Archive for the 'Health' Category

Time flies when you’re busy and I’ve been so busy I almost forgot that my birthday is coming soon. Its on the same day as Father’s Day so the man and I had to haggle for treats. “We both want to be pampered on that day. How?” he asks. “We’ll contra or do a setoff then.” I replied. Hey! But come to think of it. Thats not fair because every year my birthday falls around Father’s Day!

Having a birthday in June wasn’t very fun for me when I was in school. It was always right smack in the middle of examinations. I never had the birthday mood then. Another thing about my birthday is once I passed the age of 21, I can never remember which birthday it is I am celebrating. Usually I have to take my year of birth and count forward. Hahaha.

Its no different this year. My year of birth is 1966. *calculate calculate calculate* Walaueh! Thats ancient man. But the funny thing is the older I get the younger I feel. Accept for the body of course. The mind can play games but the body cannot lie. It shows its age and the mechanism slows down too. All sorts of health problems will start to crop up. Thats when the years of not taking care of oneself really starts to show.

Speaking of which, I better go and oil the machinery now by doing some exercises. I just bought some new exercise tapes to motivate myself. So off I go!

I surrender. I never thought I would say this but “I can’t wait for the maid to arrive.” Haha. Actually, I detest the idea of having a maid. I like taking care of my house myself. I enjoy my privacy. I don’t have another person to worry about nor face some of the challenges that those with a maid have to face. I think that if my mum who had 5 kids and no modern amenities can do it then why can’t I?

However, after a week of wiping poo off toilet floors, and vomit from dining floors and handwashing soiled clothing etc etc etc, I give up. I can’t wait for the maid to arrive to assist me with some of the boring household chores so I can concentrate on what matters, my husband and kids and not forgetting myself and my blog too. I wish to spend more quality time with hubby and kids and have more time to myself too.

One day when big sis called to ask how I was right after I had finished spraying detergent on the toilet floors where I had wiped off poo, finished handwashing clothes and dealt with 3 screaming kids (having fun) and 1 which vomitted from too much fun plus the same strain of cough as mine, I laughed and laughed so hard over the phone.

Dad did not make it to the toilet twice to poo this week. But the good thing is he finally agreed to take a bath after those accidents. “I am afraid to take a bath” he tells me. “What is it you are afraid off?” I ask him. “Is it the sound of the water? Is it the cold?” “Its the cold” he says. “You don’t know what its like” he continues. “It leaves me uncomfortable the whole day afterwards, cold all over the body and up to the head.” he says. He agreed to bathe then but changed his mind. I persisted and he agreed at last. I sat outside the bathroom door waiting for him. He took a long time but after he came out he looked relieved and happy and said “That was shiok. I even poured water over my head.” I touched his head and it was wet because sometimes he lies about having had a bath. I guess this bathing thing must be a phobia for him for him to resist it so much. Well that was that till another few weeks again.

He was slow and he was lost. Its sad to see a person lose their ability to do simple tasks. Buttoning his shirts, putting on his trousers, removing his socks requires hard concentration for him. Sometimes he forgets what he should do next. I don’t think he knows what time of the day it is. am or pm? Eat and Sleep is the easiest thing to do.

Dad is back at second sister’s house now and I am glad to have my routine back now that the school holidays is over but that darned cough is still around.

While dad was here, big sis came over a few times. Seeing her must have brought back memories of the time when I had a fit to my girl (she saw more of my sis then) because she spoke to me about it again. “I still don’t understand what is this epilepsy thing.” she said suddenly when we were getting ready to nap. I explained to her again and she told me the story of what happened again. “Did you know that baby and I thought you were a monster and we ran behind the door to hide?” I laughed and explained to her again about epilepsy and seizures in as simple terms as I could. Big big words for a 6 year old but its always better to be open to the kids. I assured her that mummy has not had a seizure for one year now because of medication plus adequate rest and exercise then I asked her “Do you still think I am a monster?” “Yes.” she said. “You always shout at us!” Hahaha. “Well, I won’t shout at you if you promise to be a good girl and good boy.” Oops! I really must control my shouting. Lol.

Its the school holidays and dad is staying with me for a week while sis goes on a holiday with her family. Dad has stroke related dementia. I think his condition has gotten slightly worse. Previously we had trouble getting him to take a bath. Now he won’t even change out of his clothes.

We had taken him out to dinner on Sunday night for an early Father’s Day treat because its hard to get everyone together at the same time. After dinner, he came home with me. He slept in the same clothes he went out for dinner with. He wouldn’t change into his sarong even though I held the sarong out to him and persuaded him at least 3 times.

By Monday night, he was still in the same clothes. He also hadn’t removed his socks. “Pa, you need to change your shirt. Why don’t you wear this T-shirt which is more comfortable.” He shook his head stubbornly.

