I watched a Korean movie showing life with a baby. In one scene, they give a tip on how to know whether the baby is hungry or not. They say, put your fingers beside baby's mouth; if they follow your finger, that means they're hungry, and u should feed him milk.
The truth is; this is what we call 'Rooting reflex', a primitive reflex a baby had. It doesn't even means that the baby is hungry or anything! This reflex will make the baby to open his mouth and follow the finger. Another example for a reflex is 'Grasp reflex' --where babies will grasp tightly anything given in their palm of hand.
the other image is plantar reflex
There is another situation I experience while taking care of my Arif (my irresistible nephew). I asked akak; how to know if he wants to drink? Akak said: Put ur finger inside his mouth. If he sucks, that means he wants the milk. But this is not the thing too. There's sucking reflex as well ~
For further info regarding baby's reflexes, u can read more here.
Ahh.. well.. I hadn't realize this till now. There's a line in the link above said "A hungry infant will turn the head to the right or left when the cheek is brushed.." HUNGRY. okay. I didn't learn that in class. But the thing is, it is still apparent after feeding. So not necessarily means baby is hungry? Maybe they are sleepy after feeding or interest is focused on something else?
In correlation with this bad winter we are facing here now in Egypt, I'd like to share some bad situations that i went through these couple of days.
All through my years studying here, cold weather is always preceded by warnings like rain, gradual decrease in temperature, policeman changing their suit into a thick, different colored one, and those sort of things. This year, rain started like a month ago but still the weather is hot i am sweating walking in the road. Raining 2-3 times in a month but still..winter hasn't come. Last week, suddenly it rained again and it was hell cold. Winds suddenly blow hard the whole day that 4 factories collapsed at Alex as we all heard. I don't usually use heater to warm my room but this time of the year, the pain the cold brings is unbearable. Heater is suddenly compulsory!
The cold itself is killing me, let alone the electricity problems we are facing. Everyday since the day of sudden fall of temperature, starting 4pm - 7/8 pm, electric current went down. I don't mean black-outs; it's just that most of the lights in the house went off. I depend on small yellow bulb i had hanging in my room by chance to study. I depend on candles to cook and going to toilet. Our living and dinings are just lit by 3 small-disco-like bulbs embedded in the ceiling also by chance. (this means too heater in bathroom is not functioning, also in the rooms..even blenders, irons aren't functioning). So its dark and its cold. yeah. And yesterday, it became worse; the thing started as early as 10 am!. Needless to say today, Friday; which is a weekend holiday for all, electricity is off since 6 to around 11 am i guess. What the..! How's tonight, how's tomorrow..? I can't even think of..
Egyptian men. Cold weather. what's their link? parasympathetic stimulation? arousal? Taxi drivers, bus attendant, bus passenger.. name it. I had had the experience. All this while i just been hearing things and rumors of sexual harassment done to Malaysian students by the Arabs. Now i know what to feel about it & how they did it. Beware! Egyptians are never to be trusted.
# Sitting in the front seat of a taxi/ bus, and while changing the gear, the distal 2 of their fingers rub on your thigh. # Sitting in a bus and suddenly a hand appears on the side of the seat and try rubbing your torso. Or sense of fingers rubbing you buttocks coming from in between the seats. # Walking pass a man and suddenly a hand slapped your feminine body.
What? we wear baju kurung most of the time and still no respect is given. Imagine those wearing tight clothes exposing here and there.. I don't know what kinda trouble it dragged them into.
Walking animals they are! Memorize these sentences and be ready to shout at them whenever needed:
--> KHEREB BEITAK! = may your house burn to the ground! -->HARAM ALAIK = it's prohibited -->MA FISY HADAB = no manners
What do we do? What do u think is the solution to this matter? ..End of part 1..
Following is a story i found at Ust. Syauqi's blog. A nice one. The one related to the title of the post: Read and ponder!
Seorang anak mengeluh pada ayahnya mengenai kehidupannya dan bertanya mengapa hidup ini terasa begitu sukar dan menyakitkan baginya. Dia tidak tahu bagaimana untuk menghadapinya dan hampir menyerah kalah dalam kehidupan. Setiap kali satu masalah selesai, timbul pula masalah baru.
Ayahnya yang bekerja sebagai tukang masak membawa anaknya itu ke dapur. Dia mengisi tiga buah periuk dengan air dan menjerangkannya di atas api. Setelah air di dalam ketiga periuk tersebut mendidih, dia memasukkan lobak merah di dalam periuk pertama, telur dalam periuk kedua dan serbuk kopi dalam periuk terakhir.
Dia membiarkannya mendidih tanpa berkata-kata. Si anak tertanya-tanya dan menunggu dengan tidak sabar sambil memikirkan apa yang sedang dilakukan oleh ayahnya.
