Wednesday, June 22, 2005
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(40) eyes are our most precious gift...
It had been a nightmare for me this past week and it has not ended yet...
My mum had a cataract operation 2 weeks ago and was due for a second one on her other eye today. Cataract surgery is routine and uncomplicated which is why only day surgery is required. In fact, mum's op was a success, as observed during the check-up on the day after the op. Mum stayed with me after her op and was supposed to go home after 1 week. But mum ended with postoperative endophthalmitis, a condition which occurs most commonly after cataract surgery, typically afflicting approx one in every 1,000 patients!
Everything was fine until the 3rd or 4th day after the op when mum started to have intermittent headaches. But mum had a high threshold level for pain and was always uncomplaining. Furthermore, we all thought it was normal to have headaches after cataract surgery... bad mistake! Then at noon last Monday, she realised she could not see a thing with her left eye. We rushed to the hospital and had to wait a long time though I had told the nurse that mum had had cataract surgery. I should have been a bitch! I should have more assertive! I should have insisted that mum be attended to immediately!
When mum was finally given all the tests, her eye fluid pressure was 32 (normal: 10-22). The head of the eye clinic immediately performed a laser procedure on mum's eye to bring the pressure down. She went back for a second laser procedure the next day but on the third day, her surgeon decided on a more aggressive treatment - an operation to inject antibiotics and steriods directly into her eye. He also took samples of her eye fluid for cultures to determine which bacteria was causing the infection.
Mum stayed 2 nights in the hospital after this op as 2 of the eyedrops had to been instilled every hour around the clock while the other 2 were for 4X and 3X daily. When she came home, the eyedrops continued to be instilled every hour for 3 more days and nights. Eldest brother and sis-in-law brought mum for her check-up yesterday and the instillations had been reduced to every 2 hours around the clock.
It has been a week since mum's loss of vision but she is uncomplaining and has great faith in God. She does not blame anyone for her infection and is mentally prepared should she not regain her left vision. But mum has always been a fiercely independant person so I don't know if she can really take it.
Mum has another check-up tomorrow - we all hope for a very favourable prognosis.Please pray for my mum!
the pig oinked at
2:00 PM
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Thursday, June 09, 2005
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(39) pigs & piglets...
This is my 1st and only neoprint ever! Waaaaaaah... neoprints are so expensive!
It was after a dinner @ Marche last November when laogong and I decided we wanted to take neoprints. Hahaha, I think my kids were thoroughly embarrassed whilst we were queueing at the crowded booths. The Heeren was teeming with teenagers and there they were, stuck with their parents!
Hey, we are supposed to be a family of 'spec-kies' but that vainpot Emily had to take off her glasses! Anyway, I am happy tonight because I finally 'conquered' the scanner, all the jpg stuff, resizing pigs (oops, I mean pics) and posting them! And for those using HELLO, I figured out how to delete that irritating icon at the bottom of my pic... *smirks*
And can you find Big-Mama? Just look for the one with a full head of snow-white hair...
the pig oinked at
3:42 PM
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Tuesday, June 07, 2005
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(38) tsk, tsk...
Do you remember the last day of Term 2 when Jon, an SJI prefect, forgot to bring his PE attire to school?
Do you remember the last day of Term 2 when Emily and some other IJTP prefects got their church wrong?
Well, Ben left for his LTC camp at 7am this morning. Guess what? He phoned me at 8.30am to bring his spare college uniforms to CJC. Two fellow JC2 councillors had forgotten to pack in their uniforms which they were supposed to bring to the camp!
Teenagers! What on earth are they so busy with? But these guys and girls are not your everyday teenagers. They have been specially selected by their schools and colleges to lead. They are teenagers with responsibilities! So as not to embarrass Ben's friends, I shan't reveal their names. I'll only say they are DOTA-crazed fellas! 
Hmmmm...... maybe they had not heard of the shit-hole!
the pig oinked at
7:37 AM
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Sunday, June 05, 2005
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(37) home sweet home...
Going on a holiday??
Nah, I'm not that addicted! That guy is most likely to be......
Hahaha... and no withdrawal symptoms for me. Afterall, there was free internet at Changi Airport. Then there were internet cafes in Bangkok, an internet corner in the hotel where we stayed and of course, broadband at one of the Thai relative's home!
It was supposed to be a well-earned break for laogong and me. But when the in-laws heard about my free ticket, they told us they were joining us as they had not been to Bangkok for some years. So what was supposed to be a 5D/4N leisure trip for two became a ...... SIGH!
I had previously met a few of laogong's Thai relatives when they visited Singapore but I met many more during this trip. They were very hospitable and insisted on taking us sightseeing and shopping. They even sent us to the airport though we had hotel-airport transfer. We were pampered and not surprisingly, I put on 2kg from their yummy home-cooked lunches and restaurant meals!
My first trip to Bangkok was spent mostly on getting to know laogong's Thai-Chinese relatives. I only went shopping on my last day there. Despite me coming down with flu and a bad throat, I had a reasonably good time in Bangkok. But Ben and Jon had an even better time cos Ben had gotten prior permission from us for a sleepover. His friends came on Monday evening, well-equipped with their laptops. These DOTA-crazed boys had a marathon session till the next day!!
I love going on holidays with laogong but it's even better to be home......
the pig oinked at
9:31 AM
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