Day +2177 : Infection again!

I am fine today.

I felt there was something wrong with my throat yesterday. The situation is getting a little bit worse today with  cough and itchiness in right lung. Based on the previous experience, I know pretty well that these are the symptoms of an infection.

I decided to act fast, and went to see my family doctor without any hesitation. Doctor prescribed me a 5-day course of Clarithromycin 500mg, one tablet each day. The visit cost me RM83.

I hope the antibiotics manage to contain the infection before it brings too much damage :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +2132 : A root canal treatment turned into extraction

I am fine today.

I went for a root canal appointment again this afternoon. The treatment this time was for an upper right wisdom tooth which was badly decayed. The dentist proceeded with the root canal treatment initially, but realized that the tooth was too badly decayed that even if the root canal treatment went on smoothly, it will break anytime. So we decided to extract it.

As what the dentist expected, the tooth broke during the extraction. Fortunately, there was a way for the dentist to extract the part left behind.

I don't like to see dentist but there are more treatments need to be done. I will give myself a short break before going for another treatment because I have to focus on assignments and exams for the rest of this time.

The extracted tooth in pieces

See you next post :-)

Day +2131 : Eating cake can be life threatening

I am fine today.

When I reached home with my "new" car last Friday,  I saw my niece, Nga Ming, making a cake. And the cake was ready after I waked up from an afternoon nap. Just before I went out to mount the hand phone car dock in the Innova, Nga Ming passed me a piece of the cake that she made.

I put the cake into my mouth and went to the car. While fixing and eating in the car, I suddenly found out I had a problem with the cake. It stuck in my throat, neither could I push it down nor push it up, and this rendering me breathless. I quickly jumped out from the car and rushed to the kitchen for a cup of water. Only with the help of water, I managed to swallowed the cake. I might be stuffed to death without water.

This incident reminded me that I am different from others. Due to Graft-versus-host-disease(GVHD) - a side effect of bone marrow transplant - my saliva grand doesn't secrete enough saliva, and without sufficient saliva, I have difficulty swallowing dry food such as cake and biscuit.

I have to always have water standby when I eat cake next time.

See you next post :-)

Day +2113 : An unexpected root canal treatment

I am fine today.

I did a root canal treatment August last year. The dentist asked me to go back for crowning  to protect and strengthen the tooth six months later.

When I went for crowning last Wednesday, the dentist found a "big hole" on  the tooth next to the one that was supposed to be crowned. She tried to fill the hole but it was too big to be filled, that on the middle of the filling procedure, we decided to perform root canal treatment on that tooth :-( With this, the crowing has to be delayed to this Friday in which the dentist has to do two things ; firstly, a second session for the root canal whereby the temporary filling will be replaced with the permanent one, and secondly, to have the first session of the crowning whereby a dental impression will be created to fabricate the crown.

The root canal treatment for one tooth cost RM700, and the cost for the crowning is RM550. After 20% discount, I paid RM1000 :-( The lack of saliva after the bone marrow transplant affected the health of my teeth badly. I believe more teeth need to be treated in the near future. This is not a good thing to me as the treatment is too costly. However, I shouldn't be too negative about this as when the value of my wallet keeps dropping, the value of my mouth keeps increasing. This is a good investment.

See you next post :-)

Day +2069 : On Augmentine

I am fine today.

I went to see Dr. Koh this morning. He prescribed me a course of 1g Augmentine, taken twice a day for a week. Based on the past experience, mild antibiotic never work in my case. I had to see the doctor a second time to be prescribed with a stronger antibiotic if I took mild antibiotic in the beginning. So this time I requested to have stronger antibiotic straight away; saving cost and time :-)

The infection would  normally go away in a week with Augmentine, and I believe this is true also for this infection :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +2068 : All is not well in the left lung again

I am fine today.

In addition to the body ache and joint pain, I am having heavy cough today. The left lung is itchy indicating the possibility of an infection. This is a separate issue and should not be treated as part of the side effects of Chikugunya.

I will visit the doctor tomorrow and start to take antibiotic before the infection is getting worse.

See you next post :-)

Day +2038 : At last I have it :-(

I am fine today.

Since almost all the students, lecturers, and staffs of the seminary were sick, I am sick also :-(  I started to have fever this afternoon.

From the beginning of the week, when I learned that the sickness was widespread in the seminary, I already knew that there was no escape for me as I have to live with them, study with them, eat with them, and play with them. 

When my brother, Richard, knew that I was sick, he said, "Why don't you run away from them?" 

He doesn't know that there is no way to run away from the seminary. The seminary is not like an university where no one care if you attend the class, it is an institute with very rigid rule. They are very few students in the class, and therefore the lecturers monitor the attendance very strictly. If a student is absent for class over 15% or 20% (I forgot which one) of the total classes in a semester, he will fail the subject automatically even if he scored A+ for the subject.   