Setelah 20 minit, si ayah mematikan api. Dia menyisihkan lobak dan menaruhnya dalam mangkuk, mengangkat telur dan meletakkannya dalam mangkuk yang lain dan menuangkan kopi di mangkuk lain.
Lalu dia bertanya kepada anaknya, "Apa yang kau lihat, nak?" "Lobak, telur dan kopi", jawab si anak.
Ayahnya meminta anaknya merasa lobak itu. Dia melakukannya dan berasa bahawa lobak itu sedap dimakan. Ayahnya meminta mengambil telur itu dan memecahkannya. Setelah membuang kulitnya, dia dapati sebiji telur rebus yang isinya sudah keras.
Terakhir, ayahnya meminta untuk merasa kopi. Dia tersenyum ketika meminum kopi dengan aromanya yang wangi.
Setelah itu, si anak bertanya, "Apa erti semua ini, ayah?" Ayah menerangkan bahawa ketiga-tiga bahan itu telah menghadapi kesulitan yang sama, direbus dalam air dengan api yang panas tetapi masing-masing menunjukkan reaksi yang berbeza.
Lobak sebelum direbus kuat, keras dan sukar dipatahkan. Tetapi setelah direbus, lobak menjadi lembut dan mudah dimakan. Telur pula sebelumnya mudah pecah dengan isinya yang berupa cairan. Tetapi setelah direbus, isinya menjadi keras. Serbuk kopi pula mengalami perubahan yang unik. Setelah berada di dalam rebusan air, serbuk kopi mengubah warna dan rasa air tersebut.
"Kamu termasuk golongan yang mana? Air panas yang mendidih itu umpama kesukaran dan dugaan yang bakal kamu lalui. Ketika kesukaran dan kesulitan itu mendatangimu, bagaimana harus kau menghadapinya ? Apakah kamu seperti lobak, telur atau kopi ?" tanya ayahnya.
Bagaimana dengan anda ? Apakah anda adalah lobak yang kelihatan keras, tapi dengan adanya penderitaan dan kesulitan, anda menyerah menjadi lembut dan kehilangan kekuatanmu.
Atau, apakah kamu adalah telur yang pada awalnya memiliki hati lembut, dengan jiwa yang dinamis ? Namun setelah adanya kematian, patah hati, penceraian atau apa saja cabaran dalam kehidupan akhirnya anda menjadi anda menjadi keras dan kaku. Dari luar kelihatan sama, tetapi apakah kamu menjadi pahit dan keras dengan jiwa dan hati yang kaku ?
#telur skrg berharga 50 sen egypt sebutir :P
Atau adakah kamu serbuk kopi ? Yang berjaya mengubah air panas, sesuatu yang menimbulkan kesakitan, untuk mencapai rasa yang maksimum pada suhu 100 darjah celcius. Ketika air mencapai suhu terpanas, kopi akan terasa semakin nikmat.
Jika kamu seperti serbuk kopi, ketika keadaan menjadi semakin buruk atau memuncak, kamu akan menjadi semakin baik dan membuat keadaan di sekitarmu juga menjadi semakin baik. Samalah halnya dengan serbuk kopi yang berjaya mengubah air panas yang membakarnya menjadikan ia lebih sedap dan enak untuk diminum. Apakah anda seperti itu ?"
Harini hari cuti sempena Maal Hijrah.. esok dah kelas pulak. So, memandangkan saya dan ahli Beyt Hurul 'Ain, Ayu (nama sebenar dirahsiakan :P) dah lama xbuat kuih sama2, dan adik kepada Ayu jugak mencabarnya untuk menyiapkan kuih2 yang comel ini, maka seawal jam 8pagi, kami memulakan tugas suri2 rumahtangga iaitu 'cabaran menyiapkan sarapan untuk suami anda'. haha
Kuih pertama yang menjadi pilihan hati ialah kuih Keria, atau kuih Gelang.. mengikut negeri dan daerah masing2. Resepi kuih ini di sumbangkan oleh Ayu. Saya hanya menjadi assistant sahaja :)) Ini cara2 membuat kuih keria (khas buat adik kepada Ayu :p)
Langkah pertama: Rebus ubi manis dan tinggalkan kering.
Langkah kedua: Lenyekkan ubi dan letakkan tepung disebelah ubi (back to back appearance :))
Langkah ketiga: Ambil ubi dan tepung dan bentukkan bulat mengikut kebesaran yang dikehendaki.
Langkah keempat: Buat lubang di tengah2 bulatan tadi dengan menggunakan jari kelingking untuk hasil yang lebih comel. hehe
Goreng2 sehingga warna bertukar bronze..
Lepas goreng, roll kuih tadi kedalam gula yang telah di blend, dan hidang!
