17 Jan 2015

01
Date: 17 Jan 2015 (Saturday)
The Beginning
Every now and then, we would fall sick. It is probably a natural sign for an
abnormality in our body. Simple illnesses like fever, headache, stomach ache,
throat irritation, etc. are more often than not can be overcome after visiting your
family doctor or pharmacy.
However, sometimes the simple fever could turn nasty as in the case of the writer
recently. It came with three other ailments; vomiting, diarrhea and urinary problem.
The last was the most unpleasant. You would feel frequent urge to go but end up
with either nothing or just a trickle which cause great pain.
1980: Uncle Abu Hassan and Writer
At PMC, Alor Setar in June 2014
It was Saturday night when the trouble started. There was “nerve pain” at the back
of both legs; between the thigh and the calves, which denied the writer’s sleep till
5.00 am. The next morning, it took all my courage to go and pay last respect to my
childhood friend’s father. The old man, Abu Hassan Md Nor was 86 years old. By
11.00 am, the hearse left for special prayers at the mosque followed by burial at the
local cemetery. I started to feel cold with goosebumps. The only thing to do was to
head home.
Once in June 2014, I had a very severe kind of "gout" which lasted for almost a
month. The joint around the ankle was swollen. The pain was so bad that some say
it is equivalent to walking on broken pieces of glass. When I could not bear the
agony anymore, my son applied some ice on the swell. Finally, I went to Putra
Medical Centre (PMC) in Alor Setar. They detained me for half a day. The uric acid
level was only 177 µmol/L (normal range: 209 – 419) which was way below the
triggering point for "gout". The doctor was baffled, injected me with pain killer and
sent me home. Later, my doctor friend, Othman, prescribed me with "nerve
inflammation" pills that worked. He might not be a consultant but being an old hand
in the trade, he had probably came across similar cases before.
02
Date: 18 Jan 2015 (Sunday)
Down and Out
There was no difference from Saturday to Monday. The fever kept recurring
twice a day, in the afternoon and around 4.00 in the morning. You would feel
chilled like living in Russian winter. It lasted for about two hours. I tried putting
on a thick sweater over a cardigan but to no avail. Later, I learned that was an
incorrect way of treating fever. Could it be the type of fever known as “Demam
Kura” like in the old days because the common symptom is the shiveringeffect. Even the bed shook! How on earth the tortoise is associated with the
fever is unknown.
On Sunday night, my son and wife took me to Hospital Jitra emergency unit. It
is a government hospital which was officially opened by YAB Tun Mahathir
Mohamad in 1993. After some observations and tests by the doctor, I was
given a pain-killer injection before being sent home. They said it could be
gallstone and an X-ray would be carried out on Wednesday. The next day I
went to collect some medicines.
On Monday I went to consult my doctor friend at Klinik Othman in Jitra. The
blood pressure plummeted to 80/60. it was probably the lowest reading in my
life. Should it go down further then I would not be able to stand up. Dr Othman
went through the prescriptions issued by the government hospital and
substituted some better drugs. But the fever, vomiting, diarrhea and urinary
problem persisted.
BAHAROM:1935 - 2008
Hospital Jitra always reminds me of my late father. In 2008, he underwent
chemotherapy for lung cancer at Hospital Pulau Pinang. In between
treatments he stayed at home. Every time he had fever, the doctor advised
him to be warded at the nearest government hospital. On 25 April 2008, he
passed away peacefully at this hospital.
03
Date: 20 Jan 2015 (Tuesday)
The Worst Day
On Tuesday, a group of POLIMAS staff visited me at home led by no other
than the Deputy Director (Academic Support), Abdul Latif Halim. Once, we
advised him to see the doctor after he found it difficult to raise his left hand. He
ended up with two stents in his heart. Later, his wife wondered how we
managed to persuade him. Similarly, his suggestion for me to go to the
hospital was my command. It turned out they brought our office car along. Azizi
Abdullah accompanied me to Kedah Medical Center (KMC) in Alor Setar.
After a few minutes, I was called to see the doctor on duty. After listening to my
explanation he suggested that I get admitted. He said I was dehydrated, and
that the fever could be due to jaundice or gallstones somewhere. There was no
simple diagnose until some tests were carried out. Of course, it perfectly made
sense.
