Life After Surgery

By -
    None of the nurses in the dialysis center said : "I told you so!" but I said it to myself. I have never really followed the renal diet closely; as a result I had sky high levels of phosphate and calcium, resulting in itchy skin all over my body. As a result of all the constant scratching, I had marks all over my body, not a pretty sight.

    I needed to have my Parathyroid glands removed badly. This is because the itchiness I was experiencing indicated that my Parathyroid (PT) glands had already swollen tremendously by this time. Everyone has 4 PT glands. And it's not easy feat to remove all 4 because 2 will be in an obvious place (behind the thyroid glands) but 2 will be in not so obvious places.

    I was told all this when I went for my first doctor's consultation. I was originally scheduled to have surgery on the 5th of July but because my nephrologist (kidney doctor) spoke to the endochrine surgeon (Thyroid and PT doctor) on my behalf, he managed to persuade the endochrine surgeon to move up my surgery date sooner, so on the 22nd of March, I went in for surgery...........

    I was admited on the 19th, to prep me for the surgery on that fateful Friday. I was in surgery for 5 whole hours. And I was so very thankful that the surgeon managed to remove all 4 PT glands! He also dissected the smallest gland and implanted it into the muscle of my right arm; so I wouldn't lose my calcium regulations completely. That's right, the function of the PT glands is to regulate the calcium levels in your body.

    When I came out of surgery, I felt really groggy, it was so surreal! My parents were there for me and told me that all 4 PT glands had been removed. I heard them, it registered in my brain but I couldn't speak because the PT glands were so near my vocal chords that my voice was then nearly gone.

    During my next doctor's visit, I was told that I couldn't sing for 6 months, and I was told not the talk so much for now. I calculated on my desk calendar and the 6 month mark is the 22nd of September. So maybe I can sing this Christmas but I'll have to wait till next January to sing in the Church Worship Team.

    All in all, I'm glad it's all over now. I just have to rest my vocal chords and later this year, I'll be able to sing my heart out for the Lord again!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bleeding Again

By -
Image
During updating Patrick's status to a friend of mine today, Patrick called out from the bed. I looked up to his dancing eyes and smiling face. This would usually put me in smiles. Instead, I watched his face more closely than usual. Much earlier this morning, closer to 2am, his vomit was mixed with blood. He was down with flu and cough since late last week. Earlier this week since Monday, the past couple of nights had been trying to us both. He woke up a few times coughing that caused him to vomit out his milk. For my readers who have not been aware, every night his nasogastric tube attached to a machine that pumped in milk throughout the night. I do this upon the doctor's advice to assist him to gain weight. HIs running nose irritated Patrick when its mucus dripped onto his upper lip. His body temperature did not appear to reach 37.5C and beyond. He has been active, as per his normal self except during the night he appeared to be more fussy than ...
Read more

Surgery On My Baby

By -
Image
The birth of Patrick changed my marriage life from the two of us to the three of us, a family. We were excited, happy, worried followed by all kind of emotions for our baby son. So many things to learn, to experience. Breastfeeding, constant thoughts on our baby's well being especially when his jaundice appeared to rise during his first month. The lacking of sleep. There were moments I observed his breathing while he slept. We were amazed by every new mannerisms that Patrick displayed. We were so charmed when he first smiled to us. I would observed how gently my husband would treat Patrick and how Patrick would looked up to him, listening to his every word. Mummy supporting and loving baby We were enjoying ourselves as new parents until something happened in the middle of November 2017 that changed our lives forever. "There is something not right with his stools." My sister in law remarked to me while I tiredly changed Patrick's diapers. Menta...
Read more

Bario Cinnamon - From the Land of a Hundred Handshakes

By -
Image
By: Chong Sheau Ching July 10, 2018 What is it? When you buy Bario cinnamon, you get it in the form of a two and half foot - long stick. They are harvested by a group of farmers from ‘Bario Agro Biodiversity Hub,’ Bario, Kelabit Highlands in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. It is trucked along a grueling logging road for twelve hours from Bario to Miri City, and then by sea freight from Miri Port to Port Klang before being transported to Kuala Lumpur, or from Miri Airport to KLIA and then transported to the city. The cinnamon trees are of the Cassia variety. They grow wild in pristine, lush, primary jungles among the flora and fauna such as those in the Bario Communal Park. The cinnamon bark harvested is thus 100% organic with ABSOLUTELY no chemicals as the trees grow in the thick Bornean jungle. Cinnamon is a traditional medicine used especially to ‘warm’ the stomach.   The Kelabits (main inhabitants in the Kelabit Highlands) also use the cinnamon bark in teas a...
Read more