Thyroid Surgery

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Two weeks ago, on February 21st, I had my first [and God-willing last] surgery. Thyroid surgery to be precise.

It's one of the toughest and scariest things, if not the toughest and scariest thing, I have [physically] faced [as of yet] in my life.

It's been a hard two weeks of recovery thus far but, alhumdulillah, slowly getting better each day. Which wouldn't be possible without the help of Ami. The first week post-op I wasn't supposed to move my neck left/right/anywhere and I couldn't lay down. Yes, I stayed sitting for a week straight and that's how I "slept". Ami helped me around the clock, which I truly appreciate.

Night eight, I figured I'd attempt to sleep on my side. In my sleep, however, I decided to be rebellious and ended up sleeping on my stomach. Not a fun way to wake up: sore and painful.

But alhumdulillah.

Thyroid issues are becoming more and more common, but before my surgery I didn't know anyone who had to have surgery because of one. I still don't know anyone personally actually. Just that, it's no fun.

As a result of said surgery: I, now, have a [not so] lovely scar that will remain for the rest of my days on my neck as a reminder. But the more optimistic me is going to look at it as a reminder of what I overcame in the process.

Thyroid

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This blog has been my open journal for several years now. Writing has always been an outlet for me.

I've shared my recipes, my thoughts, my reflections, and what's going on in my life. Except for one part. It's something I have not shared here, because quite honestly it's something I haven't shared with most people in my life. Yes, a select few have known.

So why hide it, you ask? Quite honestly, I just didn't want to deal with people's reactions/questions/concerns. No matter how good some people's intentions may be, it's just not worth it when you look at the big picture.

Who knew that such a small part of the human body could wreak so much havoc? Or have an effect on so many other parts of the body? I certainly didn't know to the full extent until about two and a half years ago when my thyroid went, well, crazy.

February 2014 marks two years since I found out I had hyperthyroidism after six months of keeping the doctors guessing. And you know what apparently may have causes/triggered it? A flu or a flu-like virus (like the one that hit me like a brick in September 2011).

While the opposite hypothyroidism is much more common than my hyperthyroidism, for both ends of spectrum I can honestly say: you don't know what it feels like or what it does to you until you experience it. One of the best and worst things, all at the same time, about thyroid issues is that it's hard for the outside world to know/realize for the most part. Besides the obvious weight loss, of course.

The constant fatigue? The lack of sleep? The effect on your gastro system? Appetite? Muscles? Constant body aches? Sadly, by the two year mark you become used to the fact that this the new "normal". I kid you not, at one point or another: it has effected every part of me.

For over two years, I dealt with this thyroid issue. But that's not exactly what this post is about: it's about a thyroid nodule that is of concern- a totally unrelated matter [to my hyperthyroidism] in my case. Tomorrow morning, I go in for a thyroid lobectomy (or a total thyroidectomy) [depending on what is found during the surgery].

It's my first surgery ever, and to say I am terrified and apprehensive would be the biggest understatement. It wasn't too long ago, afterall, that I would get all uptight about blood draws and injections. But I know He, above, is the best of planners. Everything happens for a reason. This, too, shall pass.

Please keep me in your duas [prayers] and/or thoughts.

Flu [Shot]

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Two years ago I was convinced to get the flu shot for the first time ever because I had been feeling unwell. Guess who got the flu, shortly thereafter, for the first ever in my life that year?

Last year? I didn't get the flu shot or the flu. 

While there are a bunch of "recommended" and whatnot shots that are "suggested" before going for hajj, the only required one is the flu shot. So I got it.

Guess who got the flu? 

Possibly twice. [Considering I had much more than just the "hajji" cough when I got back from hajj end of October and they all point towards the flu.]

No, I am not saying that the flu shot causes the flu. 

All I am saying is: I have better luck without the flu shot. And if I am going to get the flu anyways, why bother getting said shot?

I think I'll take my chances.

Coping with Dementia [Alzheimer's]

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I am no expert by any means, but I have very quickly picked up on some dos and don'ts for when dealing with those with a form of dementia and their families from recent encounters from my experience with Papa. These are my thoughts and thoughts alone! Not one of medical professionals, not my family members, just mine. Mine and mine alone.

