Sihat ke Akhir Hayat

Teringat sorang makcik one of my patients in ED the other night. She was 92. Independant, no walking aids for ambulation. Dia admitted to short stay in ED coz for observation & for wound care with hospital in the home (HITH) review in a.m. Dia naik bas, then bas tu break, then sorang lagi besar dari dia jatuh atas dia. No broken bones. Tapi ada large subdermal haematoma on the medial of middle third of this right leg. We tried to drain it overnight tapi tak berjaya & tak berani nak make a larger incision than 1cm takut its actually deeper than superficial skin. 

Anyways, I'm sure she's okay now. That's not what I wanted to tell here anyways. Aku kagum how she was very fit & healthy, sharp & alert in mind, despite she was almost 100 yrs old. She only took aspirin & few tablets for blood pressure & cholesterol, which semua org ada diseases ni once u reach above 50. I am hoping myself & those I love will be like this, sihat ke akhir hayat & tak terseksa menghabiskan sisa-sisa hidup. 

Simple easy principles to lead a healthy life yg semua org tau, tapi mebbie cakap senang buat kurang senang, tapi hendak seribu daya tak nak seribu kelentong:

1. Spiritual balance.
2. Eat healthy & balanced (nutrition-wise & portion-wise).
3. Exercise.
4. Rest & recharge. 
5. Mind growth & balance.
6. Network & relationship balance.
7. Avoid injuries (mind, soul, body).
8. Me time. 

There, general principles for leading a healthy life. =)

Perihal size badan

Berat badan aku mmg naik gila-gila masa annual leave 5wks end of last year. On my last day of holiday in M'sia, berat aku dah jadi lebih berat dari my dad & my 28yo brother. How sad!! Ni la jadinye kalau makan tak ingat dunia, pas tu senaman yang yok skadar berjalan-jalan di pasar malam or shopping malls dgn tujuan mengisi perut & mengosongkan dompet.
Seperti yg aku agak, balik Melbourne terus takleh pakai all my work clothes. Seb baik cuaca kurang best and seb baik jugak aku kerja kat ED maka boleh la pakai jeans, t-shirt or sweater nipis gi kerja. Haru! And most people at work were like.. "you are so fat!" written on their face when they look at me. Cheh! Dr. HAK & akaknye directly cakap aku gemuks! Chissss! Tapi takpe, tak terasa coz it was a wake up call.

So balik je dari M'sia aku terus started my quest to lose weights.

I changed my food regime. Instead of makan 15x sehari bertambah-tambah, aku kurangkan portion each main meal & make them regular 3x with small healthy snacks in between. I've been trying to eat biggest meal for breakie, setakat ni sederhana saja coz slalu ngantuk kalau kerja pagi manakala kalau arvo shift just sempat makan for brunch. Usually my midday meal will be the smallest. Aku pastikan aku makan seimbang for the main meals: kena ada carbs, protein, fat, lots of vegies. I dont keep junk foods at home anymore, unless aku kerja night shifts di mana those junks utk bawak ke spital share with night ED staff. Tell ya, the cravings for junk food memang the greates for the first 3wks lepas balik sini. Simply coz kat M'sia asik makan je walaupon not junk, so kat sini the good foods takde but junks are everywhere. Aku pastikan setiap hari akan ada dessert, which will be only fresh fruits not pastry/ all those sugary sweets. Seb baik aku & hubby bukan jenis suka desserts unless kalau makan luar/ visit org, and aku pon jenis malas & tak reti make desserts unless sekadar potong buah. Kalau cravings sgt baru la aku makan sesudu dua chips or chocs. Soft drinks memang dah lama takde dlm rumah ni mostly coz these hurt my gastritis.
3rd week of my diet change, aku start on this detox regime plak. Sebab apa lambat, sebab nak try biasakan diri with the diet change & curb the cravings first baru start on detox. Kalau cut off everything cold turkey takut aku yg pengsan nanti. Detox ni tak le yg strict gila tak makan apa-apa selain dp detox juice & fruits je. That detox week aku kurangkan lagi portion all my foods, makan soft protein, tak sentuh langsung all the junks & I made daily 2,3x detox juice recipes frm my juice recipe books. Sedap, and by the end of that week, badan rasa ringan & segar.

