Transverse Myelitis
Just came back from the hospital after visiting my uncle. He has been admitted to hospital last evening. He was admitted to the General Hospital last Thursday and was discharged this Sunday. No conclusion from the GH.
His doctor came in when I was there. He said my uncle suffers from acute Transverse Myelitis.
Transverse Myelitis (TM) is a neurological syndrome caused by the inflammation of spinal cord. It is a complicated disease and takes times to eradicate inflammation. His doctor has done lumbar MRI today. They will do another thoracic MRI tomorrow to confirm clinical diagnosis.
Nightlighting
Recently, I have been reading a little about women’s health while working on a software project. It is astonishing to know most of the facts about women and women-related illnesses. When reading about menstruation, I learned some terms such as menarche which means woman’s first menstruation, dysmenorrhea which is a medical condition characterized by severe uterine pain during menstruation.
Heredity, diet and health condition can affect a young woman’s menarche. This is something most parents with growing young daughters have overlook. Diet plays a very important part in young women especially teenage girls. Many teenage girls despite of having their menarche years earlier, neglects or intentionally limit their dietary intakes for body slimming purposes. This ignorance can seriously affect their reproductive system.
One most interesting fact I learned about menstruation is the term “Nightlighting”.
The word “menstruation” is etymologically related to “moon”. The terms “menstruation” and “menses” are derived from the Latin mensis (month), which in turn relates to the Greek mene (moon) and to the roots of the English words month and moon—reflecting the fact that the moon also takes close to 28 days to revolve around the Earth (actually 27.32 days). The synodical lunar month, the period between two new moons (or full moons), is 29.53 days long. — Wikipedia
In some traditional societies without nightlighting believe that women ovulate in full moon and menstruate in new moon. There are studies in both humans and animals where artificial lighting at night does alter the menstruation cycle. While none of the studies have suggested the lunar phase affects the ovulation cycle, bright light exposure in the morning stimulates more regular cycles.
Research also suggested that sensitivity of women’s cycles to nightlighting is related to nutritional deficiencies of certain minerals and vitamins. Again, balanced and healthy diet is utmost important to women’s health.
Irresponsible doctor on-call
Last night, I was experiencing pounding pain on my left eye which was radiating to the back and into my brain that caused headache.
I called ISEC emergency number and spoke to a nurse on duty. She advised me to go to A&E of a nearby hospital to have my eye checked. One of the factor could be infection.
LA took me to Pantai Hospital. After the medical officer had examined my eye, he rang the opthalmologist on-call, Dr. Lim.
From their phone conversation, we could tell that he was reluctant to come. After many times of persuasion and insistance by the medical officer, he finally agreed to come. But we were told that we would have to wait. What an arrogant bastard!
A doctor on-call is a doctor on night duty. He has to respond to emergency cases at night regardless of the parient’s condition. This doctor’s attitude was really irritating. WTF! After some thoughts, I decided to go home without seeing him. I did not want this irresponsible doctor to earn my money. Furthermore, my pain had subsided due to the paracetamol I took before we left home.
I need a vitrectomy
This morning I checked in to the clinic and the doctor who replaced my doctor told me that there was a large tear and the water (vitreous fluid) had sipped into the tear. Retina detachment was forming and was progressive. He insisted me to seek expert advice from a VR (Vitreo Retina) specialist in Kuala Lumpur.
Upon hearing his comment, what I feared most had stricken down my spine. It was inevitable finally. What has to come, has come. I had to accept the reality. My mood swung 180 degrees.
I see a shadow
Perhaps, the worst nightmare, I have been expecting. After an afternoon nap, I woke up to see a shadow at the bottom of my left vision. It was not black or grey shadow but simply shadow which I could not describe. It was almost 5PM and I quickly told LA to give my doctor a call and hopefully still could catch him at his clinic. The doctor told us to check in his clinic and he would wait for us.
By the time we arrived at his clinic, all his staff had gone back after clinic hour. He was waiting in his office. After the examination, he told us everything was stable and nothing to worry about and he gave me another (4th) round of laser retinopexy. According to him, he felt better to give me another laser to secure the area surrounding the broken capillary which ruptured last Wednesday.
After the laser, he assured us again everything was stable and I would be fine. He sent us home and told me to check in again the next day for a follow up. He also told us that he would not be in so another doctor from Terendak Military Hospital would replace him.
Clearer vision
Today, my left vision has become very much clearer comparing to couple of days ago. This morning, I went to the clinic for a follow up and the doctor’s feedback was encouraging and calming. Everything is stabilizing and nothing to worry about but still more bed rest until I see his retina associate on next Monday after his holiday.
We went home happily and had a good relieve. LA and I had been in and out of the clinic for almost three weeks since I had PVD (Posterior Vitreous Detachment) and retina tear on May 18. I guessed, at least for this moment, nothing to worry about.
Veil vision
My left vision has turned yellowish and veil due to the blood and debris in the vitreous humor. I can see black shadow at the top of my vision which is actually remnant of the blood which has sunk to the bottom of my eye. It will take a few days for the eye to absorb whatever debris and remnant of blood.
