centre that handles patient enquiries, appointments, doctor bookings and trip arrangements for their hospitals.
The hospital is widely regarded as the best private hospital in the region. Many people from outside Singapore, including our Sultans, travel here to seek treatment for critical illnesses like cancer, heart, vascular and brain tumour diseases.
Having somebody do the logistics for them locally makes it very convenient for the patients. And their Kuching office provides this service at no extra charge.
Anyway, I arrived for my appointment that morning. After waiting not more than 10 minutes, I was called in to see Dr Goh.
All I can say, it was completely unlike my experience at Sarawak General Hospital.
Unlike my previous experience where I was rushed in and out because the doctor had no time for me, Dr Goh was amazingly patient and considerate.
So patient that he didn’t even administer me any treatment during my first visit!
Instead Dr Goh examined my nose and palate to determine what exactly causes my snoring.
In the end, he said to me three things.
First, although I came to see him for the Pillar Procedure, it would not cure my snoring. The procedure works if my throat muscles were too relaxed, but I don’t have that problem. My throat is strong! 😀
The reason I snore was because I wasn’t breathing through my nose. I’m born in such a way that my nose was always blocked. All my life I had been breathing mostly through my mouth – and that is what causes my snoring.
Second, my snoring could indicate a more serious health problem called sleep apnea. It is when I completely stop breathing during my sleep – risky because it would cause a lot of health problems if not treated early.
And then there’s the weight issue.
This was me and Dr Goh, circa January this year.
I was weighing in close to 90kg, grossly overweight no thanks to my over-indulgence over the New Year. Dr Goh was blunt – if I want to stop snoring, I need to lose some weight.
He asked to come back to Singapore again.
I have to do a “Sleep Test” to determine if I have sleep apnea. Inreturn he promised to make my nose breathe better.
How?
By using a procedure called “Turbinate Reduction”, Dr Goh will COOK the piece of flesh that has been blocking my nose all my life.
Literally, he’s gonna microwave my nose!
First!
sounds scary
So your nose got microwaved. Did you got the chance for a taste?
obviously there is a difference … how much did you pay in Mt E as compared to the GH?
lucky i dont snore! 🙂
What’s the continuation of this story. i need to know! XD
Hope it does cure your breathing difficulties. Having the same problem here, not snoring, but sinus.
scary to see it
I only these sort of pictures in my sleep psych class. Never thought would see it here!
I must say this is really a very useful post!
My friend could use this!
Certain people popped out in my mind that I must share this article with!
Y’know i have the same problem. I’ve been breathing thru my mouth since forever. Which explains why water never got into my nose when i went swimming… And i got the “eh last night u snored damn loudly leh!” with “you randomly kicked me”
FINALLY, a post worth reading…
Hi Kenny
I’m a Sarawakian and I work as a doctor in the public health service in the UK. I can tell you that it’s hardly fair for you to slag off a doctor in public service, who spent time with you to look into your nose to entertain a non-life threatening problem.
I can hardly empathise with your “problem” as it is not something disabling or what I would classify as serious. The most serious consequence I can gage from your post is that it may be intefering with your love/social life.
It is even more unfair to compare public health service with private health service. The comparison can be justified if the kuching public service doctor is compared with a singapore public service doctor.
Kudos to doctors working in public health service in Malaysia. I have a lot of respect for them as they are indeed overworked and underpaid.
you really don’t breathe through your nose? sound so dangerous! good luck with your snoring. my uncles also suffer from the same thing. GOOD LUCK!
Gov Dr to Patient ratio:
Kuala Lumpur 1:400
WHO standard 1:800
Sarawak 1:2000
And sarawak GH is the only specialist public hospital in sarawak
I do agree with medicinuk’s comments. It is unfair to compare the service in public and private hosp. Had the ENT surgeon in Sarawak been given enough time to see all his patients I am sure he would provide similar service to the ones you had in Sg. The problem in public hospital is the long list of patients and realistically I believe the doctor did right. IE-you can’t expect public hospitals to perform breast augmentation surgery for cosmesis purposes
Perhaps if the govt is smart enough to improve on their policy and better manage the clinic list and resources we can see some improvement although this is largely unlikely
oh for gods sake people, kenny is merely relating his honest account/opinions on his experience in both hospitals, he’s not trying to cook up some political controversy on how public hospitals in sarawak are shit compared to private hospitals elsewhere! stop being so sensitive.
let us knows how it goes, kenny! 🙂
alysha
Honest account? or a commercial for Parkway Health?
i’ve done the nose unblocking thingy where the doc laser aways the meat. PAINFUL like hell cause i did in government hospital! horible. my nose is still block after 5 years
I have the same thing as well.. I tried nasal sprays etc but nothing work as well. My friend with the same problem went for the surgery and the breathing thru mouth is gone and so was his sinus. But it sounded risky..