A seminary is a place of no escape - from both attending the class and the sickness :-(

See you next post :-)

Day +1940 : Getting better and better

I am fine today.

The Augmentin is effective. I am getting better today. The cough and flu are almost cleared. I have two more days to complete this course of antibiotic, and I am very confident that the infection will be cleared completely by then.

As usual, I came back from the seminary this afternoon. The progress of my assignments is still far less than satisfactory :-( I have to find ways to motivate myself to focus more on the assignments, else the life will be getting tougher as the deadlines are approaching.

See you next post :-)

Day +1922 ：On antibiotic again :-(

I am fine today.

I am having flu and cough again. The left lung is itchy, indicating that there is a possibility of infection. I went to see Dr. Koh in the morning and I was prescribed the antibiotic clarithromycin this time. This is the first time I am taking clarithromycin. Doctor always prescribed erythromycin as the first level defend against the infection before this. However, I guess they are similar drugs as they carry the same surname "thromycin" :-)

I have a singing performance in the morning service this Friday, and this drives me to see the doctor in the very early stage. The reason is very simple - I can't sing when my lung is itchy.

I hope clarithromycin manage to clear the infection before Friday.

See you next post :-)

Day +1882 : Root Canal Therapy - First Session

I am fine today.

I completed first session of root canal therapy on Monday. The session lasted for about one hour. The dentist gave me local anesthetic during the procedure and I didn't feel much pain.

I didn't know much about what the dentist was doing throughout the whole process until today when I searched and read about the process.

The dentist drilled open the tooth, and used a endo file (the tool with a blue handle on the right third picture below) to remove the pulp and nerve. So the tooth is "dead" after the treatment. It is then filled temporarily with a softer filling material until the next visit in which it will be replaced with a harder and permanent filling.

The next visit was scheduled on next Monday. Hopefully, the tooth will perform well for a long time :-)

The detail about the treatment is available here.

The procedure of root canal therapy - drilling and cleaning, filing with endofile, rubber filling and crown

See you next post :-)

Day +1870 : Toothache

I am fine today.

My second lower left molar experienced pain since early this week. The tooth decayed at a very fast rate due to the lack of saliva after the bone marrow transplant. In fact, most of the teeth are affected :-(

I made an ad hoc appointment at a clinic in Puchong after I came back from the seminary. It was my intention to extract the tooth to avoid further pain and complication. However, after examining the tooth, the dentist said that the tooth is still firm and a root canal treatment can be done to preserve the tooth for another a few years.

After some consideration, I decided to go for it. The cost of the treatment is RM550. It would normally take two appointments to complete the treatment. The first treatment is scheduled on the Monday, 29 August.

Hopefully, the treatment will go on smoothly.

See you next post :-)

Day +1827 : All is not well within the left lung :-(

I am fine today.

I finished the 3-day course of Erythromycin yesterday. Sore throat subsided but the cough intensified. I am very sure this is lung infection again like before as I felt itchiness in the left lung.

I came back to Puchong to see Dr. Koh this afternoon immediately after the lesson without attending the morning service and taking the lunch.

I was on the brink of having fever with body temperate reading 37 Degree Celsius. Dr. Koh planned to give me Avelox, an antibiotic that can make one, including me, losing concentration. Since I have to study, we settled on 7-day course of 1g Augmentine after discussion. A patient can take Augmentine for as long as 14 days under a normal course of treatment. This means that I can always go back to the clinic to get more Augmentine should the lung condition not fully recovered after 7 days. Based on my previous experience, Augmentine worked most of the time.

I should ask Dr. Koh to prescribe me a longer course of Erythromycin. The 3-day course that he prescribed was really too little for a patient like me. In fact, he can prescribe to me Augmentine straight away but he might not want to do that due its cost. I paid RM120 for the consultation and medicine this afternoon, and I believe the 7-day course of Augment alone costs at least RM100.

I hope the new antibiotic works fast, else I will have problem to attend the normal class and an intensive course that will be held next week from 7:00pm to 10:30pm every evening from Monday to Friday, and then from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday.

See you next post :-)

Day +1823: Having infection again!

I am fine today.

I am having sore throat, cough and flu again. This is five months after the last infection. Examining the past records of infection that I had after bone marrow transplant, I should say that it is a breakthrough for me to get an infection after such a long period of time :-)

I went to see Dr. Koh after the church service. As usual, he prescribed me Erythromycin, cough syrup and flu medicine. Erythromycin is a mild antibiotic, and I know the cycle very well. If it doesn't work, then go for a very strong antibiotic called Augmentine. If Augmentine doesn't work, go for an even stronger one called Avelox, and perhaps after this, one has to be admitted to the hospital for intravenous antibiotic.

I hope Erythromycin works well this time.

See you next post :-)

Day +1671 : A creative proposal

I am fine today.

