A Malaysian woman who suffered a major health scare after contracting the flu during her Japan trip in early January, has said she was “very lucky” to have survived.
Qin Yufen had the same flu symptoms as Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, who recently passed away from influenza-related pneumonia in Japan.
In an interview with China Press, Yufen recounted that she experienced breathing difficulties while at the summit of a mountain in Hokkaido.
At the time, she mistook her condition for a reaction to the cold weather.
Her son and their chartered driver tried to find medication at more than 10 pharmacies, only to be told that an asthma inhaler was only available through hospitalisation.
Upon admission to the hospital, Yufen was given breathing support due to oxygen deficiency.
However, due to language barriers, communication with the medical staff was difficult. Fortunately, she encountered a Chinese-speaking translator.
“I described my condition, but the hospital staff only administered oxygen once and continued with intravenous fluids, although I still struggled to breathe,” she said.
Despite having travel insurance, she was required to pay in cash upfront for emergency hospitalisation, which would cost as much as RM15K (S$4.6K) per day.
Concerned about insufficient funds, she made the tough decision to return to Malaysia for treatment.
“I told the hospital I didn’t have enough cash, so they had me sign a waiver stating that they would no longer be responsible for me once I was discharged,” said Yufen.
“My family was extremely worried because I couldn’t eat. I was only exhaling but not inhaling properly, and after taking Panadol, I started vomiting the next day.”
After returning to Malaysia, Yufen was admitted to hospital.
Her blood oxygen levels had dropped to a dangerously low level. While regular patients only required two types of medication, she was administered more than 10 medications that night.
“The doctor told me I needed to be admitted to the ICU because my oxygen levels were not improving. I was hospitalised for five days and four nights,” she said.
After she was discharged, Yufen did not return to work immediately but instead isolated herself for a period. She has since recovered.
While filing her insurance claim and reviewing her medical report, Yufen was startled to learn that her symptoms were “exactly the same as Barbie’s”.
” I feel very lucky to have survived the flu,” said Yufen.