Archive for 2010

I have a sensitive nose and sadly, my two kids take after me. As soon as we wake up each day, there would be a chorus of sneezes from all of us. We are easily affected by dust, dust mites, temperature changes, you name it. Sometimes, during flu season, I think we scare the people around us. They think we’re spreading flu germs with our sneezes and sniffles.

We can’t do much about it accept try to make ourselves a little bit more comfortable and reduce it somewhat by using saline solution. It is the same advice we get from several physicians or even specialists that we see. We breathe in the saline solution, gargle with it and wash our noses with it. I even have a netti pot, which I will talk about in another post. It is very important to use sterile saline solutions since we wash our noses with it.

Sometimes we mix our own saline solution. At other times, we get store bought ones. However, the nasal saline solutions are somewhat more expensive then those used for eyes, you know, the saline solution that people use for cleaning out and soaking their contact lenses like the Blairex Saline Solution. So, sometimes we buy those.

Saline solutions has many uses. You can even use it for wound washes. SterileSalineSolution.org has those available for wound washes for cleaning wounds, scrapes and burns. It is useful to have a bottle or two around with kids in the house.

I am having a sore throat as I write this. A fine time to be sick with school starting in a week’s time and the boy starting primary school for the first time. What is worse, is the fact that I managed to pass it on to both kids who are both now coughing and having fevers and cold and we three are on antibiotics.

I have been pretty sick this year. I was coughing especially at night from April up to September! Till I was so sick and tired of being sick. All this led to me taking a chest x-ray which showed that I had active TB! My goodness. That scared me so! I went to see a couple of doctors and took more x-rays. All thanks to that first x-ray I am now full of radiation. Hmm…

I was sent to the National Respiratory Centre which was so full they did not have time to see me accept to order me to do a sputum test which turned out negative because I didn’t know how to cough out any sputum. I never went back for a follow up because it was too long ( I couldn’t wait! If I was sick, I should be receiving treatment immediately, not wait two weeks to see a doctor!). I was also scared stiff to catch something there. I saw people coughing out blood. I got scared silly thinking about all the airborne respiratory deceases that I could catch just by waiting for my turn to see the doctor.

So I never went back. I went to see some other specialist in a private hospital. My cough did not go away immediately. It eventually did though, about a month after the active tb chest x-ray report. Anyway one look at me and you’d know that I don’t have tb. For once, I am happy to be plump.

That was my health scare for the year. Not as bad as the one I had a few years ago. This one went away. The other, affects my life to this day.

Dad is still in hospital. Poor dad. He had to spend his birthday there and now Christmas there too. With all the siblings away on holiday, I wanted to try to go and see dad at the hospital this weekend but with me and the children having a flu it is not possible now. I do not want to pass anything to him. Poor dad but it will be worse if I pass any germs to him. On the bright side, we hope that we can bring him back to sister’s house when she gets back from  her holiday before the year end so at least he can spend New Year at home. That would be nice. He has been in hospital for more than 2 months now. That is not very nice.

I guess 2010 has generally been a sick year for me. I hope that 2011 will be better health wise. Apart from health, my home has been harmonious and we are mostly happy and content. Even though we have not been radiating with health, we radiated with love. I hope it will be the same in 2011.

How many of us plan ahead for our own final expenses? By final expenses, I mean burial or funeral expenses. It is a topic that is too hard to talk about, so we take the easy way out. We just don’t talk about it.

However, as I learned …. It is important to plan for this contingency to avoid quarrels within the family. It is useful to have funeral insurance to avoid financial stress within the family.

I am glad that dad has recovered somewhat so we don’t have to think about this for now but I realise the importance of this especially now after my family has had to have meeting after meeting to discuss the financial payment dues as well as care arrangements for dad. It has been stressful indeed. I could not sleep worrying and I am deeply saddened by the level of polictiking that could go on within the family over such matters affecting a mutual loved one.

I think it is easier for family members to check on final expense insurance rates rather than to quibble about who should pay what and how much later on.

I guess, like everything else in life, it helps to be prepared. It helps to prepare ourselves as well as our loved ones financially for the burden that may arise not only when we are living but after we are gone as well. You can do that by getting insurance for it. These days insurance quotes are easily available on the internet like the quotes from MetLife. You can get it by just filling up a simple form, with no obligations. I like that. I don’t like meeting up agents face to face to get quotes. I prefer to do research on the internet first.

Time really does fly. Christmas is almost upon us. I haven’t done any Christmas shopping yet this year. With dad in the hospital and the children on school holidays, I can hardly find the time. In between that there are the normal don’t sweat the small stuff day to day problems we have to deal with like the roof that leaks whenever it rains, the light fittings that need to be replaced, the auto gate remote that stopped working and a host of other small stuff. I wonder how everyone else manages.