Kenny, please continue the story. I wanna know what I could do with my situation as well. Thanks 🙂
then i’m the best travel buddy cos i never complain!!! 😀 especially since i sleep like a log…
but having said that please dont get your nose cooked well-done :\
I hope (and believe) kenny understands full disclosure and transparency, but whether we read it from a blog, or hear it from friends – it shouldn’t detract from sharing a good experience. Everyone can take from it what they will.
I’ve also experienced good service from doctors in the private sector in Singapore. I tell all my friends about it by word of mouth. Nobody questions whether I’m getting paid to say good things about my experience.
My boyfriend has the same problem and go seek for specialise for ear, nose and throat, he ended up being critised having imperfection of the face, such as small chin, not symetrical nose, etc which cause the snoring. The doctor ask him to record his snore at night so he can tell what goes wrong.
For my boyfriend case, the snore goes worse when he drink alcohol at night, especially during Christmas week time where he has red wine everyday, i can’t even have a single peaceful night.
I know someone who died after undergoing surgery to try and resolve his snoring problem. He was a very prominent corporate figure (i.e. multi billionaire) and was engaged to a local TV3 personality. She complained about his snoring. He wanted to do something about it and last I heard, he was snoring 6 feet underground.
Moral of the story : don’t go for surgery. Tell your partner to sleep with ear plugs if the snoring bothers them.
Kenny, don’t feel bad when people comment bad on your post. At least, they think when they read and had some facts to defend themselves. It is way better than those spams.
Hi Kenny. I suffer from sleep apnea and as for me it’s not easy to admit. But, I just want to share some info with you. Snoring or apnea may caused by several factors and each factors may have different solution. If your snoring problem caused by your air way then maybe you can use SomnoGuard. But for all cases, CPAP is the most effective. I’ve done my sleep study at Hospital Putrajaya for only RM130 but of course you need more than RM7000 to buy those CPAP machine. You can also solve the problem by surgery but normally for those who overweight, the doctor will not suggest surgery as the problem will come back if your weight remains the same.
But I assume your snoring problem is already cured by turbinate reduction. Just want to share those info in case your treatment did not work.
Btw, good luck and may you have better sleep from now onwards. 😛
good luck in curing your snoring problem. hope u will get well soon!
Dropped by from LukeYisHandsome.com
Your whole family snores? Your mother too?
I had a problem with turbinates too, but after a period when I had bad running nose problems, it seemed to go away. Maybe the stuff is still there, but as long as they aren’t inflamed, I’ll leave them be.
Hi, i tink medicnuk and medicnok is not criticising kenny for his comparison on the public and private health care sector as alysha pointed out, but their points makes sense. It is logic to compare apple with apple and you definitely cannot expect the same service from the public health care, you get what you pay for.
oh, then why are u not coming back to serve the gov here then? and why r u in UK serving them? u should come back if its like wat u mentioned in ur comment
Wow.. your whole family snores. So that means at night… besides the the croaking frogs, your family will basically lead a choir in the night?? xP I’m guessing you’re a bass. HEHE.
kenny…. kenny… i know exactly wut u mean by general hospital services (govt hosp). i have myasthenia gravis, and while they need 6 freaking month (with no results)to actly pin point wut may b wrong with me, i only go to 1 visit at a private hospital and got my diagnosis on the same day. and i only went to private hospital coz the govt hosp scheduled me to c a neurologist in 3 month time. during tht time i can barely open my eyes. so yaaaa…. the hatred towards govt hosp still runs deep in my heart.
I’ve done the procedure before to try to cure my sinus problem and it was damn painful in one nostril because the anaesthetic didn’t work properly!
Make sure there is no feeling inside your nose before you let the doctor laser it!
It didn’t cure my sinus immediately but a year after I have less problems with my nose, not sure if it is indeed due to the treatment.
All the best!
Hi All,
Its a bit unfair if you compare doctors in SGH with the doctors in Mount E Hospital. How much you pay in SGH and how much you pay in Mount E Hospital?
Kenny, I know you are trying to bring fun in your blog, but I feel that your blog is more and more towards commercial nowadays. You are trying to promote how good is Mount E Hospital compare to SGH. Maybe you should compare Mount E Hospital with Normah Specialist Centre OR maybe you should tell your reader how much you spent in SGH compare to how much you supposed to pay in Mount E Hospital.
I fully agreed with medicinuk statement that doctors in government hospital will put emphasis to critical and emergency case. So please do not waste their time just because you want to fulfill your commitment to your client for writing a commercial blog.
Your blog has really humiliated those doctors and nurses working in SGH. I hope you should make a statement or retract this blog.
I enjoyed reading your blogs last time, but i found it nowadays its full of commercials element.
Maybe you should ask Kenny, did he go to ENT at SGH because he is short of money and he cannot afford to pay for private doctors?
I would think he went there just for the sakes of this blog, and a paid blog by parkway health group, as he still purposely mentioned that parkway has an office in Kuching.