Di samping tukar food style, aku try senaman setiap hari or setiap dua hari. Mula-mula tu definitely on my crosstrainer & using the weights. Short bursts of exercises during my free time, esp kalau dah bosan study. Dalam 5-15minutes each time, 2,3 x sehari kalau hari tu aku tak kerja. Kalau kerja just buat sekali dua je. Takde la dedicated 1/2jam to 1 jam beberapa hari seminggu, kerana aku memang malas. Kelakar kan coz most senamanholics will say that my regime will definitely not do anything. But to me, enuf to increase my heart rate & improve my circulation, takde la sedentary mandom ngantuk je. Then bila cuaca elok sket, I'll try to brisk walk outside. Rugi dibiarkan cuaca best sempena summer ni, nanti dah masuk autumn & winter haaa.. depressed je coz tak brapa boleh nak senaman outdoor.

Tambah lagi shift malam mmg tak sempat nak makan langsung, and kadang kalau arvo shifts busy gila aku skip my foods & minum something filling. Totally not healthy yg ni.

Apa hasilnye? ----> Now dah 10wks since I returned to Melbourne frm my hols. I've lost 6kg.

First 2 weeks ada la dlm 1kg je turun. Lepas detox tu & another 5weeks terus turun another 5kg. Now maintain sejak 3minggu lalu. Mostly now aku just kisah about the ukurlilit rather than weight, even though kalau dapat lose another 2kg (+2kg lagi kalau rajin) for the next few weeks, thats an added bonus lah. Kena increase my exercise plak now coz food wise aku dah berjaya lawan all the cravings & dah berjaya biasakan dgn makanan seimbang & healthy.

Alhamdulillah, most of my baju & seluar kerja dah boleh muat. Takde la rasa sedih setiap kali berdiri kat wardrobe sebelum gi kerja pikir nak pakai apa coz takde yg muat. Hahahhaa.
Well, this adventure of weight loss memang seriously lah kasi lesson kaw kaw nyer kat aku. Geli with the lipatan lemaks, sakit hati that I couldnt fit in most of my work clothes & (pang ke muka) when actually I was heavier than my dad & adult brother masa tu. Fuh!
Kali ni memang aku actively dieting (my way of dieting) & senaman. Kalau tahun-tahun sebelumnye aku just rely on my night & arvo shifts, dan juga replacing most of my baju/seluar kerja coz malas nak berusaha kurangkan size badan.

Harap-harap my weight & size at least turun ke weight & size asal sebelum aku balik cuti hari tu.

Perihal jatuh sakit

Alhamdulillah teaching the kids tadi went well. By this time of the year, the kids pon dah learn much so tak perlu lagi aku nak explain byk2 coz diorang pon dah tau byk & malas nak dgr (my assumption).
Lepas teaching, mcm biasa buat kerja non-clinical.
Tgh2 ngadap computer tu my friend, Dr. AG datang kat aku kasitau father dia masuk spital coz of atypical pneumonia + possible stroke. Terkejut jugak. Father dia quite elderly but a good elderly person, very functional + independant. Kesian diorang, family dia kalau boleh nak bawak balik M'sia & dirawat di M'sia. But I think the most important thing is kena treat the pneumonia first, then focus on mobility which can be done in M'sia. And Dr. AG dah bersedia to quit her job here if anything happens, and make some life changing decisions. Understandably its a difficult situation.

Aku balik frm non-clinical tadi, went back home & went out to get some groceries with hubby. We made some kuey teow goreng for them. At least tu je yg mampu aku tolong for now, and diorang dah tak payah pikir pasal food lagi bila dah jadi cam ni. Visited the father at the hospital, he had to stay in a negative pressure single room for infectious precaution, and visitors kena pakai face mask. Then visited the mum at her place in Box Hill. Apa-apa pun aku doakan semoga semuanye selamat & dipermudahkanNYA, InsyaAllah.

This reminds me of my own beloved family di M'sia sana. Aku jauh kat sini, diorang kat sana. I dont have anyone other than hubby & my beloved family. Aku doakan Allah swt sentiasa melindungi mereka dari perkara2 yg tak diingini, and aku doakan semoga semuanya baik & lancar for them. Same for umat Islam di muka bumi ni. Amin.

Pas balik tu aku yg tengah peot ni keletihan amat. Just a bit unfortunate for me that aku pon tgh peot pain. Tak best betul. Kalau tak ingat nak tolong hubby do the garden at the front or gi Ikea to get some foot stool utk guna masa study to support my back yg semakin membengkok ni. Tapi takde rezeki. Oh well, semoga both kesakitan yg kami alami ni terselindung di sebaliknye some keberkatan dariNYA, InsyaAllah. Dan semoga Allah swt memberi kami kekuatan & memelihara keimanan kami despite the situation is. Amin.

