Thursday, July 31, 2008

Another bad luck season? CHOYYY! -Touch Wood!

This had been a super unlucky season for me lately:
1. Sprainted my left foot and had to tolerate the whole week of ward rounds and clinics
2. My handphone memory card is spoilt
3. My printer head is spoint - with gaps between words
4. My pc seemed to be very slow, often got hanged and seemed infected with viruses - need to reformat and install a new antivirus
5. Lost my camera (how to survive without a camera/ functioning camera phone?)
6. My watch stopped in the middle of a short case presentation, while counting pulse rates, while my lecturer stared back in disbelieve (seriously! and this was the 2nd time)
7. Friends around me had unlucky events too: stolen laptops, handphones, wallets, (note the 's'), even car tyres!! ...etc..

i NEED to turn my luck around... what happened to my good luck? have i depleted them??? hmm... tell me, what works best??? a lucky coin? a feng shui spinning luck bamboo tree? a lucky fan? Four clover leaf? Not a rabbit foot, please… or maybe i'll need to pray really hard at some super powerful temple???

hmm.. maybe i am just not in luck with electronic devices lately...

....siGh... will things ever get better?



A four clover leaf



A shiny horseshoe



A Daruma-san- A famous Japanese egg-shaped good-luck doll,with a fierce face and blank eyes.



A fengshui lucky bamboo tree - the turning bamboo branches were said to be able to turn the bad luck into good luck and fortune


p/s: Perhaps, i should learn to count my blessings:
1. I AM LUCKY that although i sprainted my left foot, i am still able walk and attend ward rounds and clinics
2. I AM LUCKY that the phone is still functioning and i just need a new memory card
3. I AM LUCKY that only my printer head is spoint which is repairable, hopefully
4. I AM LUCKY that reformating and reinstalling a new antivirus can save my laptop
5. I AM LUCKY that i can get a new camera with a better night mode and vibration resistent function? (no money la!)
6. I AM LUCKY that i can get a new watch? (again, $$)

Monday, July 28, 2008

The Dark Knight



The Dark Night presented a new perspective of Batman. Instead of being the conventional ‘Oh my superhero, thank you for saving my life’ character... the citizens of Gothem actually hated Batman and wanted him to be put to justice. It hurts a lot, when you worked so hard to protect something, and not only were you not appreciated, but you were blamed...

I find this very similar in the medical field. Everyday, doctors slaved themselves to save lives, and some patients repaid them with unsatisfactory complaints and law-suits. However I do not blame the naive patients who had to wait hours for a consultation. When you are sick, irritable and unwell, waiting on the bench for hours is certainly not what one can tolerate. I blame the system instead, and the lawyers brain washing their victims, and the shortage of doctors. However, a short ‘thank you’, would make a difference, really, in fact a big difference... just 2 words. Doctors needed healing too. They needed a reason to carry on, to fight.

Anyway, review on movie: This 2 hours 32 minutes movie is worth your time. Whether you are an action-packed enthusiast, fan of intellectual challenging movies, a technology craze or simply a fan of Batman, this is a movie tailored for you! The trio of Batman (Bruce Wayne), Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, joined forces to dismantle the criminal organizations and put the mafias behind bars. The unpredictable mastermind, the Joker, was certainly a challenging opponent. I personality finds some scenes in this movie, eg, the joker with the knife, rather disturbing. This movie showed that, sometimes, we are too human to go against criminals like The Joker. The scene with the ships, with explosive remotes, showed that even in desperate life-and-death situation, being humans, we still have a heart.

Batman being more than just a superhero: when you work to serve others, there are sacrifices you make. How an ordinary person can be extraordinary. You do not need to have super strength, the ability to fly or be bitten by a spider to be a superhero. There is a little hero inside everyone one of us, let it shine.