(seperti yang telah diberitahu, resepi ini milik Ayu, maka versi ini mungkin berbeza dengan versi asal yang menggunakan gula cair)
*Untuk adik kepada Ayu: "Siapa kata kak Ayu xpandai buat kuih keria~~ " ^_^ v
Setelah habis projek pertama dengan hasil yang agak memuaskan, (hehe) kami beralih pula kepada projek kedua iaitu 'cabaran menyiapkan minum petang untuk suami anda'.. Untuk projek kedua, kuih karipap menjadi pilihan!
Mari kita belajar cara buat karipap versi kami.. Ayu menjadi assistant kepada saya dalam menyiapkan cabaran kedua. hehe
Langkah 1: Sediakan tepung, letakkan minyak kedalamnya, dan perhalusi sehingga menjadi kasar (friable).
Langkah 2: Masukkan air garam kedalam adunan tepung tadi dan adun sekuat hati sehingga boleh dibentuk
Langkah 3: Potong2 kan adunan tadi sehingga menjadi bulat2 kecil supaya senang dibentuk nanti
Langkah 4: Tumiskan bawang, udang kering dan serbuk kari dan campurkan dengan ubi yg telah dipotong dadu.
Langkah 5: Masukkan air dan yg seangkatan dengannya dan keringkan.
Bentukkan dan kelimkan dengan kesenian tangan masing2 dan goreng!
Siap dihidang!
*Untuk adik kepada Ayu: "Siapa kata kak Ayu xpandai buat kuih karipap" ~~ ^_^ v An effort this special just got to be shared! So we did.. hehe I wonder apalah komen mereka2 yang telah merasa kuih kami yang kurang serba serbi ni.
A thing about good food ; It brings folks together from all walks of life. It warms them up and it puts little smiles on their faces :))
p/s: senang je buat kuih. yang penting ada masa dan kesabaran! hihi and whats more important:
"The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"
Harini 5 Dec.. hari yang ditunggu2 dan yg telah memeningkan kepala2 student2 sem 8 sejak kebelakangan ni. Midsem exam untuk round Obstetric & Gyne yang kami ambik sejak 2 bulan setengah yang lalu. About the exam~~ hurmmm not that easy I can say. 44 soalan EMQ (extended matching question) & 16 soalan MCQ. Tekejut jugak bila bukak kertas tu sbb soalan pertama pun dah tak sure. Tapi insyaAllah, kita dah usaha sehabis baik. Moga2 semua dapat result yg baik2 belaka.
Ini sticker besar pelbagai kaler yg banyak membantu dalam acara pen'study'an i..kih3
So, sepanjang 2 bulan setengah belajar pasal sakit puan & mengandung ni, apa conclusion yg i dapat? Let me list some.. weird / interesting /unbelievable facts:
#1: Menopause itu bermaksud berhentinya darah period selama paling kurang 12 bulan. Kalau dah xda darah selama 12 bulan, pastu tiba2 berdarah balik, sila lah berjumpa dgn doktor secepat mungkin. bahaya!
#2: Keputihan itu ada yg normal & ada yg x normal. Normal apabila warnanya putih, tidak berbau dan tidak gatal. Ianya banyak apabila tiba waktu subur. Its totally NORMAL bila sentiasa terasa underwear basah.
#3: Tempoh berpantang dalam istilah medik ialah sepanjang 6minggu, dimana organ2 yg berubah ketika mengandung kembali ke bentuk asal.
#4: Wanita2 yang menghidap penyakit kencing manis perlu strictly control penyakit ini selama 2-3 bulan sebelum mengandung untuk mengelakkan kecacatan kepada bayi.
#5: Soya mengandungi hormon estrogen & sesuai diambil untuk mengelakkan osteoporosis dikalangan wanita yang telah menopause.
#6: Pemakaian seluar dalam yg lembab atau terlalu ketat boleh mengakibatkan jangkitan kuman.
#7: Sakit ketika period akan hilang setelah melahirkan anak atau keguguran kandungan.
#8: 50-60% wanita yang mengalami PMS (premenstrual symptom) mempunyai masalah psykologi!
#9: Muntah yg tidak normal ketika mengandung ialah apabila ia berlaku selepas 3 bulan umur kehamilan & menyebabkan perut ibu kosong tanpa makanan.
#10: Once you pernah buat c-sect, other delivery should be conduct in the hospital. Once dah 2 kali buat c-sect, always c-sect afterward.
#11: Wanita memerlukan lemak yg cukup dalam badan bagi menukarkannya kepada hormon estrogen untuk keseimbangan. (kurus sgt xbagus..)
#12: Jus lemon dan cuka boleh digunakan untuk membunuh sperma (bagi tujuan merancang kehamilan)
okaii.. rasanya banyak benda yg interesting waktu belajar dulu, tapi xingat la pulak.. patutnya bila dapat tau, terus share baru tak lupa. :))
Esok start round untuk pediatricss.. Ayeff~ aunty will be studying about u! *Akak, jgn malas2 update blog ayeff okeh! senang sikit nak stadi, ingat Arif je.