Dear Kenny,
while it is unfortunate that you had to wait ‘an hour’ – (oh golly gee, poor you!)
we see literally hundreds of patients a day, many of whom cannot afford to go elsewhere. Some of my patients tap rubber for a month just to be able to save to travel for 4-5 hours to come for their appointments.
I personally know the ENT guys in GH, and they try their best with limited time, resources and with many patients. Some of the surgeons could be rich in private, but they’ve chosen to work in GH.
So i hope you kindly see that in all situations, there’s always a flip side to the coin.
Totally unfair/uncalled for to compare GH to private hospitals.
Julian, 100% agree with you.
because it’s people like you who do not appreciate doctors. All you say is ‘govt hosp sucks’ and this puts doctors off from serving the public. Might as well go private, since it’s ‘better’
Dear Kenny,
As a government servant, i understand how u felt because i also need to queue up for my MRI scan for my knee which is next year. But, i know this is part and parcel of the government because of the workload we are facing now. But, is it not fair for you to compare SGH with Mount Elizabeth. You may feel is a burden for you to wait in government clinic because you can pay to go Mount Elizabeth. But, if you are a just a fish farmer in Tualang, who only earn enough to support his 6 children and now suffered spinal cord injury, coming to government hospital is a blessing for his treatment and rehabilitation.
I’m glad you finally find the treatment for your problem. And is good to know the advance treatment oversea. Therefore, do continue update on your progress…
Hi kenny,
I just don’t think is fair for you to compare SGH to mount e. I think it is good enough that our government hospital provide the service that you need with the payment of “one riggit” which is nothing in comparison to what you pay for a private hosp like mount E.So do not expect anything like what you get in private hospital in a government hospital. Kenny, don’t take things for granted. Do consider on the amount of medical fees the government has subsidized. Well, you can debate on the fact that the most of your tax payment goes into it. But, to be honest it’s worst in some other country. Be more appreciative and if you can afford private, then do not misuse and complain about the service of a public sector.
Hold on to the hate and channel it correctly. You seriously think doctors want to make you wait 3 months?
The country seriously has limited resources. Limited number of specialists, limited spaces (I bet in the consultation room you were in, there were two other doctors in the same room seeing other patients), limited training opportunities, limited equipment.
This is exactly how government screw you (read: government. Not government hospitals). They don’t come and steal your money. They don’t come and harass your family. What they do is limit your opportunity when you are in dire need.
I’ve seen a lot of unfortunate people who sometimes pay with their life dealing with this misfortune.
A man who was bitten by a snake and sought help in a local Health Clinic. Doctors there could only provide a hand for him to hold on to while he dies. The clinic was not equipped with intubation set, which may have saved his life when he fell into respiratory distress.
A man in a District Hospital dies of cardiac arrest because his potassium level was too low. Doctors there were unable to run urgent blood tests for him when he was admitted there because the blood sample must be sent to another bigger hospital 120km away as the district hospital has no machine to run the test. By the time the result was made available 2 days later, it was too late.
On a smaller scale, patients with skin disease in the district where I work better pray their illness is not serious, as the skin specialist only does visit once in every three months. Can’t blame him. There’s only one in the whole state. And he’s not even Malaysian!
Why this is happening? Hospitals are being low-balled. They’re given limited resources and are expected to perform miracle. Many gave up with the system and join the private practice, where life is much easier (easier, not easy).
Also the paying scheme is screwed up. Increment is biased towards years of service instead of qualification. i.e senior medical officers (in layman term: senior doctors who are not specialists) who have worked longer are actually paid higher compared to younger specialists. Do you really think these specialists would want to stay?
What can the country do? Heck if I should know. Find a more qualified and experienced person to run the show would be a good start.
lol…you had to see 2 ent surgeons just to realise you snore cause youre fat?
I’ve also experienced good service from doctors in the private clinic in Singapore. very good..
of course things get easier at Mt. Elizabeth. the treastment there is the best and it is not cheap to be admitted there
Totally agree with Eric. Used to enjoy reading your blog but it’s a waste of time nowadays. To compare a private to public hospital service is such an unfair statement. You do not know how much those SGH doctors have to sacrifice by working there. A total let down from you for doing such a thing. You shouldn’t have wasted your time by going to SGH in the first place.
Thoroughly disgusted with this post. The hospital wasted your time? Excuse me… you’re the one wasting the hospital’s resources.
Btw, nice hotel room. Was it The Fullerton you stayed in?
hey Kenny,
i think the turbinate reduction wnt really help much mayb u need a UPPP, which is sth lk a tongue tide as ur tongue fall bck n covered ur airway tats hw u get ur snoring…bt i wnt nt reckon them yet, prob lossing some weight might help u nt to snore…
Reading back the comments and in my opinion I think Kenny here is just telling it as it is. SGH is understaffed, doctors are overworked and he couldn’t get a cure there. Yes he did compare SGH to Mt. Eliz but come on, is Malaysia a poor country? If the M’sian Government managed the healthcare better (for goodness sake Sabah doesn’t even have a GH!) we probably can get the same level of healthcare like S’pore. And he went to Mt. Eliz because of the availability of the new procedure, and was he really promoting it? I would be mad if Kenny insulted our self-sacrificing doctors calling them useless or retarded but they’re not and he didn’t. Just face it lor.. M’sian healthcare system is mediocre and the government is doing nothing concrete to solve it, so why get pissed off as if your pride is at stake? Thanks Kenny for sharing your experience and research on the snoring cure.
