Do I think society is accepting of people with kidney disease? Yes or No? Why?

Yes! I trust & believe so. I would say it is about 70% acceptable for those who are well educated of fresh new 21st century generation + experience & exposure with opening mind-heart! Those who understand about basic humankind life-journey, it is part & parcel of "struggling phenomena" in today hi-tech connectivity globalization villages. Perhaps more on Western countries than Asian conservative culture or value. It is basically the positive approach & attitude with understanding & awareness toward ways or paths of living lives for basic humankind or human nature as art & science combination formula. Today's world is entirely different from years ago! We need to change mentally & physically too & take the challenges ahead of our journey for better future. With mere click of fingers we are easily & conveniently connected at ease or effortlessly too.

Those with no answer indicating about 30%. I trust & believe they lots are slow pace of adjustment for changes of lifestyle or life-journey! Particularly on individual or group or community mentality wise! Perhaps basic educational culture & value are essential for their initial motivation & improvement. Individual self-esteem is main conditional factors of our body-mind-game/system here! Thank you for sharing my shallow opinion! 

What do I learn from volunteering while being a patient?

Self-independent & pro-active is improving on my healthy self-image by giving enough time/space for off loading the family/relatives/friends' responsibility as caregivers. They have ease of mind-heart! Social engagement + social welfare + helping others like helping own self ~ feeling happy + knowledge improvement & better understanding of humankind relationship + bondage. Healthy activities & sharpening both physically & mentally. Feeling younger too! Happiness is the KEY for the overall environment atmosphere!

What advice would I possibly give the youth? (in relation to kidney disease)

Try to spend time/space paying more attention on HEALTH-CARE in individual daily life-journey is the greatest INVESTMENT along individual life-journey on earth! Regular medical check-up for healthy blood & urine system. Basic educational culture & value for awareness of  blood contamination at earliest stage of blood vessels deterioration & contamination simply because blood is the basic linkage or bridge of our nutrition to our growth & development of our cells. It is like or similar to WATER basic conditional factors in our life-journey right here & now on earth where mankind civilization begin at river side.

Eating wisely on daily day-in & day-out. Rest & sleep enough daily basis. Exercise regularly & approaching to nature of environment as much as possible. Learning to relax with meditation on daily basis! 

What is something I have learnt throughout the whole process of HD?

Artificial Kidney (AK) machine is a cute baby & wonderful & beautiful life-partner to me for the rest of life-journey on earth nowadays. I depend solely on it for survival nowadays. It is like part & parcel of my 2nd home as well! It is amazing & the beauty for the excellent discovery & invention of this supporting art & science product(s) in healthcare services or business for saving & giving big hope for humankind on earth. Appreciate with much thanks indeed!

Apart from restricted time/space for treatment or therapy within certain period on weekly basis, dialysis patients like another healthy people on the street can still contribute like a normal healthy working people in term of efficiency or productivity especially in today 21st century of hi-tech connectivity in our globalization villages. We also have home & or regional or community dialysis centre treatment or therapy nowadays for easier & convenient, time/space saving effectively. In city state of nation such as Singapore with only 800 sq miles in landscape area with excellent & clean water supply perhaps it is very suitable & can possible adaptable too.  In addition, we even have wearable mobile dialysis soonest if all go well & smoothly too. Most educated & capable patients can work from anytime anywhere inclusive dialysis centre too! 

Discipline on diets/DW/(Pre Weight/3% to 5% of either DW or Pre-W)/BPs constant fluctuation/medication/exercise/enough Rest & Sleep/lifestyle with positive approach & attitude toward life-journey + opening mind-heart/individual motivation + individual self-independent/social engagement & social welfare & its growth & development + for lots of fun & joy for happiness/blood labs test result as a guideline & road map! Family relatives friends & community support & concerns!