Selamat tinggal O&G buat sementara waktu. . PEDIATICS.. cerita kita baru bermula :)
Today is the first day of Hari Raya Haji holiday. Cuti Raya di Egypt ni seminggu, unlike Malaysia yg dapat cuti sehari je. yeke? For the time being, i'll be staying home, sehari sebelum raya baru balik kampung (a.k.a Rumah Sabah, Cairo). I'm just not in the mood yet to bukak buku now (after doing the weekly laundry), so here i am jotting down some words.
Yesterday was my 4th time going to the labor ward (ward bersalin).. Every other day, i wasnt lucky that no one is having their baby at the time i was there. Yesterday was an experience. My first time actually, seeing in- labor- mother going through her 1st stage of labor. Readers.. labor has 3 stages:
1) CERVICAL DILATATION AND EFFACEMENT where the cervix dilates to give enough space for the baby to be born. It takes 12-20 hours.. which depends on how fast the cervix can dilate. it is here in this stage that mothers will experience pain.
2) FETAL EXPULSION now, after the birth canal is already set for the baby, they will be born! takes half an hour to 2 hours. what i'm so geram about is seeing this tiny cute baby being born with their eyes close, with perfect calmness and comfort while their mothers struggle to push them out! (tapi xpa, because soon after, they'll have their first cry and started to breath on their own) Doktor2 risau kalau baby xnangis, sebab tangisan pertama ni lah yang membantu paru-paru baby mengembang untuk membolehkan baby bernafas sendiri..
3) PLACENTAL DELIVERY soon after the baby is born, placental will be delivered (placenta as in tembuni? if i'm not mistaken)
Coming back to the mother in the labor ward. She shouted her throat off, i'm telling u. ( lebih teruk jeritannya berbanding the one i experienced in bone marrow aspiration)
this is one of the site of having the bone marrow sample
notice the large bore needle?!
sample is taken
Really loud that the whole ward in tense of it. I guess this is why people say suara boleh pecah lepas melahirkan.. I asked the doctor about patient's history, and doc said she has been there since last night, thats why she looks so exhausted. (so is the doctor.. tgk kami mcm nak makan org. nasib baik kami xdijerit sekali) and its her first baby..which makes it a more difficult and painful.
We waited an hour and a half i guess, before baby is ready to be delivered. The ward is next to the labor room, so the mother had to walk herself to the next room. Begaduh2 pakai surgery robe, tup tup baby dah lahir! so easy.. doctors have to make episiotomy to the mom.(cutting of the canal to make more space). one of my friend tried to take pictures and record the event but was scolded by the doctor. so no pics then.
Its a baby boy. and he's adorable. His head was a bit oblong, as to fit in the narrow birth canal. (it'll be in normal shape again after weeks). He cried after being slapped by the midwife who handle him. a really soft cry.
After seeing placental delivery, we rush for our next class~
( a wonderful first experience i can say )
so cute!
baby spanked to stimulate respiration
***
Enough about babies. There's another interesting something i wanna share. We learned about technologies emerging to help couples have babies.. There's IVF (in vitro fertilization as we know it/ or so called test tube baby), and others. Learning of the topic, our doctor raised an issue about China with its one child policy.
It has started in the 70's to control population growth in the country and the effects on their economic status. Stating from the web: the economic causes are; to reduce the demand of natural resource, maintain a steady labor rate, reducing unemployment caused from surplus labor, and reduce rate of exploitation.. Guess Chinese is all about business and money huh?
'for a prosperous, powerful nation, and a happy family, please use birth planning'
Thinking about the effects of such law despite to increase the wealthiness of the country; there's increasing abortion rate (possibly because they prefer boys than girls), abandoned unwanted childre, social problems of a precious child (they used to call this very precious one child as the 'little emperor', who was excessively treated, with no ability to live independently), unequality of both sexes, unequal enforcement (rich people can have second child by paying fines-- very unfair!), over-dependent of old people to retirement funds and charity (well.. 4 grandparents with 2 parents and a child.. that's kinda imbalance).. There's also increasing usage of technology for the rich, as the law stated: no penalties for multiple pregnancy in the first birth.
What are they thinking? Aren't there anybody who'll be speaking for themselves about the stupid regulation? Or do they obey because they're born to be dictated by tyranny?
This semester is all about disease of women, pregnancy, and babies! When I learn about women.. which means learning about myself, sometimes there's self-pity.
Women faces many2 problems since the day they were born. till puberty.. till childbearing age, till menopause.. even after menopause, disease are coming after us more than they come after the guys- proved by taking gynecology in our MD other than studying andrology. Too many, and too complicated, yet too interesting to deal with; as our doctor said. I guess that's why there's more male gynecologist compared to female, maybe they can't bear it to see one of their kind getting looked at, being the trial of drugs and procedures, living their lives at stake with complications of the disease she's having.