Crosstrainer is finally mine!

Finally our eliptical machine sampai pagi tadi! Aku tgh tido afta night shift and machine arrived mid morning masa aku dah siap termimpi-mimpi pasal senaman on that thing.

Kami order menda ni last week. Paling murah la out of all the others kat kedai senam tu. Boleh tampung berat up to 150kg!!! Heheheh.. takdenye la aku nak jadi gemoks sampai 150kg pas tu try dia pecah ke tak. Tapi bagus la. Ada mcm2 function, boleh letak botol air ke cawan ke apa. Heheheh. Tak nampak bulky mcm the mahal ones yg kami nampak last week. Cuma dia takleh lipat2 la utk letak bawah katil kalau tetamu dtg or kalau aku rasa cam malas nak tgk menda ni. Yg boleh lipat2 tu harga dia ribu2 AU$. Tak mampu nyah! Yg ni paling murah & paling tak bulky. Just nice la rupa dia.

Hubby bubuh mengadap computer. Aku nak dia ngadap luar tingkap so that aku boleh ada 'ME' time menghayati keindahan ciptaan Allah swt. Chewah! Nanti bila aku larat nanti aku ubah dia mengadap tingkap =)
Bagus la now tak perlu bersiap2 nak berjogging kat luar kalau aku malas. Boleh bersenaman kat dalam rumah je kalau cuaca tak best cam time aku bangun tido tadi.

Bangun2 tadi lepas solats, terus jumped on the machine. Aku try setting fat burner programme, setkan 10minit & aim 5km. kehkehkeh. Aku just larat abiskan 2.3km je dlm 10minit tu. Fuh! Penat doh! Sakit tangan & kaki! Nampak sangat aku nyer stamina rock bottom cikai nyer. Hehhehe. Tapi takpe, aku nak buat setiap hari sebelum balik M'sia nanti sure dah cun & dah boleh pakai kebaya2 yg lama tu.
Yes! Teruskan usaha!

Mengaktifkan diri

Dah beberapa minggu aku dah start tambahkan keaktifan diri. Semakin aku rasa aku kena busy study, semakin aku rasa perlunye aku ni senaman. Mana taknye sebelum ni kalau study or buat kerja yg berkaitan training, sure tak sampai setengah minit dah ngantuk gila, pas tu terus main game ke internet ke apa-apa ntah lagi. Susah betul nak focus.

Semalam aku gi Paeds Advanced Life Support practice course kat spital. Aku dibubuh on the spot in charge dlm simulation tu. Case ialah budak 4 thn severe acute asthma then dia cardiac arrest. Haaa gelabah. Boss-boss sumer risau aku traumatized, diorang ni tau aku ni senang nangis. Hahaha, but all in all aku rasa aku buat okay la jugak. Bila bubuh on the spot like that makes me remember. Then afta that borak-borak dgn one of the bosses. Tiba bab makan, rehat & senaman. Tu la lagi bertambah semangat aku nak kembalik sihat seperti before. Aku dah let myself down for quite a while now, mebbie months dah.

Matlamat aku nak senaman & makan makanan sihat now ialah:
- improve focus for study & kuatkan ingatan.
- improve mood, tak nak depressed/ anxious je all the time.
- cantikkan kulit & awet muda.
- improve energy.
- tone up muscles.
- kurangkan geleber-geleber kat trunk & bontot.
- kalau cuti M'sia nanti boleh la melantak all those yummy food, tak yah risau bila balik Melbourne aku kena ganti seluruh lemari dgn pakaian size lebih besar. hehehee.
- aku tak nak kena penyakit2 yg menyebabkan aku nyusahkan diri sendiri, orang sekeliling aku & the healthcare system. long term aku nak jadi cam pesakit2 elderly aku yg sihat walafiat tak makan ubat apa2 independant tak nyusahkan family diorang (diorang datang spital coz masalah luka2 or patah tulang or simple stuff).

