Down below is one of my many written articles that I am lucky to be able to find & extract from online connectivity through one of my relatives FB pages.
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This article down below was written sometime ago. So this year 2022, I am going to seriously reorganize once again about my lifestyle or life-journey as HealthCare + Ageing Journey!
Ageing + multiple Illnesses Revision ~ (2)
Sick & Ageing (病态与老化）P(2) Written sometime in December 2018 as I recall.
This part (2) is true about my present existing conditional state as per my HEALTHCARE + AGEING JOURNEY WITH MULTIPLE ILLNESSES phenomena of my personal genuine body-mind-game/system.
However, I have slightly modified with some adjustment here & there too in order to keep up-to-date as I refresh my mind-heart & move on in this year 2022.
Temporary this is considered to be PART 2 about my personal genuine of 【HEALTHCARE + AGEING JOURNEY WITH MULTIPLE ILLNESSES 】though it mixes with some my historical journey within the family.
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Sometime in late 1991 & early 1992 my family decided to migrate to Singapore for the sake changing environment as well as for the future of our growing up children study & career. Singapore is fact my wife’s birth place as we met each other in Melbourne of Australia in 1968 while we were studying. That was a big step of change in our family as Singapore is modern city & we were not sure how we as a family can adapt well with the pace of lifestyle.
Earlier at part (1) of this written revision article I spoke briefly touched my first very serious sickness as a result of gradual hearing loss as well as my jobless status. I could only manage to occupy myself by doing some volunteering tasks in Singapore. I was engaging as solo-volunteer with CDC dealing Renci mobile home nursing for elderly & sick patients as well as Metta home nearby my residential at Woodlands area with my Woodlands friends. Later on, a group of our neighbours teamed up & shared to form Share-On Welfare Organization dealing with food distribution for the needy & poor residents in Woodlands area. It is still in operation nowadays but I have since less involvement because of my kidney failure since 2014.
I believe I began to have high blood pressure sometime just before my 60 or 61 years old of ageing journey through visiting renal doctor at Singapore General Hospital (SGH). My kidneys began to have problem. Blood labs test always contained trace of protein leakage + trace of blood too. Something like in 2007, if I can recall correctly, & or, if not mistaken. I was merely given medicines to control my kidney problem. My family & I had no medical knowledge nor understand what to do then. We had not seen any dietitian too for advising etc for diet control etc. So I used to visit 2 specialists in SGH, ear specialist & renal specialist for my 2 kinds of sickness or disease though I still have my uric acid high with occasional gout flare or attack since young age.
Then in 2009 after my wife & I came back from KL’s adventure while living in our 2nd son family house. I had my angioplasty balloon on restriction or blockage in heart blood vessel. I had been admitting to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for several times under A & E till the last time an experienced heart specialist Dr Lim confirmed that I had angina symptom ( a kind of pre heart-attack symptom or phenomena) about heart problem due to chest-pain usually happening at evening after dinner usually with vomiting symptom as well. Merely through one of morning round conversation at SGH Dr Lim said he would see me in laboratory (operation room) next morning. So that was 10 years ago from my 2nd heart blood vessel surgery (also through angioplasty balloon) in 2019 which was the most recent one. By then I need to carefully watch out my heart problem + renal problem + ears problem & of course my uric acid too due to frequent gout flare or attack. These were the three items basically for my health problem since then.
Brief summary of diseases:-
1) Injury due to heavy impact of car accident collision resulting nerves system deterioration around my both ears hearing organs year after year gradually. Meaning both of ears hearing senses loss. Recent years couldn't help to use hearing aids anymore! No medication needed!
2) Anxiety with DEPRESSION. No more medication!
3) HEART BLOOD VESSEL PROBLEM with heart blood vessel surgery in 2009 & 2019 respectively. Under medication!
4) Stomach Ulcer. Under medication!
5) Prostate problem (with high level reading of PSA). Under medication!
6) Renal disease (ESRD). Haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy three (3) times on weekly basis plus medication!
7) Gallbladder stone surgery. Been removed!
Symptom of initial Pancreas problem. Under bi-yearly specialist review! No medication!
9) Uric acid + Gout Flare or Attack ~ Knees joints weak & problem + hips joints weak & problem. On medication!
10) The latest one is my right hand side elbow surgery due to fingers triggering problem about 7 months ago last year 2021！ Under Vitamin 12 medicine.