“Well, at least remove your socks Pa. You’ve been wearing it the whole day.” He shook his head again and said “I’ll wash it when I get home.” (to sister’s place) “You can’t do that because you’re going back only in a week’s time. I’m washing clothes tomorrow, Pa. Please change your shirt. Wear this T-shirt. Its more comfortable.” I persisted.

“No, I like this shirt.” he said. “Well, I like this shirt too. I bought it for you. Let me wash it first, then you can wear it again tomorrow if you like. You can’t be so unhygienic. You’ve got to change your clothes, Pa.” Now his expression turned defiant and he said “Don’t force me to change clothes.”

I let out a big sigh and walked away. What to do? I don’t know. He has not had a bath for 2 weeks now. Sister sms to inform us before we met for dinner. I had hoped to get him to take a bath while he is staying with me but I couldn’t even get him to change his clothes or remove his socks.

Its Wednesday now. He is still wearing the same shirt but at least he changed into his sarong after our conversation about the socks and shirt. I noticed he has removed his socks too yesterday. He wouldn’t take a bath but he would use a tissue to wipe his face and neck. He does this all day. Wiping with the tissue and rolling them into big perfect tissue balls made of tissues stuffed in more tissues. Sometimes he doesn’t wipe. He just rolls the tissue balls. I saw four maybe five balls in the bin yesterday. When I saw him doing this in the morning, I hurriedly went to get a warm towel for him to wipe his face. At least he didn’t reject that.

I’ve taken him to the bathroom before, brought his towel and turned on the shower only to have him tell me “You show me also no use. I won’t bathe.” Then I tried to get a pail of warm water and a towel and put it in his room for him and told him to wipe himself with that. He did not touch it.

Its very hard for us to manage him. He is our dad. We need to be firm with him but at the same time we can’t belittle him and treat him like a child. But what to do when he won’t take a bath for weeks? We have tried talking to him or tying the bath with occassions so far the occassions thing seem to work. “You have to bathe because we’re going out to…..”

I wish I knew a little bit more about how to handle patients with dementia. I wonder what goes on his mind. I wonder what he is thinking. I wonder what he is feeling.

Most of the time he is still alert enough to play with the kids and watch out for them. At other times he looks completely lost. He struggles with handling gadgets, not only gadgets but things like buttons, snaps, straps. Things that most of us take for granted like removing our shirt buttons or wearing our shoes can be difficult for him which is probably why he resists it I guess. And sometimes he does not know what to do next. “Eat/Sleep now is it?” he would ask.

He has good days and bad. On the good days, he will be like his old self again but then he will go into high gear wanting to do everything that he used to do. He would take a bath then and even wash the toilet! Go to the bank, the laundrette, and all the old places he used to go. Call big sister or my aunts up in the early morning or in the middle of the night to chat. It would be as if the months that passed in between did not happen for him. Once on a good day, he went to the laundrette to collect some clothes he had left there for washing 3 months ago on another good day. On those days it will be as if his brain is working overtime making up for lost time. He may not sleep for up to 24 hours scaring us and then after that he will sleep for the entire day and be back to his new quiet self. 

I feel as if I’ve lost half my dad after his stroke a few years ago which left him with dementia.

I’ve been too busy this school holidays to blog. I’ve been sick. First with some infection then now with a cold. Its so draggy this cold. The kids want to do every craft and lesson with mum during the holidays so I’ve been busy with that too because I promised them. We’ve made castles on a card, bracelets, rings, paper fans etc. Normally I would take pics of them and post them on my parenting blog but I just don’t have the energy or time to do that now. And then theres dad to watch too.

As usual my housework is down on my list of priorities so the house is covered with dust. I really must do something about that before I discover another rat. Blogging has also been pushed down to the end of my list. Oh well, there are other things that matter but I do miss visiting my friends in blogosphere. And then theres my exercises. I MUST do them for health’s sake not for beauty but I have lagged using my cold as an excuse. I WISH I HAD MORE TIME,  MORE HOURS IN A DAY! Fortunately I have an understanding husband who closes one or perhaps both eyes to the dust and helps me by packing food home for dinner more often. Poor dear. I’ll get on top of it soon. I’ll try my best.

Oh gosh this post is getting long and draggy like my cold. I’m just going on and on and on. It must be blog withdrawal syndrome. I should stop here.

I’ve got to exercise for health reasons. The fact that exercise helps in the beauty department is a bonus. However, I must say that I am obsessed with excercise. Not obsessed in the sense that I MUST do some exercise 2 hours daily (like Madonna) or else…. but rather I am obsessed with the thought that I SHOULD be doing my exercises or else…. Hahaha.

