Massive Boil!

I don't know how, and I don't know why something that started off as a little skin irritation, to a little pimple, could grow into something so massive and so scary looking.

I may have been bitten by something during my sleep, or maybe it's just that I have too much toxins in my body. Whatever it is, this is the scariest boil I've ever had! Just within a matter of a few days, the little dot grew into a huge hole with pus and blood threatening to ooze out.

Yesterday was the day my condition took a turn. The boil was ripe enough for the pus to be easily squeezed out. And today, the bump has subsided quite a lot, and it isn't as scarily protruding as it looked the last few days. Seriously, when my bump was at its peak, it looked like I was about to grow a horn, or creepy crawlies would start emerging from the hole.

So painful, so ugly, so scary.

My Running Milestone

I've always been challenging myself with my runs. To be faster and to have more endurance for distance.

After running consistently for nearly 2 years now, I've finally outdone myself.

On 25 Jan, I did a leisure 5km run which included pretty steep slopes at my estate. When I stopped to check the timing at my 5km mark, I surprised myself with a timing of 28:51. That was by far my fastest timing for 5km I've ever done! After that day, I was unable to achieve a timing that was as good as that, but mostly around 29mins to 32mins.

On 17 Feb, I pushed myself to do a 10km run as I haven't done a non-stop 10km run in a long long time and HK's Standard Chartered run was around the corner. Again, my run included slopes, and this time round, I did 2 small slopes and 3 steep long slopes. And once again, the timing surprised me! My previous personal best for 10km was about 1 hour 3 mins, so when I saw 1:00:55, I couldn't believe it, but yes I did it!

On 19 Feb, just 2 days after I broke my 10km PB, I did it again. In this run, not only did I beat my 5km PB and 10km PB, but I also met my personal goal and challenge of completing a 10km run in under an hour! This was definitely a crazy milestone for me as I never really believed that I could achieve this goal for I've had 3 occurrences of Pneumothorax and even had a lung operation for it in 2009.

I've come a long way. From struggling and being medically diagnosed with an eating disorder since 18, to having 3 Pneumothorax attacks, to a lung operation. I've always been a little round when I was younger, so I started a harmless diet but it slowly spiraled into an ED unknowingly which eventually led me to the depths of an ED. I now know that health is more important, and with proper exercise, eating whatever I want is possible. I can say that although I still watch what I eat (most of the time), I'm very much free from the clutches of the devil. Running has taken its place, and challenging myself to greater heights is something I truly love.

I'm so happy that I managed to do a 10km run in under an hour. This has got to be my greatest running achievement so far. =) I'm so looking forward to Hong Kong this weekend for I'll be bringing running to a whole new level and an entirely different experience! And of course, not forgetting all the Dim Sum I'm going to happily stuff my face after that... =p

I have been backsliding. The frequency is increasing. Now I am starting to wonder if I should keep a log whenever an episode happens.

Hello Turtle, Goodbye Bungy.

It's been 2 weeks since Christmas, but it is never too late to receive a Christmas present.


I am no longer schooling, but while we were at Crumpler, NJ4 saw this backpack which looked really nice and since I already have a Crumpler messenger bag, there's no point getting another smaller one.

So I settled for this pretty backpack and I can't wait to use it! I have already decided that it will be my "Airport" bag. =) Thank you love, I totally dig this bag. I hope you love your Christmas present too!

Oh, and I saw Dr Aneez for my final review, and he said, "No bungy jumping, ever. Anything and everything else is fine, but no bungy." Apparently, if I really want to go bungy jumping again, he has to review me, do a scan to ensure my un-operated left lung is strong enough before he gives me the green light. Oh, bummer.

The new MO I saw today was a very assertive man, and I understand that it is due to his professionalism, but he really scared me out of my wits. Daddy was worried that the MO's forcefulness would scare me off and not want to return anymore, but he explained it to be necessary.

I always thought I was very much less critical than most. Little did I know it was that serious. Blah.

Oh by the way, I know I'm lagging like crazy, but I finally got myself a Twitter account, so let's tweet! =)

Luna-tic!

Trigger happy, trigger happy, trigger happy!