I was taken to their Observation Unit. The body temperature was 39.98º
Celsius. Later, I learned that a body temperature of above 40º Celsius could
cause HYPERTHERMIA. That would spell T.R.O.U.B.L.E. The quickest ways
to bring down the temperature were by intravenous drips and application of
medicine into your rectum.
While at KMC, my wife took care of me during daytime and my son took the
night shift. There was no problem with food as the hospital provided a caterer
who would take your order every day. The only challenge was your appetite
and the bitter taste in the mouth. The good thing about staying at the hospital
is, the nurses will monitor your condition 24 hours a day. They will regularly
monitor your blood pressure, body temperature, the drip and bring you the
medicines on time. In case of emergency, you may press the Call Button, for a
fee, of course. In fact, every single thing will be reflected in your bill. They are
doing business for sure!
04
Date: 20 Jan 2015 (Tuesday)
The Doctor & Nurses
On Tuesday night, the doctor asked me to fast as the next morning will be
the internal organs scan. There are a few types of scans nowadays such as
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computer Tomography Scan (CT)
and UltraSound Scan Machine. As for my case, the UltraSound was used.
It uses sound waves to create images of organs and structures inside your
body. As it does not use radiation, it is regarded as the safest. The
procedure was conducted by Consultant Radiologist, Dr Abdul Rahman
Mohd Ariff. He announced the findings one by one as he moved the “reading
equipment” connected to a computer on my body.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Liver is not enlarged and there is No focal lesion;
Gall Bladder has no stone or sludge and the wall is not thickened;
Common duct is not dilated;
Pancreas: No mass is seen;
Spleen is of normal size;
Left and Right Kidney: Collecting systems are not dilated and there are
No stones, Mass or Cyst;
• Prostate: Normal size
The terms may be technical but what it means is that there is nothing wrong
with my liver, bladder, pancreas, spleen, kidney and prostate. I was joking
with Dr Abdul Rahman that, “since you cannot find any stone then we cannot
open any quarry”. We had a good laugh and he sent me back to the ward. It
was such a huge relief not to belong the “Gallstone Club”. I have heard many
stories about the excruciating pain caused by gallstones. Some needed
open operation while some are settled by either endoscopic procedure or
ultrasound waves are applied to break up the stones. In the simplest case,
gallstones can be dissolved by taking medicine.
05
Date: 21 Jan 2015 (Wednesday)
The First Drip in Life
I wanted to book a single room but it was not available. The rate is like a
hotel, RM240 and RM120 for single and twin-sharing respectively. The
deposit upon check-in is RM3,000. I was given room 701-1. At 55 plus
years old, it was my first time to be admitted into a private hospital. The
last time was at the General Hospital, more than 20 years ago. It was
due to hernia, which is common among men. Otherwise, my health is
pretty good.
The doctor assigned to look after me was Dr Syed Faisal Taha, a
consultant physician and nephrologist who specialises in kidney. He
would visit me twice a day, morning and afternoon. Dr Syed always
looks jovial, friendly, optimistic and I heard he is well-liked by his
patients. After one day at KMC, there was no more vomiting or diarrhea.
For intravenous drip, the nurse would insert a needle on your forearm
(the front part of your elbow). For my case, it was on the left arm. After a
few bottles of drips, the flow halted and there was sign of swollen arm.
The nurse changed to the right arm but the vein was too small. A better
part would be at the back of your hand because you could even notice
the blood vessel with your naked eyes. However, the insertion was more
painful. Altogether, 10 bottles of water dripped through the tube.
Everyday, the nurses would come to withdraw a small bottle of my blood
sample. They sent it to the laboratory for analysis. For the first time too, I
learned that my blood group is B Positive.
The Visitors
06
Date: 22 Jan 2015 (Thursday)
The Diagnosis
Modern medicine practice depends very much on blood and urine
tests. The doctor will compare the various constituent readings
against the norms. The pre and post-tests will determine whether
the treatment given is effective. The pre-test showed the condition
of my blood which were outside the range:
• Platelet and White Blood count;
• Urid Acid, Creatinine, Urea, Sodium, Calcium, Phosphate;
• HDL and LDL Cholesterol (however, the overall is good);
My urine pre-tests did not look bad, except for the dark-yellow colour
instead of yellow or pale yellow. The sign of bacteria was
occasionally detected.