I shall not reveal more, you enjoy the movie. =)

Plus point: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne – charmingly handsome!
Director : Christopher Nolan

Ratings: 4stars /5 : Haunting, stylish, brilliant!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

An unsafe world? (2)



i like to share with you a very creative illustration by my friend Siang, in response to the post An unsafe world (July 20)
a good illustration of 'what goes around, comes around'.. hehe...
i thought it was hilarious.. XD

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Schizophrenia


(painted by by Haley N. 'Everlorn' Baker: The main illustration for a school project on schizophrenia. Some have said it's my most emotional piece. I know it's one of my darkest)

Allow me to share with you, a story of one of my patients. The name has been changed to ensure confidentiality.

I killed myself today. This was my third attempt. It started this morning, when I was minding my own business. Amy scolded me again, ‘You useless fool! You have been bad, looked what you have done!’ ‘The policemen will find you’ Patrick added. ‘He might as well die. The world does not need a man like him’ Amy continued. 'Even your mother does not want a son like you!’ I could not understand why my friends could say such harsh words. I tried to shoo them away, but they were very stubborn and intrusive. I tried to talk to Jane, my sister, but she was asleep and she dismissed me. I could not take it anymore, so I decided go for a walk to relax. Maybe some fresh air would help, i thought.

The day was unusually moody today, the dark clouds roomed the sky of Kuala Lumpur. I had a feeling, something was going to happen. And true enough, I suddenly heard a sharp noise, more like tyres screeching - an emergency brake. There was a young man, unconscious, lying on the street, covered in blood. He was knocked by a car. He looked very familiar but it took me a while to register.

It was Benny, my next door neighbour.

The scene was horrifying, I froze a while, not knowing what to do. 'Call the ambulance' someone shouted, which I obediently did.

I later found out that it was an attempt suicide. This news took me by surprise as this young, 16 year old bright handsome boy, had a future ahead of him. Why did he end up this way? I wondered. I tried talking to him later in the wards, and learnt his story...

It started when I was 14 and my parents filed for a divorce. I could not understand why they did not love each other anymore. My mother, she left me for Britain. Does she not love me anymore? Have I done anything wrong?

My life was miserable, my friends, they left me one by one. Even my girlfriend broke up with me. The only friends I had was Amy and Patrick.

My life before was not the way as you see it now. Before my parents divorced, I used to be a friendly cheerful person. I loved video games. In fact, I played hockey for the school team. However, after the event, I was depressed, most of the days. I find it very difficult to sleep, my clothes became looser as I lost weight. I could not concentrate in school, and my results were lacking, in fact, I was failing my subjects. I became tired easily and did not feel like moving. Video games did not interest me anymore and I quitted from the school hockey team.

My friends abandoned me. But it was okay, I still had Amy. But my doctor, my family, my friends, they did not approved of my new friends. They called them ‘my hallucination’. I have never seen Amy or Patrick before, but I can hear them...


The doctor later diagnosed Benny to have Schizophrenia with depressive features. He was having auditory hallucinations and running commentaries which were degratory in nature. He also had persecutory delusions and believed that people were trying to harm him. When watches the television or listening to the radio, he had delusion of reference and believed that the messages were related to him. These had made him afraid and scared. The voices disturbed his sleep and he often wakes up crying because of this.

Schizophrenia (pronounced /ˌskɪtsəˈfriːniə/), from the Greek word meaning 'the split mind', is a psychiatric diagnosis that described a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech and thinking in the context of significant social or occupational dysfunction.

About one out of 100 people suffer from schizophrenia, more commonly among the young population. The society stigmatized schizophrenia patients as ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’ which made them isolated and ashamed to seek treatment. Schizophrenia is a disease like any other, eg: diabetes, hypertension, which required treatment. In simple words, there is an imbalance in chemicals and neurotransmitters in the brain, resulting in the symptoms seen. These can be managed with medications and psychotherapy.
When managed early, a person restore his social and occupational function, and live a life...

We should not stigmatized schizophrenia patients, for they too, need our support and help...


Schizophrenia, we care...


An unsafe world?


I want send this message to all my friends out there… BE CAREFUL… you are being watched and eyed by people, eager to take advantage on you…

Life had been so miserable lately… I wondered what had become of the world today… people around me are being robbed, one after another…

Firstly, it all started when Shin Loo had her laptop and her housemate’s laptop stolen from their house at Sri Kembangan.