A typical Kuching rich brat! You may want to consider reconstructing your face (coz it looks irritating) when you go for your nasal fix.
Haha, I read with amusement of these 2 hospitals. It’s like comparing a hawker stall and a posh restaurant in hotel. We can’t expect everyone to go to SGH or everyone to go to Mt. Eliz. To each of its own.
If you got money, I’m sure most private hospitals, even in Malaysia, will entertain you with the best service. Private hospitals are all about providing the best service with the best money you have.
Malaysia public hospital are all about providing the best service with LIMITED resources. So they make the best of what they have, since the people pay almost nothing.
So my question is why would you “waste” your time in SGH when you got all the money. You can even travel to any private hospital anywhere, even in the States.
P.S: Turbinate reduction is also a form of surgery, btw.
xz
You are the only person who can make me read through a blog post of visiting the doctor for treatments. Mildly interesting, thought that pic of your inside almost did me in.
I’m appalled to hear such service coming from a govt hospital. Makes me appreciate Singapore’s efficiency more (but then again, we still complain. haha)
Good luck with the curing your snore thing. 🙂
As karma would have it. 1 day you will find yourself in SGH with an emergency
(eg heart attack, car accident ) and the doctor who treat you reads your blog.
So, make sure you ask the ambulance to taxi you to Normah or Timberland first.
BTW , how would you like it if someone say at 90kgs you should be running a restaurant,
not a fitness center. If the punchline of the blog is that they are going to
microwave your nose. You could have started your blog with your trip to Singapore,
or your quest to find a cure for snooring at Parkway . The part about SGH is unnecessary.
What you neglect to mention is that a catscan cost RM1700 private and you have to deposit
RM1500 before they even touch you if you dont have insurance or your insurance dont
cover it.
I think they did things the wrong way round. I tell my overweight patients to lose weight first before we even begin to discuss surgery.
Surgery for snoring has it’s risks so if there is a more conservative way of curing snoring that needs to be explored first
Oh, kenny has no problem with his sleep, it’s the people sleeping next to him that suffers!
er… even if kenny is advertising something, what’s wrong with that… ?
Frankly, I don’t understand why everyone feels he’s obligated to write a post the way they want it.
It’s HIS blog, it’s HIS life, it’s up to HIM what he wants to put up..
If you want entertainment 24/7.. go watch ASTRO.
Hi Kenny,
How’s the development of your treatment?
I’m also having snoring problems and this is really bothering the Mrs.
Do they have any medicine that you can take to solve the problem, or is it the problem can only be solved via therapy program / surgery?
Good luck on finding the solution to your problem! 🙂
Dear public hospital doctors, government workers and everyone else who said I should not be comparing a public hospital to a private hospital,
I apologise. I am sorry you are upset at the angle of my blog entry.
By no means am I trying to belittle government workers and public hospital doctors. If you had read my earlier entry, you’d know that when my father was battling cancer, he seeked the doctor at Sarawak General Hospital. I feel nothing but gratefulness towards the doctors and nurses working there.
The purpose of this blog entry is to talk about the process I went through when I seeked professional help to cure my snoring problem.
I went to SGH because I was recommended by friends. I went to SGH because I have faith in the doctors there. If I did not have faith in the doctors at SGH, why would I even go there in the first place, right?
Actually, I expected to be put on a waiting list – I know it’s a public hospital. I expected to sit in the waiting room for an hour to see my doctor – I knew it is going to be crowded.
My only disappointment came because after waiting so long to see my doctor, he could not recommend a solution.
When you have a problem and you paid money / spent time to go to a professional to seek fo solution, obviously you’d be very disappointed if your problem was not solved, correct?
I was disappointed, yes. But was I angry at the doctors at SGH? No.
Was there anywhere in my blog entry that I expressed ridicule towards the doctor who treated me at SGH? No. My doctor saw me, he couldn’t do anything to help me, so okay, I move on. I went to see a private hospital doctor instead. And at the end of the day, this is what this blog entry is all about – a journal about my experience.
Any feelings on “unfair comparison” is duly regretted. I will try to blog more the way you want me to next time.
Sorry.
Hi Kenny, do you also have sinus ??
Kenny, who cares what they say abt you, no one forces them to read ur blog if they don’t like you… this is the web world and it’s a free place to voice your opinion, there’ll always be something for someone to criticize about.
I thought after you started your own business, you are more grown up. But I think you become more childish nowadays. You think you are always right because you think you are sort of like celebrity and you have a bunch of fans or supporters.