One. Don't judge and say something ridiculous like: "I just talked to [your loved one] for a few minutes over the phone and it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with him/her". Thanks, I'm glad you came to that conclusion in the two minutes you spoke to him/her. How about being grateful, that alhumdulillah, there are still normal moments around.

Just think for a second [or ask a direct relative if just pondering over it won't be enough] what it feels like for an immediate family when [the loved one] cannot recognize them, or know where they are at the very least.

We cherish those moments where everything seems right with the world, and those are the moments that get us through the difficult ones.

So far in our case, alhumdulillah, most "days" run smoothly for the most part. It's the evenings and nights that pose the challenge in more ways than one.

Two. Yes, I understand what [your loved one] is saying doesn't make sense sometimes. Deal with it, and let it go. Don't remind him/her that s/he is wrong or correct them. Play along. Say nothing if you must, but please for the love of God don't make [your loved one] think harder.

Three. Don't judge the family for what they say to [your loved one] to ease their mind. Chances are, no scratch that-- I'M ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE there is a reason behind it and they know better.

Four. If  you are having a conversation with [your loved one], keep it simple. Enough said.

They don't need to know a whole life story that will probably confuse them later. And they certainly don't need to be put through a [political/personal debate/argument]. Not necessary. Chances are some parts [or bits and pieces of many different conversations] will stick in their mind and come back later out of context. Not to mention that it's not good for them to be over thinking either. 

Simple is good.

Again: these are my thoughts, and thoughts alone about my experience. And they definitely don't apply broadly to every person with dementia/Alzheimers/Sundowning Syndrome.

Everyone copes differently. What works for me? Writing my thoughts and sharing experiences with my family who get it simply because they are experiencing it too. It's not something that is easy to explain. Chances are you have heard of someone with Alzheimer's, but until you experience it first-handed... it's unimaginable.

I don't know if it makes sense or not, but my love/admiration for Papa has grown even more. I'm blessed immeasurably to have so many fond memories of/with him that I cling to on difficult days. I just came back on the 17th from Virginia after spending a week with him and unfortunately had several reminders to cherish the moment. That dementia/Alzheimer's is ugly. I hate dementia with all my heart and soul, but love Papa with every ounce of me.

P.S. Twelve days until my parents and I leave for a trip of a lifetime, inshallah... for hajj! More on that later.

Dementia

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"... among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing." [22.5].

Dementia. I don't know whether it's nice to hate something, but I do. I hate dementia. With every ounce of me.

It's taken away my maternal grandfather mentally from us, and that is something that breaks my heart. The signs were there for so long, but I can't begin to explain to you the rapid changes in just one month's time. You just had to see it to believe it. I don't think I would have believed it if I wasn't experiencing it in front of my very own eyes about someone so near and dear to my heart. For someone with so much worldly knowledge and experience, to now suddenly succumb to something like this and so rapidly... I can't put into words how much I detest it.

I don't say this because our family can't handle it. That couldn't be further from the truth. Each person in the immediate family has stepped up their game and done more than their share. And done it because they want to.

Even when in your heart you already know [and we knew], when it was finally confirmed by medical professionals: it was so hard to digest and believe. Or even fathom. How could this be?

This too is a test from Him above, and together we will conquer it. It hasn't been easy, and I know it won't. But for someone that I have looked up to from day one? I would do anything I possibly can for him.

In some ways, it truly is like having a newborn/toddler around. You learn to have patience, and sooth their mind. You can't leave them alone at all, and your senses need to be at the top of their game 24 hours a day. Yes, even at night when sleeping. You do things for them, and help them with other stuff. They lose their independence and they become dependent on you. Worse, they feel like a burden. How in the world do you explain to, no scratch that... not just explain, BUT show them they are anything but? We would go to the moon and back without a second thought.

And just like when a child's toy is broken and they bring it to you to fix, you wish you could fix this for him just as easily. But you can't. It's broken and we can't do anything about it. We can, only, help him physically, but that will never seem to be enough.

Amongst the family we have been talking about how so often we remember in our prayers our physical abilities, but how often do we pray to retain our mental abilities? Each part of the human body, plays such an intricate role and together makes the human body whole. Even with one deficiency, it's as if the whole person is effected.