I have completed the course of antibiotic today. I believe the infection is subsided though I still experience some mild flu and occasional cough.

My eldest sister worried that the infection might resurface and proposed to me a very creative idea - to go back to Sarawak during this Chinese New Year holiday so that I can have a perfect rest over there :-) Based on the incident last December in which the about to resurface infection was gone during my holiday in Sarawak as mentioned in my blog post entry "Day +1628 : Holiday in Sarawak (14) - Seafood is good for health?", my sister postulated that it was the peaceful environment and good rest there that made this possible. So in order to prevent me from getting into another round of infection, I should go back to Sarawak for a good rest. And this is a "free proposal" where the air ticket expenses will be paid by the sisters over there :-)

Free trip, good rest - what a good proposal! But I have to stay here to finish off some homework assignments. I will keep the Chinese New Year activity as minimal as possible and find time to rest. I believe with this and of course, the abundant grace of God, I will be healed :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1669 : The art of taking Avelox

I am fine today.

I am on Avelox since Thursday due to lung infection. It is a very strong oral antibiotic and has the side effect of making me tired and unable to focus my mind. Doctor suggested me to lie down for at least 10 minutes after taking it.

When I felt that I was unable to concentrate my mind when I first took the antibiotic last December, I thought that something was wrong with me. I was a little worried at that time because it is very difficult for me to pursue the Bible study course without a clear mind. I approached the doctor and he pointed out right away that the problem was due to the side effect of Avelox. I was very happy that it is "not a permanent damage." :-)

With the side effect in mind, I takes the antibiotic just before I go to bed at night instead of having it in the morning. This minimizes the side effect greatly. If under any circumstances that you need to take the drug, remember to have it before you sleep.

See you next post :-)

Day +1666 : Lung infection again

I am fine today.

My lung is having infection again. I feel itchiness inside the left lung and started to cough and experience mild sore throat. Based on the previous experience, I am pretty sure that my lung is having infection.

I went to see my family doctor this evening. I reminded him that the previous infection in November relapsed twice and I had to complete three courses antibiotic.

The doctor then prescribed to me the strongest oral antibiotic called Avelox. The antibiotic is so strong that I have to lie down for at least 10 minutes after taking it. This is because I am unable to focus my mind after taking it and I might fall down if I don't rest. In fact, I couldn't concentrate my mind many hours after taking the medicine :-(

Hopefully, the antibiotic will wipe off the infection else I have to be warded for intravenous antibiotic.

See you next post :-)

Day +1607 : All is not well in the lung :-)

I am fine today.

I took an chest x-ray today as a requirement for a medical report for the registration of a seminary course.

The x-ray showed loculated effusion (积水) on the right lung possibly due to infection. No wonder I cough so much and feel so weak :-(

Dr. Koh said this might be a secondary infection but I think it should be of higher order - tertiary infection; the first one was treated with Erythromycin, and the second one with Augmentin and now a very strong antibiotic - Avelox - is needed :-( A course consisst of 5 tablets cost RM80.

Hopefully, the effusion and cough will be cleared after completing this course of antibiotic. I don't need a quaternary(4th order) infection :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1590 : Extending the course of Augmentin

I am fine today.

I finished the 1g Augmentine yesterday but the left lung still didn't feel right though it is getting better.

I am afraid that the lung infection will get serious again. In order to make sure the infection is completely treated, I went to purchase another 7 tablets of Augmentin from a pharmacy. The shop had 625mg Augmentin only, so I am taking a lesser dose of Augmentin for another three and half days, making it a 7-day course of antibiotic.

Hopefully, the infection will be gone with this self-prescribed medication :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1587 : Fever season continues and it is Joseph's turn

I am fine today.

Joseph cried early in the morning and we were very sure that this was not the type of cry due to his reluctant to go to school.

He complained of headache and later developed fever. My wife brought him to see Dr. Koh and he was prescribed antibiotic, paracetamol and pain killer. He had a very good reason for not going to school today.

I am off today too, sleeping most of the time. When I waked up in the afternoon, I experienced a blackout and fell down on the way to toilet, hitting my head on the cupboard and also my buttock on the floor. There was a short dream after that and then I gained conscious. This is the first time I experienced blackout without the help of drug.

Anyway, I thank God that the blackout incurred no damage apart from small pain on the buttock :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1586 : On Augmentin again :-(

I am fine today.

The flu that I had was getting better but it started to pick up again. I went to see the Chinese traditional doctor again last Saturday, but this time, the traditional medicine seems bear no effect on the flu.

The cough is getting more serious today and I started to feel itchiness in the left lung which means that there might be lung infection. I gave up the traditional medicine and went to see Dr. Koh, requesting a stronger antibiotic.

He prescribed me 7 tablets of 1g Augmentin; a tablet twice a day. Hopefully, this will settle the infection.

See you next post :-)