Now that just a few years ago MOH had begun to head-on challenging for fighting the hypertension & diabetes for Singapore mass population & so too our nation too need to emphasize deeper for dialysis patients in term of long run & winding of educational culture & value for familiarization & training to be independent & improve further our quality of living lives. Because we have more & more younger generation of patients while the young or adult or old still on waiting list for transplantation that may take a basic requirement of 9 years to queue up + at the moment we have less alive exchange scheme of donation of organs project. Through proper educational culture & value + AWARNESS, we can surely excel for better tomorrow in our overall healthcare industries or services or business. This is just personal opinion & thank you! 

When I am feeling low or down who do I turn to for help?

My most responsible wife Shirley Leong & my 3 children.

At centre I will immediately approach our centre nurse manager sister Mei who is an experienced nurse together with her colleagues as caregivers & occasionally our centre renal doctor.

At SGH hospital the renal doctor Dr SM Suhail now on yearly review basis only.

For my AV Graft life-line connector I approach our SGH AV vascular doctor, only if necessary basis, to be arranged by dialysis centre. 

What are some of the common symptoms I experience on HD treatment or therapy?

Dry weight, Pre weight, Blood Pressures Fluctuation, Stress & Strain of Body such legs/stomach cramping, Dizzy or Light-headed phenomena, Pulse higher at low BP either during HD session or at home, Difficult to breathe, Slipping mind phenomena, Low Protein level, Still need Vitamin D injection 3 times a week, AV Graft "V" flow pressure is getting higher as my Access Flow (AF) rate is now between 730 & 900 upon the latest testing. 

In what ways do I think my kidney disease have adversely affected my life? / What are some of the of my biggest struggles facing such kidney disease?

Not much actually apart being tied up for a certain period of my time/space on weekly basis. 

If any, the ageing with multiple illnesses is the main conditional factors due to slow both physically & mentally. Particularly on my legs getting poor & weak shape.

So some the biggest struggles are time/space & legs problem. As for blood labs test result which is biochemistry I still need to improve my protein level while maintaining my albumin level in stable condition. They are matching partner pair actually. Then the fluid control 3% to 5% of my dry weight or pre weight. Since 6 years+ ago my minimum weight is between 59.5 kg to a maximum of 66.5 kg due to BPs constant fluctuations. Another thing I feel is the frequent *slipping of mind* probably due to ageing lah!? This is what how when where & why I keep my brain busy working by writing diary in my face book pages too!  

How often do I have dialysis sessions & how do I pass the time time during such sessions?

Basically 3 times a week on 1-3-5 noontime shift schedule since beginning engagement with haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy in 2014.

Always I keep myself busy during each session by noting/writing down my personal genuine experiential experiment or experience/exposure as per my personal diary/records & an ordinary dialysis patient without having any chance for familiarization & training in term of educational culture & value for which I am keen & interested of from starting point till today date. Learning is unlimited for anyone on earth! Till the last breathe on earth we are learning & picking up somehow.

We are checked or scanned with temperature pass before entering the waiting room or clinic for HD. As I enter the clinic for dialysis I usually begin with weighing myself first, then thoroughly cleaning my AV Graft's arm which is my life-line connector for survival for the purpose of cleaning/purification my blood stream 3 times weekly. Then following taking my own BPs on sitting & standing posture. Standby for the nurses for needling scheduling or cannulation job.

I usually preoccupied my busy schedule as following activities:-

I always busy taking note about the Artificial Kidney or machine that is connecting directly to my left hand side of upper arm & ensure it is saved & secure nor leakages or abnormal symptom inclusive the tubing connection etc, draining or no draining initially connection because this is also directly affecting my target goal mission of the day as per according to my body-mind-game/system. This is conditional factors as I know my circumstances better than anyone in the clinic whether I am comfortable with it or not through my coming to 7 years of personal experiential experiment & experience/exposure. The first year was tough though! Because it is part & parcel of my physical & mental phenomena with symptoms during the minimum of 4 hours HD session. Of course as a dialysis patient & nurses as caregivers, we are working in parallel as a collective team group too. I make sure the emergency call button is in place on my side within my reach too.