Berry Almond, Chai Tea, Chocolate Peppermint Stick, Chocolate Raspberry, Cookies 'n Cream, Dulce de Leche, Iced Oatmeal Raisin, Lemon Zest, S'mores, Sunrise Blueberry Bliss, Sunrise Strawberry Crumble, Clif Mojo PB Pretzel
I'm mad happy because my Luna Bars and 1 Clif Mojo Bars are here!!! Putting all the excitement aside, I'm actually starting to worry how am I going to finish so many bars in time before they all expire!

14+1 boxes of Clif Bars, 11 (+ 5 on hand) boxes of Luna Bars, 4 boxes of Larabars, and a whole load of other random bars like Go Natural, Nature Valley, Uncle Toby, Alive and Carman's. Oh my gawd. I think I really need to give myself a good kick. ACKS!

Anyway, over the last few days, I tried another 2 flavours of Clif Bars.



Indulgent white chocolate with creamy macadamias made a very good pair, and it tasted somewhat like Luna Bar's rendition, only chewier and had lesser soy protein taste to it.




Oh my oh my! This was one heck of a scrumptious bar! Crunchy and huge pieces of walnut, generous amount of banana bits, and a handful of chocolate chips tossed together to form this delicious union. YUM!

Anyway, I saw the doctor again today and I'm annoyed that he sort of threatened to have me warded without bothering to take external factors into consideration. And it wasn't even a substantial decrease to begin with. Honestly, it's not going to be beneficial for me but detrimental instead, and I have reasoned with Dad why.

Right, I get to cast him away for the next 2 weeks, and I can dance to a happy tune in celebration of the arrival of my bars. NJ4 said I can actually pour them all out and they can form a nice bed for me. -_-"

So, I was good and followed Soo's meal plan to bring Ensure Life into my diet, but I'm guilty to say I was not entirely good. =X

Yesterday was not the first time I tried EL. I bought a small tin of the chocolate flavour some time back when I was into the whole milkshake phase. Chocolate EL had this oily after taste which left me nauseous and sick, so no, I doubt I'll try it again. Vanilla is the way to go! And when this large tin of vanilla depletes, I'll be going for strawberry.

Ok, so the appropriate serving is supposed to be 6 scoops but I tried out with 4 scoops first and it was already madly thick and sweet! So, sad to say, I just went ahead with 4 scoops. And honestly, if I don't get killed by the lack of nutrients, I'll definitely die of diabetes. LOL! To make things worse, my 2nd serving never happened.

I have downed my first serving (or 2/3 serving rather) for today, and I shall see if I can manage the next one later on. Daddykins said that I should really try to stick to the 2 servings a day, even though each serving isn't really a proper one. And try I shall!

And I'm MAD HAPPY TODAY! Because package #2 of my bars have reached the courier and payment is made. So anytime from next Monday onwards I'll be expecting 2 hugeass boxes of Clif and Luna bars! YUMMY!

Met the dietitian for the first time today and I must admit that I am extremely surprised at her flexibility as opposed to what I thought. Basically, I'm allowed to maintain my 3 hourly feedings (where my tummy is an automatic alarm clock), with my current intake tweaked just a little bit. All I have to do is to substitute 2 of the intakes with 1 serving of Ensure Life each.

Because I don't consume enough fluids daily, the introduction of EL is to ensure that I take in more fluids than usual, as well as adding sufficient vitamins, minerals and calcium to my diet. Sounds easy, but for someone who really dislikes drinking a lot, it's pretty stressful. But I promised to try.

The only consolation for now, is that I get to substitute 2 intakes with EL instead of adding EL on top of it. And, she didn't meddle with my portions (yet). Oh, I got tasked with homework! To think of 10 snacks that I can incorporate into my meals for variety, because she's not willing to let me just have energy bars most of the time. She initially wanted to limit me to 1 bar per day but when my Dad told her about my massive incoming stock, she allowed me to have 2 instead, haha!

Actually, I snack a lot and it varies, just that when she asked for examples, I was unable to recall off-hand because the snacks I have are always changing. Hence, the homework (which is done).

Appointments after appointments, I'm going to get fired! TSK!

