TB SCARE

This was another episode of JULY PHOBIA that I was experiencing just recently...
It all started with my dear father-in-law who had difficulty with his urine. Having lived a ripe old age of over 80s he was considered quite a healthy man without much fuss. He enjoyed sitting at his favorite rocking chair....not doing anything..not even watching television which was at one time his only daily entertainment. Now it turned out to be the other way round..the television 'watching' him instead! Somehow, he was admirably having great patience and buttock strong enough to be able to sit the whole day with only occasionally visit to the kitchen for his drinks. Over the days,it had became a 'sitting' habit or perhaps there were no better things for him to do??

It was not surprising that he would have complications with his urine/stools with his kind of sedentary lifestyle. So came the hassle..unable to urine. This brought about visits to and from of the hospital for diagnosis. He was put on drips and needed to carry a urinal bag which was supposed to be emptied manually. It was a real hassle not only for him but for all of us too. The worrying fear of the consequences of him tripping over his urinal tubes and the urine dangling bag.

We were all prepared for the worst..the big 'C' i.e. CANCER. Doctor recommended he go for an operation because of his prostrate enlargement. Quite a simple procedure which requires anesthetics. The operation was a success and finally one hassle down but came another problem... Somehow, the series of tests and x-rays did not pin point to the suspected disease.suspected TB (tuberculosis).
Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or Tuberculosis) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, Tuberculosis most commonly attacks the lungs (as pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, bones, joints and even the skin.
It can infect healthy adults. So the doctor called to inform the need to go for further confirmation and prescribed some TB medicines for him. It was indeed a real pity having given so many pills to swallow in a day ..big, small, capsule, rounded, oblong, all kinds of shapes of medicines..all in 13!!
just at one go..

We had been very careful to prevent any contact with the spreading of the TB germs. I separated and marked his daily household utensils solely for him. Nevertheless, he seemed to use everybody else's' except the one marked for him!! It had been a pain in the neck trying to instill the need for him to use his own cups. Then after 1 month, another x-ray showed improvement to his lungs..meaning he was responding to the prescribed medicine TB medicines!! Then came the TB SCARE...whether anyone in the family had contacted the germs. So everyone of us needed to be x-rayed, injected, and
diagnosed/tested.

We felt humorous...just trying to get some sample of our phrem for the tests when most of us were not experiencing any coughing. So my sons playfully applied the tactics of strangling at the neck to induce coughing!! Funny..but we managed finally after a few tries. Everyone of us were back to the doctor for an injection. We were told that if the area around the injection spot swelled or became red then it was not a good sign...we were supposed to go back for the doctor after 2 days..

On the alert!! there's how most of us are experiencing...watchful over the injected spot every now and then. I noticed that there is a slight redness..Oh my god, is it that I am infected with the disease too? I was even more more paranoid when there was a recent report in the daily papers about how a young girl travelling in a plane died of TB and the need to get all others travelling in the same plane for a dignotic tests!!

What a relief!! The doctor clarified that the redness must be accompanied with a bump!! So we are safe!! Thank GOD!!