This will be the last time I ever type “www.kennysia.com” as I do not consider myself your fans/ supporters.
If you not like to apologise, you do not have to.
Are you cured?
Azman, I agree with ur point, its the govt!!!
my personal expereince to share. my sis was admitted in the general hospital, and u know waT?? they mixed up my sis’s report with other!!! n my mum saw with her eyes that the doc place my sis’s blood on the file of the patient next to her and placed hers on my sis’s!!! gosh, how could this happen??? do you know wat would the consequences be??? let me tell u, putting a real sick patient in a position that he tot he is cured! yes, a good thing for him… but then he wont know how he died soon after tht~! and why are these happening? another tragic of lack of resources???
cool! i agree! he is just sharing. nothing much then that.
Thanks, Kenny! thanks for the sharing of experience and keep us posted. I would love to know more about h ow the microwave thingy helps u
well, it is unfair to criticize kenny in such a way. u can just get off if u dont feel like reading the blog.
Aiyoyo….so funny reading the comments…all these complains u can hear it in mamak stall everywhere.why so heated???kenny just barely put his thot in his blog…kenny..feel for you man.
Just find that some people who commented are like some governments…just want everyone be muted and no negative views can be accepted…else ISA…is this what we want our society to be?
And it is! As much as we would like to appreciate Govt Doc, they’re just not giving as much of an assurance to us as private doctors does!
Put yourself in Kenny’s shoes and tell me how you feel. Will you appreciate them if they’re saying those to you??!!
And i do hope this is your last time. Who’s the childish one here? Kenny apologizing for blogging his experience? Or you who’s bashing him for being imaginative? So when does your hate ends?
good tot, dragonfly~ haha
i think it all comes down to .. it’s kenny’s blog .. plus he already apologize in his comment .. what else you want him to do ?
In short – Too popular tends to invite ‘jealousy’.
aiyoyo…such an innocent intention to share experience also kena judge..it’s sad that ppl are still not open minded…i think it’s good to share and tell experience..at least we knw where can we find alternative-lor…
Kenny, like what the public hosp’s dr’s comments said – it is not an apple to apple comparison between gov hosp and private (whatmore mount elizabeth hosp where u paid hefty sum for it). You said you never complain but frankly it gave the impression (of complaining) when you wrote about SGH.
The SGH Dr had to rush you out instead of taking time to explain is because they don’t have time at all. During clinic days,they started working from 7am and sometimes barely even manage to have a 5 min toilet break until 1/2pm, maybe even later than that skipping lunch n all n off they go to the wards til 6/7pm.
Speaking of solutions, yes it is not surprising the ENT specialist in SGH don’t propose u the solutions like Dr Goh did – they probably had lil experience of such surgery/ no such facilities to perform it thr. Not all private hospitals are good at they seem (including Mount Elizabeth Hosp), it is a blood sucking industry where patients are charged unreasonably high fees for everything literally for the same treatment (comparing with the better public hosp in msia i.e UMMC). Many ppl are misled by the conducive environment of private hosp while the treatment & expertise (not literally every public hosp but the better ones) provided is actually the same (sole exception is the ward of cuz :p)
referring to other commenter’s opinion on some ppl being defensive about Public Hosp over Kenny’s comment: I think if we are all open minded then we shd accept ppl’s opinion – everyone has their right to voice out their opinion. I believe the commenters who defended public hospitals are not so called of the “government” wanting to mute ppl’s discontentment etc. It is because it isn’t doing the government servants in public hospitals justice over their relatively lower pay and hard work.
Kenny did take a good initiative to explain, but freedom of voice – that doesn’t mean we can’t comment, and the comments made (hopefully that is what most of us think) were not intended at “attacking” Kenny but to share our thoughts, our impression of Kenny’s blog. I don’t think Kenny would be bothered by those comments intended to “defame” or insult him, for those offenders just ignore them 😉
Thank you.
Don’t have to change who you’re.
Just be more careful before posting in the future.
You’re a public figure and what you say may be seen differently.
I didn’t like this blog & the way you made Msia public service look bad compared to Spore private service, but I’m glad you apologized.
You still have me as a reader.
david, i do agree wit u..doctors in gov hosp barely hav time to rest..my cousin is in one of the gov hosp in perak..can u believe he lost 5kg into his first month of internship??(well..he’s bit oversize-lar)
private hosp can be expensive, but sometimes can offer better results (not saying gov hospi no good)..hav to come clean..my aunt had her surgery done in Mt. Eliz Hosp (not that i wanna promo the hosp), it was her second surgery after the first one was not successful…(she turn from wheelchair to bed ridden after the first surgery) The cost in Mt. Eliz Hosp is not cheap, she spent almost a month in Sg..i think this happen abt 2 yrs ago…now she can walk slowly with a walking stick…so, do you think the money is well spent??