Then Audrey had her laptop stolen too, at broad day light! She was leaving for her university and she went out to lock the gates. When she came back to her car, suddenly, there was this man, in helmet, who suddenly opened her car door. Before Audrey can react, he grabbed her laptop and her wallet! He then, rode off with his partners. With both of them wearing helmet, they were not recognisable and there was not much use of a pepper spray. Audrey tried running after them, only to fall down and injured her knees. Losing her laptop was bad enough, but losing her data, her experiments result, that was disastrous for a master student. She had to REPEAT the experiments and it was all hard work. I bet the robbers never thought of it when they stole her laptop.

Then there was Suk Teng, who had both her front car tyres STOLEN!! Can you believe that? Thives nowadays not only steal tyre rims, they steal tyres too! Yes, the round black donut thing. It was crazy! She got herself new tyres which cost her like RM500. Oh yes, there’s this ‘lock nut’ she recommended, which could help prevent your car tyres from being stolen, it cost about RM45 for 4 tyres. I plan to get them some time soon. You’ll never know.. these tyres-stealers- DAMN!




And Shin Loo was robbed at LRT station on her way to work, AGAIN, last week…- read her story here... and my mum had her handbag snatched too at the night market! (at the so-called peaceful city of Seremban!)

And 5 minutes ago, my friend Ze told me that she had just the same fate.. hand phone stolen at Mid Valley…

So much misfortune had happened to friends around me, life feels so miserable, I wonder whether I can take it anymore…. No more bad news, please… oh God.. Nowadays, I wonder whether am I being paranoid, believing that anyone would just jump out of a corner and rob me.. KL is not safe anymore, seriously… even a small city like Seremban

I did had my little bit of misfortune too, this week, but it was purely my fault. I had a fall, and sprain my foot last Thursday. I have been RICE-ing:
R – Rest
I – Ice
C – Compression
E – Elevation


It still hurts now though, and I wondered how I would tolerate ward rounds tomorrow morning. A person limping in white coat around the hospital.. hmm.. not a very professional sight, isn’t it?

Bottom line, to my friends, just be more careful, please…. And to the robbers, (though I doubt robbers ever read blogs), well, do think of others… you are not the only one being hit by the bad economy.. what comes around, goes around~


There's a few tips from www.sixwise.com on how to prevent purse-snacthing or pickpockets

1. How NOT to Appeal to a Pickpocket or Purse Snatcher
• Watch out for potential "set-ups," such as someone bumping into you or asking a question as a distraction while someone else steals your wallet.
• Appear confident and look like you know where you're going.
• Dress down. Don't flaunt jewelry or designer labels that let a pickpocket know you're likely to have money or valuables close at hand.
• Listen to your instincts. If something feels strange, go inside a store, cross the street or seek help.

2. Carry Your Valuables Safely
Pickpockets and purse snatchers love big crowds.
"Bad guys are looking for easy options. The idea is to make it difficult for them

• Keep your purse in sight at all times. Do not hang it on the back of a chair, the hook on a public washroom door, or leave it unattended while shopping or trying on shoes.
• Always keep purses closed and carry them close to the front of your body, or held tightly under your arm.
• If your purse is slung over your head, consider wearing it under your coat (this makes it harder for a thief to yank on the strap).

3. Protect yourself in advance by:
• Don't carry all your cash in one place.
• Carry only a small amount of cash.
• Don't keep your social security number in your wallet--it puts you at risk of identity theft.
• Carry only what's necessary, and nothing more.
• Keep house keys in your pocket, rather than your purse. If a thief steals your purse and house keys, they have your address and access to your home.
• Leave irreplaceable items (photos, important papers, sentimental trinkets) at home.