I always make to adapt the noontime schedule of HD constantly on yearly basis throughout the whole year without changing shift unless unforeseen circumstances arising from time to time or case of case basis such as hospitalization or travelling oversea in order to adapt my body-mind-game/system in well favorable & sailing conditional journey. For example travelling for 3 days 2 nights & then scheduling back to Singapore for NKF's HD. Through my experience it does make a big difference for constant suitability & adaptation routine HD session at my base in Singapore. 

Then I began my usual routine movements or activities at the centre from then onward. I make sure I can see & view the baby ~ Artificial Kidney (AK) machine monitor screen at certain angle. Occasionally if I am tired I will rest or meditate or take a short nap then. 

I will always mindful & alert my BPs trend during the HD session from beginning of HD session till the end of HD session + the paost sitting & standing posture again. Because I know & understand how BP can or will affect my physical & mental condition both at centre & also when I am arriving my home. Usually the BP will drop to lower range upon arrival home because of the body movement or exercise for better blood circulation.

Exercise, watching tv mainly local & world wide on news, reading, online connection, talking to nurses if only necessary as I am deaf dialysis patient, interact with my buddy friend next slot on my right hand side Mr Chen as he is basically a visual impaired patient. Eating or chewing something in the mouth. However, for the time being not now such as for eating lunch during the restriction policy being implemented for hygienic purpose with mask-on all the times due to Covid-19 pandemic. 

I find that by keeping busy & or mild body stretching exercise will surely make my body blood circulation better especially like the cycling exercise & it is good for HD session too. I feel it is good & smooth sailing by drawing the blood stream. Because it is more thoroughly & effectively.

If I keep on resting or sleeping my BP trend tend to drop faster unexpectedly. This is the main reason what how when where & why I preoccupied myself busy at HD session. Particularly toward the last hour. Usually I have enough sleep at night & day-rest at home, therefore, I hardly fall into sleep during each session unless I am really very tired or discharged from hospital feeling poor shape & weak physically. I am observing the surrounding phenomena or activities too. My blood circulation pump is usually set at 300. However, it may adjustable from 250 to 300 from time to time or case to case basis depending upon my body-mind-game/system.

I make sure my wrapping tape with gauze are well secured enough by pressing about at least 10 minutes upon wrapping tape with gauze & then covered with flexible guards around them to hold them properly. But I will usually loosen up the tapes slightly after one hour upon arrival at home & making sure they are not bleeding at all. This simple manner will dry up & healing faster for my needling wound too. It is solely better ventilation for drying & healing purpose! Also I can see & study how the variable wrapping caregivers' skillful applications can make a difference when I remove the wrapping tape with trace of blood stained onto the gauze.  

After the post HD at centre, I mindfully walk to weigh myself. And then off to go home by 2 exchanging buses (903 & 912) through 7 bus stops via Woodlands Check-Point appropriately taking about 20 minutes or so if no waiting time. Usually arrival at home my BP is dropping to low scale. But I keep mindful with slow movement. If around 100 t0 110 my heart pulse usually is higher slightly. Then I have a small cup of hot drink & a bite of snack. Rest for a while before taking my shower & dinner. Then taking the medication of the day. Thank you for the HD day!   

How long have I been diagnosed with Kidney Disease?

I began with my creatinine level at 300+ at 2012.

At earlier stage in 2009 I got my angina symptom off & on happening on few occasions. It was analyzed as a typical kind of chest pain symptom. Thus eventually being carried out through angioplasty balloon surgery as a result of restriction or blockage of blood vessels.

Within 2 years my creatinine increasing from 300+ to 600 or 700 level of reading. Sometime in 2013 I had my kidney biopsy carried out & in 2014 July I had my AV Graft surgery preparation ready standby for dialysis treatment or therapy. By 2014 October I got my gout flare & attack by admission to SGH, the creatinine level suddenly shot up to 1000+ with great painfulness of suffering.

Precisely on 22nd October 2014 I began my journey of haemodialysis (HD) journey.

