Tuesday 28 February 2006

A primer on appendicitis

So, I've been doing a little research on my little surgery last week.

First, some good links on the topic, for anyone interested in learning more about it.


In a nutshell, this is how it happens:
The appendix is this small appendage connected to the beginning of the large intestine. Now, the opening that connects to the intestine can get blocked, most commonly by fecal matter. Bacterial or viral infections can also cause an inflammation which leads to the opening of the appendix getting blocked. When the appendix gets blocked, there will be a buildup of bacteria inside the appendix, causing it to swell, and eventually rupture.

Some extra information that I've gathered:

  1. Anyone can get appendicitis, but it's most common between the ages of 10 and 30.

  2. Recovery time varies from person to person, but is usually between 10 and 28 days. And doctors will usually recommend limited strenous activity (no heavy lifting) for 4 to 6 weeks after the surgery. No wonder my surgeon gave me MC for 3 weeks!

  3. Rupture of the appendix is a serious complication, which can lead to peritonitis and abscess, which, in some cases, can cause organ failure and even death.



Ok, so I guess any surgery is serious. I should rest.

The one thing I really don't like is not being able to carry my daughter. Even not going to work is not getting to me too much, though I sometimes feel like I'm being a little less responsible. But what really bites is that I can hold A'isyah, but I can't lift her. So I can't take her on our little walks. :-(

Sunday 26 February 2006

The story of my appendix

Well, it's not a complete story, cos I can't really say when the beginning was. The short history, however, is known.

Two Fridays ago, the day after I came back from an overseas trip, I felt some stomache discomfort. Thought it was my stomache re-adjusting to the food here, after all that...um...different food there. That disappeared by the next day, so thought everything was ok.

On Tuesday, the discomfort came back, but with a slightly different pain. Thought it was gastric pains. On Wednesday morning, the pain was too much. Even after popping Actal, I was still doubled over in discomfort. Went to a clinic, thinking I'd get some strong medication, get MC, stop by the office for a couple of minutes, and head back home to rest.

Got to the clinic and was shown straight to the doctor, so apparent was my discomfort. The doctor checked me, examining my stomache, and when she touched a particular spot I just jumped. The pain was excrutiating. She checked again and told me it was my appendix. Gave me a referral letter and told me to go to the Emergency ward of a hospital of my choice and ask to see a surgeon. Yikes! Nany had actually expected this when driving me to the clinic.

Got to the hospital, the emergency doc checked me out to rule out other possibilities (incl. gallstones), did a urine test and a blood test. Then told me they were warding me and that it was an 80% chance it was my appendix, but the surgeon would confirm this when she checked me out.

By the time I was sent upstairs they had already given me a couple of injections for the pain. The surgeon examined me, and said I was very tender (no kidding!), but my appendix probably hadn't burst yet cos there was no indication of it from the blood test. So she said she wanted me to go for an operation as soon as possible. Since I hadn't eaten since 8am that morning, she scheduled me immediately. I was taken to the operating room about an hour later, and came out from the general anasthetic a couple of hours later.

The surgeon later told me that my appendix was fusing to the surroundings, and that it actually burst during removal. She cleaned me out, but there's still the chance of an infection. They started me on some really strong antibiotic, and that brought on a case of diarrhea. So I was in for slightly longer than normal.

I was discharged yesterday, given an antibiotic course, some painkillers, and some diarrhea meds. Got 3 weeks MC, but I seriously doubt I'll use that whole period. I have to rest for at least a week though, and I have a follow-up with the surgeon next week, to check for any infection. Hope there's none, cos if there were, they might have to cut me open again to clean it up.

So now, I rest.

Sunday 19 February 2006

New handphone for the missus

Yesterday I bought the hp that Nany's been eyeing for some time now (with a few hints thrown here and there to nudge me in the right direction). The Nokia 6111. Cute little thing. Mind, she's not as discerning as I am with tech things. Still, features-wise, it's not too shabby. Makes me miss using a Nokia.

My hp history:
Nokia 3310
Nokia 6510 - still think this is a pretty neat phone
Sony Ericsson K500i - won this at my company's annual dinner lucky draw

Nany's hp history:
Some old Motorola
Nokia 3310 - gave her my 3310 when I upgraded
Nokia 5210 - bought her this after her 3310 got stolen
Nokia 6610 - she bought this when the previous one died on her
Nokia 6510 - gave her my old 6510 when she passed her 6610 to her mom
Nokia 6111 - brand new, after using my old 6510 for a couple of weeks

First feeding

A'isyah turns 4 months tomorrow. We've just started A'isyah on food; had her first feeding a few minutes ago. Gerber Banana Rice. Started her slow; not a full serving yet. She was ok with it, not rejecting it. We'll see how this turns out.

Thursday 9 February 2006

My 2 cents on the Danish cartoons

It's such a prickly subject. I have an opinion, but sometimes it's hard to give voice to your opinion in an articulate manner. I could spend some time trying to organize my thoughts, but I don't really want to give this too much attention. Enough that it's been picked up by major news organizations around the world. Enough that leaders of countries have to make statements about this.

However, I'd like to point here, because it captures the essence of my own opinion.

Two quotes:

No one doubts that the press should be free to satirize. But freedom of the press cannot excuse the promotion of noxious stereotypes.

(...)

Of course, the sad irony is that the Muslims who have resorted to violence in response to this offense are merely reaffirming the stereotypes advanced by the cartoons. Likewise, the Europeans who point to the Muslim reaction as proof that, in the words of the popular Dutch blogger Mike Tidmus, "Islam probably has no place in Europe," have reaffirmed the stereotype of Europeans as aggressively anti-Islamic.

Friday 3 February 2006

Got the laptop

They delivered the laptop yesterday. My wife likes it, so it was a worthwhile purchase.

Instant installs:

  1. AVG Free ver 7 - anti-virus software

  2. Adobe Acrobat Reader 7

  3. Quicktime Player, which unfortunately, is only available bundled with iTunes - to view movies from my camera

  4. Opera 8 - a seriously cool browser; mouse gestures rule!

  5. Picasa2 - really useful for organizing tons of pics

  6. Irfanview - small, fast pic viewer; I prefer this to ACDSee

  7. OpenOffice 2 - free alternative to the MS Office suite, and definitely better than the MS Works suite



I'm probably still missing some essential software. Will add when I remember.

Wednesday 1 February 2006

Effective marketing, and just enough gullibility...

...sells laptops.

Seriously. Apparently, the Dell laptop I ordered a few days back wasn't really on special. The price was basically their standard package, albeit with some small mods. At least I managed to upgrade the CPU for free.

Oh well. Still a good buy in my books.

P.S. Their logistics haven't contacted me yet.