Tag: Tolterodine 2mg

Dull Day Turned Good


Boredom is the theme of the day. When I am bored, I get all fidgety, anxious and depressed. Raiding the fridge did not yield any comfort food or at least one that could calm me down. The three cans of 100 Plus looked inviting but I was craving for something with a stronger flavour. The lone Heineken sitting beside the trio beckoned but I do not drink beer during the day. They make me tipsy fast. I regretted having depleted my cache of frosty cold Vanilla Coke and A&W Root Beer too soon. There I sat, feeling dull, mineral bottle in hand, fulfilling my daily plain water intake quota, and mentally listing down the junk food I am going buy on my next shopping trip.


Although it had been raining on and off the whole of yesterday, the winds felt dry today. I know it because my palms and the soles of my feet are not feeling like they normally should. They are a tad smooth. Small items required more effort to pick up and grip. My feet kept slipping off the footplates. I am glad that Dr. Liong, my urologist, changed my prescription from Ditropan to Detrusitol. These two drugs are used to relax an overactive bladder. They both produce similar side effects in me, namely dry mouth and blurred vision. These problems are exacerbated during the dry season. The side effects from Detrusitol are far less pronounced. I get through the day with very little discomfort as compared to the days when I was taking the former. Now, as I think of those side effects that had made me so miserable, I am thankful for little blessings that have been coming my way. My dull day did not seem that unexciting anymore.

The State of my Kidneys

Trepidation always precedes my scheduled appointment with the urologist. Will the health of my kidneys get better or deteriorate? Wuan accompanied me to see Mr. Liong at the Lam Wah Ee Hospital for my six-monthly check-up last Thursday. I was to get my blood tested before seeing him. When I saw the hesitation of the lab technician while inserting the needle into my vein, I knew it was going to be painful. After a few failed attempts to draw blood, she gave up and retracted the syringe without first releasing the tourniquet. Naturally, blood spurted out the moment the needle was pulled out. The other lab technician had no problem drawing blood from my other arm and it was all over in a jiffy. The test would take approximately one hour to complete. In the meantime, my blood pressure was tested. At 120/80, it was considered normal.

When it was finally my turn to see the doctor, Wuan went in with me. The creatinine and uric acid levels have gone down. The creatinine has gone down to 181 umol/l from 188 umol/l. That is not a lot of change but still an improvement. The ultrasound of my left kidney showed that it is shrunken, which is consistent with previous ultrasounds. Even then, Mr. Liong assured me that it is still functional. The left kidney showed no signs of swelling which is a good sign. Even the bladder looked better. I was advised to continue with my four-hourly intermittent catheterisation, drink 300ml of water every hour and take 1mg Detrusitol twice daily. Detrusitol relaxes the bladder and must be taken with an empty stomach to optimise its absorption. The result of this check-up is like a silver lining behind the dark clouds of my extended illness that had afflicted me for the past month. I am happy that my prayers had been answered and my diet is working. Hopefully, the next check-up will show even more improvement. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

No Sweat


Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is more than what is visually obvious. What most people see are the physically visible aspects ? weakened limbs, clawed hands, spasmodic gaits, atrophied muscles and the ubiquitous wheelchair. SCI does more than paralyse the arms and legs. Depending on the extent and level of the damage to the vertebra and spinal cord, the diaphragm right down to the bladder and bowel may be affected.

In my case, I suffer a partial lesion which means my spinal cord is not totally severed but damaged at the fifth (C5) and sixth (C6) cervical vertebra. A C5 injury affects the diaphragm which in turn affects breathing. This level of damage also affects the wrists and hands. I get breathless easily while doing strenuous tasks. I need suppositories to empty my bowels and drain the urine from my bladder every few hours with a catheter. Those are the least of my problems as I have worked them into a routine which allows me a certain degree of freedom.

Unbeknownst to many, spinal cord injury affects the body’s ability to perspire, too. As my body is unable to regulate temperature properly, any change from the usual range of temperature will make me extremely uncomfortable. This current hot spell has severely constrained my daily activities. Most days, I lounge about with the ceiling fan at full blast and generally feeling languid. The air conditioner looks inviting. On the other hand, cold is one of those factors that will set off spasms in my legs. That is why I try to minimise using it. Additionally, Detrusitol, the medicine that I am taking to alleviate my neurogenic bladder, causes drying of the mouth, eyes and skin. This aggravates the problem further. Yes, I need to be ministered to very delicately. Too much or too little from the norm and bodily discomfort will kick in. Even babies need less attention.

Being bound in lethargy throughout the day everyday is slowly wearing me down. Furthermore, my bladder spasms decided to act up the last few days. This has been a week that I wished would just quickly zip along, right up to the next rainy season. In the meantime, I am continuously hydrating myself by drinking a lot of water and cooling down by sponging throughout the day. We all know what drinking a lot of water will result in. And the cycle continues.