Skang aku rajin keluar brisk walking + jog. Pas tu kalau indoor exercise aku rajin buat cardio senam robik with weights selang-selang dgn senaman perut.
Aku suka makan, cuma in terms of appetite je slalu kurang, disebabkan tu slalu makan sampah (oh well, my sampah are just sweet chocs & chips). So now aku banyak ganti sampah2 tu dengan makanan lebih sihat. Snacks byk makan fruits (aku terpaksa merajinkan diri potong buah nowadays), ada la sket2 curi2 makan sampah bila time aku cravings gila tu. Breakie pon now makan oats (yucks!) or cereals with fresh fruits, sultanas, raisin, nuts. Banyak jugak duit aku beli pisang sini yg mahal sangap tu. Dari segi nasi, I love my nasi, just kurangkan servings, and lepas makan meals aku wajibkan diri makan fruits as desserts. And I love my protein goreng! Hehehe. Aku suka ayam, ikan, daging, seafood dgn syarat semua ni digoreng atau dibakar. Tu satu tabiat buruk aku yg aku not willing to let go. Sebab aku nyer appetite ni slalunye mati sebelum makan. Ayam kat Melbourne ni tak sesedap ayam kat M'sia. So aku akan makan ayam kalau ayam tu goreng, bakar or dah dalam soup. kalau tak slalu makan secubit je then selebihnye sedekah kat org lain. And I'll end up jadi kambing makan all the sayur2. Same with other stuff. Tau goreng2 ni byk minyak, tapi takpe, aku kurangkan portion & bantai senaman setiap kali makan oily food. Okay la tu kan.
Air gas dah laaaama gila tak minum sejak gastritis aku teruk last year, ganti dgn fresh orange juice. Aku dah kurangkan caffeine in my life. Cuma minum sekali je air coffee yg mild strength, then kalau teringin lagi minum decaffeinated coffee. Dulu rasa tak sedap, now dah lebih kurang sama dah rasanye, dah biasa dah. Cuma masalah tido je aku kureng sket. This is where those pills come in =) Jangan terkujat doctors sebenarnye banyak jadi drug addicts (legal drugs) & kaki botol, ni sumer pasal kehidupan doctors yg penuh dengan 360° stress.

Anyways, ni dinner aku mlm tadi. Teringin nak makan kari ikan masin. Balik frm PALS smlm aku terus singgah BHH Centro beli ikan masin & udang. Sayur guna je apa yg ada, campur 5 biji telur.

Nice & warm

Came home late pagi tadi. Biasa la kerja aku ni, the last few hours sure ada menda jadi punye.

2jam sblom abis shift, datang this man with massive anterolateral STEMI developing in ED. Signs of it datang kat rumah, so ambos called us prior arriving & faxed the ECG with the early changes to us. Dia ni 2 days post stent insertion to LAD coronary artery kat private spital. Kitorang punye la call the cardio registrar suruh datang like NOW NOW NOW coz this patient's ECG masa arrival was minimally bad, then quickly got worse setiap 10minet. Isu nye ialah, cardio registrar cam pelik apsal dia datang spital aku which is a public hospital sedangkan dia ada private insurance & dia buat stent dia kat private spital yg dlm 10mins away frm our spital. Dipendekkan cerita, the patient pegi jugak ke cath lab afta dia berada kat ED slama 1 jam setengah. Then before aku balik tadi tetiba terdengar panggilan Code Blue from cath lab.. hmmm.. dalam hati aku sure tu patient aku tadi tuh.
Dipendekkan bebelan lagi, kalau dia cuma tunggu setengah jam di ED before going to cath lab for re-angio, tak perlu lah dia ke ICU intubated bagai. Yet, slalunye org tua-tua gini kalau dah nak kena heart attack yg massive cam gini, 1/2 jam ke 1 1/2 jam ke, still poor outcome jugak. I hope dia selamat in ICU.

Normal ECG dari mana-mana buku medic

ECG patient aku selepas 1/2jam dia kat resus tu.
Okay, adik-adik, sila describe this ECG to me =)

Moral of the story: jangan merokok, makan makanan sihat & seimbang, senaman selalu, jaga berat badan, tido yg cukup, pakai sunblock slalu, kurangkan stress, jauhi dari aktiviti2 yg berisiko tinggi & tidak berfaedah, jaga diri baik-baik & last but not least doakan lah kesihatan & keselamatan diri sendiri. Kalau dah sakit tu susaaahh nak reverse balik...