I've thought a lot about dementia lately, and every time I see Papa react a certain way, I wonder if he feels it. If he feels confused or senses something isn't right. We, obviously, know things aren't right. That he is confused to say the least. But we can deal with it. But I hope to God that to Papa, inside, he doesn't sense that.

I pray to Allah SWT to make it easy on Papa. To give his mind peace. To give us strength to take care of him in the hardest of days. And that we continue to do it whole-heartedly.

Hyperthyroidism

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So remember when I got sick back in September? Unfortunately, something or another has kept on happening since then. MANY doctor visits and tests later, I apparently have hyperthyroidism. I have, without doubt, seen more doctors (and different kinds of doctors) in the past few months than the rest of my life combined.

It's symptoms are so vague and generalized that it really could be attributed to so many things, which is why I guess it took forever to figure it out.

For example, I am just constantly tired (I talked about this here as well). Either I wake up tired or get worn out doing the simplest things. Yet, despite being so tired constantly, I am not sleeping well at all! Either I am up half the night, or wake up several times through the night. You would think that if I am so tired all the time, at least I'd be able to sleep at night... but no.

Appetite. Either I have none at all or I'll be hungry and need to eat several times a day... yet, when I eat, I get full after a few bites (which is probably why I am eating several times a day some days). I've never been a big eater, and my mom says she knew something was up when I started eating more.

Another major annoyance for me -- extremely itchy skin! This has been happening on and off for a few months now, but in the last week or so has become terrible and constant. So much so that, I need to apply anti-itch lotion at least twice a day for temporary relief.

Oh and another thing. Cold. I'm usually always cold nowadays (plus get the chills at times). I don't know what's up with this one because I thought I'd be more sensitive to the heat (since your system speeds up) with hyperthyroidism. Since September, I have been sleeping with two comforters and a blanket... you'd think it was freezing here. Until September, I used to sleep with the fan on all year long.

My eyes have always been sensitive and teared easily if it was really sunny (which is why I wear transition glasses) or if it was windy. Nowadays, they are often red, and tear for no reason even when I am indoors and I've become sensitive to light.

Do you see what I mean about them being so generalized? They could be attributed to oh so many things! The last one, for example, I was just attributing to seasonal allergies!

The biggest one, and the one that prompted the tests (blood work to test thyroid function levels), was my extremely high pulse. Since I got sick in September, it's been constantly high (and pointed out at every doctor visit). For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why it was suddenly so high and the concerned looks from EVERY doctor wasn't very comforting either.

What was annoying was that even the blood work that tests for thyroid problems was coming back inconclusive so I was literally being given no answers. When I had it done for the first time back in November, the TSH (screening test) was low but when I had my T3, Free and T4, Free tested... they would be within the range. At that point, my primary doctor basically said that thyroid problems were not the issue (and we were back to square one).

When I changed my primary doctor in January, however, she retested my thyroid functions. With the same results (low TSH, but normal T3,Free and T4, Free levels), she referred me to an endocrinologist. Like I needed another new doctor [or another type of doctor!].

The endocrinologist, in turn, did some silly tests to look for signs. For example, he had me drink some water and hold it in my mouth and then watched me swallow it. Then he felt my thyroid glands as I swallowed. He then had me hold my hands straight out to see if it trembled (which is apparently a classic sign). He tested my reflexes (those with hyperthyroidism usually have fast reflexes). Checked some stuff with my eyes (and noted they were red and puffy). These amongst other things.

Of all the doctors I've seen so far, I definitely like this one the best. He explains things well, and answers my many (and I mean many) questions (and still asks if I have any other questions). He didn't seem to be in a rush (which is often the case). He's relatively young so it helps in the fact that he is easy to talk to. Oh, and his staff is great! I've only had one appointment thus far, but he definitely left a good impression on me (which is very hard to do).

While it's nice to finally be getting some answers, it sure is an adjustment.

Do you, or anyone you know, have hyperthyroidism? I'd love to hear from you.

I wrote this the date it is published for, but I didn't post it on the blog until a few years down the road in 2014, after coming across it as a saved draft.