Yup! I am obsessed with exercise. Each day, I feel some pressure about the fact that I am not doing the exercises that I am SUPPOSED to be doing. Exercise should be a way of life, I tell myself. It should be part of my daily routine. At the very minimum all I need is just 20 minutes 3 times a week. But I slack and then I worry myself silly.

I wish that I was motivated to exercise. I admire those who are so strong willed and who have made exercise a part of their lives. I admire those who can get up early in the morning and do exercises as part of their routine before they start the day. I just want to zzzzzzzzzzzz and press the snooze button for the 3rd maybe 4th time…

The other day I was passing by a corner lot shophouse and I was amazed to see a group of people doing some group exercises at about 9.30pm on a weekday. My goodness! Gyms and Yoga or other health and fitness centres are sprouting everywhere. More and more people are becoming aware of the need to exercise to keep healthy.

Are you obsessed with exercise too? Do you HAVE to exercise or are you WORRIED because you DON’T or you don’t care at all. Which category to you fall under?

The other day, I was window shopping at a shopping complex in KL when I saw a small crowd gathering in front of a window display. Out of curiousity (KPC), I too went over to have a look. I haven’t the time to upload the photo yet so I shall describe it the best I can.

In the window display was a water tank and in it I saw two pairs of feet and lots of little fishes nibbling away at the two pairs of feet! At first I thought it was some new marketing gimmick. You know, sometimes you see magic shows and escape artists doing their act in the water.

But it was no marketing gimmick. Its the latest spa therapy. A designer spa to rejuvenate, relax and beautify. The little fish nibbling at your nerve endings is good apparently. Sorry I can’t give more information because I was too busy chasing after two kids to listen to what the marketing person was saying and by now the brochure they handed me has been torn up by the same two little kids.

Anyway this is not a review so I don’t have to worry about the accuracy. I am just speaking my thoughts. It just shows that we live in a world of added stress leading to more and more people seeking new alternative forms of treatments.

If you are interested in having your feet snacked on by Dr Fish you can check out this NST story link for a more detailed story about the fish spa.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Today I read an article in the New York Times about the demise of two famous bloggers who blog for a living. Its called In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop. Interesting article.

I’m not sure if people will actually die from blogging but one thing is clear. Blogging is an unhealthy activity. Physically unhealthy that is rather than mentally. For most of us casual bloggers it is probably mentally stimulating to engage in discussions. It is also an avenue for us to vent our frustration. That is much better than keeping it inside. Not only are we able to vent our anger, we also get voices telling us “Yes, I feel this way too sometimes” so we do not feel so alone.

However on the physical aspect, there is no denying it. Blogging is unhealthy. Hours and hours of having our eyes glued to the pc screen can’t be good. It leads to a sedentary lifestyle and sometimes it can get out of hand when we can’t control the time we spend blogging leading to relationship problems. We should be spending more time with our kids or spouse for example. For those at work it can be a major disruption too if you have to keep on checking your blog for comments throughout the day! It can also create sleep problems too. If you have ever experienced waking up in the middle of the night thinking about some blog post idea than you should know what I mean.

Lets face it. Blogging is a little bit addictive so we have to learn to control it ie we mustn’t let blogging take over our lives. I have learned to control my blogging by doing less blog hopping. Oh, I do love to read all my favourite blogs and catch on with whats happening to those bloggers but theres just only that many hours in a day. So I have no choice but to reduce my blog hopping. I do however still write more frequently than I should since I have 3 main blogs which I love equally and I spend too much time on them. Another area

I’ve cut down is the admin part of blogging. I’ve stopped playing with my templates and trying to change and tidy up things around too much because that too is very time consumming. I’ve stopped doing all those things that are supposed to increase traffic like submitting to directories and pinging services except occassionally. Heck, these things take time. I’ve also stopped writing paid posts from lack of opportunites rather than as a control measure. Fortunately, otherwise my blogging would be even more out of control.

Thats basically the two main things I’ve done to control my blogging hours. Don’t blog hop so much and don’t play around with template. Oh yes, and one more thing. I try not to blog during the weekends. In fact I try not to go anywhere near the pc during the weekends. What about you? Is your blogging under control or do you live to blog? What have you done to control your blogging hours?

They are catching them younger and  younger these days, the consumer ads.

I remember those days when I was wadling in and out of my gynaes clinic when I was pregnant, I received loads of product samples, milk powders, diapers, creams, more milk powders….. I don’t mind the diapers…. Anyway, the point is, all these while my baby was still snug in mummy’s tummy.

Then I remember an occassion when my children’s regular paeditrician was off and I went to another. I was horrified. His entire clinic was full of glass showcases with all sorts of consumer products on display! I am quite annoyed with paeditricians who recommend milk powders instead of promoting breastfeeding.

