When you are running, wear running shoes
When you are playing field soccer, wear soccer boots
When you are playing tennis, wear tennis shoes
When you are playing badminton, wear badminton shoes
When you are swimming, don't wear shoes.
This is to prevent you from getting injured. :)
Headed down to the Orthopedic Clinic at TTSH for the followup consultation on the fractured bone. Dr Henry recommended that I should undergo surgery to place metal implants to align and aid with the bone healing. The cool thing about the metal implant is that I no longer got to keep the heavy plaster cast on after the surgery. This mean no more plastic bags around my leg during shower and thus I'll be able to move my ankle which is important for driving. However, the metal are there to support, not to bear weight thus crutches are still needed for the rest of the healing weeks or months.
Hmm. I find it surprising that the doctor immediately jumps to the surgical solution instead of keeping everything in plaster. I got this weird feeling at the back of my mind that maybe the hospital needs to earn more money. Excuse me, but I just recently watched "Sicko" and the thought of Medical Care trying to be profitable business lingers on my mind. On the other side of thoughts, they are the doctor, they are the professional... who else should we get an opinion or recommendation other than professional? Didn't take long for me to say yes to Surgery because I know that I had all the insurance and medisave to cover for all the expenses and I don't want my right leg to suffer the same fate as my left leg in the future. Finally, all this years of paying this health insurance is yielding its fruits.
Talking about Health Insurance. ITS VERY IMPORTANT. Why? After meeting a man from Sarawak who suffered the same fate as me, I can better appreciate the importance of all the years of premium payment. By the way, I am not endorsing any Insurance company. This man was on cast for almost 2 months and those bone did not heal properly. He was recommended to go for sugery earlier in the treatment but declined due to financial issues and his company don't subsidise for in-patient surgery. Can really see the stress and slight depression in his face. Not only is $$$$ involved but his job will be at stake as well if he don't recover soon. Where to get the income for himself and the family? If I was in his position, I'll understand how he would had felt when the pocket tightens up upon hearing the cost of surgery. Lets not forget that as a foreigner, he does not enjoy the same subsidised medical care as we Singaporean had (well, you can say its because we pay tax). I wish his all the best and speedy recovery.
My plaster cast was removed after consultation with Dr Henry and after observing that the swelling did not subsides, I had my surgery postponed to next Friday. The nurse at Plaster department applied a different cast on my leg. Its synthetic and lighter than the old cast. All this while, 2 student doctors were observing the entire process. Learn that it takes them 5 years to graduate from University. Their thick glasses is a testament to the wealth of knowledge absorbed from lecture, books and nowadays Internet and Youtube.
Think I did not kept my leg properly elevated for the past few days causing the right leg to continue swelling. Will be on cast all the way till surgery day on Friday. In the mean time, with this new cast on which is thinner, I found a new way to keep my legs properly elevated everywhere I go with crutches.
Been on the cast for 3 days and thank goodness it didn't start to smell or get really itchy as suppose to be expected. The simple modern day convenience of computer chairs and wireless remote controls had now become a "must have" items in the house. Without the remote control, I would have to limp myself to the TV each time I wanna turn it on/off, switch channel or adjust the volume. Without the computer chairs, moving around the house would be so tiring.
I am kinda surprise that I am handling all the challenges of mobility well so far. Had been able to take shower every morning with little assistance, moving around the kitchen to make coffee, getting on the PC, getting on the Nintendo Wii, building up my modern kit with the sudden excess freetime I got. Good thing the apartment is small but spaces are wide enough to move around and most items of necessity are within arm length grab (sometimes a bit of stretching). Still getting use to those heavy plaster cast on my right leg though and I hope it will be change to a fiberglass cast during my followup appointment at TTSH on Friday. Felt like I been chain to an iron ball.
So this long period of absense will be a good one to recover from certain depression and frustration with certain organization. Be a time for reflection and realignment of the thought process. I wonder if things (or accident) happen for a good reason? Last Friday and in fact for the whole 2 weeks after getting back from school examination to work, I had not been in the best of mood and motivation and almost chewed up one of my senior with nasty words. I had been a source of negativity among the juniors. On the last day of long weekend I got a bone fracture that put me out of one misery. Its as though some mightier being up there realize that this boy couldn't survive another few weeks without hurting more people along the way thus mightier being decide to give a little painful fracture and many weeks of peaceful times away from the organization. Oh well, call me and imaginator or story teller or whatever but I certainly felt the injury couldn't had come in the most appropriate time.
Had to put my thanks here to Jack and Sea who dropped by my place to had some work admin issues sort out. Ed, our under appreciated and misunderstood junior will be holding the fort as the skipper right now and I'm sure that without my presensce, his contribution and work will be better recgonized. Kage as usual will be confined to improving our productivity in front of the computer screen and finally our two very junior guy, Caveman and Yammy, will be the important left and right winger. I hope all of them learn more under this "pressured" period and I apologize if I couldn't be aiding them for the time being.
Tonight dinner: KFC delivery...
It was yet another Sunday morning long awaited soccer game with the brothers. It all ended with a cracking sound and excruciating shriek and uncontrolled spilling out of some saliva from mouth. I miss step. This is the most painful experience I ever had in my life. A very very bad sprain. I could hardly walked. I was lying down there for almost 10 minutes with the concern faces of brothers standing around.