4. And IF (thouch wood) IF Your Purse or Wallet is Stolen - what to do?
Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you can't stop a pickpocket. The first thing to remember is that your purse or wallet is not worth getting hurt over. If someone tries to take your belongings, resist the urge to fight back. While some thieves will back down at the sign of confrontation, others are willing to fight and may be carrying a weapon.
Your safety is what's most important, and while your purse/wallet can be replaced, your life cannot. Here's what to do immediately after your purse or wallet is stolen
:
• Don't panic--try to think clearly.
• Call the local police department right away.
• Make a list of everything in your purse or wallet, including credit cards, checks, ID cards, cash and other items.
• Call your credit card companies and report your cards as stolen.
• Call your bank and tell them your bank cards/checks have been stolen.
• Call your Digi/Maxis/Celcom centre to report your lost, canceled your number and freeze your phone credits
• Apply for a new My Card / Driving license
• Monitor your bills for unusual activity, and report anything strange to the police.

You don't need to walk around in fear, though. Just pay attention to what's going on around you and use common sense about displaying valuable items and pickpockets are likely to stay away.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

i had a great laugh today! =)


I had a major surprise today, a pleasant one actually... and had a great laugh... Aland said I should blog about it... And I was undecided about it for a while as I have my reputation at stake, then I thought, what the heck! I guess you deserve to share this joke on me... especially those at mist of exams or stressed at work whom needed a time out... and maybe, like 5 years in future, when i open my blog, there's still something to laugh at...

So, I was feeling bored today.. and well, I hated psychiatry posting, like a lot.. and my supervisor, Prof Ros was on leave, so I decided to stay in my room to complete my case report... and being a total addict, I move from my case report to a very interesting site... Guess what? I discovered a forum @ Low Yat Net! actually my friend recommended it... there was this superbly funny forum on chest hair, haha!! (this should interest Cheryl, my friend with chest-hair-phobia, haha!) Anyway, this forum was very interesting and instantly I registered myself as a user, got hooked and was happily posting comments in the forums...

The thing is, being a total noob, I didn’t even know there was a thread started title : hey Celyn (fyi, I used the nick Celyn when the system said Jocelyn was in use, and so I omitted the Jo)... King83 started a thread initially, to teach the noob me, how to use this 'signiture function' in this forum... and one message led to another,.. and people were like, (erm.. what's a more polite word for stalking),.. checking,... discovering.. okay,.. people were checking me out,... they even posted my picture there!! so much so for not using an avatar..

anyway, I was so surprised to see it that I was going OH MY GOD the whole time... (yes, the panda OMG kind)... this was my first forum experience, and I never thought it would end up this way... you must be lost my now... click here and you would totally understand...

It was a little scary at first, when you have people checking you out, all the way to facebook and friendster... checking your slideshows,pics, notes and all.... I mean, they can find out so much about you, it kind of makes you feel transparent... but some good did come out of it too:
1. I met many new friends today
2. My Blog traffic suddenly shoots up sky high.. and I was very happy readers enjoyed and appreciates my posts (248 visits and 554page view today, and still counting) -wow! my blog never hit that high target!!
3. I had the laugh of my life!! It had certainly made my day!!! =)

special thanks to:
king83 : who innocently started the thread to teach me what a 'signiture' was..
silverhawk : for informing me of the thread, though i was 5 pages late, haha!
7chai : for the shabu-shabu, haha!
and everyone else who participated....

So, if you’re feeling bored… you know now that there’s a new place to hang out and chill~~

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Attempt suicide is a crime!



Malaysia Penal Code Section 309. Attempt to commit suicide.

Whoever attempts to commit suicide, and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.


Today was my holiday and I spent the whole morning in HUKM looking for a psychiatry patient to clerk for my case report, only in vain.

I clerked a patient admitted for drug overdose. She swallowed 8 tablets of Mefedemic Acid/Ponstan (a type of pain killer), 6 tablets of sedative anti-histamines and 10 tablets of antibiotics. When I first heard of this case, the first thing that crossed my mind was: this isn’t suicidal. I had history of taking more drugs in a day than this 18-year-old girl. On days where I had severe menstrual pains, I could take more than 10tablets of various pain killers. And on days when I had an allergic reaction, I would take over 10 tablets of various antihistamines. You might even think that I sounded more suicidal than her.