Recently, my daughter came home from kindy with yet more product samples. “Mummy these are party packs” she told me innocently. “And look, mummy, if you buy one at $16, you will get one T-shirt free. I want the T-shirt.” she declared. I’ll need to have a word with the principal if this continues.

Oh and don’t forget the TV. I don’t subscribe to pay TV (Astro here) so fortunately my kids don’t get influenced by TV ads. Phew! Or I’d be hassled with more “I want!” at the supermarket.

When they hit the teen years, the ads will keep on coming and it never stops and it never will. Lets face it. Young consumers means big $$$$$$.

These ads and product samples aimed at the young annoy me so especially the milk powder ones and the junk food ads on TV (with the exception of the free diapers Ahem!). What about you?

I’ve been seeing the world through blury vision. I can’t remember when in my adulthood that I required spectacles but the first time I made my specs and walked out of the shop, I was amazed at how clear everything looked all of a sudden. Although my power isn’t very high, around 150 plus minus still it made a big difference.

Over the recent years however, I found that my eyesight had actually gotten better and I didn’t need to wear glasses anymore. I thought it was just old age making my eyesight better. Anyway, I noticed that I have been squiting and struggling to see things from afar lately so hubby took me to the optician to get a new pair of spectacles.

Wow! Suddenly everything looks crystal clear again. Hahaha. I have some astigmatism as well so my night vision was greatly improved after I donned my new glasses. We went for a car ride last night and everything looked so pretty, all the night lights, the street lamps and other colored decorative lights, the high rise apartments (I could actually see the little windows in them now and not just a blur of lights. Lol!), as we zoomed passed buildings, I could see all the names of the shops with clarity.  Wheeee!

Fantastic. Now I don’t need to look at the world through blury vision again. Only one thing though………..now I look like the Ah Soh that I am. (Not that I didn’t look like Ah Soh before but now even more so!)

Have visited the gynae for the pain my the left breast complain. First she did an ultrasound to view the two cyst in the ovaries which she found during my last pap smear and told me that they have shrunk. “Don’t worry, its not cancer” she says. “You can come back in 6 months or a year and we’ll monitor it. Hopefully it will have disappeared by then.”

I told her about the pain in the left breast around the area where she said she had found a lump. “Should I get a mamogram?” I asked her. “There’s no harm” she said but she didn’t suggest or insist on it. She then did an ultrasound of the breasts. “The ultrasound will help us to see any cyst.” she said. She did not found any. She said that the pain was probably caused by the breast tissues. There is more tissues on the left according to her. Hmmm….. maybe I’m fatter there.

She then took some blood for a tumour marker test and concluded the visit by giving me antibiotics and Evening Primrose Oil for 4 months. Initially she had wanted to give me Vitamin E for two months but changed to EPO instead. She said the pain could be caused by infection and thats what the antibiotics is for. I told her that I was taking anti-seizure medicine and asked her about the safety of taking the antibiotics and the EPO.

She said they were safe. She told me that the medicine I was taking could have caused some hormonal imbalances and the EPO will balance it back. The damage was RM326.

When I got back I searched the net for “Evening Primrose Oil and Epilepsy” and found that it is not advisable for those with epilepsy to take EPO as it could cause seizures. Hmm… Anyway, the tumour marker results are out and its normal.

So we’ll live with things as it is until the next annual appointment. After the conclusion of this visit, I think I’ll wait a while before getting a mamogram done.

During my pap smear at the end of last year my gynae told me that there was a lump in my left breast and she told me to monitor it myself. Well, I can’t really find the lump myself but its been giving me pain so I’ve scheduled another appointment. Anyway she did tell me to go back for a follow-up to check on those ovarian cysts she saw so I am due for another check-up. Aaarrgh I hate all these doctor visits. I’m scared of the results and of course I hate the waiting but mostly I am afraid of what the doc will say and I hate the anxiety of doing diagnostic tests.

My sister says she’ll probably ask me to do a mammogram. Sis tells me that the mammogram is very painful and uncomfortable. I can’t imagine how its like. I just visualise that it must be like having your breast photostated or something. I searched around and saw this mammogram video on YouTube. Gosh! It looks terribly painful, to have your breast squashed and pressed together till its flat and round like a pancake. Now, I’m even more scared. Shouldn’t have searched around! But looks like I can’t escape it. I’m over 40 and haven’t done my first mammogram yet and with a family history of cancer….

Anyway, I should stop this worrying and just get on with it. I will write an update after my doctor visit. In the meantime, below is the video for those who are wondering how a mammogram is like. And here is a good article about what is a mammogram, when and how often you should do a mammogram and a description of a mammography.