SHE fell and suffered a gaping 10cm by 3cm wound (above) on the inside of her right upper arm.
So her family called an ambulance, which rushed her to the accident and emergency department of Changi General Hospital (CGH), the nearest hospital to their home.
But Ms Lee Ching Pey, an epileptic, had to wait for more than 15 hours before she was finally wheeled into the operating theatre.
During that time, she was told she could not eat as she was due for the operation.
She was also not given medication to prevent her from going into another epileptic fit.
On 5 Jun, Miss Lee, 22, a dealer, suffered an epileptic fit in her bathroom sometime between 6am and 7am.
She fell and a tap pierced her right upper arm.
Because she was unconscious, she was not aware she had sustained an injury.
When she woke up, she stumbled back into her bedroom, put on some clothes and lay on her bed.
Miss Lee recalled: 'When my younger sister came in, she asked me why the shirt I was wearing was reddish.'
It was then that she realised she was bleeding. Her family immediately called an ambulance.
8AM: AT HOSPITAL
Miss Lee's boyfriend, Mr Andy Tan, 31, a senior dealer, who was with her for most of her ordeal, said Miss Lee reached the A&E at 8am and was admitted to her ward at 9am.
A doctor turned up at about 10.30am, but did not inform the family about Miss Lee's treatment, he claimed.
The medical officer turned up to see her only at 3pm - six hours after she was warded - to tell her that she had been placed on the operating list.
She was not yet seen by her operating surgeon.
6.45PM: MEETS SURGEON
Miss Lee said: 'We were told that he had been busy since morning. He came only at 6.45pm to see me.'
The hospital later explained that the surgeon could not see to Miss Lee's treatment because the conditions of two other warded patients in the hospital had become worse and they needed immediate surgery.
Miss Lee's mother, Mrs Penny Lee, 49, a hairdresser, asked: 'Why didn't the hospital staff members inform us earlier so that we could have considered the option of changing hospitals or feeding my daughter, since it was unlikely for the operation to be carried out anytime soon?'
Some time during the day, Mr Tan said the family also asked about giving Miss Lee the medication Epilim - she takes it for her epilepsy - as well as medication for gastric pains.
Mr Tan said: 'We were told they would be given intravenously.'
But at night, the family discovered that Miss Lim was still not given the medications.
The medical officer was called and he said he would give the medication immediately, Mr Tan recounted.
Mrs Lee said they tried giving Miss Lee some water, but the staff members disallowed it.
Miss Lee was pushed into the operating theatre at 11.20pm.
The family was informed that her operation would take about 30 minutes. But she returned to the ward about four hours later at 3.30am.
2AM: OPERATION
Mr Tan said: 'The doctor who came for the post-operation checkup told us the operation lasted 10 minutes - from 2am to 2.10am.
'Why was she pushed in so early then?'
Miss Lee was finally allowed to eat - 18 hours after arriving at the hospital.
It was at this time that Miss Lee's family realised that she still had not been given Epilim.
Mr Tan said: 'A nurse rushed out of the ward to get the medication at 4am. At about 4.30am, the nurse came in with the Epilim.'
But Miss Lee's sister later realised it was the wrong dosage - she takes a 250mg dosage, but the nurse gave 200mg.
This story was first published in The New Paper on July 17, 2008.