Starting on the first day a girl is born, they may bleed per vagina (which is perfectly normal) because of maternal hormone withdrawal. Going to adolescent age.. our genital system is easily infected--for many reason i'm not gonna write. Going to childbearing age.. facing the risk of ectopic pregnancy (mengandung luar rahim)--which mostly managed by surgery, pregnancy and its effects on every inch of our body (i do mean every single inch). Menopause: again, changes a person has to confront; sometimes all her life afterward. inability to sleep? feeling hot and sweat all the time? bone ache? heart problem? u name it.
I remember when one of my doctor told us about his experience working in the UK. He said women there are so strong and violent and rude that they can't be easily talked to, examined.. or anything. They were protected by Women Rights in every aspects of life-- and that he hates it! he prefers it in Egypt because here women don't have voices.--and this is a man talking, who has a WIFE who made his house a home, prepared his clothes, food, children so he can be happily living life. He even say his mat salleh girlfriend is wayyyyy more prettier than his wife. (what ever happen to true love?) Hurmm i don't know why i'm bringing this up. maybe there's a burning fire hiding inside myself , which tries peeking out.
Being a women gives us easy pass to heaven.. and that's ALHAMDULILLAH.
Sebuah hadis Nabi menyatakan: Daripada Anas, Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam bersabda yang bermaksud: "Apabila seorang perempuan mendirikan sembahyang lima waktu, berpuasa sebulan (Ramadhan), menjaga kehormatan dan taat kepada suami, dia akan disuruh memasuki syurga melalui mana-mana pintu yang dia sukai." (Hadis Riwayat Ahmad)
See..? At least 4 basic act, (which is already compulsory from the start) can lead us to Jannah. This is the unbiased justice we can find in Islam and nowhere else. So women out there.. no matter how hard it was and what is going to be, remember Allah's promise, for Allah never break His promises. Protect our dignity, be courteous, be faithful; as "Sesungguhnya sopan santun dan keimanan adalah saling berkaitan, jika salah satunya dikeluarkan, yang satu lagi juga akan hilang serentak." (Hadis Riwayat Baihaqi)
***************************************
and another story to ponder about:
Once, a man asked Abu Bakr r.a. what if the Jannah does not exist. What did you miss through out your worldly enjoyment? Abu Bakr said, “I would still enjoy doing good deeds even if there is no Jannah!”
The man stood silently and then asked permission to leave. But then Abu Bakr stopped him and said, “I also have a question for you. What if the Hellfire does really exist? What have you done to your worldly life (responsibility)?
Alhamdulillah after 5 days of fridge-less, at last it functions again. Lucky me who kept the warranty of 2 years properly. Warranty in Arabic is dhaman. Instead of paying approx. L.E 700 for replacing the coils and compressor, I just paid L.E 20 for the upah. (ni pun sebenarnya nak ditiadakan tapi ustaz yg jd jurucakap pun xdapat nak gaduh).
They said at first the gas- conducting coils broke. But after replacement, it still hasn't function. Rupa-rupanya there's a problem with the compressor too. Definitely a thing the manufacturer should be blamed about. Our 'icebox' is still so young at age..
The repairer accused us of 'overusing' this icebox.. apekehal? He said we didn't switch it off while we went for holiday.. which we did. And klu pasang pun apa salahnya.. org yang tak balik bercuti takkan la dengan tak pasal2 nak matikan jugak peti sejuk tu? Arab2.. they tried to find fault in everything; as if they're always right.. This is what i HATE the most about Egypt--The arrogance of their people. (but some are of course excluded)
Tapi takpalah. At least dah settled. This repair cost me L.E 20 + my absence to class this morning..
beginilah kualiti camera MyIman ..hik3
new compressor and coil
ALASKA.. the new one. yg hijau tu we bought 2nd hand for L.E 400, and only survived less than a year. Dats why ALASKA was brought in. At least it has a warranty.
bukak puasa waktu 1st year di luar (if i'm not mistaken la)
These 2 sayings are the most common words to be heard during the Holy month of Ramadhan in Egypt. I had spent the whole month fasting during my first year there. Despite of its extremely hot weather, the 'sungkai' -as what the sabahan call it (fast-breaking) is earlier than in Malaysia.
Good thing about Egypt is that; everyday, everywhere-- when Maghrib came, people carrying trays of drinking water and dates will be seen. So even if u're stuck in a traffic, u don't have to worry thinking about what to break your fast with. (my brother once joked-- "kalau takda makanan mau bukak puasa, korekla hidung; kasi batal puasa~" :D kwang 3 !)
Rich businessmen in Egypt like to spend their money for iftar. Malaysian students (especially guys) like to attend this event as their food are tasty and plenty!
