Friday, September 18, 2009

Health Log [18 Sept 09]

For some reason,
I called National Heart Centre (NHC),
trying to ask if there is an earlier slot,
rather waiting till December.

I got through finally,
and the person on the other line
offered me an afternoon slot today.

It came as a surprise.
I wasn't prepared to see Doc so early,
hence I decided on a later slot in late October.

However after putting down the phone,
something kept bugging me,
hence I called back again, changed it to today,
and apologised for being indecisive.

And so I went down to NHC immediately after work,
with an unsettling feeling.

Waited for an hour before I was called into the room,
but I must say, the friendly and professional staff at SGH,
make me feel at ease.

I used to have a negative impression
of the staff in the Singapore public hospitals.
Now I wonder where did that come from.

Anyway in I went to my appointed room,
and was pleasantly surprised the doctor who greeted me,
was not the young chap who go roundabout with my questions,
but a much older version of him with the same surname,
and more kindness, patience and presence.

After reading through my medical files,
asking my condition and doing a check-up,
he said that he can Assure me that for now,
it does not look like I have any block arteries.

He emphasized on the Assurance,
and he continue to say that he felt that,
the problem is still bothering me.

I must have unknowingly shown much of the
emotions and shivering I was trying to hide,
when I was recalling when it first happened.

I didn't realised it still scares me a lot.

I told him that the previous doctor (which I think is his son),
suspected that it was acid reflux,
and gave me 2 months of medicine supply.

He asked if they made me feel better.

I told him they made me feel constantly hungry,
and intensified the nauseous feeling I had been having,
and the bloatedness and fullness in the stomach.

Then i told him about what Dr Hui said,
the itch in my throat and the cough.

He said that it could possibly be given my symptoms,
and coughing due to acid reflux,
is actually more common than we think.

He then asked if I would like to be referred
to a gastroneology specialist.

I told him I don't know.
I am confused by everything
that is happening to me altogether,
I don't know what to think.

I asked for his opinion,
and he concluded that he will refer me to the specialist,
and keep me in an open appointment for 2 years,
just in case I still feel the need to see him.
So I might be doing the endoscope after all.

Going to the doctor always makes me feel drained,
especially when I have to do it alone.
But I am glad I did what i have to do.

I want to find out what is going on with my body,
why do i experience such abnormalities.

Then at least I know what I can do for my body,
to nurse it back to health,
to live this life.

Please be with me, and guide me along.





2 comments:

Super Saiyan 3 said...

There must be a message behind all these, hang on! Wish you luck!

. said...

> coughing due to acid reflux

I disagree. 1st, the cough medicine did not help. 2nd, acid reflux (assuming you indeed had them?) cannot explain the flu-like symptom or the heart palpitation or the occurence during/near menstruation. However, the nasal spray worked! This gives us good reason focus on why it works. A nasal spray essential works by reducing inflammation of the nasal lining. It thus gives us reason to make the hypothesis that if we apply the same medicine in the nasal spray to the lower airway from throat to lung, it may work to solve the other half of the problem from throat to lung. That's the asthma spray I talked abt in the previous post. It is also not unreasonable to hypothesize asthma since an asthma attack can give rise to both difficulty in breathing and heart palpitation due to panic.


Super Saiyan3,
Of course there is a message. In fact, two. One, sickness is part and parcel of life, along with birth, old age and death. Two, it is important to find a good doctor :)