Life is so fragile
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Singapore doesn't practice Euthanasia, so if one is well enough to live on, really too bad.Originally posted by kopiosatu:ok i gotta let ppl know,
"just let me die if i'm not going to recover la, cheers"
OK OK, won't scare you any more!
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No he can move his arms but not his hands. He can't move his legs still.Originally posted by Rhonda:Is he a quadriplegic? (Paralysed totally and cannot move any of his limbs)
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Sounds like spinal injury plus a bit of head injury...Originally posted by elindra:No he can move his arms but not his hands. He can't move his legs still. -
No idea really but I don't think he is in a state to do any treatments yet.
Chris was telling me from the looks of it, his gf might leave him
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I know what you mean. Even crossing the road(I don't mean jaywalking) is very dangerous with the kind of motherfucker drivers out there.Originally posted by kopiosatu:i won't be surprised if i die in a road accident also la.
everytime i get on my bike i'm prepared to die. with all the drivers out there, especially some of the characters in "cars" forum, you better be prepared to get into an accident.
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Thank god he survived. Though he's still in a bad shape but most importantly, his family didn't lose him. There's a glimmer of hope for recovery.
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Cammy is the most positive sounding one hereOriginally posted by Camellias4me:Thank god he survived. Though he's still in a bad shape but most importantly, his family didn't lose him. There's a glimmer of hope for recovery.
Everyone is hopeful but it really looks so bad
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For his family, it doesn't matter how long he's gonna take.. as long as he lives.Originally posted by elindra:Cammy is the most positive sounding one here
Everyone is hopeful but it really looks so bad
Cheer up! Be hopeful.
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Was she Esther Mok, Singapore's first SARS patient?Originally posted by Rhonda:A lot of people who end up paralysed or suffer from chronic disabilities end up wanting to die.
There were lots of these people that I encountered in my previous ward. The stroke patients, brain tumours as well as the Accident or Assault victims all came to us.
Whenever I could spare the time, I'd talk to them and a lot of times, although they are unable to talk, they'll try so hard to communicate with you. Most of the time, they wanted to know what was happening to them and I'd always try to explain to them and encourage them to not give up. Sometimes, it's really really hard to communicate and you have to use some sort of board with alphabets written and point to each row and alphabet and spell out the words one-by-one before you knew what they wanted.
When I was sent to nurse a patient with an 'unknown' disease for a period of time once, I was so fearful. Because the diagnosis was 'unknown' and the colleagues she had come into contact with were falling ill one-by-one, it was really frightening. We couldn't enter her room without the full safety gear, ie. the goggles, the N95 mask, the disposable hair cover, the full disposable gown, and double-gloved, and it was hot under that gear.
I nursed her for weeks and I remember having a nightmare where I woke up in her room, critically ill myself, with a breathing tube, not able to talk, people looking at me from the glass wall but not able to come in... and I was crying and crying thinking, "Noo... don't let me catch her disease, please!!" I woke up in tears.
We are all mortals and we won't know when our time on earth shall come to an end. Our bodies will slowly fail us, we may be hit with afflictions that might render us immobile or chronically ill. The best thing to do is to stay courageous and soldier on. It's hard to accept it when our body parts fail us, but gradually, we'll have to accept that we cannot change anything but our attitudes and live on for ourselves, for our family, for our friends, and most importantly, for God.
elindra, I encourage you and Chris to visit your friend as often as you can. A lot of times, they get visitors in the beginning, then the visitors slowly trickle to a stop, and they're left feeling all alone and forgotten. That's what my friend, who had Leukemia and died told us. She cried and said that in the first week or so, EVERYONE came to visit her and she felt so loved. Then, over the next few months, only a small handful remembered her and she felt very depressed.
My heart goes out to your friend... the road ahead will not be easy. I hope he finds the will to live on. -
Things aren't so easy, sad to say.Originally posted by Camellias4me:For his family, it doesn't matter how long he's gonna take.. as long as he lives.
Cheer up! Be hopeful.
I've seen families struggle to come to acceptance with issues like this. If this guy remains largely immobile, there are two scenarios he'll end up in :
1) He'll be placed in a nursing home if his family can afford it and if there's no one at home to take care of him. And there, he'll stay for the rest of his life;
OR
2) His family will bring him home and employ a maid to take care of him.
I hope his family is pretty well-off. I've seen and felt the anguish of families in this situation and I know the angst and sorrow as well as the frustration they all feel.
It's a young life that's been irreversibly changed... -
Nope.Originally posted by iveco:Was she Esther Mok, Singapore's first SARS patient? Although this patient did stir up a bit of excitement cause it happened post-SARS. -
elindra, I don't know his diagnosis so it's hard to say but I've seen patients who improved drastically once they leave the hospital and return home. Thing is, they must continue their Physiotherapy appointments and hopefully, his family is loving and will surround him with love, patience, and endless encouragement.