Earlier last night aku dah miss satu peluang to intubate a young overdosed patient. Pasal dia tetiba bangun plak from pengsan dia. Boss aku dah panggil aku suruh buat sebab patient ni muda & kira senang la kan. And aku plak dah terlompat-lompat gumbira coz ada chance utk praktis intubation. Aish rugi! Hahaha. Tapi bagus la takde la rugi satu ICU bed kat spital tu semata-mata nak fit satu manusia yg nak tarik perhatian ramai dgn cara overdosing on drugs or memang nak bunuh diri tapi kurang bijak lagi utk bunuh diri cara yg betul. Buang duit!! Hehehehe.

Semalam petang satu lagi buku yg aku order sampai. Ni salah satu buku yg aku dok asik pinjam kat library rebut-rebut dgn medical students. Dah la kat library tu takleh renew buku. Beli je la senang. Best buku ni. Good & easy to read utk org yg terlajak cam aku ni.
Hari ni cuaca sangat best. Terang & warm, rasa cam kat rumah aku kat KL. Temperature 29°c- 31°c. Semalam dlm 25°c-28°c gitu =). Rugi betul aku kena tido siang coz of the night shifts. Ni jap lagi & esok start kol 10pm, abis pagi Isnin. =(
And aku sangat sedih coz this weekends ialah long weekend coz Monday cuti hari buruh. And weekend ni ialah Moomba festival yg setiap tahun aku tak pernah miss fireworks dia. And aku sedih coz aku kerja night shifts plak la hujung minggu ni + ada presentations kena buat on this coming Tuesday & Wednesday. :'( Kalau kerja siang at least bleh pegi tengok fireworks malam-malam. Sedih jugak hujung minggu yg panjang ni slalu orang pegi jalan-jalan, aku plak dok ngadap muka patients2 yg separuhnye ntah apa-apa. Geram!!!

Lutut & rojak buah =D

Sakit bebeno lutut kiri gue nih. Dah 2,3 minggu jugak la. Mebbie jalan secara senget semasa bekerja menyebabkan lutut ni terlebih sakit. Susah la jugak, coz aku ni dah la ada chronic back pain from sports injury jugak, ni lutut plak. Aaaii.. rasa cam I age before time ni.

Dulu slalu la sakit sendi-sendi ni time active bersukan, especially lutut, elbow & ankles. La ni bersukan mendanya, cuma berlari ke sana ke mari je dalam hospital. Masa buat anaesthetics dulu takde plak cam ni, masa tu naik turun tangga 3,4 tingkat 5,6 kali sehari.. senaman yg hebat. Now just satu tingkat, kalau kena naik tingkat 3 pon akan digunakan lift sebab malam-malam tangga sumer nya kunci. Hapa ntah kan spital ni.
Sakit mengganggu konsentrasi jugak masa nak duduk di antara dua sujud time solat tu.

So, dah dekat seminggu aku amik glucosamine (halal punya, berbentuk tablet & derived from seafood.. berhati-hati ye kawan-kawan). Its for the joints. Nanti-nanti aku citer pasal glucosamine & the joints. Anyhow, dulu pernah jadi cam ni lepas aku twisted my knee masa bersukan & aku amik this glucosamine tapi lain brand, lepas 2,3 hari dah elok balik. Ni dah dekat seminggu, cam slow je recovery dia. Tak tau la pasal brand murah sebab tu dia lambat baik, or pasal this injury is more severe than before. Kalau tak baik jugak dalam sebulan dua ni, aku ingat nak gi jumpa GP suruh dia refer kat ortho or rheumatologist. Takut la jugak kalau kat ortho, sure diorang suruh buat knee arthroscopy. Teringatkan all the procedures in the theatre, turn off la jugak nak pegi.

Anyways, petang tadi ingat nak gi beach dgn Lybeau & TTM. TTM kata cuaca kat area dia di Mordialoc/ Mentone sana cerah. Mine in Chadstone & Lybeau's in Carnegie, agak mendung & hujan rintik. Well, when I went there memang betul cuaca best walaupon slightly cool. Kami tak jadi gi beach sebab Amjah tido & Lybeau's hubby kerja so duduk2 saja sambil makan rojak buah & the yummy marble brownies & noodle yg TTM masak. Pas tu main game card with TTM's sons.

Gambar sebelah tu gambar rojak buah dgn kuah rojak Mak Bee. NYAAAAMMMM!! Dah tambah 2,3 kali baru teringat nak snap gambar. Nak yg cantik, nantikan di blog TTM. Lain kali kena amik yg cun-cun skali dgn some soda punch baru best eh, bleh la tepek jadi my blog pic kat atas tu.