What is negative ions meaning to basic human beings as body-mind-game/system?

https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/44183/AHDsSdgB59O_YP4gBwpE6HixAC4:2?.intl=sg&.lang=en-SG&.partner=none&.src=fp&fullscreen=1

Blood testing & urine testing as a guideline or road map (2)

So I began my haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy's journey on 22nd October 2014 at Singapore General Hospital (SGH). I was first engaging in private clinic before engaging with my present moment of 2nd home at NKF Singapore on 20th March 2015. From then onward I had to report for my weekly HD treatment or therapy at least three times on weekly basis. Each time is at least lasting for a minimum 4 standard hours of cleaning my blood stream. This is basically cleaning my toxins & excess fluid in my whole body-mind-game/system. During initial stage I still got certain amount of urine on daily basis anyway till it gradually slow down & finally completely zero urine.

We have constantly regular blood labs testing for our biochemistry medical data in addition to the performance of our Artificial Kidney (AK) machine. The Artificial Kidney (AK) connecting temporary to my AV Graft left hand side arm had become part & parcel of my body-mind-game/system during work-in-progress of my haemodialysis treatment or therapy. So there would be no more urine test anyhow either in hospital too. It is ONLY blood labs testing for my conditional factors of my body-mind-game/system, 

Today on 16th August 2021 as I am updating my medical blood & urine labs testing topic it will be soonest coming to my 7 years haemodialysis (HD) journey by this coming October. 

So it is indeed an interesting experiential experiment or experience/exposure within these 7 years of my haemodialysis (HD) journey as I am ageing with multiple illnesses at same time as I have been keeping on & or maintaining moving on along my lifestyle or life-journey. It is all in daily face book pages briefly written as my diary journey day-in & day-out.

I had since readily faced it & completely accepted it too & thus properly had been managing it satisfactory enough since day one as far as following the modern ways or paths of scientific medical field arrangement. If any I am short off it is perhaps lack of technical aspects of familiarization & or training knowledge or experiential experience/exposure for mindfulness or incentive awareness. However, for just as an ordinary ageing haemodialysis (HD) patient with multiple illnesses, I am satisfied & happy enough along my ageing lifestyle, & or, life-journey with my strong solid family behind me as caregivers + of course the community strong support & concern too. Thank you very much!

Blood testing & urine testing as a guideline or road map (1)

It is very common for any disease or illness that these 2 categories are medically carried out for initial testing for medical analysis or diagnosis during earliest days in medical field in addition to x-rays, scan sound analysis or MRI etc diagnosis. Today we have very advance scientific ways or paths to trace & explore the disease or illnesses inclusive cancers too. 

I am not going touch & talk the complicated knowledge of diseases or illnesses. I will simply touch & talk about my own personal experiential experiment + experience + exposure along my own life-journey as an ordinary patient. It is just a brief & rough summary as according to my memories tat I can possibly recall at the instant moment today. 

First I had my uric acid high symptoms due to gout flare & gout attack whenever I eat read meat especially beef which is my favorite dishes since young. So I need to take medicine + injection off & on whenever there was gout attack around the knees or ankles joints. 

When I reached about my 60 years old I have hypertension (high blood pressure). By 2009 when I was 61 I had my earlier symptoms of angina, meaning heart vessels restriction or blockage, that needed for immediate surgery at SGH with angioplasty balloon. By 2012, through I got my urine infection with creatinine at 300+ level. Also my prostate PSA is high.

So within 2 years between 2012 & 1013 my creatinine increasing from 300+ to 500 then 600 then 700 reading. It is too late to have balance of diet or control of my diet as per dietician's advice or recommendation. I went through my biopsy surgery to check my e.GFR in 2013 & then following year 2014 I have to get ready for standby preparation haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy anytime thereafter. So I carried out surgery for my AV Graft (artificial blood vessel) at my left hand side upper arm sometime in July 2014 because my blood vessels are too small for AV Fistula surgery.

By 2014 October I was admitted to SGH under E & A ward because I got sudden gout flare & attack. The creatinine suddenly shot up to 1000+. Then I was beginning to engage my first initial HD journey at SGH on 22nd October 2014. 