First of all, I'm honoured to be 1 of the 7 people awarded the "Kreativ Blogger Award" by Natalie. It totally caught me off guard to see my name on the list, and it brought a smile to my face, knowing that my existence has impacted someone's life.

All I have to do is to state 7 things about myself and pass it on to 7 people who have inspired me and impacted my life, so here goes...

1) I come from an extremely large family originating from Mauritius. Proud to be one of the Yiptong clan!

2) Because my family is so big, I have relatives mainly in Mauritius, Canada, Australia and Singapore. There are a few Yiptongs scattered elsewhere as well! And I think I have not even met half of the Yiptong clan yet.

3) As a kid (in pre-primary), I suffered from severe motion sickness and because of that, I vomited every single day in the school bus on the way to school! Oh, how I pity my bus mates who had to be tortured everyday. LOL! (pokes Danping, remember my vomiting days?!)

4) I got my left index finger stuck between the metal chains of a bicycle before, and my Mom panicked so much that she summoned all our neighbours on the same floor to help get my finger out! She even called Dad to return home from work immediately! =X After a while, I managed to free my finger from the chains but I don't remember how.

5) I have a natural flair for shooting hand pistols and rifles. As an NPCC cadet and WCI thereafter, I think I snitched all the marksmen (women rather) awards.

6) I will visit Mauritius some day, the country of my origin.

7) I have a loving family and extremely supportive parents, and I love them with all my heart. ♥

So, as opposed to the name of the award, not all the 7 people whom I'm passing along this award to are bloggers. In fact, only 1 is. These are people who have been a source of inspiration to me.

1) Dada - for being the best grandfather anyone can have. For being such a great encourager and steadfast man. For imparting your wisdom to all of us when you were still around. And of course, for creating a wonderful childhood for me when you brought me along with your tour groups to Sentosa, Haw Par Villa, etc. Rest In Peace. ♥

2) Dad - for being so supportive of me, be it ballet, piano, NPCC, studies, and of course my long struggle which has only been recently made know to him. I want to marry a man like my Dad. =)

3) Mom - for being equally supportive though not always in the right manner, but I know there's a lot to learn about me than what meets the eye. Thank you for always going all out just so I can settle my wacky and sudden food cravings.

4) Kor Kor - for showing care, concern and love for me when I cried so hard over my broken relationships. For being around whenever I landed my sorry ass in a hospital ward as a patient. For being a brother I know I can turn to even though you're not always around.

5) Di Di - for being my best "twin" of exactly 13 months apart. For growing up with me and clawing at each other, yet loving each other.

6) Jay-Jay - for being a patient and supportive boyfriend, and able to stand my mood swings and tantrums, and for picking me up from the pits when I was falling to the depths of a never ending well.

7) Natalie - for being such a strong girl and proving to all of us that we can all have a fresh start in anything and everything, so long we put our hearts to do it alongside with massive willpower. So, this is going back to you! Just because you are you. =)

***********
Okay, so I'm FINALLY done! Moving on to other things, my first visit to LC today was fine. And my Dad said that the Doctor I saw was rather good looking, and I think I have to agree. LOL! Got my ECG done and blood drawn from both arms just because my veins were too fine and the blood stopped flowing after 2 tubes. So I had to be poked in the other arm to fill up the next 2 tubes. =(

Only my first visit there today, and I have already been scheduled for 3 more appointments in the following weeks and months. This is totally time consuming. I hope I don't get fired from work because of all these medical appointments which requires me to leave work in the afternoon. =X 1 appointment down, we shall see how the rest goes!

Today I met up with my fellow ex-NPCC-Area3-WCI to pass her some stuff. Despite not communicating much when we were colleagues back then, and despite not having seen each other for at least 4 years, this girl was such a sweetie pie.

She bought me a bun from Crystal Jade bakery and told me that I'll definitely like it a lot.

Sweet Corn Custard Bun
I loved the bun very much! It's a pity that the custard filling was a tad too thin. They could have been a little more generous with the filling, which would definitely make this bun score higher points!