I have been shopping for school bags and school uniforms for the children. I suppose I will eventually get around to shopping for Christmas Presents. Oh, I do love to shop for Christmas Gifts. I love thinking about each receipient and thinking about what that person likes and imagining how that person will be delighted by the gift.  (or so I hope, and not have it returned or put aside. Once I had the experience of receiving the very same gift I had given to a family member at the next Christmas. Ouch! That hurt. I must do better at my choices.)

Anyway, there is nothing like Christmas gift shopping to pump up the adrenaline. I enjoy Christmas shopping or any other kind of shopping for that matter, whether for something for myself or others. I better get started soon. I hate jostling with crowds and the long queues. It kind of spoils the shopping mood a little.

Before I delete the sms updates about dad’s progress, I thought I should post it here as a record. I had already deleted some. Here are the rest.

13 Nov 2010 – For 10 days stools leak in pampers 8X a day since d last enema on 4/11 n stomach cramp n anus pain daily fr our FAMILY RECORD. Dr confirm dad has chronic constipation. This am nurses manually “dig out” faeces. Dad to sit on commode daily to pangsai even though pain. He will stop new med tonite, give liquid parafin to soften stool, then next week given enema to clear bowel.

19 Nov – Dr says do not require procedure to stop bleed cos it is reducing. Now prepare n search for matchin blood transfusion in 2 or 3 hors. Bp up from 110/60 at 4pm to 140/90 at 5.05 pm. Dad vital signs good. Sleep 1 hr sessions for 3 times already. Able to chat to brother over the phone.

21 Nov - Dear all, dad transferred to high dependency unit since 4.05am due massive n active bleed. Blood transfusion now. Await dr. Nurses say about 8. Pls come and talk to doc if can. I didn’t sleep at all last night n not sure I can handle d dr.. can come to see dad condition one or two at a time.

22 Nov – Nurses say “better than last nite” they don’t let me go in yet until 10am………..Dr say “one of the d possible causes of bleed” is d ulcer in rectum. Another could b lining of stomach due these few wks stay, many causes he cannot pinpoint. Since no bleed, fr anus since op, possible this issue is addressed. Dr say “pray for best, wait and see these few days” slight bleed in bag is as expected. Hypertension drug will b resumed as it was witheld yesterday. Continue tube feed plus start mouth feed today. Not sure if will be transferred to normal ward today yet………….. Dad  say “durian kueh” when asked what he is thinking. Pain when moved around. My observation is about 1 or 2 nurses rough. Dad say “6 in 10″.

24 Nov- Gd am. Dad slept super well, 1st time he clocked 2+2+3=7 solid hr plus, 1st time in wks. Slept since aunties left 9pm till now…past 24 hr no bleed n still counting bp 140-64……. Dr says dad will no longer be constipated again for life w the colostomy bag… dad refused porridge for lunch even though stopped milk since 12pm. At 2pm we resume milk. Bp at 1pm 150/70. One hypertension drug given, one witheld.

25 Nov – Dad had a good 2+3 hr sleep last night between 11pm till 8am. Enjoyed his yoghurt drink, dhall mixed into his regular belnded fish/egg white porridge… eyes more alert, watched tv……Hv requested if dad can be off oxygen n to check if dad can be taken on “wheelchair ride or ambulate”. Nurse checked, apparently doc has ordered it “dad will be taken round hospital later today as part of his physio. We hv to remind nurses to check his oxygen level…….Latest diet plan for dad is: 3 main meals to be orally fed with added protein drink supp, 2 tea breaks use milk bolus feed plus 9pm to 6am continuous milk pump so no need to disturb his night sleep……..Dad has been taken off intravenous drip, water intake depending on oral, bolus n pump feed. Unable to wean off oxygen yet as oxy level dipped too low n they have resumed oxygen. Changed to softer ripple bed.

26 Nov – Dad’s oxygen on weaning off program. Today 11.30am reduced to 2 litre. Breakfast: few teasp dhall, few teasp peanut soup. Mid morning tea: one marie biscuit mashed in barley. Our oral feed is more like food flavours to lift d spirits… d mashed potato here too hard. We can ta pau frm KFC… lunch. Too sleepy to eat his tofu n egg puding dessert…

29 Nov – Dad slept well 3+3+2 last night 11pm till 7am! 75ml water + 25ml milo + 8 tsp fish n egg white porridge since awoke. Awaiting bath…Dr confirmed he will stop d anti bleed med for tmrw. He requested for stoma nurse fr another ward to assist in colostomy bag management when I related that it took 3 nurses half hr to change bag…..Dad Bp on d low at 2.30pm 90/50. This is without any hypertension drug. Nurses will monitor before decide whether to give, if at all today….3pm bp 110/60.

1 Dec – Dad slept fr 10pm till 6am (short period of wake around 2am). Oxygen 97%, bp 153/67 (use machine at 6am) Drink 1 tin milk w straw at 6am. Spoonfeed himself 10 tbsp porridge n one cup barley at 8am. To shower in bathroom n will take wheelchair ride today….Bp 130/60: oxygen 98%; 36.6 at 10.30am. This am nurses quite slow. Hv to call many times.