Now, talking about good behaviors we can commit in this holy month-- which is DONATING. (Tak perlu tunggu bulan puasa baru nak buat baik)-true. But since its Ramadhan, lets double or triple or quadruple our good deeds to gain Allah's Blessings. AVOID AVOID AVOID bad behaviors, because like the title of this post says--our body will speak on behalf of our mouth when that day come. So beware!
A minimum donation of RM 100 is nothing compared to the reward Allah promised thereafter.
"Perumpamaan (nafkah yang dikeluarkan oleh) orang-orang yang menafkahkan hartanya di jalan Allah adalah serupa dengan sebutir benih yang menumbuhkan tujuh bulir, pada tiap-tiap bulir: seratus biji. Allah melipat gandakan (ganjaran) bagi siapa yang Dia kehendaki. Dan Allah Maha Luas (karunia-Nya) lagi Maha Mengetahui. " (Al baqarah: 261)
Lets read some facts regarding renal stone --a post as requested by a friend of mine.
Our kidney has thousands of important function; which one of those are the excretion of urine. We have tracts which transport these urine from kidney to outside our body. Once the tract is interrupted and blocked by crystal precipitate a.k.a stone, symptoms of urolthiasis will develop. Lets first see basics of our urinary tract: It starts from the 2 kidneys, followed by 2 ureters into the bladder, and lastly to urethra, connecting to outside our body. (as the photo show)
Urolithiasis is the most common disease occurring in our urinary tract. It occurs more in males in their 20-30's. It seldomly occur in female, because we have more crystal inhibitors; preventing stone formation in our body compared to men. Furthermore, men's testosterone predispose more to stone formation. Thank you Allah! hehe
Things like these can predispose to renal stone: -low water intake -low urine output volume -high protein intake, high sodium intake (salt), low calcium intake (milk) -recurrent urinary tract infection -other causes needless to discuss (related to other diseases understandable to meds students only :P) -to those having gout; be more cautious as the disease itself can lead to this urolithiasis
Patients could have symptoms like pain in urinating, red urine, loin pain, or absolute absence of urine.
In treating the disease, we aim to reduce the growth of existed stones and prevent its recurrence. Of course, first of all, prevention is better than cure. Drink lots of water of at least 2 liters per day, distributed equally throughout the day, drink more milk, reduce salt intake, take moderate amount of protein, reduce food high in oxalate for example; spinach, star fruits, black pepper, berries, mangoes, black tea, cocoa, strawberry, cabbage.. also--avoid Vitamin D supplement!
Once you already develop stone, steps of management will be done beginning with; 1. medical treatment 2. non invasive extra-corporeal shockwave therapy (ESWL) 3. endoscopic treatment and 4. surgical intervention.
It is important to know that 30% patients develop stones and it pass spontaneously without any symptoms, but the remaining will be seeking medical attention.
Medical treatment includes giving patients drugs according to the nature of the stone ( the stone can be acidic, alkaline ).
Patients will be subjected to ESWL if medical treatment fails. This therapy uses shock wave from outside the body exactly at the site where the stone resides. It will break the stone into small pieces to let it pass naturally through urine. This therapy is useless if stone diameter exceeds 2 cm.
Moving to the next step, we might interfere using endoscope if drugs and ESWL is to no avail.
It will enter through u-know-where down there.. I've seen doctors doing this procedure couple of times before. Though they put some lubricants before introducing; it still looks pretty painful. Looking at the stone from inside, doctors may take the stone as it is, or produce mechanical compression to break it, or emit laser wave to disintegrate it.--as long as it relieves the blockage.
The last intervention is to do open surgery to remove the blockage. (we will not proceed to surgery unless all other management steps fails as opens surgery carry higher risk of complications)
thats me in the OT (berbincang dgn doc la konon :P)
So, readers, take note of those foods leading to stones-- eat more citrate fruits (oranges, lime, pineapples), and drink karkadeh as recommended by my doctor. (karkadeh is hibiscus drink- ever drink them? it taste like ribena)
this is the normal view (notes the urine passing from kidney to the bladder)
this is a stone obstructing the flow (the large oval white mass)
My housemate and I left for Cairo yesterday. So we're currently in Cairo, staying at Sabah State Shelter (<--that sounds like a shelter for the homeless).
Its actually a flat house flooded by Sabahan students studying at Cairo.. But this arent the point i'm writing today though. The point is; it hasn't reach 24hrs staying here yet, that my nose already bleeds -causing me to wake up from my deep sleep.
It's extremely hot here in Cairo, compared to our hometown Mansoura. 38 degrees i bet. Guess my nasal arteries can't adapt to the temperature change that it throws it's tantrum :).. cute arteries~ So now lets see some facts about nosebleed or the medical term-- 'epistaxis':
- it can be self-limited or a medical emergency - it is usually a nuisance, but can be life threatening especially in elderly.