Annual Screening

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With Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation in the news so much recently, and the topic weighing heavily on my heart, I figured now would be the perfect time to talk about this.


Cancer. Probably one of the most despised six letter words in the English dictionary.

I can't explain to you the number of times I've started a blog post on the ugly and scary word that is Cancer. Just in the past few months we've had so many stories hit close to home, unfortunately, with deaths because of  women-dominant cancers, like breast cancer.

If you know me personally, and talk to me regularly, you are probably well aware that lately this has been my thing -- to convince my loved ones to get their annual visit in for screening.

A few family friends have lost their lives to breast cancer just recently. The mother of one of my brother's friends (and college roommate) passed away just a few short months after diagnosis a few months ago of a woman-dominant cancer. My cousins' friend (a teenager) passed away early January 2011 from cancer just a few weeks away after her father passed away of a different cancer.


Time and again, we are reminded how fragile life is.


Everyone knows someone effected by cancer. I'd be surprised to hear from someone isn't.

I urge you to get regular screening. Early detection is the best chance for a treatment and/or a cure! I can't stress it enough. If you are an adult female, go get your annual mammogram and get your annual GYN visit in. Take your (female)  loved ones too. You could, in all seriousness, be saving a life. So many things of this nature can be treated and cured IF they are caught early enough!

The momentary discomfort, in hindsight, will be worth it, won't it? YOU are worth it!
If not for yourself, go for your loved ones. You could be saving them the heartache too.

While it would be nice to not have to worry about such things, the reality is we do. Who knows, maybe in our lifetime, research will go far enough to make this horrendous disease that is cancer something of the past. That would be something, wouldn't it?

Bruise

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Over the course of the last few months, my fear of needles and getting my blood drawn has lessened significantly (because let's face it... after the amount of times I've had it drawn, I really should be over it by now). Sometimes, I don't even feel it pinch when they draw the blood -- woohoo! I still look the other way though while it's being drawn -- baby steps!

Another positive thing (glass is half full, remember?) about all this blood being drawn is that I feel like I can finally donate blood! I've always wanted to, but my fear of it also kept me back. I told my brother a few months back that I wanted to do so and to hold me accountable to it... but of course just when I was ready to do so, I came down with a cold (and you can't donate blood while you are sick).

What I don't appreciate is being left with a bruise/bump/I don't know what it is after having blood drawn, but it's sure annoying and a gross reminder on my arm. It happened once back in September too. That time, however, it was just grossly bruised and greenish. Of course, it happened yesterday too. This time, however, it's red and even more gross and bumpy (but not as huge). I contemplated putting up a picture of both of them, but I don't know if I want to see it on my blog! It took weeks for the first bruise to clear up, so hopefully that doesn't happen this time!

I wonder if it's just a case of the nurse not drawing the blood right or if it just happens sometimes or what... because they do this day in and day out. I know some people are prone to bruising easily, but I feel like if that was the case, it would happen to some extent most (if not all) the time.

Why Gender Matters

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Some people prefer doctors' of their own gender for a variety of reasons, but one common reason is that 'they can relate to the problem'.

To which, I've heard the argument (and read online) that if you want to use the argument that you want a doctor that has been through what you have, then be sure to get the orthopedic surgeon with a broken hip, the neurologist with a stroke, and the cardiologist with a heart attack.

Is that a fair argument/assessment?

In most cases, I would say, that I don't care what gender the doctor is... I just want the one that's most qualified! But of course, there are instances that you would rather just have the doctor be the same gender as you (especially for females) for your own comfort level in certain situations.

Others, however, argue that that is reverse sexism. I've read so many articles lately about how male resident doctors have had such a hard time because they have a double negative against them. A) They are resident doctors and some people don't want 'students' treating them (even though they must run all cases by whoever they are working under) and B) a lot of females want to be treated by females for certain things. I don't know if that is a fair assessment though and wonder if males prefer male doctors for certain things.

On the other hand, I see (and have heard/read) the other side of the argument -- that a doctor is a doctor, so their gender shouldn't matter and should be taken out of the element... and that doctors of both genders have gone through extensive education and whatnot. I don't think it's that simple though -- of course there is a human element to it that can't be taken out the equation so easily.