‘Where did you get the drugs?’
‘They were my mum’s. She was sick’
‘How many tablets were there and how many did you take?’
‘I took everything in the packets!’
‘Why did you take the drugs?’
‘My father was scolding me and I was stressed. I didn’t want to hear him and wanted to sleep’
‘Have you done this before?’
‘This is my first time.’
‘What do you usually do previously, when your father scolded you?’
‘I watched television and ignored him.’
'Do you discuss the problem with anyone?'
'I like to keep it to myself'
‘Did you feel sad?’
‘I was just stressed.’
‘Did you think of dying?’
‘No, I just wanted to sleep. ’
‘Do you know the side effects of these drugs? The consequences of drug overdose?’
....Silence... (shaked her head)




Of course I was not suicidal. I knew I would not die from mild pain killers and anti-histamines, at least not at that dosage. And I knew exactly which drug could kill me, but I rather not mention here… If you perform a suicidal risk assessment for this 18-year-old girl, she had suicidal signs.

The suicidal clues were:
1. She ate all the drugs available.
2. She had a stressor
3. She had noone to turn to when she had problems

Why would I discuss this case?-you may ask. Well, simply because it was a very good example of our daily life. Very common. We get stressed up and to things without thinking. – impulsiveness - Some drugs are relatively harmless, but most drugs have severe side effects and when overdosed can harm the body and even cause death.

NO, SOMETIMES WE DO NOT WANT TO DIE. You might feel lost, depressed, feel like dying, but u do not want to die. Most suicidal persons are undecided about living or dying, and they “gamble with death”, leaving it to others to save them. Almost no one attempted suicide without letting others know how they are feeling. However, accidently they could die or hurt themselves.



Suicide is considered a crime under the Malaysian Penal Code.

Penal Code Section 309. Attempt to commit suicide.

Whoever attempts to commit suicide, and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

Suicidal cases admitted to the hospital would be reported and you can be fined or imprisoned.

Moral Of the story:
1. If you attempted suicide (failed), you end up with :
- a few ribs fracture, or maybe being handicapped
- an awful stomach lavage (washed out)
- a fine or imprisonment
- a whole lifetime of regrets

2. If you committed suicide (succeeded), you end up :
-IN HELL
-repeatedly repeating the suicidal act (if you are a Muslim believer)
-your friends crying and weaping
-your family in pain
- a whole afterlife of regrets

Suicide is not the solution. Think of your family and loved ones...

Need help?
Contact the befrienders : http://www.befrienders.org.my/ (absolute confidentiality)

(Acknowledgments to Cheryl for the above picture and Fabian for the penal code.)
Disclaimer: Patient's identity is confidential

Guess what? i've got a new puppy!! =)



Last weekend, I came home, surprised to see him welcoming me at the gate. His small round eyes smiling as he wagged his tail and sniffed my leg. His fur so soft, you would want to stroke him again and again.. He liked to hop on your lap, asking for a pat, some delightful cookies, perhaps... that was how 'manja' he was... Audrey thought him to sit, and that was the only trick he knew, so far.

My mum received Lucky from a friend. No one wants him, she said, so she took him home to care for him. I was skeptical on that, as i really wanted a puppy when i was small, but mum didn't allow it. We had a pair of rabbits, but i'll leave that horrifying story for another day. Okay, we had Nicky, a puppy, for a day, but mummy gave him away the next day. So, i wondered whether Lucky would be a long-term member... Therefore, i dare not get too attach to Lucky, only to find him missing the next time i am back. oh well.. let's not think about that..

Lucky loved walks, he would jump excitedly as he race you down the street. Stops a while when he sense something, i wondered what was he thinking...

Lucky bites EVERYTHING... and i meant EVERYTHING... worse, he uprooted my mum’s bonsai plants… you should have seen the look on her face when she saw this:




Yes, I am allergic to dogs.. But Lucky was too cute to resist... And so, I bathe like 4 times that day.. each time after playing with Lucky... oh, how i hate allergies... but i do hope Lucky would stay... at least for a while longer....

Monday, July 7, 2008

i do not look like your friend/sis/etc...