- it can be caused by simple irritation, or trauma, or tumors, or prolonged respiratory infection or allergy, or idiopathic (unknown)-- (like Dr House says-- idiopathic is an italic word of idiocy as we can't determine its cause. {I'm Dr Gregory House number 1 fan ^_^ })
- when one experience epistaxis, don't panic. Just rush to the sink, pinch or clip your nose until the bleeding stops--putting pressure on a traumatized artery controls bleeding. This manouver is also true for any bleeding site allover the body (remember! when facing emergency situations of bleeding, raise the bleeding part of trunk/limb, and put pressure on it. This can help saving one's life from dying running out of blood. Ice packs also can be used as cold made the arteries constrict; thus decrease the bleeding. When the amount is huge, go to your doctors so they can evaluate the cause of bleeding. * I don't know what else to write.
Hurm.. have u watched My Sister's Keeper? The movie shows a storyline of a leukemic patient living her life. Great movie. It made me remember the manifestations of leukemia easier for the exams. It involves blood a lot. Go watch and relate it with epistaxis then~
I'm looking forward to fly for summer holiday in Malaysia soon. Its unconditionally, irrevocably BORING staying here after the exams. Only God knows how. hehe
Ever feels frustrated with life? Or feels the world has started to fall -- on your shoulder alone? I had. Tough few months of my lives i thought, but not anymore. Now I realize how small it was and I shouldn't had burden my mind and soul thinking about them in that much depth.-- and that was after reading few pages of this book I stole from Abah's bookshelf at home. :P.. UNLIMITED POWER. (Anthony Robbins). So when things started to go upside down; clench your fists and shout to yourself: I will not fall!
These are the extracts I think which are most important. Enjoy reading!
Life will pay you whatever you ask of it. Ask for a quarter, and that's what you'll get. Ask for resounding joy and success, you'll get that too. If you learn to manage your states and behavior, you can change everything. You can learn what to ask of life, and you can be sure to get it.
1. You must learn how to handle frustration.
Frustration can kill dreams; which happen all the time. It can change a positive attitude to a negative one, an empowering state into a crippling one. The worst thing a negative attitude does is wipe out self-discipline; and when it's gone, the results we desire will be gone. Its probably not easy to handle such frustration especially when that's the only thing which keep you going. But it'll get easier. The pain of it will not fade; but it'll get easier with time. There's always great frustrations on the road to any great success.
Here's a 2 step formula for handling stress: i. Don't sweat the small stuff. ii. Remember; its all small stuff.
2. You must learn how to handle rejection.
We don't create limits to ourselves just by fear in a little two-lettered word 'no'. (this is applicable in any matter in life-- business, studies, relationships). The word itself has no power. It can't cut your skin or sap your strength. The power comes with how we represents it to ourselves; from the limits it made you create-- and limited thought create limited lives. Remember, success is buried on the other side of rejection.
3. You must learn to handle financial pressure.
O yeah.. This has always been a problem. The only way not to have financial pressures is not to have any finance...!!.. Money is like everything else. You can make it work for you, or you can let it work against you. Deal with it as with anything else in mind; with the same purpose and elegance. Learn to make it , to save and to give. The book urges those who make money to give 10% of each paycheck away-- to someone who needs them more. It teaches us the value of giving and make us believe that we earn more than enough. More than enough means no pressure by end of the month.
4. You must learn to handle complacency.
A person who is too comfortable stops growing, and stops creating added value. LAO-TSU once said "That which is achieved the most, still has the whole of its future yet to be achieved". You're either climbing or you're sliding. That's the only choice.
There's one kind of complacency which comes from comparison. We might, once in our lives think that we were doing well because we were well compared to the people we knew. That's one big mistake! It may just means that our friends aren't doing well, and the fact that we haven't give enough of ourselves to it. There are millions of people who did better then, so whats with the satisfaction? We have to learn to judge ourselves by our goals instead of by what our peers seem to be doing.
5. Always give more than you expect to receive.
The secret of living is giving. You've got to be willing to plant the seed and then nurture its growth. Water it, fertilize it and take real good care of it. Then, if you do it well, you will get your plant and fruits sometime later. There's no such thing in life as waiting-to-be-given-something of. When you start to wait, it has already gone before you know it. Of course, we can make big achievements by ourselves; but we don't really have power, we don't have real wealth. If we make it to the top of 'success mountain' all by ourselves, we'll probably end up jumping off! So give, and share, and love even if the possibility to receive good deed is so tiny. Like people always say; do good anyway~
Muslims are only human. Many of them may wish to celebrate the rituals of “true love” and other illusions and delusions imported from the western world.
Let us remember that when we face our respective Days of Judgment, we will be examined according to how we fulfilled our duties in life, NOT according to how many times we “fell in love”.