I certainly don't think all doctors are equal -- but I also don't think a doctor of a certain gender is better than another.

After reading such articles, I'm so torn! I see the argument from both sides of the argument so well. I guess it's one of those things that is 'to each, his own'. What do you think?


P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Positive Thoughts

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We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, "Why did this happen to me?" unless we ask the same question for every moment of happiness that comes our way.

How true is that?!

Recovering from a viral I caught last month has taken much longer than anticipated for some reason and is still making me very tired very easily. The simplest things are wearing me out a lot of the times (yet I am still not sleeping at night properly ironically).

This has, of course, made me really annoyed lately. I'm so used to just randomly making or baking stuff (I LOVE cooking) or randomly going on simple errands, etc.

I've had plenty of time to think lately (because let's face it, most of the time I haven't had the energy to do much else), and on a day I was feeling particularly down I came across the quote I started this blog post off with and it just stuck with me!

Let's face it. Things can be a lot worse. There's usually someone in your own circle (friends, family, community members, etc.) who is much worse off. We just need to be reminded every so often to think positive.

Right off the bat, one of the positives I can think of for this last month is that I've probably taken more naps in the day this past month than I ever have -- I can usually never sleep in the day!


P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

I Hate Being Sick

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4 blood tests, 4 urine tests, 3 ER trips, 3 IVs, 2 doctor visits, 2 flu tests, 1 X-ray, and 1 cat scan. In the span of 7 days. What a week!

Have I set the record for the times I've had to visit the ER in the span of seven days?

I could throw in more number facts in there, but these are just the basics.

If you follow me on Twitter, then you probably already knew that I haven't been feeling well for the last two weeks.

It started off in the evening of Sept 11, with a sore throat. Annoyed I was getting sick, I took a few precautionary measures right away -- drank warm tea, took cough drops, and took over the counter cough medicine.

Little did I know what it would lead to!

By 9 PM that night, my whole body was completely sore and everything just hurt.

By early that night, I was completely sore and had a full body ache. That night I was awake the whole night feeling miserable (and now had a fever and an intense cough).

Then it got even worse! :/

Starting Monday morning, I started throwing up A LOT. Sometimes just randomly, but definitely if I ate or drank something. Either I would throw up right away or get a horrible coughing fit which would result in me throwing up soon after. Plus diarrhea.

Fun, huh?

Went to my doctor Tuesday afternoon and she gave me some anti nausea medicine and told me I had some crazy viral that was going around and that I needed to go to the ER if it didn't improve because I was losing too much fluid.

So that night would be ER Trip #1.

Six or seven hours, an IV fluid, first of many blood and urine samples, more anti-nausea medicine through the IV later, I would come home being told I had a crazy viral. Really? I didn't figure that out already. More specifically, a throat infection (viral pharyngitis) plus MAYBE a bladder infection. Fun stuff.

What annoyed me was they didn't do anything about the main things, just the minor ones. I mean, I would rather be coughing and what not then throwing up so much. Anyways, Tuesday was another miserable night and no sleep.

Wednesday morning, because I hadn't had anything to eat/drink since Sunday, I tried to eat a cracker before taking the medicines. I figured the IV fluid and the anti-nausea medicine through the IV would have done me some good. But of course not -- I was still throwing up.

Wednesday afternoon (the 14th), my doctor called to check how I was doing and when I told her I was still not able to keep things down, she told me to go back to the ER again. More IV fluids, tests, and hours later... I made my way back home from the ER for the second night in a row!

Thank god for my iPhone because without it, I would have lost the little sanity I have left after the past few weeks. It kept me from losing my mind the countless hours I was in the ER (three times over), it distracted me when I needed it most, and because I was pretty much laying down or sleeping most of the time it gave my access to read the news, etc!

A few days ago, I joked that you know I don't feel well when I haven't touched my laptop in such a long time! Unfortunately, it's true.

I'll follow up soon with another post on the nurses in the ER (at least the ones in my local hospital). It's been on my mind since the first night I was in the ER.

 P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Observations at a Hospital/Doctor's Office (Part Two)

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This is part two of the post from here on the following questions:

You know what I'll never understand?