I am sick of people telling me that I looked like someone else. Today, a patient commented that I looked like Hui Teng. Previously, I have people saying I looked like May Luu, Im Sing, Natalie… etc… tell me, does May Luu, Im Sing, Natalie and Hui Teng looked the same????

“You looked like a friend of mine” (A lame pick-up line, I thought)
“ Did you just came by this afternoon? The doctor looked like you” (okay..)
“You looked like this model on this ad” (well, really?)
“Both of you are sisters right?” (No way!)
“Are you twins?” (what?)
“You looked like my ex” (WTF!)

siGh… do I really looked THAT ordinary that I looked like EVERYONE?? like a general template... or do I looked different everyday?

I am sick of people telling me that I looked like someone else. I really am.

I am shinyin, nothing more.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Birth, Aging, Illness, Death- the cycle of life...

A very close friend of mine, Boon Lee, her grandmother passed away yesterday evening. I just got off the phone with her. The last time I saw her grandmother was during Chinese New Year. She looked so energetic, optimistic, alive and well. Young at heart, she was. Never had I to expect to receive this news half a year later. She passed away peacefully at the age of 84.

This event reminded me of the death of my grandmother, which was 18 years ago. I was 6 years old back then. I remembered those days where she would tell me stories as we fold silver papers together. I would go to her room and she would spoil me with sweets and candies. I would tail Grandma around the house, asking lots of whys, experiencing new things each day. She would correct my Hokkien as i speak, and pat me on the head saying: you are getting taller. I didn’t remember much of her stories though. However, there was something I clearly remember.

Grandma used to ask me: What would you do if I die? (in Hokkien). Being six, I was old enough to know that dying means not getting to see someone for a very long time, or rather, forever. Then again, being six, I really didn’t know how to answer the question. Correction, I wouldn’t be able to answer regardless what age I was. I just replied, ‘Grandma, you will never die’….

Sure enough, my prediction was wrong.

One month later, I was standing in front of her coffin. She looked serene and peaceful, the monks chanting at the background, the house packed with serious faces, dressed in blacks and whites. I stood there, wondering whether was this a dream, would Grandma suddenly wake up and surprise me.

I remembered, the night before, I was holding her weak hands by the bed. The IV line and the beeping machine next to her, reassuring me that Grandma would wake up anytime.

‘Grandma will be sleeping for a very long time’ my aunt told me the next morning. I didn’t know a very long time meant forever, until I saw everyone in tears.

Oh, how I missed her.

(p/s: My deepest condolences to Boon Lee and her family... Be strong my friend, for birth, aging, death - is the cycle of life... May God bless you... )

Friday, July 4, 2008

The Baby



I performed a post-mortem today. He was an unwanted baby left by the streets.
Name : Unknown (Let’s just call him, Baby)
Age : Unknown
Race : Unknown
Parents : Unknown
Body found: 03/07/2008 0610
Autopsy on: 04/07/2008 0935
The umbilical cord and placental was still attached to Baby, when I saw him on the forensic table. The forensic room was unusually cold today. The layers of clothing wrapped around me did no help at all. I felt that the world was too cruel,.. how could anyone just abandon a baby on the street! With placental attached and cord unclamped… theorically, either the baby had died in-utero, or he was left to die by the streets…

We proceeded with forensic investigations. Baby was inspected for any injuries. His eyes were dark, staring back melancholy. His expression was stiff. He had a crooked jaw, and excessive caput and moulding. For the benefit of non-medical students, if the baby had caput(swelling at the head) or moulding (overlapping skull bones), this indicate that this baby was delivered SVD (spontaneous vertex delivery, head out first) and not a breech delivery. There were no injuries at the buttocks.

Sex: Boy
Weight: 2.20kg

Then, we investigated the age of the baby. We concluded that he was a term baby evidenced by:
1. Creases on the hands and feet
2. Body hair measuring 10mm
3. Testes palpable in the scrotum (already descended)
4. Dark meconium passed out (passed motion)
5. When cut across the calcaneum (one of the bones at the heel), from the 3rd toe towards the middle of the heel, we could appreciate secondary ossification center of the bones (bone maturation). Secondary ossification takes place at the 8th months, therefore Baby was at least 8 month old(40weeks), term.