The duties upon which we will be examined, after our religious rites and rituals, may indeed require loving relationships and atmospheres to establish. However, this “thing called love” can only be inferred from how we treat our families, relatives, neighbors, and fellow human beings.
“Love” in the absence of the hard evidence of good behavior and performance of duties cannot be said to be relevant to our Judgment Day.
There was a saint in Catholic history, named Valentine. Evidently, his heart was pierced as he died upon a cross of some sort, so that he is referred to in connection with all the customs attending to the western Christian habits of romantic love.
It seems he loved his people very much and endured a cruel death as punishment for defending their rights to love one another.
Some western government officials once came to Malaysia, to promote education in the USA. When the Muslim students in their audience asked about hostel facilities, they were told that in many American campuses, students could choose between same-sex hostels and co-ed hostels.
Some students mentioned that co-ed hostels would be forbidden to Muslims, whereupon the American officials said something like, “We are sure that your parents have brought you up with good, strong values, so that the co-ed hostel would not cause you to misbehave.” -->WTH?
As the Muslims in the audience sat there somewhat stunned, one of the older Muslim males stood up and said he was sorry, but the Qur’an does not lead us to believe that single men and women of any sexually-active age could possibly trust themselves to avoid the major sin of “zina” in such circumstances as co-ed hostels.
Moreover, he said, the fathers of the young students present WOULD NOT APPRECIATE these westerners offering such facilities to their children. He himself stated flatly that his own daughters would not be allowed within thousands of miles of such institutions, or of people whose understanding of human nature was so totally contrary to what we are taught in our Qur’an and Sunnah.
This man was more or less cheered by the good Muslim youth in attendance at this conference, possibly because they were too polite to speak in this way themselves. The westerners had nothing but silence in response to the older Muslim’s stated position, and that was more or less the end of that conference session.
Muslim youth must understand that the end of the Valentine’s Day customs is exactly what the Americans offered with their so-called “liberal” housing facilities for college students.
Moreover, there is no point taking even one step along a road that you do not intend to travel. There is no point in public school students exchanging “Valentine’s Cards”, with such messages as “You are my Valentine!”, and pictures of red hearts pierced by an arrow (drawn from the original Saint Valentine experience).
Pairing off for marriage is the key to the second 50% of being Muslim, as the Prophet said in one of his accepted Hadith. For this, we need the most wisdom we can possibly gather, whether from our parents, our learned scholars, our older relatives, or whomever else. Do we need the “wisdom” of Catholic statues for this decision?
We learn that sociological statistics do NOT indicate any greater stability or success-rate for romance-based marriages. Marriages arranged by families, or the ones well safeguarded within the Shariah boundaries, however unwelcome they may temporarily seem to their children, or however “out of fashion”, are seen by the sociologists’ statistics to be equally successful as romantic pairing.
The West is so confused on the meaning of “love” that they use the same word in their language for the feeling you have for your spouse, the feeling you have for your parents, the feeling you have for your friend, your house, your hobby, your favorite food, your pet bird, or even eating at McDonald’s.
We have another word for the feelings we have for our parents or children in the Islamic culture – “mahabbah”. It is perhaps relevant for us to refer to one of Syaikh Dr. Muhammad Afifi Al-Akiti’s writings in explaining the concept of ‘mahabbah’ as the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) taught us.
The Hadith lA yu’minu aHadukumHattA yuHibba liakhIhi mA yuHibbu li-nafsihi
[literally: None of you believes until he wants for his brother what he would want for himself].
Syaikh Afifi : the most judicious explanation of this hadith, by the collector, Imam Nawawi himself (and the same sharh was again related, but later ascribed by some to another Shafi’i jurist, the meticulous Ibn al-’Imad to the effect: It is better for that (the saying of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) to be interpreted in the sense of universal brotherhood, so that it includes the non-Muslim and the Muslim. Thus he wants for his non-Muslim brother what he would want for himself that is [read: min li-l-bayan] his converting to Islam; just as he wants for his Muslim brother, his remaining in Islam. That is why it is recommended to supplicate for Divine guidance [Hidaya] on behalf of the non-Muslim. [Nawawi, Sharh Arba'in, 123] [See: The Meaning of Universal Brotherhood http://www.livingislam.org/maa/mubn_e.html].
Why, then, observe this Valentine’s Day that celebrates a concept about which the westerners themselves are totally confused, even in their own languages?
The Valentine’s Day concept embraces the model of a Catholic Saint, and its statues, for its observances. It moves you in the direction of that dangerous border between “halal” and “haram”. It may even move you in the direction of the one sin that Allah will never forgive, the sin of “syirik”.
Rejecting Valentine’s Day is therefore not only a matter of sentimental inconvenience. It is a matter of keeping us as far away as possible from a sin or sins that we may find hanging forever around our necks after we die.
the other image is plantar reflex
my irresistible ayef..
..and the baby from the movie