1. Why patients with heart related symptoms are made to wait an hour (plus) in the waiting room in the emergency room.
2. Why patients on a "cardiac diet" are fed cheese sandwiches, lasagna, and other such things in hospitals.
3. Why a cardiologists' office serves pizza (ESPECIALLY after a stress test).
4. Why the nurses and technicians in hospitals wake the patients up every 2-4 hours to take their blood pressure, etc.
5. Why the nurses and technicians are so incredibly loud in the middle of the night.

You can read part one about statements one and two by clicking here.

Statement Three: Why a cardiologists' office serves pizza (ESPECIALLY after a stress test).

This goes along with my previous statement, statement two, as it also deals with the quality of food (or lack thereof).

After my dad's heart attack in 2005, he has had regular appointments with the cardiologist of course and has had annual stress tests. Each year after coming back his stress test, he would tell us that they were serving pizza and soda for the patients and their families (fortunately he would choose not to eat that).

It's so absurd that it is almost funny. Here we are at a cardiologists' office and they are serving oily pizza to a bunch of heart patients.

Apparently they have stopped serving food altogether-- so I'm not even sure it was because they realized they were serving unhealthy food or if it was just because

Statement Four: Why the nurses and technicians in hospitals wake the patients up every 2-4 hours to take their blood pressure, etc.

Fortunately I've never been hospitalized, but I've stayed plenty of times with my mom or dad. That said, I probably know my local hospital backwards and forward. But that's not the point; the point is that I don't get why they do certain things at hospitals (or the way they do them).

While it's annoying when they check the patients' temperature, blood pressure, and pulse rate every couple of hours while you are awake, I understand that they have to do that. I get it. What I don't get it is WHY they wake up patients to do it when they are sleeping. I don't think that by not checking for several hours it would be that big of a deal in MOST cases. OF COURSE they are some circumstances where I'm sure it is necessary to check every two hours on the dot-- but it's not all of the time!

Most patients are probably already annoyed and not getting sleep just because they are in the hospital, so a few sound hours of sleep is probably necessary for them. I think my blood pressure would rise every time they woke me up at night ;)... just saying.

Once or twice, I remember, the technician coming into the room and once they acknowledge that the patient (my mom or dad) is sleeping, they just tell me they'll come back later when the patient is awake. But that rarely happens.

You know what I find the funniest during all of this? When the nurse or technician asks the patient bright and early in the morning how they slept? How do you think they slept? You didn't let them sleep! 

I'm going to throw in a statement five in here just because I can :)

Statement Five:  Why the nurses and technicians are so incredibly loud in the middle of the night.

I'm not sure what the deal is with this one, but it sure is annoying.

I can never sleep in hospitals anyways, so I'm usually up all night... which is probably why I noticed all these little things.

I don't remember if I've noticed this happen before, but this past time - a nurse and technician kept talking really loud (essentially yelling to one another) right outside the rooms. If it was for something related to the patients, that they needed help, or something to the likes - it would be more than understandable. But no, instead they were laughing and joking. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!

Several times, my dad woke up from their loud voices. Said nurse and technician even came into our room and continued to do so and I probably gave them the most annoyed look possible because that was when it stopped fortunately.

Have you observed or heard about other similar things happening at hospitals and/or doctors' offices that you found absurd?

Updated 12.17.2010: I was quite surprised to find this question in a survey online at http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov because that indicates that it is a consistent problem, not something that happens on a rare occasion. For the category, 'Patients who reported that the area around their room was "Always" quiet at night.' -- only 52% of the people who answered the survey in relation to the hospital we were at. That's pretty low. Worse, the number was lower for the other hospitals in our area!

P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Observations at a Hospital/Doctor's Office (Part One)

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You know what I'll never understand?

1. Why patients with heart related symptoms are made to wait an hour (plus) in the waiting room in the emergency room.
2. Why patients on a "cardiac diet" are fed cheese sandwiches, lasagna, and other such things in hospitals.
3. Why a cardiologists' office serves pizza (ESPECIALLY after a stress test).
4. Why the nurses and technicians in hospitals wake the patients up every 2-4 hours to take their blood pressure, etc.

I'll expand further on each of the above statements, but don't you find each of them absolutely ridiculous and hypocritical?