I'm unsure if she'll ever read this, but thank you so much for the lovely bun, HuiQin! =)

And tomorrow is my follow-up with my Surgeon, Dr Aneez. Boy, I can't wait to see him!

My appointment at TTSH with that doctor went pretty well. It is a small world because she is my primary school mate's sister. Not that I knew her before that, but because she had to do some "history digging", therefore that knowledge came to light. I got a referral to LC and my 1st appointment there will be in 2 weeks' time. We shall see how things go from there. =)

Before the appointment, my parents and I went for Indian food! In the past, I would have panicked and gone into a frenzy, but over the years, I have evolved into many different stages and I learnt to let go and be more receptive. And I'm glad that I have come this far and am able to enjoy what I like.


Indulging once in a while have not killed me and will not kill me. That is a powerful fact that I have managed to embed in my head. =)

And Mom bought me a gem!


Organic Black Sesame Butter
If this is nice, I will go back and get myself the Almond Butter! =)

Anyway, I have gotten all my stitches removed, and it was one hell of a painful experience. The nurse tugged at the knobs mercilessly and I was so afraid that she would snip my flesh as she was cutting the threads loose. =X


Chest tube wound.

Side breast wound.

Back wound.
Judging from the scar on my back, I'm expecting the other 2 scars to heal as nicely! If that is the case, then all my worries will be for naught and I will be one very happy girl! Less the soreness from my stitches, the surgical cut on my back is almost non-evident!

I'm so looking forward for the scabs of the other 2 cuts to fall off, and I'm praying that they will turn out like the one on my back, or better! =) It has been a good day.

Today is the day I get my stitches removed. Today is the day I get to see how bad the damage is. Today is the day that I will regret putting myself through that painful surgery and having to live with the fugly scars for life. Today, is the day.

Edited @ 12.45pm:

No, I haven't had my stitches removed due to a few factors thrown together, but will be doing so tomorrow. So tomorrow is the day I have to go down to TTSH for an appointment with that doctor, and tomorrow is the day I will probably hate my body even more. =(

It has been a week post-operation, and I'm feeling and breathing way easier than I did on the day I got discharged. But the pain is still there, about 30% or so.

Strangely, the entire section of my right ribcage feels numb. Not completely numb, but there is an obvious decrease in sensation in that region. I cannot wait to see my surgeon/specialist for my follow-up, for this is worrying me quite a fair bit. =(

Staying at home the past week has been a bore, and I still have 1.5 weeks to go before I can get back into action at work. I cannot go anywhere, because I cannot wear a bra as the bra band sits exactly over my wound where the chest tube was inserted.

I feel like a prisoner of my own wounds. ACKS!

Surgery

My Pneumothorax surgery was a success, but it was and still is a painful and torturous journey to go through.

When I was warded on 2nd September, I was still able to be my usual cranky self, and I even brought my laptop and stuffed toys along to keep me company.



Pre-surgery.
So, 12am came and I had to start my fast. The following day when I was wheeled into the operating theatre, the last thing I remembered before knocking out was of my surgeon teasing me about me definitely not being afraid of this operation since I bungee jumped before. And also of the pretty Anesthetist who told me to breathe slowly and go to sleep when I felt like it.

I was woken up after the whole procedure, which I immediately asked for my handphone, and after messaging my parents that I'm out of the OT, I concussed again. My Mom later told me that upon seeing me, they immediately regretted sending me for the operation, because from a bubbly person, I became like a pale dead log.

When I was still recovering from the after effects of the anesthesia, Daddykins snapped away at my chest tube canister which was sucking all the excess air and fluids out of my lung.




So, there you see in my hand, was a self-administering morphine gadget which I was told to press when the pain became unbearable. It is amazing how I kept drifting in and out of sleep and was still able to catch on all the important information that I was suppose to absorb.

In my semi-conscious state, I knew the delivery man came and went, and look what pretty things got delivered to me!




From my elder brother and sis-in-law, younger brother and girlfriend.



From NJ4 who's in Australia, somehow liaised with my Mom to send this order to me.