My conclusion is, it’s the value of money spent that count…face it,every industry is like that-lar…u want quality, u pay more, if u go to cheap hotel and a 5 star hotel, you get different service n staying experience….it’s choice, choice, choice…
totaly agree wit u!
well, i think the other way round. I would like to thank him for mentioning that there is an office in Kuching. This is another act of information sharing so that we know where to seek for assistance if there is a need. come on dude, pls la… be open minded a bit.. even if he is doing a commercial blog for the group and get paid, i think it is not an illegal act, right???
*applause for ur comment* I absoulutely agree wat u said!! haha~ it really makes sense~ its not the money tht count. its the outcome… good to hear tht ur aunty is doing well.. seems like the money is well spent.. i mean at least people feel worth after spending the money
hahaha…we r frm the same (bird)family-mah 😀
I think is a fair comparison. Have you ever been to any public hospitals in Australia or Europe? I was wondering if you’re setting a mindset of ‘lowstandards’ for Malaysia public hospitals because they sacrifice working there. Doctors & staff ‘sacrifice’ working there doesnt justify poor standard. Also, many of those doctors who work in the Public sector also works in the Private sector. Here’s a case I personally encoutered: I was in a public hospital in KL over a serious sinus condition, the doctor told me to visit him and set an appointment in the private hospital to ‘jump’ the wait for a little price.
You see, many of the public doctors are not really ‘sacrificing’. They are potching customers too.
Kenny, the best way and most effective way to cure your snoring problem is to lose weight. you are just too heavy and overweight, serious.
You must lose some weight, also for the sake of your level up business too 😀
Or maybe you can try to sleep side way, that might work, but not a long term solution. GOOD Luck!
I think it’s unfair to make such comparison. I have personally experienced the long wait which was 2 hours’ long, in the end giving up not seeing the doctor, in a public hospital in the UK. Like what other commentors said, it’s like comparing a mamak stall and a posh hotel which I agree. u can never compare a private and a public sector.
Not all doctors who work in gov hosp work privately. It’s a sacrifice to many to opt a harder life in gov hosp and I really do salute the dedication and passion of these doctors. In the UK some doc in the public hospitals also work part time in private sector. One may wonder why bother working in public hosp when they could work in the private. I do not see it as a potching customers but rather, giving those who are more financially advantaged lesser time to wait to relieve their problem. unfortunately, it’s the reality not only in msia but also elsewhere in the world. In a way, it reduces the long waiting list in gov hosp and allow those who are not so well off to get treatment slightly faster. Besides, you do not have to pay the full blown private fees if u see him wholly in his private clinic. That would cost at least RM50 extra for each consultation.
Ya its kinda unfair to be comparing Swk General Hospital to some “touristy” private hospital in Singapore. Swk General Hospital performed a successful surgery on my poor uncle for free, and for that I have utmost respect for the doctors there.
Yes, agreee u with u!!! 🙂
This eric guy is a joke. You knoe what? You dont hv to type tht web address again dude. We dont need losers like you here. Are you jealous of kennys success?
And to those who say he is advertising for tht health group, so what? Is this ur blog? Nobody force or ask you to visit this blog. Do you pay $$ to him for his advertisements? If no , i think you deserve to keep your mouths shut!
Kenny is just relating his honest opinion here, if you feel he is not right, go start up ur own blog and harp about it. The amount of idiots here is amazing! If i had to teach tall the idiots here i wont hv time for myself.
Good job kenny! Been reading ur blog for 3 years d. Dont let these fools stop you doing u what u hv to do.
Kenny – I have the same issue and have spent a small fortune trying to get it fixed.
Mind if you tell me (email) how much it cost you to see Doc Goh?
Try this method & see if it will help you. Tie a tennis ball with a rubber band behind yr tee shirt when u sleep. This is to stop u from sleeping on yr back and force u to sleep on yr side thus stop u from snoring and on top of that u get a good night sleep. If u still sleep on yr back with you squashing the tennis ball, get a bigger ball.
It worked for me. Let me know if that help you.
P/S: My doctor who recommended me this method also use this method to stop his snoring & sleep apnea.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/1/focus/6949085&sec=focus
For everyone’s reading pleasure
hey Izso, go to that centre they hav in Kch-lar….saw a glimps frm kenny’s photo..at tis Jln Mendu (i think)..
Pour them wit all ur question n check out their service n let us knw whther good or not-lar…
Kenny, I think you should’ve just highlighted the solutions that both doctors gave you rather than the time taken to see the doctors. Nothing is ever fair when comparing government and private hospitals. It is again, up to each individual’s choice which hospital to pick and what to voice out to the doctors in the government hospitals if they don’t seem to have a solution for you.
However, I think what I am really interested to know is if it cured your snoring so I can recommend it to my fiance. His snoring sometimes sound like he stopped breathing. So blog about it after your next check up will ya. Thanks!
Thanks Tweety but i’m based in KL. Not gonna be practical to go there unless I know what I’m getting myself into.