Measurements of Baby’s parameter were corresponding to a term baby. Placental 14cm x 17cm x 2.5cm, complete, with blood clots.

The brain was removed, weight and sliced. The brains did not appear hypoxic.

Later, we continued by autopsying the lungs, liver, spleen, heart and kidneys to look for any other pathological injury or disease. A suspension test was done: Baby’s lung was squeeze flat and put into a bowl of water. We found that the lungs floated on the water, which translates to -> there was air in Baby’s lung -> Baby breath first, then die -> this was a livebirth -> baby was delivered SVD and left dying…

Sigh, the world is a cruel world… I could not imagine any mother in this world who could have left a crying baby to die. Before this, I had witnessed many mothers in the labour room who would do ANYTHING to save their baby… different maneuvers, pushing as hard as possible, enduring the pain… But this mother, I really could not comprehend..

A teenage mother came across my mind. Perhaps she was young, confused and did not know what to do with the baby. Prof Adeeb said: Guys only know how to make the girl pregnant. But I suppose the father of Baby did not even know the existence of Baby.

Girls out there, for God’s sake, if you EVER had premarital sex, please use contraception. Condom not only protects you from pregnancies, it also protects you from STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and HIV.

And IF you missed that contraception, options are MORNING-AFTER-PILLS within 72hours after sex. The eithical issue in this was if morning-after pills became widely available through pharmacies, unscrupulous men could exploit vulnerable young women by saying: "you can always go to the chemist and get the morning-after pill." Do see a doctor to check health status and medical history for anything which might make taking such pills dangerous.

And IF you missed your period that month, please do a pregnancy test.

And IF the test was positive, please discuss with your partner or your family, whether should you continue with the pregnancy and raise the baby.

IF you plan to keep the baby, please ensure that you can mentally and financially support the baby. Raising a baby is not easy. If you are not capable of it, you can discuss with the social worker to give the baby up for adoption, either to a family member or by others.

AND PLEASE SEE A DOCTOR EARLY FOR BOOKING AND ANTENATAL SCREENING.

The first visit is the most important visit, where antenatal screening will be done (eg: Height, Weight, Blood Pressure, Hemoglobin level, Blood Grouping, VDRL/HIV/Hepatitis B Screening, Urine analysis). Any disease eg: Anemia, Diabetes Melitus, Hypertension, if detected early can be controlled and managed to optimize both mother and fetal throughout pregnancy and for delivery. An early dating scan (pelvic ultrasound scan) is very important before 20 weeks to know the age of the baby, the right time to deliver and to detect nuchal translucency (suggestive of down syndrome).

The risk of keeping the pregnancy to term without antenatal screening and follow up is increase morbidity and mortality to BOTH fetal and mother. And attempting to deliver a baby on your own is certainly VERY UNSMART! It’s not easy to deliver a baby and the pain is terrible (without analgesia). GO TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL. Why else do you think medical student had to study 5years and midwifes 4years to understand that? YOU AND YOUR BABY COULD DIE

IF you wish to terminate the pregnancy, please go to a clinic and seek professional medical advice. Some might argue that a TOP (Termination Of Pregnancy) is unethical, but compared to bringing a baby to term and living it to die by the streets, I shall leave it for you to decide. According to WHO (World Health Organization), any pregnancy below 22 weeks is not yet a viable fetal. Religious and cultural beliefs may have a different opinions. The process of TOP, I shall leave it to another blog entry… I guess I should pen off here, this had been a long entry. Glad you made it to this line! :)

I hoped for a better world, still hoping…



Related links:
My 1st Forensic Experience

Author's Note

Dear friends and readers, Thank you for dropping by and leaving comments/ shoutouts. More importantly, thank you for being there... please accept my apology that, lately, i may be busy with work and not have time to reply youir messages/comments, but rest assured, each and everyone is read, and highly appreciated :) have a nice day! ^^

of love

Today, i heard a story which was not a story of falling...
of living in the dark end of winter turmoil..
instead, it was a love story..
of a couple who did not live happily ever after...
but they live, loving each other..