From my company, Home Nursing Foundation.
Because I just got out of surgery and was in such great pain, I happily self-administered morphine throughout the night, which I bear the brunt of the side-effects the following day. One mouth of breakfast sent me regurgitating more than what I consumed. Lunch was a torture to keep it in, and dinner was yet another challenge but I was feeling way better by then already. It's a good thing the IV fluids were giving me just sufficient energy to get by.

So, I was throwing up air over and over again, when yet another bundle of joy was delivered to make my day. =)




From my loveliest girlfriends and their boyfriends.

From my cousin, Dione.
My cousin wanted to visit me but the security guard was being an ass saying that visiting hours are over, so my Mom had to go down to receive her love for me. =)

The other visitors I had were:


RenJie, thanks for the magazine and 'Up' DVD.


Eric, thanks for the lovely sunflower.

And of course, today was a good day, because it was my discharge day! Before everything got removed, Dad took pictures of my wounds yesterday, just for memories sake (not like the scars are not enough of a memory, but you get the idea).



Close up of the hole where I had the chest tube in me.

My 3rd incision is rather near my breast, so no pictures taken for that. So there you have it, 3 scars for life. Sigh.

And because I felt much better as compared to the day I got wheeled out of the OT, Daddykins told me to pose one for the camera although I looked like crap.


And just a while after my chest tube got removed from me and I was more mobile, I had another 2 visitors. =)


Doreen, thank you for the lily, and thank you for the "shampoo". =)


HongBin, thank you for attempting to fatten me up so soon, knowing that my appetite have been totally crappy the last few days. =)

Last but not least, thank you Mom, for staying with me throughout the night after my surgery, and thank you Dad, for making countless trips down to the hospital and taking emergency leaves despite your busy work schedule. Thank you Kor Kor and Da Sao for helping me clear my "garden" today! =)

Just before I left, a senior nurse said, "It's a good thing you're being discharged today, otherwise this corner will turn into a garden very soon!" I can't help but smile and agree. Thank you all. =)

So, my pre-operation assessment went well today. Heart rate, blood pressure, height and weight were all good, though they were leaning towards the lower end but the Doctor said that it is normal and okay since I'm "a very small girl" as she put it. I can't possibly make myself look any bigger when I'm vertically challenged at a pathetic 153cm.

4 tubes of blood was drawn from me and it took ages for those tubes to be filled because according to the Nurse, my veins were too fine. -_- And my arm was so numb thereafter! Right, so I'm fit for the operation which will be in a week's time. This is getting quite scary now.

After the appointment, Mom and I walked around Novena, and as usual, she bought me various food stuffs.


Yami Yoghurt - Rambutan flavour
I had Yami Yoghurt, just because I felt like it. And of course Mom was more than happy to let me indulge. =)



Bread rolls from Mama Bakery + Guacamole
I'm going to have a bread face very soon, but I do not care. Anyway, because Mom and I love avocado, she bought us a bottle of Guacamole! YUM! Thanks Mom! =)

And so, I have been scheduled for surgery on 3rd September but have to be admitted into the hospital on the 2nd. 2 hours of surgery, and a chest tube stuck into the side of my body post-surgery is not appealing at all. The tube which is attached to a water canister will be following everywhere I go for almost the entire hospital stay. Obviously, I'm totally dreading it, but for the sake of being able to travel by air and do vigorous activities, I will press on.

Anyway, whenever I'm at TTSH, I can never not go into the pharmacy. So today, in I went and came out with 3 boxes of various food bars from Go Natural and Kashi. Walked around with my parents (who went to see the specialist with me), and I bought a box of Uncle Sam cereal bars from United Square. =X And because I love Larabar's Cocoa Mõlé so much, I bought another 2 yesterday.

Ah yes, I hereby present to you my bars galore!


Talking about bars, I had Larabar's Cashew Cookie this morning and it was soooo darn good! I think this is my favourite flavour of all!



I will be back for more! And if I can get this flavour by the box from my contact, all the better! YUMS!


Thank you Dad and Mom, for being the best parents I can ever ask for. Thank you both for being so supportive and always running around with me for my appointments with the specialist. Pneumothorax aside, I also thank you both for giving me space and time to work that problem out at my own comfortable pace. Thank you two for loving me. =)