Hello,
Am a Sarawakian working as a doctor in the U.K. I am actually quite pleasantly surprised by the waiting times that you had to ‘endure’. One-month wait for a non-urgent ENT referral compares very favourably to the National Health Service here in many major London hospitals. And one-hour in the waiting room is nothing. I had imagined that it’d have been much worse back home but guess I had been wrong.
Mount E is definitely a reputable hospital in the region. My dad regularly flies over for consultations and treatment for his illness. Very attentive care. You get all the investigations one can think of. But of course, it is a profit-driven organisation. The more unnecessary investigation, the more earned. There had been times when one had to question the necessity or even relevance of certain investigations/treatment.
I myself have seen two ENT doctors in Mount E for tinnitus. I went there cause I wanted prompt investigation, namely MRI head to rule out a possible brain tumour. The first doctor I saw was way past ‘standard’ retirement age and could not seem to understand I was trying to get at which was appalling. I managed to excuse myself from the consultation and went to see the second, whom I thought was reasonably good and tuned in. Of course, it came with a hefty price tag. MRI scan was about 1000 sing dollars, would have been free if I had waited for one in the U.K. Consultation about 200 sing.
In summary:
Mount E hospital
– Quality can be variable. Go by recommendation. Objective ones that is.
– Much more expensive
– you tend to be over-investigated, but this means less chance of missing something (however small the probability of ‘something’ is)
– prompt unhurried service with mostly patient and smiley doctors
Hope that gives a slightly different perspective.
aiyo..like that-ar…then can’t help-lor, unless kenny can tell where the offc in KL is….
but KL got lots of option rite??
Hi Kenny the ending to this post was rather abrupt. So what happen afterward?
The least you could say is ….COMING UP NEXT or AKAN DATANG…..hehe Can’t wait to read about it.
Hi Kenny,
I bought this in Sibu, the Tempur-Pedic Pillow. It’s about RM555/- each unit but it cure my snoring, shoulder pain, migraine, neck pain etc..
It works amazingly after I sleep it for few days. I bought 1 for my honey too.
Perhaps u can get one n try it. I believe u can find this in kuching too.
http://www.tempurpedic.com/pillows/therapy/the_neckpillow_by_tempur_pedic/
Kenny, try using ResMed’s mask and they offers help with sleep apnea patients. Really good stuff.
i had swollen turbinates too! went to see a doc in Timberland, a bit pricey too but *shrugs* all is well. wake up in the morning with no blocks or running nose. go to early classes without looking like im crying. n most importantly, no more complaints abt snoring from gf 😀 so yeah before you consider cutting off ur turbinates maybe try something else to shrink it. turbinates can grow back even after uve cut it off..
only 7% of the gov resources goes into the health system. wonder where the 93% goes to….. building more 1malaysia arches that cost 1.5 million im guessing :O
No, my mum doesn’t snore. It’s only the males from our family.
Not ‘everyone’ in the family.
Kenny, can you please change your statement about ‘Every single person in my family snore’. Not all the family members okay?!
Haha! Kenny, I have the scope put into my nose until my throat from time to time as well. 😛 Causes me to swallow in reflex while the doctor checks my palatte. I’ve a partially paralyzed left pallate due to a tumor in the brain. Are you sure the lubrication is that bad?
Next time before you go to Sarawak GH, you should speak to the PR team there. 😛
Hey Kenny, it’s me again. I read through some of the comments after posting the above comment of mine.
I did feel a little awkward as I read your writings from SGH to Mt. E. On the surface, it appeared like a comparison. But if we think twice and read again, we’ll see that you are merely telling the story as it is. You DID have to wait, the SGH doctor WAS clueless.
I suppose the waiting time would not have been an issue to you if the wait was worth your while. If the doctor had been wiser, more professional in stating his opinion, explain what surgery can do for you, and why it might fail, I bet you would have been more satisfied even after waiting over an hour.
As someone here said, it’s the outcome that counts.
Although NHS also has a waiting list, but I am under the impression that their doctors and nurses are very professional. They also practice preventive medicine. Your GP in the U.K. will likely bd more learned to help you deal with a condition like this before he refers you to a specialist. You can even help yourself with information available through NHS Direct. I have an aunt who worked as an NHS nurse for decades. She definitely knows what she does and her role as a patient advocate! I can’t say the same for nurses in our government hospitals.
M’sian government hospitals are becoming more and more crowded while the system has been this way since time immemorial. Have we started to consider why our government hospitals are always so crowded? I can tell you that much of it is owed to mismanagement within the hospital itself. Are we willing to admit that? Not really judging by the tone of naysayers here. Until we are ready to admit our shortfalls, we are not willing to change and improve.
For those who are not willing to admit and adress them, then any slight comment against the government hospitals will be felt like a slap in the face. Why the need to be defensive? Why does it hurt you so much?
FUCK YOU
If you have guts and ball, leave your name here. But I doubt you have both.
How much it cost to do this surgery?
