Thoughts on Being Hospitalized in Penang: A Senior's Exciting Overseas Trip

I stayed in Penang from mid-December 2025 to mid-February 2026 to escape the cold.

During my stay there, I suddenly collapsed and was hospitalized in an emergency.
It was a life-threatening illness, and I had to undergo emergency surgery.

While falling ill is never a good thing, I still feel lucky that it happened while I was staying in Penang.

Why was I lucky?

Timing of the onset
The illness occurred about two weeks after arrivingin Penang.

My planned stay in Penang, Malaysia, was for 54 days, until February 5th.
It happened during a period in my Penang itinerary where I could properly recuperate.

My goal in Penang was to relax in a warm country, so I had not included any sightseeing plans at all.

I had planned the Penang trip two months after returning from my previous trip.
If I had fallen ill before the Penang trip, I would have had to cancel it.

In the case of the heart condition I developed, you are prohibited from flying for about a month.

Also, if I had fallen ill just before returning home, I would have had to postpone my return from Malaysia.

Almost entirely covered by overseas travel insurance
The hospitalization and treatment costs were surprisingly high, but they were almost entirely covered by my overseas travel insurance.

I do not have life insurance for illnesses.

If I had fallen ill in Japan, I would have been treated under the National Health Insurance.
Although there is a cap on the burden of medical expenses, it would have been a significant expenditure.

The overseas travel insurance I had subscribed to also covered treatment costs for up to 180 days after returning homefrom the onset of the illness.
Since the onset was at the end of December 2025, treatment costs until the end of June 2026 are covered.

The hospital I was admitted to was a specialized hospital
The hospital where I was hospitalized and had surgery in Penang is a private cardiovascular specialty hospital.

The first hospital I went to was on its lunch break, but a nurse on break immediately referred me to the specialty hospital.

Although the costs were exorbitantly high, I was able to receive advanced medical treatment equal to or better than in Japan.

Since many wealthy foreigners stay in Penang, there were multiple hospitals where one could receive such advanced medical care.

If I had been in a country where hospital infrastructure was not well-developed, I probably would not have survived.

No aftereffects
The location of my lesion was a blood vessel in my heart.

After treatment, I recovered without any aftereffects and am living a normal life.

Due to conditions like arteriosclerosis, blood vessels can become blocked in any part of the body.

If it had been in the head, the hospital stay could have been quite long.
There is also the possibility of being left with paralysis or aftereffects.

I have posted about my illness in Penang on note.
I think it is content that those who travel abroad should know about at least once.

If you are interested, please take a look.

Thoughts after experiencing a life-threatening illness

With this illness, I felt strongly that
"It's a luxury, so I'll hold off"
or "I'll go when I have more money"
can sometimes be too late.

My spouse and I have our money working for us through asset management.
We use the increased money and our savings to travel.

We do fly business class, but we still save money.

Local transportation is mainly walking and public transit.
We almost never eat out.
The tours we join locally are inexpensive English-language tours.
I can't even understand half of the guide's explanations.

In my case, I happened to fall ill in Penang.
There were many points where I was lucky, and I am currently able to live a normal life.

Actually, even when I started feeling unwell, I was resistant to going to the hospital.
I was more anxious about the money, the language barrier, and my lack of experience than about my physical condition.

However, if I had gone to the hospital even half a day later, traveling abroad might have become difficult altogether.

I think there is less 'time to be active' in life than we think.
That is whyyou should do what you want to do while you are healthy.

That is how I think about it now.

A strange feeling

It is a strange feeling, one I cannot believe was just a coincidence.

I had the experience of getting sick, being hospitalized, and even undergoing surgery while abroad.
Although I now have a "chronic condition" that requires me to keep taking medication, I am able to live the same life as before.

Paying out-of-pocket for hospital expenses, the hospital stay itself, and filing insurance claims turned out to be a good lesson and a valuable experience.
It has even become material for me to post on Note like this.

There is a phrase I have had stuck to my computer for a long time.
"Always imagine yourself doing what you want to do"...

I read it in a book at work and just randomly chose and wrote down words that I liked.
Incidentally, three months after writing this, I made the decision to quit my job.

Through this experience, I have become more conscious of these words than ever before.