If they have the support that they need, sometimes, they decide to do the best they can and astound us with their ability to move and adapt.
Then again, how much he can hope to move is determined by how bad his injuries are and which part of the spinal cord had been damaged and how severely.
I really wish him the best. Which hospital is he in? If you wanna, I can accompany you and Chris to go and cheer him up one day. -
I read from somewhere that some paraplegics still get involuntary spasms in their feet even though they have lost the use of them. What is more, there is still some feeling left. Amazing, isn't it? I thought these people have lost all sensation in the lower extremities.
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Maybe this is a chance to recommand this movie that I watched, it's quite touching and makes you wonder if you have taken the simplicities of life for granted.. the movie is "Profoundly Normal"... fantastic.
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I have so much to say about this topic, but ... I have the feeling that the more I reveal, the more dubts come up.
What are you talking about and fearing is the reality for some people. My life has thaught me to take nothing for granted. The things you are fearing in this thread may make you wish to die or they may make you see the world and life from an other point of view and think differently... -
Eh... that's called the invisible limb syndrome.Originally posted by iveco:I read from somewhere that some paraplegics still get involuntary spasms in their feet even though they have lost the use of them. What is more, there is still some feeling left. Amazing, isn't it? I thought these people have lost all sensation in the lower extremities.
And, you're wrong about one thing - they THINK they have feeling left in their limbs, but if you were to grab a pin and poke their limbs with it, they'll have no reaction at all to your pain stimulus.
They HAVE lost all sensation in the affected limbs... it's just that sometimes, they still feel as if they have tactile sensations... but it's just a memory. -
If I am not wrong, the "invisible limb" syndrome is more prominent among amputees. Even though that particular limb has been chopped off, the victims still felt that the missing limb was on fire or something.
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No, what you wrote applies to those who have their limbs amputated.Originally posted by Rhonda:Eh... that's called the invisible limb syndrome.
And, you're wrong about one thing - they THINK they have feeling left in their limbs, but if you were to grab a pin and poke their limbs with it, they'll have no reaction at all to your pain stimulus.
They HAVE lost all sensation in the affected limbs... it's just that sometimes, they still feel as if they have tactile sensations... but it's just a memory.
Paraplegics or quadruplegics do have spasms and left over sensation because there is some nerve connection to their limbs though the main nerve connection has been damaged or cut due to the spinal injury. -
That's right.Originally posted by iveco:If I am not wrong, the "invisible limb" syndrome is more prominent among amputees. Even though that particular limb has been chopped off, the victims still felt that the missing limb was on fire or something. -
No, you have misread my posts. I did say earlier that depending on which part of the spine was hurt and the severity of the injuries, there may or may not be sensation left in the limbs.Originally posted by thinkdifferent:No, what you wrote applies to those who have their limbs amputated.
Paraplegics or quadruplegics do have spasms and left over sensation because there is some nerve connection to their limbs though the main nerve connection has been damaged or cut due to the spinal injury.
Not all paraplegics, quadriplegics and hemiplegics experience spasms or residual sensation.
I've spoken to enough of them to know. Hey, I worked in a ward that these patients stayed in! -
I hope I'll get lots of encouragement and support if I become crippled or terminally ill. Our family doctor has cancer of the throat...at one point his neck swelled so much it was feared he would suffocate...at the moment he can't talk, or eat without using a nasal tube.
I'm getting nauseous talking about it. -
Often, when times are good, we don't think about such stuff.Originally posted by Kuali Baba:I hope I'll get lots of encouragement and support if I become crippled or terminally ill. Our family doctor has cancer of the throat...at one point his neck swelled so much it was feared he would suffocate...at the moment he can't talk, or eat without using a nasal tube.
I'm getting nauseous talking about it.
However, it's when illness strikes that you'll realise how much your family loves you and who your true friends are. We can only pray to God that we won't be left sick and alone. -
But I'm very uncertain about what I'd do, because just discussing these sad things makes me very faint. Kallike puts it down to my vivid imagination...it isn't normal, is it?Originally posted by Rhonda:Often, when times are good, we don't think about such stuff.
However, it's when illness strikes that you'll realise how much your family loves you and who your true friends are. We can only pray to God that we won't be left sick and alone. -
Oh, elindra...............this is so sad...........
It is, I mean your thread title. I have a sad tale in my family too, or specifically my hubby's family and it is still in progress, if I may use this term for lack of a better phrase.
I don't even know where to begin but from one tragedy, it lead to the death of another. A young and unexpected death. And from that, two kids are left "homeless". So many lives have changed.
As a parent, my heart will ache for your friend's parents. It will and is very painful. I hope your friend can find strength and with God's mercy and grace, a recovery.
I will include him in my prayers.