Brief summary history of my haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy

Comments

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  Leong Seng Chen

  I was being officially medically advised that my CKD is seriously deterioration around 2012 upon diagnosed through blood & urine test while earlier 3 years in 2009 I got my heart blood vessels surgery done via angioplasty balloon with 2 stents inserted into them due to restriction of blood flow as a result of hypertension.

  Then within 2 years from 2012 to 2013 my creatinine shooting up from around 300 to around 600 - 700. I was done my biopsy in 2013 then following July in 2014, I was carried my AV Graft surgery for preparation for anytime haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy. It was too late to have balance of diet or control my diet by then.

 

Q & A interview by HQ NKF

 Hello Mr Leong

Kindly refer to the questions below to prepare for the interview. The interview will be recorded and conducted via Zoom.

Appreciate your help to brief and share the questions with Mr Chen when he is discharged. We will also seek assistance from OA to help with logging in to Zoom. You may prepare your answers but do not have to memorise any script. The interview will be facilitated by the students, it will be a Question & Answer format - they ask, you answer.

Questions

1

How long have you been diagnosed with kidney disease?

2

How often do you have dialysis sessions and how do you pass the time during such sessions?

3

In what ways do you think your kidney disease has adversely affected your life? / What are some of your biggest struggles facing such kidney disease?

4

What are some of the common symptoms you experience?

5

When you’re feeling low, who do you turn to for help?

6

What is something you have learnt throughout the whole process?

7

What advice would you give the youths? (in relation to kidney disease)

8

What do you learn from volunteering while being a patient?

9

Do you think society is accepting of people with kidney diseases?

10

Are there any changes you hope to see in society regarding their perception of people with kidney diseases? (Follow up on 9 [“No” for Qn 9])

Date: 20 August 2021, Friday

Time: 1 PM – 2 PM

Via Zoom – I will share the Zoom meeting details with you nearer to date

Thank you.

Regards

Tricia Tan

Meditation Story (1)

https://www.facebook.com/leong.s.chen/posts/10159834039719119?notif_id=1628464864304830&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

Meditation Story (1)

從今天2021牛年八月九日星期一，新加坡56周年國慶日時節，末學開始從新調整、溫習、打理一下，有關末學當初接觸所謂的身心的禪法或佛法，即是有關當下這個會行、住、坐、臥的身心到底是什麽究竟是什麽而已罷了呀！至今直到這把年紀七十古來稀（實際情狀今年將近75了），才開始點滴有點甚覺得成熟感的意思了，類似似乎有點遲到了嘛！但是總覺遲到還好過完全錯過機緣或因緣做適當的溫習功課或工程吧！

末学當時、當地、當環境、家庭背景之下，怎甚样身心状态或情状之下，還有什麽因緣和機緣使到末學开始初步善巧因緣接触所謂【禅修】或【佛法】呢？那時候沒有什麽任何底細（聞思修）之下，日常生活中隨順因緣或所緣走一步看一步摸一步而已罷了！類似巧如瞎子摸象的比喻吧了！但是同時因緣末學是依照科學化、性作爲底牌，接觸了這種觀禪因緣了，沒有錯過當下的機緣或因緣，很認真學習有關觀禪的方法呀！是的，最重要關鍵是觀禪方法(Procedures)。

因爲沒有底細之下，意思沒有禪修或觀禪在於聞、思、修方面的情狀之下，也沒有什麽特別聖經或經典作爲善巧助緣的意思。回頭再看看再思維一下再反省一下，二十多年前我當初開始接觸十日生活營禪修（内觀禪 ~ 當時只知道英文叫著 Vipassana Meditation而已罷了）。那時候只因爲自個兒種種身心煩惱和痛苦纏著這個會行住坐 臥的身心而已罷了。緣由自從一場（1976年）很嚴重的車禍中，重傷入院，頭破血流，三條右排骨斷了。一看車禍的座位偏到像sardine罐頭魚了，算是不幸很幸運的了，保下這一期生命因緣呀！