Kenny, surgery is so invasive. Have you tried this customized appliance made by my company in Fresno, CA?
http://www.endsnor.com
opz… the sister is feeling unfair bout this~ lolx…
ho la la~~ yeap as it is~ there will not be any improvement if mistakes are not being admitted. well, not to say mistake, or mayb i should phrase it as the uncompetitive~! sounds better~ hehe
So Kenny, is your problem now fixed? I’m asking because if mr goh is that good, I would like to pay him a visit too.
Yes, incompetence is also part of the problem.
LOL good point =D
Based on his latest post it looks like it’s just my weight or microwaving a piece of flesh.
I’ll think I’ll try weight loss first. XD
Hey Kenny,
I have the exact same problem. Ever since I could remember I have been breathing with my mouth and my nose get blocked really easily. People kept asking if I have a cold or not, because I sound like I do.
About 5 years ago, the first time I went back to Malaysia, my mum brought me to this nose specialist. I don’t remember much but I think he said if I don’t take care of my nose, I might have to have surgery done one day. I use to be really terrified of the idea of surgery, but after reading your article, it doesn’t seem so bad after all.
Growing up, I thought I was the only one with that problem. But it was just this year that I found out a friend of mine has it too.
I remember when I went to the Health Centre at university a month ago, I told the GP that I’ve had this problem since I was born and she just looked at me like I was exaggerating. Since then I kept doubting myself, but your article has reassured me. Thank you so much for that 🙂
i don’t know why i keep spending hours browsing through all these comments…i feel very waste of time…
I used to be a doctor at S’wak GH. On the hospital’s behalf, and on behalf of all the staff there, I apologise for your experience. I moved to Kuching from KL, and I love it here, but I just can’t continue practising medicine here in Malaysia. It breaks my heart all the time to see that we just don’t have time to care for each patient. We do try our best, but we’re so overloaded most of the time that things just turn out unpleasant. We’ll fix immediate, urgent problems, but as far as specialist treatment goes, Malaysia has a long way to go. Once again, I’m sorry you had an unpleasant experience. Perhaps in a few years time, we will have the infrastructure and manpower to deal with ALL problems, not just the emergencies. Sorry again. Remember, doctors do love their patients, but you can’t blame them for 1) being slightly behind as far as technology goes (we do have continuous education, but it takes a long time to catch up. singapore is even more advanced than australia. hong kong is the only place which can compete) 2) not being so efficient (SGH isn’t fully computerized, and this is an admin problem) 3) not being able to point you in the right direction for alternative treatment (SGH is pretty isolated) but here are some of our good points!
1) our cardio unit is one the best in the whole of malaysia
2) we have an amazing Accident and Emergency unit, housemen and mo’s are incredibly adept at their jobs
3) our nurses are wonderful
4) all our doctors will try their best to make sure they spend at least five-ten minutes on you.
we do care, we do want to help. Sorry again.
way to go kenny. in a single post you have managed to insult our country’s health system and made me feel as inadequate. i’m a government doctor and used to train in gh as houseman. see it’s rather unfair for you to compare private and government sector in terms of health services. you pay like what 30 ringgit? and you expect us to drive you in a limo with red carpets awaiting your arrival? i’m sorry, i do understand your problems and i try my best to help my patients with their problems. except i seriously cannot pay attention or even 30 minutes on a problem such as snoring when i have 50 patients waiting to see me or someone who is acutely ill and requires more attention. and just for your info, my services as government doctor may be “a waste of your time” but i am proud of what i do and i do believe i have save life. fortunately i never have to meet you otherwise for wasting my time with a problem such as snoring when i have patients dying, even i am tempted to shove a scope down your throat. so kudos for making me feel as if my job is pointless.
Same lol
only after that i regret it 😀
but i still have fun reading those stupid post above
haha, especially post from Cowardly Anonymous Chicken and eric. and who cares if eric din’t read this blog? lol
Flying to Singapore to see a doctor is common in my country (guess where it is..)
http://www.ipmart.com/main/product/Snore,Gone,Wrist,Band,Good,Dream,and,Have,a,Silent,Night,194449.php?prod=194449
try this kenny
Indonesia?
I did this a few weeks ago. But I had to do a little more… my palate also had to be tightened as it was too thick. Removed my tonsils as well at the same time.
Funniest part was the sleep study – look like suicide bomber.
Kenny, maybe u can go and try a cpap machine to treat ur sleep apnea problem. I’m selling cpap machine based in Kuching or u can cemail me if u wish to try Resmed S9 CPAP.
Thank you
no wonder u so surprised that i said didn’t hear anything when u asked.
HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAA!
sleep like a log is good then
Big fAT JERK
really no other solutions meh????? this 1 sounds scary.
yea i’m so concern cuz my bf snore..!!
Hi kenny,
I snore very badly too but i cant afford to go to Singapore to cure my snoring like u. Any other alternative place i can go to in Kuching to cure my snoring? My hubby cant stand me snore very loudly everyday and i tried everything like u but all method cant seem to work.. If there is a specialist in kuching, i would like to cure it here.
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