The Visitors
The other important tests which turned to be negative were thyroid,
venereal disease, dengue, hepatitis and diabetes as the glucose
content was at 5.3 mmol/L (range 3.9 – 6.1). The blood post-test on
26 January 2015 showed that the readings were back to almost
normal. The blood pressure has gone up to 130/80 as it should be.
In the final analysis, the doctor blamed the dry kidney to be the
cause of the trouble. Perhaps, every one should understand the
functions of kidneys and take necessary steps to keep them healthy.
The main roles are to filter toxin and excess fluid in your blood, to
help in producing red blood cells and to regulate blood pressure.
Among the factors that contribute to kidney failure are diabetes, high
blood pressure, kidney stone, inflammation, family history and drug
misuse. To delay Chronic Kidney Disease, you should restrict
consuming protein; control the intake of sodium, phosphate and
potassium types of foods.
07
Date: 26 Jan 2015 (Monday)
Know your Prescriptions
After we underwent some hardship or challenge, we become a little bit
wiser. One is you begin to be aware of the complexity of the body
system. As you get older, several complications may arise from any part
of your body especially the internal organs: the valves in your heart may
malfunction, your lung or colon may be cancerous, your appendix may
swell and burst in your stomach, etc. The top three things you should
take care of are your blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels. High
blood pressure may lead to stroke, high sugar may lead to diabetes and
high cholesterol may lead to gallstone or heart failure. You also learn
about the drug prescribed. For example:
Prescriptions
Purpose
Vimovo, Arcoxia, Orphenadrine
Citrate, Prednisolonia, Indometacin,
Norgesic, Diclofenac Sodium,
Mefenamic Acid
Basically these drugs are pain
killers or pain relievers.
Prolong use of pain killers may
affect your kidneys.
Esomeprazole, Effervescent
Granules, Hyoscine, Loperamide,
Cimetidine
Diarrhea
Ciprofloxacin, Cefuroxime Axetil
Antibiotic
Metoclopramide, Dimenhydrinate
Vomiting
Allopurinol
Urid Acid
Paracetamol (eg: PANADOL)
Fever
08
Date: 27 Jan 2015 (Tuesday)
The Aftermath
Stress is another "silent killer" as it leads to heart disease, hypertension and
irregular heartbeat. We probably need to laugh more as the hormone produced
will lower the level of stress. Some people are able to just "switch-off" their mind
to problems at work or any other worries they may have and fall asleep. After
all, there is no way that we can solve all the problems in the world all the time.
You must learn to smile and walk away. Let your hair down, loosen up and start
to smell the roses. Go into incommunicado mode with Whatsapp, Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook or email during your weekends. Go to the movies.
I find it most relaxing to sit on the barber's chair for a haircut. I have been
frequenting Sinar Harapan Barber for many years. The part I like best is to lie
down for shaving. Sure I trust my barber very much otherwise I would not like
anyone to hold a sharp knife at my throat. Or, you may indulge yourself in
gardening in a small scale. I have tried to grow a few dragon fruit trees. Now, it
is bearing fruits. Look at the different stages of the fruit. It is simply amazing. Be
with the mother earth. It helps you to de-stress.
You may try to travel by visiting long lost friends or relatives. Attending wedding
receptions help to refresh your relationship with the others too. If you have
budget, fly to neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia to visit
Angkor Wat, Le Khaokob Cave or Toba Lake. You may also eat out at resorts
by the sea or at simple stalls offering fresh sugar cane or 'nipah' juice where the
wind blows. The change in environment may help you to re-boot or rejuvenate
yourself.
You may also join any NGO group that suit your interest; like 4x4 truck, local
fire-brigade volunteer, natural disaster help team, etc. that are not profit
motivated. As you go along, you will make more contacts and some of them will
prove to be real friends. It is time to change your lifestyle because in the final
analysis, healthy lifestyle is probably the best medicine, after all.