Statement One: Why patients with heart related symptoms are made to wait an hour (plus) in the waiting room in the emergency room.

This past Tuesday my dad went to the emergency room because he felt tightness in his chest (he had a heart attack in 2005 so of course it was a concern for all of us). We sat in the waiting room for atleast an hour and a half (probably even more) before we were finally taken back into the emergency room. Another 30+ minutes later, he was finally seen by a doctor.

A chest x-ray, blood test, and 2 EKG's later to see if it was indeed heart related we were told that the tests would need to be done several times (one at about each eight hour interval) because just one or two times would be inconclusive. If that's the case, it brings me back to my original question of WHY they take so long in the first place.

I would assume, and rightfully so I think, that if the symptoms indicate that the problem is heart related, immediate action would be taken. I had always assumed that the emergency room was ordered based on the urgency of the situations, but apparently not based on what I saw.

Not surprisingly, my dad was hospitalized -- for two days.

This wasn't the first time, unfortunately, we had to to wait way too long for something that could have potentially been serious (but thankfully was not) -- it happened to my mom in 2008 as well.

Statement Two: Why patients on a "cardiac diet" are fed cheese sandwiches, lasagna, and other such things in hospitals.

I've noticed this happen before as well, but at the same as I talk about above -- I went to ask the nurse if my dad could have something to eat since he hadn't had anything to eat for several hours (he had came straight from work to the hospital). The nurse told me he would ask my dad's doctor and let me know. Can you imagine how surprised I was when the technician came back sometime later and told us that my dad was being put on a cardiac diet for now and asked if a cheese sandwich would be okay when we told him he could eat halal food (kosher-like) or vegetarian.

What part of a sandwich with two cheese slices fits into a cardiac diet? How does that even make sense?

The next day he had vegetarian lasagna (again with lots of cheese) for lunch. Oh, and with each meal came a roll with BUTTER. I can't recall exactly what else he ate during his hospital stay, but a lot of them sure were questionable. When did a cardiac diet come to mean that only the salt quantity needs to be controlled?

Part Two to come soon.  Update: You can read Part Two by clicking here.

 P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

I Hate Being Sick

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You know what's worse than being sick for about two weeks? Spending about eight hours in the emergency room while feeling miserable!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - nurses - my god, are they the most patient people or what? I don't know how they do it. I'm a fairly impatient and stubborn person as it, and to throw in the usual crankiness that comes with being sick... and to multiply that with however many patients the nurses are dealing with at a time.... my goodness.

On Eid, I woke up with a little sore throat that progressively got worse and then I developed a cold (runny nose, sneezing, coughing, the works) from that. That, as annoying as it is to be sick, was manageable with plenty of soup and liquids.

Unfortunately, a few days later it turned into a nasty viral. I went to the doctor's on Tuesday last week and was told if it didn't get better within 24 hours, I need to head to the E.R. Well, I waited over 48 hours and then bright and early on Thursday morning headed to the emergency room.

An I.V plus three shots via the IV line, a couple of tests and over eight hours later I made my way back home.

The last week for me has comprised mostly of sleep, plenty of rest, and LOTS of liquids... and fortunately, I feel so much better (just not completely fine yet).

Now, if I could just get rid of this cough too...

 P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Root Canal, Part Two

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Would you believe that six dentist appointments later, the whole root canal business is finally over today? I finally got the permanent crown put in earlier this afternoon. I can't believe this took SEVEN weeks - when it usually takes one or two visits!

Graduation Party

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I LOVE barbecues and I love family gatherings, so a joint barbecue for nearby relatives and some friends for Faraz's and my graduation party yesterday was definitely my kind of day. It was also kind of a farewell party for Faraz. I can't believe that Faraz will be leaving next week for Canada!

Thank you all for coming! We had a great time and hope you did too.

The whole day turned out to the be a lot of fun. We got back from the park around 7:30ish and a lot of our family came straight from the park to our house. From there, later that night, Aamir Mamma, Sony Mammi, Sohaib Bhai, Ayaz, Faraz, Saad, Sabih, Daniyal, and I went to Dave and Busters in Manhattan which was a lot of fun too. I've never been there and it was great. We got home around 3 A.M. and I went straight to bed - what an exhausting but FUN day!