The guys got me to a Chinese Physician to have it examine for dislocation. No dislocation but he only applied a thick strong smelling medicated paste and some bandage and advise me to had an X-Ray the next day if the pain and swelling did not go away. Thank you brothers for bringing helping me yesteday. I didn't suspected anything but for the whole evening and night, I had to rely on my computer chair to move around the house and using the toilet prove to be a huge challenge. Everytime I tried to move my left leg, a throbbing pain accompanies. It was the most demoralizing moment of my life, not able to move around properly. I truly understand how it felt for people with mobility problem. I literally had to hold on to any support I could find to keep pressure of the right foot.
Today morning, I decided to see the Base MO instead of the GP due to some stupid MC policy set by the organization and also because its a very short walking (or hopping distance) to the Medical Center from the carpark than from the neighborhood carpark to my regular GP clinic. Was immediately refer to A&E at TTSH for X-Ray. MO suspect that I had a bone fracture.
Dad send me to TTSH right away. I was immediately greeted by a staff manning a certain counter asking if I need a wheel chair. I politely decline as I am still able to move with the aid of an umbrella. While walking to the counter...very very slowly... another staff approaches me and without saying a word, ask that I sit down on a wheel chair. I guess I should stop putting on a brave front because I am starting to look rather silly limping around with an umbrella right in the hospital compound. It made the staff at TTSH look bad if I don't take the wheel chair, they might get complain by a third party for not attending to me even though I declined.
First time of my life to be move around in a wheel chair. Gosh... well things went smoothly and systematically at TTSH. Was wheeled from the registration counter, to the consultant (a senior staff nurse), to the X-Ray room to get some pictures of my bones and finally to Dr Tan, a Physician. The bad news was I got a fracture (which explains the persistent pain), the good news was the bones are still in position, the bad news was some portion of the fracture are protruding out of normal position and might need surgical intervention. Got a follow up consultation with a Bone specialist this friday to see if there is a need for such drastic measures but for now, I'm sure I'll be out of action of the next month and Christmas will be celebrated in cast and crutches.
Staff Nurse Melissa explained to me how to use the pair of crutches that cost me $30 and gave me proper instruction of care for the cast on my right leg. No water and no fire on it. Well, I won't wanna test the flammability of the cast though. Overall, I found my experience in TTSH a pleasant one. The staff are all pro and knowledgeable especially Dr Tan diaganosis and Staff Nurse Melissa teaching.
Spend the early afternoon wheeling myself around TTSH with my right leg extended like a battering ram, grabbing a subway lunch for I am super starving from not eating breakfast in the morning. I think been on a wheel chair, makes you a target of assistance and affection. Since I kept insisting on wheeling myself around, many staff at TTSH approaches me to ask if I need assistance to go anywhere. Probably is pride though, I spend the rest of the day wheeling till my arm muscle felt tired. Now I can empatise how difficult it is for wheel chair bound people. Not easy though, you need good arm muscles. Got my medication from the pharmacy and dad fetched me home.
This is the first bone fractured I had in my life and I wish for no more. The inconvenience is way too troubling. From showering to peeing to pooing. Getting from one spot of the house to another. Using my PC and playing Nintendo Wii. Sleeping. Sitting. Watching TV. Its a whole new way of getting things done for the next 6 weeks untill the bones are healed. Oh boy...
Right after a day of "war torn" work of words, I got off slightly early and met Missy for dinner at North Point before her night shift work. Right after dinner, my bowel business got a better of me and I excused myself for the washroom. Looks like all the cubicles are occupied for the moment thus I patiently waited for anyone of the 2 cubicle available right outside Manhatten Fish Market Restaurant. On both the cubicle are friendly sign for "Squatters" and "Sitters".
The "Squatters" door slowly open and I was telling myself... "crap...now I got to squat... no choice. Urgent business callings...". However the door suddenly closes again. Hmmm....whats wrong with this guy? So I decide to hang on again. A minute later the door came half open and out rushes out an Indian fellow with his head hanging down. He didn't even bother washing his hands and rushed out of the washroom! Ewwww!!! So naturally I decide to push open the "squatter" door. Suddenly I was rudely greeted by a checkered shirt fair skin (suspected Chinese) dude who gently pushes the door close again. You can imagine the shock on my face. Its two man in a toilet cubicle! What the hell could they have been doing? Sharing a Squatter bowl?
Next moment the "Sitter" door open and I suddenly woke up from my shock state to realise the the urgent business is still knocking on the door down under. Naturally I finish the business with a slight sense of danger.
When I got out of the washroom, Missy was already waiting for me with a story to tell. Apparently, an Indian man walks into the female washroom by mistake and walked out again. I told Missy the Gent side of the story. I can only suspect the worst had happen in the "Squtter" cubicle.
Well, got a unsuccessful experience with Wii modding last year but that did not stop me from continuous exploring in the area of mod chips. Tonight I will be modifying my Nintendo Wii so it will be able to play *ahem ahem... "friendly copy games". Just got my hands on the latest Wasabi DX mod chip which only required the connection of the Wii's DVD drive ribbon cables to complete the mod process. It had never been easier than before. I am very confident I will have no problem with the modification. The only challenge that will poise to most of us will the disassembling of the Nintendo Wii however thats not a huge issue for me for I had strip down and assemble my Nintendo Wii so many times that the adhesives on the rubber support feets are running out of "stickiness". No problem with success in any case.
Friends out there who are keen to save some bucks, do contact me if you wanna mod your Nintendo Wii. :)