Sedated
This morning went back to the clinic for followup of yesterday treatment. My doctor prescribed Xanax to sedate me. One in the afternoon and one at night for three days so that I could sleep better not to worry too much of my condition.
After lunch, I took one tablet and felt very relaxing and fell asleep very soon. For almost two weeks, I have had too much bed rest and it becomes quite difficult for me to fall asleep. Xanax has been a great temporary relief.
More floaters and bleeding
My vision became clearer and appeared to be very much better after the incident last Thursday. LA and I were relieved after my eye test and the examination. The doctor told us that my condition was stabilizing but not totally out of the loop yet. So, more bed rest. I felt quick sick with all the bed rest and lack of physical activities. My whole body was aching madly.
After returning home from the clinic, I sat at the couch talking to my mum. We were catching up what had happened in the family and the conversation was delight and relax. At about 3PM, I got up and went to the bathroom to take a leak. Then I got some drink and went back to the couch. Not long after I had seated, through my vision, I could see stream of blood oozing out. I knew I was having a bad tear and a blood vessel on my retina had ruptured. That’s why I could see a stream of blood was flowing.
LA called my doctor and rushed me to his clinic. On the way there, the bleeding did not stop and I was extremely freaked out. LA was freaked out by my worries. When we arrived at the clinic, the bleeding stop. At this time, the blood in my eye was enough to cloud my vision.
The bleeding stopped shortly after our arrival. After the examination by the doctor, he gave me another round of laser retinopexy to reinforce the area surrounding the blood vessel. The doctor ensured us the situation was under control and we could return home but to come back for a follow-up the next day.
Scleral buckle and vitrectomy for retina detachment
I found a video on YouTube showing how a scleral buckle and vitrectomy is done to repair detached retina. It was yucky the first time I watched it and felt like puking. After watching several time, it became more interesting and I knew what had happened to my right eye almost three years ago. I prayed it would not happen to my left eye.
More floaters
Yesterday, I went to the library to read some books. I returned home at about 6PM in the evening and a market surveyor from an established survey firm came knocking at the gate. I talked to him and accepted his survey. At about 7PM, my vision became worse. I was beginning to see curtain/veil vision. I knew my condition had just become more serious.
The market surveyor was taking too much time and when he was finally finished with LA about the survey, I told LA about it and we were worried.
We rushed to the clinic this morning and the doctor gave me second round of laser retinopexy. He said there was a large tear and required more laser to hold up the area to prevent retina detachment. He also said that there was no detachment as yet and not to worried. We went home after that.
Laser retinopexy
Monday morning, I saw a sudden influx of floaters at my left eye. My previous experience of retina detachment on my right eye immediately prompted me that I was in an emergency. Without hesitating, I called my doctor for his advice. He told me to lie down and not to move around so that the condition would not progress too fast. It was late morning and was too late to go to his clinic in Kuala Lumpur. His clinic closes at 1PM.
Apple TV playlist
I have installed an Apple TV at my client’s office waiting area. His purpose is to educate his patients while they are waiting for their consultation. That is a brilliant idea as we had long and boring waiting experience when LA was consulting him.
The idea is to design different programs with advertisements and messages interleaved among documentary and his own educational videos for playback on different days of the week. And the most important thing is to allow the doctor himself to easily update his educational videos and advertisements anytime as he wishes from his new 24″ iMac.
After I installed Apple TV a few days ago, I realized it did not have movie playlist. After Googling for a while, I wasn’t alone. Here is a blog entry with the same problem. And I found out the Apple TV Software Update 2.3 allows movie playlist in iTunes to be seen on Apple TV. I downloaded the 2.3 update this afternoon, and after I activated the movie playlist in Apple TV settings, it is now able to play the movies in the playlist as desired.
I pondered why Apple did not ship Apple TV with new software update 2.3. It was released in November 2008. About the Apple TV software update can be found here.
Another ultimate experience
When LA birthed Richie, I was there with her almost the whole day in the labor room. That was the first awesome experience in my life. About three years ago, when LA birthed Nik, I was there with her in the operating theatre (OT). That was another more wonderful day in my whole life. I could hear her doctor cut open her lower abdomen (Caesarean section).
Almost a month after Nik was born, I suffered from retina detachment and had to undergo a surgery to repair it. That was myself experiencing the first surgery of my life. The experience was really awesome and I had some mixed feeling.
This afternoon, I had to test out some equipment in the OT while the doctor was performing laparoscopic surgery. Like the second experience, I had to put on the surgical gown and mask before entering the OT. Only this time I was with the doctor.
That's me in surgical clothing
Although the laparoscopic surgery was not invasive, it was thrilling enough to witness the live performance before my own eyes. At least, it has proven I have a strong stomach up to this level.
Two more kids get pox
Well, Dmitry had recovered from his chickenpox and began schooling this Monday. Unfortunately, Rich began to get the symptom on Monday late morning when LA noticed some red spots and small blisters popping out on his face. By Wednesday, he had blisters all over his body.
And today, guess what? Nik begins to show symptoms. His outbreak is slow with fewer blisters. We are supposed to meet up with LY tomorrow but it looks like impossible. They are so afraid that their daughter (same age as Nik) may get the chickenpox too.
Well, all three of them have gotten their chickenpox.
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