By the way, would you believe I'm still making trips to the dentist? I've already been four times and tomorrow I go back for the fifth time since June 4th! Apparently my mouth is small and the root is curved which as a combination is making this procedure take forever! Lucky me. Being the wimp I am, of course this would happen to me.

 P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Root Canal

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There are some things that just shouldn’t be done. Like drilling a hole in my teeth!

If you know me even a little bit, you can probably imagine me cringing at the very least. I’m a wimp and I know it.

Last Tuesday (Jun 1^st), right after all the wedding festivities (thankfully not during it), I developed a slight toothache near my top left teeth that progressively got worse and worse until it became unbearable by Thursday. I hate doctors, hospitals, and anything in that sphere… so of course I let the pain get worse and worse until I couldn’t tolerate it at all before scheduling an appointment for the dentist as my last resort. It got so bad that I needed to be biting my finger to alleviate the pain like I was a child teething or something.

I tried tylenol after tylenol to no avail, then went to the pharmacy late night Wednesday and got Ora-jel – which worked (it numbs you so you can’t feel the pain) – for five to ten minutes MAXIMUM! And I could only apply the gel 4 times per day!!

I called in for an appointment on that Thursday on our way to Washington D.C. (more about that later) for that Friday. I got lucky I guess because the actual dentist picked up the phone and not the secretary so I was able to ask if I could apply the gel more frequently or if there was something else that would help. He said no to the gel, but told me to take aleve… and my goodness – it made such a big difference! Within ten or fifteen minutes of taking aleve, the toothache was substantially less and I was able to actually enjoy my day in D.C.

FYI – aleve is definitely a strong medicine because within a few minutes of me taking it I got dizzy and started sweating like crazy, but hey it did its job. As soon as the medicine wears off though, the pain is oh so strong.

Anyhow, we figured it was my wisdom tooth that was bothering me because of the location of the pain, but it turned that was only part of the problem – I needed a root canal on the tooth right next to my wisdom tooth. Of course, I freaked out – I don’t handle pain well at all! And we have all heard those horror root canal stories.

Fortunately, my experience was a lot better than I had imagined. Most of the pain subsided as soon as I was anesthetized for the root canal and the procedure itself was relatively pain free. I don’t know if I just got lucky (because we all know how nervous and how uptight I was about the pain I’d feel) or what, but I sure am glad it went so well.

I’m kinda glad it all happened at once amidst a very hectic time so I didn’t have time to read online about it all, and so I went in to the dentist office not having a false sense of what was to come.

I couldn’t go back for the second part of it until a week after the first part since Faraz and I were in Canada (more about that later too). Yesterday I went in for the second part – and for whatever reason – the left side of my face feels odd… can’t really explain it… and some of the pain (but very slight) is back. I go back Wednesday hopefully for the last time in a while… let’s see.

After all the time I spent avoiding the doctor’s/dentists office, the past week made up for it all.

This joke's a lot funnier now that the pain is considerably less, but when's the best time to visit the dentist? "Tooth hurty"... get it? 2:30! And that's exactly what I waited for.

 P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Blood Pressure

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I am definitely a curious person.

When I see something or hear something that I am not aware of, I like to find out the answers even if I have to figure it out myself.

I hate not knowing things! Especially when I am determined to find out.

I've always been curious to find out what my blood type is. I just think knowing my blood type is something I should be aware of for a variety of reasons. But having my blood drawn isn't something that is on my 'to-do list'.

Back when I was still in high school, a few years ago, I kept having some sort of pain on my right side and I had some tests done. One of them, included getting my blood drawn. Squeamish, yet kind of happy that I would be able to finally find out my blood type... I told the technician after she was done drawing my blood that I would also like to find out my blood type.

Little did I know I would have to get more blood drawn to find that out, so I passed. This was the only time I had ever had my blood drawn, and I'd actually like to keep it that way.

Today, I had another one of those 'I need to find out' moments. I wanted to know my blood pressure levels!

Of course, things couldn't have gone smoothly. I tried three times and each time I got an error message!

Ugh.

What in the world does that even mean?

My mom and brother checked theirs before me and my dad checked after me and each of theirs worked just fine!



P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.