Started from my uncle's visit to Singapore
He came here looking for a second opinion regarding the illness that he has been suffering from in the last two years. He was diagnosed to suffer from Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune disease of the peripheral nervous system in May 2007. He has undergone through several therapies for GBS and physiotherapy as well to keep his muscles working and prevent them from atrophy-ing..(i dunno the appropriate word for that..). After one year, the diagnosis then was changed into Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) because GBS is acute (..most of its case cease less than one year time) while my uncle had a 'one-year more' one.
So then he decided to go to National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore to get his second opinion. The reason why he chose NUH was because it was recommended by some of his clients at work........
this is a pic of NUH..
That day, I accompanied him in NUH to see the doctor as a translator (hehe~)..there was my aunty also though, so we were in three that time. My aunty and my uncle explained everything they would like to know..especially about what exactly his diagnosis was and whether there would be any possibilty towards full-recovery or not. I said "Okay, uncle..!" :)
(*the fact: on the next 2 days I would have 3 exams IN A ROW as my final exams in NTU..!!!!! haha)
--> I brought along my spanish notes to the hospital..and read them whenever I could..even just a brief moment in the elevator! haha~ imagine...3 exams IN A ROW!!
"I realize that was what I had to do as a family and I am happy about my decision...helping out relatives even you have to sacrifice your own good..(not really sacrificing..but risking ur good..) anyway, I learned a lot from this experience...keep reading!" ^_^
We were sitting in front of the consultation room waiting for my uncle's name to be called. Finally we met the doctor, his name was Einar Wilder Smith...from Switzerland (I knew cuz I asked him where he is from! hehe~).
He is a:
- Professor & Senior Consultant Neurologist. Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
- Director, Clinical Neurophysiology, National University Hospital
- Chair, Laboratory Research Committee, Department of Medicine
- Chair, Chapter of Neurology, College of Physicians, Singapore
- Chair, educational committee, Asian Society of Neurologists (ASNA)
wooww...woww..wowww...enough (..or too much??) in education background and activities eh?! haha..anyway, he was really a cool guy :) oops...a cool doc... ;-p
In the consultation room, I spoke most of the time, maybe 99% of time! haha~ cuz my uncle went temporaily speechless and english-less..so I translated in a two-way fashion! uncle-doc and doc-uncle...hwah...!
He spent more than 30 minutes with us I guess. He did his anamnesis (history taking) in a quite long time..he was slowly speaking..honestly, at that time I thought that he had not taken his breakfast..! but then soon I realized that he was being a doctor to a foreigner..whose english was not guaranteed as 'in a very good ability'..ok doc, I did understand :) After the anamnesis, he performed some neurology examinations, then he finally came upon his suggestion that my uncle was not suffering from CIDP..but AMAN (Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy), one form of GBS.
He was pretty sure, but he needed to exclude the previous diagnosis and confidently stating his own diagnosis by doing some examinations for the confirmation, Nerve Conduction Test and USG to see the spinal nerve roots (whether they were swelling or not).
"There I got some new knowledge: By doing USG to see the size of the spinal nerve roots --> CIDP will cause them to swell due to the ongoing inflammation, but AMAN will not have the spinal nerve roots swollen..because in GBS the inflammation is monophasic, so all that remains is only the broken pieces of the 'fire hazard' "
We ate and then went to the neurology diagnostic lab where my unce would be undertaken through some 'exciting' examinations (for me..they were exciting..)
First, he was undergone the Nerve Conduction Test which was performed by a lab assistant. Waiting for quite some time, finally the doc came and checked out the Nerve Conduction Test result and continued to the next exam which he did himself..USG of the spinal nerve roots.
Exciting!!! yay!
you know, it was my first time seeing 4D USG device, Nerve Conduction Test being peformed and USG examination also being conducted (for real..!!)...because I am not yet a clinical student hey... :( still got 1 more year to go..so that's why I got soo excited! haha~
Here is the pic of 4D USG I saw in that EMG room
I asked the doc for a permission to see how he conducted the spinal nerve roots imaging by USG. I hopped to the back of the examination bed right at the back of my uncle's head..the doc faced me backwards..so I could also see the USG screen (can u imagine our position??) anyway...
The doc asked me "Are you a medical student?" and definitely I said "yea, I am..I'm a med student, doc" smile was also ON in my face..hihi~ then he replied "hmm..that's why you get so much excited as how normal people are not used to be"...hahaha~
Then he asked me whether I like my med school or not, how my study is, and what I want to be in the future..and we also talked a lot in medical jargons while he was conducting the USG..so my uncle and aunty didnt know what we were talking about..huhu~BUT the special thing happened that time was when I asked him how he could say that the black area he found was the spinal root..he answered that with an EXPLANATION....he really did teach me about how to find a spinal roots by USG..while he was still doing it. It was absolutely an experience for me!! :)
See...the only thing which came into my mind that time was: he is more than a specialist..but he still did the examination himself..he still got more patients to get done though..and there will be some assistand who would help him doing so if he asked them to..but he did it himself..and when I asked an annoying Q i mentioned above, he replied that by an explanation..really counts as an EXPLANATION..he did teach me how..Oh man! he is not my teacher..not even an expert lecturer..but he spoke up and answered my Q in a very clearly fashion..by an explanation ^_^ because not all doctors will do the same thing.. Thanks a lot doctor Smith for your teaching!!
this is the pic of that wonderful doctor:
Yea, I got many new knowledge on neurology that day..especially on CIDP and AMAN..yay!
this is my hapiness from doctor Smith
the other one was that..
The real happiness is when you give yourself..you devote yourself, your time or even your belongings for others' good..especially when they get much better by it. Always do anything with a good intention..Allah knows what the best for us are..and Allah loves people who help each other in a good conducts :)
I can feel that after I finished my final exams..you know, I didnt feel even a single regret of spending more than a half day in the hospital..losing so much my studying time. Actually I didn't lose anything..I gained things! :)
I loved to see my uncle and aunty smiled after finally they figured out what was going on within my uncles's body...they also were really satisfied with the doctor's service (even though I spoke up mostly..haha~), they loved having me there with them, accompanying them shopping in Orcahrd the day before, having a chat with them in NTU cafe, accompanying them see the doc clarifying doubts..so they could go home at ease :) and now they can boost what they have towards my uncle's best recovery..altough it DOES take time
P.S.: uncle...get better soon, keyh..?! :) -Luv u-
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