It's been a week since I wrote anything here. I've been feeling blank these past weeks, maybe because I've been focusing more on my translating projects and just push other thoughts to the back of my mind.
As of 2 days ago, I'm a free woman again.
And now, the other thoughts are all clamoring to come forth again. *sigh*
1. First and foremost: My son's operation (which was originally scheduled for next week).
This whole month, I was really focused on Shahrin's up-coming operation because it was scheduled to be on 23/12 and I have to register for my part-time English course on 27/12. The doctors at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah informed me that recovery would take at least 4 days, so I would really be pressed for time if I want to make it back here on the 27th. I've also made plans with my parents for my husband and I during our stay in Alor Setar. I figured that they could also help to care for Nazrin since I know *I* would have to stay with Shahrin during post-op. I practically had next week all planned nicely.
BUT. My husband called me this morning, to tell me that Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah called him, to inform us that the operation has been rescheduled. To March next year. *sigh* I didn't answer their call this morning because I was driving to Hospital Taiping, for my son's appointment (he still has Dr.'s appointments every 4 months as follow-ups since he was a baby) and to get his medical history from H. Taiping, to give to the doctors at H. S. Bahiyah. Now, that letter is on my desk, useless, for now anyway.
Here's an excerpt of that letter:
Patient is under our paeds clinic follow up for growth & development (he's ex-prem @33/52) & failure to thrive (weight & length alpha thalassemia carrier.
Regarding his cervical lymphadenopathy, it was noticed since he was 2 years old; multiple, firm and non tender. Mantoux test is negative, all other blood investigation done showing results relating to alpha-thalassemia, otherwise child is well, active, his mental growth & development also normal and up to age.
These medical problems are the ones monitored by H.Taiping. The operation in H.S.Bahiyah (they have the best pediatric surgeon in the Northern region) would be to correct his hypospadia condition. Read more about it here. Be warned of the graphic though!
This condition is a form of congenital defect, detected after birth. Thankfully, his condition is only a minor one, requiring at least, only 2 corrective surgery, to repair the shaft and the hole. If you look at the picture on that Wikipedia site, that penis has a hole on the side, while my son's penis's hole (the urethra) is at the bottom of the shaft, the third degree kind. Hopefully, that's all the surgery he'll be going through. But actually, he'd already undergone one surgery, for a hypospadia-related condition; an un-descended testis which has been corrected when he was 2 years old. (It was during the month of Ramadhan and it was while caring for him that I noticed that I was pregnant with Nazrin :p)
Although, the surgery doesn't really bother me, it's all the other medical problems. His growth is a private family joke; he's small like his father! but the alpha-thalassemia thing and the lumps on his neck are major issues. Even though, as a carrier, he can lead a normal life and wouldn't have to worry about any blood related illness, the condition itself is worrisome. I, myself, am a carrier, but I didn't know about being one till my father took me to have a full-blood test some 10 years ago. The lumps on his neck are not painful, they're just there; some small, some big, thought to be a sign of TB, hence the mantoux test and 2 X-rays of his chest. Thankfully, the test was -ve and the X-ray showed no consolidation in his chest, so TB was ruled out.
Unfortunately, the doctors don't know why the lumps are there. Thus, the letter to H.S.Bahiyah, I had requested for the surgeons to get a sample of one of Shahrin's lumps for analysis since they'll be operating on him. The doctors at H.Taiping didn't want to do an invasive surgery just to figure out what they were, so, it was kind of 'killing 2 birds with one stone'.
p/s: this post has been 2 days in the making, *sigh* Nazrin has a fever and has been so clingy the past 3 days. I think I'll just post this now and continue later. Chow.
BUT. My husband called me this morning, to tell me that Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah called him, to inform us that the operation has been rescheduled. To March next year. *sigh* I didn't answer their call this morning because I was driving to Hospital Taiping, for my son's appointment (he still has Dr.'s appointments every 4 months as follow-ups since he was a baby) and to get his medical history from H. Taiping, to give to the doctors at H. S. Bahiyah. Now, that letter is on my desk, useless, for now anyway.
Here's an excerpt of that letter:
Patient is under our paeds clinic follow up for growth & development (he's ex-prem @33/52) & failure to thrive (weight & length alpha thalassemia carrier.
Regarding his cervical lymphadenopathy, it was noticed since he was 2 years old; multiple, firm and non tender. Mantoux test is negative, all other blood investigation done showing results relating to alpha-thalassemia, otherwise child is well, active, his mental growth & development also normal and up to age.
These medical problems are the ones monitored by H.Taiping. The operation in H.S.Bahiyah (they have the best pediatric surgeon in the Northern region) would be to correct his hypospadia condition. Read more about it here. Be warned of the graphic though!
This condition is a form of congenital defect, detected after birth. Thankfully, his condition is only a minor one, requiring at least, only 2 corrective surgery, to repair the shaft and the hole. If you look at the picture on that Wikipedia site, that penis has a hole on the side, while my son's penis's hole (the urethra) is at the bottom of the shaft, the third degree kind. Hopefully, that's all the surgery he'll be going through. But actually, he'd already undergone one surgery, for a hypospadia-related condition; an un-descended testis which has been corrected when he was 2 years old. (It was during the month of Ramadhan and it was while caring for him that I noticed that I was pregnant with Nazrin :p)
Although, the surgery doesn't really bother me, it's all the other medical problems. His growth is a private family joke; he's small like his father! but the alpha-thalassemia thing and the lumps on his neck are major issues. Even though, as a carrier, he can lead a normal life and wouldn't have to worry about any blood related illness, the condition itself is worrisome. I, myself, am a carrier, but I didn't know about being one till my father took me to have a full-blood test some 10 years ago. The lumps on his neck are not painful, they're just there; some small, some big, thought to be a sign of TB, hence the mantoux test and 2 X-rays of his chest. Thankfully, the test was -ve and the X-ray showed no consolidation in his chest, so TB was ruled out.
Unfortunately, the doctors don't know why the lumps are there. Thus, the letter to H.S.Bahiyah, I had requested for the surgeons to get a sample of one of Shahrin's lumps for analysis since they'll be operating on him. The doctors at H.Taiping didn't want to do an invasive surgery just to figure out what they were, so, it was kind of 'killing 2 birds with one stone'.
p/s: this post has been 2 days in the making, *sigh* Nazrin has a fever and has been so clingy the past 3 days. I think I'll just post this now and continue later. Chow.
No comments:
Post a Comment