Therefore at 74, generally I am on ageing period nowadays with multiple illnesses today! Everything seem to go slow that I must face the facts & accept my present existing body-mind-game/system of conditional factors. Must readily manage as according to the scientific medical field too.
But I think speak & do in this article as according to my memory with some reflection & reference on my medical brief records in my medical file anyhow. The much more details of medical data must go back & through Singapore General Hospital (SGH) as they are keeping all my personal medical reports/records in complete manner!
I trust & believe just before approaching year 2009 for which year I carried out my angioplasty balloon on my heart vessel blockage when I was about to touch my 60 years old age then I began feeling & encountering some of my physical body problems ~ arising one by another gradually year by year.
Though while adult period I had high uric acid with gout flare & attack occasionally but it was still not too bad at all.
From then onward I have stomach ulcer, prostate problem, symptom of renal earlier disease which is called as chronic kidney disease (CKD), gallbladder stone problem. Yes, knee joints problem was my most earliest problem probably due to frequent dislocation of joints while young playing indoors & outdoors sporting games. One reason is my uric acid used to be high perhaps that was one of the main reason arising to my high level of creatinine particularly during entering my 60 years old of ageing period as I slow down in many forms of healthy activities. That was around 2006 or 2007 just before my blockage of my heart blood vessel surgery done in 2009 partly might be due to my lack of exercise & poor diet control too. This is what I can roughly & briefly remember now. The actual details must refer back to my medical records both in my personal file as well as SGH official medical records.
By the way my 2nd angioplasty balloon on my heart blood vessel blockage was just this year 2019 in May due to 2 months plus typical of chest pain again which was considered as a kind of heart-attack too as per heart specialist advice. That 2 or 3 months (March to May) repeating to & fro about 4 or 5 times admission to hospitals was my worst journey of suffering with chest pain!
Recently within these 2 years as I had been touching my 70+ ageing period I seem to have weak hips joints too. After walking for few bus stops I tended to feel sore & a little pain on my both hips joints area. I thus must frequently rest for a while in between the journey before moving on again. This is why I cannot do jogging or jumping event or activity nowadays. I was told & thus should managed to reduce my dry weight during my haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy to existing standard ideal of 61 kg in order to lighten my overall pre weight partly not to over burden my both legs. With 7 years+ of my HD my dry weight maintain between minimum of 59.5 kg & a maximum of 66.5 kg. At the moment my setting dry weight is 64.8 kg. The adjustment will depend a few conditional factors of my body-mind-game/system too. Basically such as BPs in each session of my HD + BPs during dialysis & none dialysis days + my body composite measurement (BCM) + exercise + balance of diet & fluid + lifestyle or life-journey such as approach & attitude toward life & of course must be sufficient rest or sleep too.
I had my AV Graft surgery standby for ready my haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy as my level of creatinine had reached to very high level around 600 to 700 UMOL/L of reading in July 2014. By October 2014 when I was admitted to hospital for gout flare & attack my creatinine reading shot up to around 1000+ level. I was immediately sent for haemodialysis treatment or therapy at Singapore General Hospital (SGH). That was on 22nd October 2014. I was ready to face it accept it & manage it too but unfortunately I wasn’t ready enough what how when where & why to handle the haemodialysis (HD) procedures or its progressive work in progress healthcare schedule or arrangement. In other words my family & I were truly lack of basic knowledge on dialysis treatment or therapy subject or topic. Unlike these latest few years the Ministry Of Health in Singapore had launched fighting for high blood pressure & diabetes diseases! That was only just a few years back then! Singapore government finally was very serious enough to educate its mass population about renal diseases under chronic kidney or renal disease (CKD) topic. Never mind it is better late than NEVER approach or attitude for the mass population education culture & value! I am very impressed today NKF Singapore already beginning working closely hands & hands with MOH & MOE + Ministry of Family-Affairs too! I can see through my own observation while attending many events or activities since 2017. The most impressive that is cutting travelling time & space is the patients are now able to carry out their HD nearest to their respective residential area. This is truly an extra bonus for dialysis patients & caregivers too!