這之前，末學一家是依照三合一先父、母祖先作爲基本信仰或宗教儀式了。固然末學是依大乘【念佛號】法門起點，而感到心開始平靜下來了，同時也參加所謂北傳或漢傳大乘念經等等活動或法會的。很幼稚之下也開始問三問四摸索有關佛教界裏道家和儒家的等等資料，但是沒有機緣深入參究了。

後來一個因緣聽了一位馬合西派緬甸式觀察、觀照腹部上下【捨棄我】~（Sujivo 法師、師父 ) 禪師親身自個兒從西馬來沙巴亞庇市，配合在家居士和【亞庇慈音精舎】義工們，開始主辦第一次有關十日生活營，生活營在于國家神山（Mt Kinabalu ) 脚下一個村落 ( Kundasang Village)。那是一個菜園的地方，沒錯的話叫著【錫安山莊】。以後有機緣的話再找找舊相片證明一下了！感恩、謝謝！

就這樣攀上這個南傳緬甸式腹部上下内觀智慧禪了！自此后從不看好北傳或漢傳的教理或教法的了！但是還是和北傳或大乗接善因緣的，意思沒有忘本罷了。只因爲幾個禪修后，末學對當下身心親自親身體驗所謂佛教界裏提出最基本核心的三法印（無常、苦、無我粗淺的概念了）有直接關係了，就是説開始有初步的印象了的意思！也同時記錄了一些初步的禪修報告呢！以後有空閑再聊一聊或談一談了！

回頭再念一念【心經】突然感覺不同了！後來再念【金剛經】~ 五千多個字的開示和講述，不外一個字【空】的表達、表象而已罷了。使我很有【感觸】因緣感了呀！這個善巧因緣是我慢慢漸漸把北傳漢傳的教法擱一邊了。孩子們還小加上因爲家庭種種生活上的困尤和不能成就感，切實使我沒有在精進而足漸次慢下脚步了呀！

那時候是1992年一家搬來新加坡的。耳根聼覺漸次障礙嚴重了，和各因緣關係，切實很難再回復找到工作了，只好做點點滴社會裏的義工過過日子了。這時回想在於新加坡 Community Development Council (CDC) 擋幾年義工點滴了呢！也滿有意思和意義感！

直到2010年才有點改善，在于一個善巧偶然之下的善巧因緣，接觸了充滿中華文化的禪宗法脈所謂【看話參禪】了！這時候因爲聼覺已經開始很嚴重的了！耳聾器件已經漸次失其效率功能作用力了。所以聽聞禪師開示或講述很有困難行呀！

但是怎麽話是拿來【看】而非拿來【聼】的呢？非常和很好奇之下，做了科學化的試一試實驗，看看怎樣了？那是2010年近年尾期間，新加坡光明山道場參加了第一次大乘北傳或漢傳禪七了，也是台灣花蓮百丈山慧門老禪師、老師父最後一次辦禪七在於新加坡之機緣和因緣了。

接著同年到彭亨關丹再打第二禪七了。就這樣子攀上了禪宗法脈了。也同時回歸北傳教化了。原來南北本是一家親緣的呀！2011年，再來馬六甲金山打第三個禪七了。【話頭先行】是末學決定在於2011年年尾，到台灣花蓮百丈山唯一一次打三個禪七的善巧因緣了。

接下來回程后，也參加了金馬倫禪七和新加坡各別的共修營（包括禪一二三等等共修班），後來漸次再沒有機緣了，意思再沒有因緣耳根聽聞佛法或調整禪行方法了。後來腎臟漸次敗壞下來的因緣和自個兒不足因緣和機緣關係，漸次出門參於任何活動漸次減少到沒有了！但是這時候這幾年也開始網上學習打字和漢語拼音等等因緣了！

最近几年網上也接觸藏傳佛法了。種種因緣至今末學只好網上打滾了！哈哈哈！人生還有什麽辦法呢！隨順家庭和自個兒生活上不足的因緣和果報，只好走一步看一步摸一步了呀！何樂而不爲呢？

(David) Leong Seng Chen