Worse than a 70-year old

That was what the doctor me when he saw my x-ray. That was totally unexpected as the co. doctors assured me several times that there was nothing wrong with my lungs. It was only post-nasal drip which can be easily cured. If it's so easy, why didn't I get well 6 weeks ago when I first started seeing them? I was prescribed two rounds of antibiotic. The first consisted of minimal amount of steroids. Two tables per day, morning and evening.

The current doctor, Dr. W, was not pleased with what I told him. First of all, it's definitely lung problem. Post-nasal drip will only result on markings on my right lung on the x-ray. The reason is that there is a direct tube from the nose to the right lung whereas the tubes into the left lung are spread out and smaller. But now, he can clearly see markings on both my lungs. Hence, it's not just post-nasal drip.

Second, the x-ray specialist did not clearly identified my problem. If the specialist is truly a specialist, the person would have been able to spot not just the post-nasal drip symptom. Dr. W refused to comment further on the so-called x-ray specialist.

Third, the co. doctor should never have prescribed me with steroids. Apparently, steroids can awaken another kind of lung-problem which lays dormant in most people. My recovery may actually be delayed because of this prescription.

Luckily, it's still curable. The markings in my lungs were caused by impurities in the air. I am not a smoker, so it's not a result of smoking. However, I am rather sensitive to dust. Dr. W thought it's most likely due to the unclean ventilation in the office. I heard the last time they really clean the ventilation was about 4 -5 years ago! I'll probably need an air purifier in office if I want to prevent the problem but it's not really my choice. Now I am prescribed some proper medicines to clean my lung.

My case is definitely not a rarity. Dr. W said he had encountered similar cases in the past. One particular case was a girl who developed persistent cough like mine and suffered from asthmatic attack. Upon questioning, Dr. W discovered that her seat in the office was located very near a huge printing machine. This kind of machine uses powder for printing and the powder is harmful to anyone sitting within 10 feet to the machine. Once the girl managed to convince her management to remove the machine and place it in a separate room, she stopped coughing. But that was also after she was subjected to 6 months of medication.

My seat is not near the printer. Neither is there a photocopying machine. Hence, best guess is the ventilation itself. It will be hard to find a solution to this :(

(News) Boy dies from bilateral bronchopneumonia:
http://www.caribdaily.com/article/128401/boy-dies-from-bilateral-bronchopneumonia/

(Definition) Bilateral bronchopneumonia:
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bronchopneumonia

(Definition) Nasal Rhinitis:
http://www.nasal.net/allergy/rhinitis.htm

Hope

When the tunnel appears to turn darker with no hope of escaping, ray of light peeks out from little holes on the wall, reigniting the memory of happiness...perhaps it's just a matter of determination and patience. Like Calvin waiting for his beanie, it will come just not sooner but later.

My long-lost handphone chain

Today is a great day for me! Some people may call me weird for my reaction but I don't care. I can be happy over very small thing.

April 2006 - I bought a handphone chain from Tokyo Tower. It was a really pretty chain. Unfortunately, I lost it before I got home. I searched through my luggages when I was in the hotel and again when I arrived home. No success. I thought I had misplaced it in the hotel.

March 2009 (today) - I was looking through an old folder, searching for some information I got from the course 3 years ago. Midway through, my eyes caught sight of a little yellow package, stuck in the middle of my notes. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the content.

Good things often happen unexpectedly.

It...

I can't believe what I saw this morning...

It was around 7.10am. The light at the zebra crossing in Jalan Hang Tuah turned red. A red car was in front of me. A primary school kid was crossing the road. All of a sudden, the red car just sped off. The boy was about a metre away. Had the boy ran across the road, the car would have hit him!

I just don't get it. Did the driver not see the red light? Perhaps "it" was colour blind. Then why did the car stop in the first place? Did the driver not see the little boy? Perhaps the sky was still dark. But that's no excuse to drive off when the light is still red!