No, it’s not a humdrum thing.

Image by José Goulão via Flickr

I have to start this post by saying that our sudden decision to stop drinking brandy was like a foreboding. Last January 16, Monday, I brought Papsie to the hospital, brought about by the tension in my daughter’s voice seeing her father look like squinting, and after his cousin doctor advised him.

It was a case of a nerve palsy caused by stroke.  The distribution of oxygen in his body was not normal.  His cholesterol was high but he does not have diabetes.  Thank God, and thank Him again because Papsie admitted he was stubborn.  He lived with beliefs that it’s good to die full and big, or he can’t eat the good stuff in heaven anymore.  😦

Our frequent visit to the public hospital made me see that the situation and the condition of the poor have to be given serious attention when it comes to health needs.  No, it’s not a humdrum thing.  It is something that the government needs to be serious about.

Though the hospital is one of the best, I have observed, given the quality service and doctors available, it is imperative that the other hospitals should have the same set-up and environ.  The procedures are clear and the amenities are okay so far in this hospital.  The problem lies on the availability of doctors/specialists, the availability and costs of medicines, and costs of laboratory tests and other services.  There is the SWA, of course, but I believe it is not enough.

In truth, during hours of waiting for the doctor specialist, I had observed the patients that visit the center where we were.  I had listened to some stories of some of them.  Heartbreaking indeed.  It made me feel weak.  To some their humdrum existence is of no relevance but isn’t it that the indigent are the greater part of the constituency?

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• Humdrum

What Went Wrong When Papsie Had a Stroke

An update in one of my FB friends is very timely.  It is about stroke and how it is possible to save a life, or save someone from suffering a lifetime effect of a stroke.

It is even more timely because yesterday my blood pressure rose to 170/100.   What was scary is the fact that I did not feel any obvious signs of the BP rise, or maybe there was but I just ignored it.

I was scheduled for a tooth extraction yesterday and it was a good thing that I decided to have my BP checked by my sister-in-law before going to the dentist.  As I do not feel anything wrong, and thought that maybe the instrument is already faulty, I decided to go and tell first the dentist about my BP.  Again, it is a good thing I had the BP checked because the dentist left her sphygmomanometer at home.

She did not extract the tooth but only checked my tooth.  She said she will not go on the extraction because it is not an emergency case.  I have to observe my BP for two weeks before going back to the dentist.

Back to the update, it mentioned three steps to recognize a stroke.  Being able to do so will help everyone to do the right thing of bringing the patient to the hospital where a neurologist could examine right away.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

Here is the most important part of the shared update:

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the ‘3’ steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :

S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..

T * TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg ‘It is sunny out today’).

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE : Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to ‘stick’ out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

A prominent cardiologist says if everyone who gets this status shares it; you can bet that at least one life will be saved…….

When stroke attacked Papsie when he was 23, he was all by himself in his room upstairs, after feeling ill while talking to his friends.  Thinking that this is the same thing as the first stroke he experienced with his right part of the body that were gone after 30 minutes, he stayed in his room.

It was all too late because stroke had affected his left part of the body already when he decided to shout “Di ako makatayo! Tulong! (I cannot stand up! Help!”) repeatedly.  It was a good thing it did not affect his speech.  His family might have discovered an already stiff body in his room not knowing.

The lack of education and information on health matters especially those that are possible occurrences because of genes and lifestyle is one of the causes of loss of lives.

Now I know that stroke can be deadly.  It is a traitor disease. It could kill.

I got paranoid afterwards seemingly feeling everything as I rest from my visit to the dentist.

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• “Silent Strokes” Lead to Memory Loss in Elderly
• Stroke Diagnosis
• New Stroke Response System Unveiled In Contra Costa County

Sleeping Apart

I laughed at an article with a suggestion to the readers that to have a healthy life, you have to sleep apart from your husband, or from your wife. It sounded ridiculous to me when I read the first few lines. But as I go along, maybe the doctor has a point.

I thought of the movie Sleeping with the Enemy. While the movie portrayed the woman’s partner as someone who had bad intentions for her, sleeping with your husband or a partner that contributes to your bad health is almost synonymous though not intentional.

In the article, it was suggested that husbands and wives, or partners, should not sleep together. Dr. Neil Stanley of Britain said that sleeping should be like eating and exercising properly. But in the situation of a husband and a wife where they sleep together, it is truly detrimental to the health of both, he said. Different kinds of illnesses can be acquired like depression, heart ailment, stroke, lung disease, and others.

How can sleeping together with your partner be detrimental to your health? According to Dr. Stanley’s observations, when the sleep cycle is broken up, or simply when sleep is interrupted, chances are you do not get enough sleep that will cause restlessness and irritation the following day. What causes interruption then? It is when your partner moves or snores then sleep is broken up.

