Detrusitol SR 4mg

There was a change in his demeanour from the usual. I thought he was perhaps thinking about his other patients� problems.

“�Have you been taking your Detrusitol?”

I mumbled a soft “Yes.”

“�How often do you catheterise?”

“Every four hours.”

“�Do you have any problems?”

I told him about the fever prior to the bloggers meet in KL.

�When you have a fever next time, come in for a culture. One day of infection is enough to wipe out your kidneys.�

I could only nod. I had a feeling that what he was to say next would not be good. He went on to say that my creatinine had shot up to 262 umol/l from the 180s. The normal threshold is around 100 umol/l. I was on the way to acute renal failure and he was really not happy with the figures. My kidneys, however, were not swollen, which meant that the intermittent catheterisation and Detrusitol are effective. I have to see the dietician again for my diet to be evaluated and revised. My protein intake of two servings per meal has to be reduced to one and one half. That is like cutting down to 75% from the two matchbox-sized portion of meat that I am allowed now.

�If that doesn�t work, you�ll have to go back to see what Dr. Liong can do for you further,� the dietician said.

This calls for another drastic change in lifestyle and dietary intake patterns. The dietician has also advised me to keep a diet log to track accurately what I have eaten. My medication was also changed. I am now to take one dose of 4mg Detrusitol SR just before bed. A one-month supply costs RM249 and it is supposed to be for the long-term. Detrusitol is prescribed for overactive bladder which may result in a reflux of urine back into the kidneys. I am still digesting this sudden assail of bad news. Hopefully the next review, which has been changed to quarterly from half yearly, will show better results.

First there were four of us. Lucia, HK Teh and me.
Wuan was the photographer

We also had a contest this time - The Longest Ponytail Contest.

KS Tang, HK Teh and Ong BK.

Lucia, Joyce and Ee Yean.

Nasi Kandar Pelita - Our Meet venue.

HK Teh with his videocam.

Group shot. From bottom right: Lucia, Joyce, Ee Yean, Jasdev Singh,
Lim Chee Aun, KS Tang, Ong BK and me.

Lucia, Joyce, Ee Yean and Jasdev.

Kew (standing up) updating us on the Penang Bloggers Portal.

Jasdev, Chee Aun, KS Tang and Ong BK.

HK Teh has a video of the meet here.

Victor Liew and I met for the second time last week. He had already impressed me deeply the first time we met at Mid Valley Megamall in 2002. I have never encountered anyone quite like Victor. His zest for life is remarkably inspiring. That second meeting was no exception. We had arranged for Victor’s mother to pick us up from St. Francis Xavier Church after Mass. That short distance from the church to their house in Old Klang Road was another experience I will never forget.

You see, Victor is a tetraplegic. He is paralysed from his neck down. Going out, even for a short distance for people like us is always a problem, more so for Victor. Therefore, he has a specially outfitted van with a ramp and the interior customised to fit his electric wheelchair. That is the least of the problems. Imagine sitting on a plastic chair atop a moving lorry speeding along a stretch of uneven road. Imagine not having the use of your hands and legs for balancing. That was what I went through. That was what Victor went through every time he goes out.

Victor is an inspiration to me. Despite his disabilities, he has a great desire for life, not only for his own but for others as well. Without the use of his hands, he controls his wheelchair with his chin. He is currently working on a rehabilitation project for the disabled. He surfs the Internet not with a mouse and the keyboard. All navigation and functions are activated with his voice. Is he one cool dude or what? Truly, he lives up to his namesake. He has conquered all with his pure grit and determination. Victor’s fortitude is what all of us should emulate.

Today�s Sunset Mass was also the Farewell Mass celebrated by Monsignor Stephen Liew. He will be moving to the St. Anne�s Church in Bukit Mertajam. Incidentally, today is also his fiftieth birthday. Parishioners whose birthday falls on January were invited to cut the cake together with him. We at the Cathedral will miss his homilies which had always been full of insightful meanings. The Monsignor will always hold a special place in my heart. He performed Mum�s Funeral Mass and also was the priest who baptised me. Farewell Monsignor. May our Lord continue to bless you richly in all your endeavours.

1335: At around 1245, I called William to tell him that we have not finished packing and to come pick Wuan and me up half an hour later instead of at 1300. When he arrived with Cynthia at the set time, we were still not ready yet, not until 1330. On the way to Sentral Station, we got stuck in a crawling traffic at Jalan Lapangan Terbang.

1339: What did we do when we knew we were already late for our flight? We indicated and William took the cue. He stopped at Istana Negara for us to snap pictures of the palace gate guards. He must have figured a few minutes would not make much of a difference. Wuan and I thought so too. We snapped away merrily, obviously oblivious to the fact that we were running late.

1341: It was a relief seeing the twin towers of the Meridien and Hilton at the Sentral Station looming before us. We were not going to be that late after all. We had another hour till check-in time. I calculated mentally that we needed 28 minutes for the KLIA Express ride to the airport. That left us with another 30 minutes to hang around at Sentral Station.

1358: I tried to check-in my luggage there but was told by the MAS counter there that I can only accept check-in two hours before departure. Feeling a little hungry, we decided to eat there first. William and Cynthia decided to join us for a fast meal at Strudels. I had Vanilla Frost which was nice but very expensive at RM10.80. The Apple Strudel that Wuan and I shared was delicious too. We suddenly realised that we had spent more time there than we had expected and made a rush for the KLIA Express ticket counter.

1418: We then made a mad rush for the train. We got there, breathless, and waited and waited for the train to move. It did not. We were in trouble. When the train finally left the station, it was announced that we would reach KLIA at ten to three. We were going to be late, just a tad.

1520: Finally, the train pulled into KLIA. We hurried all the way to the check-in counter and showed our ticket. No go. Check-in had closed. We were to endorse our ticket at the MAS office for another flight back to Penang. The office was located at Level 3, the departure at level 5. We had a to pay a penalty of RM50 for missing our flight and got tickets for the next flight at 1700.

1559: Now we really had a lot of time to while away. We checked in my duffle bag and were told to look for counter E21 for assistance when we wanted to board the plane. I needed to use the toilet. It had been improved from the last time I used it but the door latch was difficult to lock and unlock.

1629: Disabled passengers are the first to board and last to disembark. I was helped into the plane by the ground crew. I transferred onto the seat by myself under the watchful eyes of the ground and cabin crew who wanted to do more to help. However, I did not want too much assistance since I could do it by myself.

1729: The captain announced that we were 26,000 feet above sea level. There was nothing much to see except haze and clouds in the distance. It was disappointing to see the muddled landscape below and the lack of heavenly clouds where we were.

1746: It was a smooth touchdown. Home at last. The sight of the Penang Airport is always a very welcome picture. At the same time, I thought how long it would be when I would be on a plane going to Kuala Lumpur again. Penang may be home but there are not many things waiting for me here anymore. I already left my heart somewhere else.