After one year engaging with NKF Singapore I adapted to have some experiences & exposures through personal trials & errors of own experiential experiment methods. In particular about my personal bi-monthly blood labs test results issued by NKF that alerting me about my personal medical category values or biochemistry data which is directly related to my medications & diet control + exercise + enough rest & sleep. This AWARENESS is so essential basic educational culture & value for dialysis patients proper & faster recovery path!!! From there onward, I gradually bounced back once again with positive approach & proper attitude about my personal lifestyle & or life-journey. That was around early 2016 that I was impressed by attending our NKF HQ regular events & activities under PA&R department. My personal involvement clearly shown & illustrated in many photos & pictures as well as my pages of description in my personal FB. I began proactive once again & remain engagement with NKF’s frequent events & activities too. That actually had made a great difference in my lifestyle as well as my overall life-journey too as I became more self-independent too despite my invisible deafness disease or illness as a handicap dialysis patient in term of poor or weak direct communication & interaction.
I began my HD at NKF Yishun DC1 at blk 203 on 1-3-5 noon shift beginning on 20th March 2015. By end year of 2015 I was luckily issued my detail of my personal blood labs test results probably due to change of nursing management. We only had 13 patients of slots at one shift & it had been established for more than 20 years of history in Yishun area & it was the first NKF’s DC in Yishun in fact. Today we have another 2 new DCs Yishun 2 & 3 lately in operation within these 2 or 3 years. My last engagement with Yishun DC1 was on 14th May 2018.
So, I was lucky enough being transferred to now Jo & Gerry Essery - NKF Marsiling DC which is nearest to my residential home ground on 16th May 2018. Marsiling DC is a new centre which can accommodate 22 patients at one time of shift’s roaster. We have around 22+- nurses all in all inclusive office administration + cleaners. Technical back-up crews off & on come & go & so are some NKF staffs as back-up system. Since I began at Marsiling DC with new management + new facilities & practically fresh nurses too, I began to plan my haemodialysis (HD) strategy as according to my family & myself schedule. This is the reason why I keep them on my face-book pages about my instant progressive procedure or program with photos taken too during my haemodialysis (HD) treatment or therapy so that they can keep track on my progressive schedule as today younger generation are too busy enough with their own families involvement or engagement. By following my description of my best knowing & understanding in my personal genuine HD treatment or therapy they have ease of mind for their own family involvement or engagement. If heavy raining or something crop-up they will make arrangement of transport for me to & fro too. They seem to have rest in peace of mind with my self-independent to certain extent, nevertheless. I also like & want to care & share & contribute with those relatives & closer friends, near or far, with my personal genuine but shallow experiential experiment or experiences/exposures.
I am not a well trained patient but I am willing to learn & pick up if there is golden opportunity for educational culture & value as I need to depend dialysis treatment or therapy for the rest of my long term journey. How about those younger & well educated patients? Aren’t they having much longer journey than we as older patients today? The KEY is RECOVERY PATH! And bounce back strongly & effectively in normal lifestyle & enjoy the lifestyle or life-journey! We have launched the concept of BEYOND DIALYSIS educational culture & values in recent years which are for potential chronic renal disease population. But HOW about PATIENTS EDUCATIONAL CULTURE & VALUES for better path of recovery & bounce back once again for keeping pro-active & stay healthy once again? Isn’t it a truly meaningful lifestyle or life-journey for those approaching 50 or 60 or 70 ageing period of patients? Younger generation of patients surely is a MUST for educational culture & value purpose!
Because we have good Artificial Kidney (AK) machine where I can view the monitor or screen to self-learn & pick-up bits & pieces here & there during my dialysis progressive procedure/process. Particularly something to do with the response of my own personal genuine body-mind-game/system during the solid 4 standard hours of HD procedure/process. I am trying to be mindful & alert what how when where & why my body-mind response in such a way whether favourable or none favourable conditional factors even without official training as I am a deaf patient after all. I feel I am the driver driving a car with those artificial kidney or AK machine today! Perhaps the only difference is the needling schedule + machine setting in technical aspects of stories.
My feeling is in addition of the fresh environment with easy convenient & cost effective of travelling distance + effort in term of time/space, NKF managing well enough to have systematically arrangement for branches level of exercise group since then as well plus the art classes too. I am always very happy we have dietitians frequent visits at our branch too despite our late in operation as compared to others. Generally I had been quite satisfied & happy enough with Yishun DC1 & present Marsiling DC too! Smile & cheers for NKF Singapore as our 2nd home which is “another sweet home away from our sweet home”!
Apart form DC weekly exercise last year 2021 & this New Year 2022 I had learned & picked up Gym Tonic Exercise & Modern Way of Artistic Illustration in pencil drawing. They all are excellent THERAPY for me! Thank you!
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feeling blessed with
Chen Leong and
4 others
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