I beg to disagree.

I believe that it is more what the state of the mind is that contributes to good sleep. When one is physically and mentally stable, getting a good night sleep is easy even with your husband or your wife snoring or moving a lot during sleep. There are exemptions though when one snores very loud as if pushing a big dresser, then that could definitely ruin your good night sleep.

The tremendous amount of worries and uneasiness could also contribute. Peace of mind helps in getting a wonderful night sleep. In some cases, even with your husband or your partner not moving a lot, or not snoring, you will be awakened with a bad dream that concerns a particular problem that has been bugging you for days.

I could not imagine sleeping at night without Papsie by my side. I know it is a matter of getting used to the situation but truly, I could not imagine, especially when after special nights, you are tranquilized to a beautiful sleep because of the backbreaking performances. That I guarantee will give you a sound sleep.

Sleeping Apart

I laughed at an article with a suggestion to the readers that to have a healthy life, you have to sleep apart from your husband, or from your wife. It sounded ridiculous to me when I read the first few lines. But as I go along, maybe the doctor has a point.

I thought of the movie Sleeping with the Enemy. While the movie portrayed the woman’s partner as someone who had bad intentions for her, sleeping with your husband or a partner that contributes to your bad health is almost synonymous though not intentional.

In the article, it was suggested that husbands and wives, or partners, should not sleep together. Dr. Neil Stanley of Britain said that sleeping should be like eating and exercising properly. But in the situation of a husband and a wife where they sleep together, it is truly detrimental to the health of both, he said. Different kinds of illnesses can be acquired like depression, heart ailment, stroke, lung disease, and others.

How can sleeping together with your partner be detrimental to your health? According to Dr. Stanley’s observations, when the sleep cycle is broken up, or simply when sleep is interrupted, chances are you do not get enough sleep that will cause restlessness and irritation the following day. What causes interruption then? It is when your partner moves or snores then sleep is broken up.

I beg to disagree.

I believe that it is more what the state of the mind is that contributes to good sleep. When one is physically and mentally stable, getting a good night sleep is easy even with your husband or your wife snoring or moving a lot during sleep. There are exemptions though when one snores very loud as if pushing a big dresser, then that could definitely ruin your good night sleep.

The tremendous amount of worries and uneasiness could also contribute. Peace of mind helps in getting a wonderful night sleep. In some cases, even with your husband or your partner not moving a lot, or not snoring, you will be awakened with a bad dream that concerns a particular problem that has been bugging you for days.

I could not imagine sleeping at night without Papsie by my side. I know it is a matter of getting used to the situation but truly, I could not imagine, especially when after special nights, you are tranquilized to a beautiful sleep because of the backbreaking performances. That I guarantee will give you a sound sleep.

Sleeping Apart

I laughed at an article with a suggestion to the readers that to have a healthy life, you have to sleep apart from your husband, or from your wife. It sounded ridiculous to me when I read the first few lines. But as I go along, maybe the doctor has a point.

I thought of the movie Sleeping with the Enemy. While the movie portrayed the woman’s partner as someone who had bad intentions for her, sleeping with your husband or a partner that contributes to your bad health is almost synonymous though not intentional.

In the article, it was suggested that husbands and wives, or partners, should not sleep together. Dr. Neil Stanley of Britain said that sleeping should be like eating and exercising properly. But in the situation of a husband and a wife where they sleep together, it is truly detrimental to the health of both, he said. Different kinds of illnesses can be acquired like depression, heart ailment, stroke, lung disease, and others.

How can sleeping together with your partner be detrimental to your health? According to Dr. Stanley’s observations, when the sleep cycle is broken up, or simply when sleep is interrupted, chances are you do not get enough sleep that will cause restlessness and irritation the following day. What causes interruption then? It is when your partner moves or snores then sleep is broken up.

I beg to disagree.

I believe that it is more what the state of the mind is that contributes to good sleep. When one is physically and mentally stable, getting a good night sleep is easy even with your husband or your wife snoring or moving a lot during sleep. There are exemptions though when one snores very loud as if pushing a big dresser, then that could definitely ruin your good night sleep.

The tremendous amount of worries and uneasiness could also contribute. Peace of mind helps in getting a wonderful night sleep. In some cases, even with your husband or your partner not moving a lot, or not snoring, you will be awakened with a bad dream that concerns a particular problem that has been bugging you for days.

I could not imagine sleeping at night without Papsie by my side. I know it is a matter of getting used to the situation but truly, I could not imagine, especially when after special nights, you are tranquilized to a beautiful sleep because of the backbreaking performances. That I guarantee will give you a sound sleep.