HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2018 is here. I was reminded by my age... A year older, but a year wiser. I started off this year without a good health. I had fever, flu and sore throat. After recovering, the cough came instead.  Sigh. What a terrible way to start a new year. 

Although 2018 is the year of dog (my year), I heard that the zodiac horoscope wasn't that good. Health, career, and love are all at disadvantage. I was looking forward to have a better life than last year. But, I guess it won't be smoothly achieved. 

This year, I hope to procrastinate less and be more productivity in general. I also hope to control my spending. I had been worrying about my finance since last year. I wish to worry less this year. Lastly, I think I need to lose some weight. I had been overweight for a few years now, but it is such a tough job to lose weight. I had failed many times. Hopefully, I can do something about it this year. 

CUT MY HAIR ON A WHIM

On Christmas day, I had a haircut on a whim. All I said was that I felt stuffy with long hair and was thinking about getting a haircut. Mummy and sister were so supportive of the idea that it kind of motivated me to do so even more. Moreover, coincidentally, sister was going to trim her hair at the salon. So, she asked me to tag along. I shamelessly asked her to pay for my haircut, and she agreed. However, it might cost quite a bit for my length. Hence, I suggested cutting my hair at home before going.

Sister dared not to cut my hair, thus mummy did the deed mercilessly. More than half of my hair was cut off instantly, and really slanted. I decided to keep it because it is an 'expensive' lock of hair. I had spent over $2.8K on bleaching and coloring. Anyway, sister and I went to the salon afterwards. She paid $18 per person. Overall, I was quite pleased with the result:

Before that, my hair length was at my hip area. The last time I had short hair was about 5 years ago. Since then, I had been growing it and trim when it was necessary. Then, I started going to salon to bleach my hair about 1.5 years ago. My hair was bleached for about 8 different times, and it had already reached its limit. When my hair was wet, it felt like candy floss which could be easily pulled off. Thank goodness, it wasn't that damage to the extent it would just melt off.

The bleached hair was taken in July, and the purple & pink ombre was done in August.

So far, I had tried ash brown, rose gold, silver, pink and purple. I wanted to try sky blue or ash blue, but not now. Maybe next time. For a student like me, $2.8K is a lot of money, but I had my fun. I think it is time to save the money for other use instead.

8 MONTHS LATER...

It has been 8 months plus since I last posted. Blogging has always been at the back of my mind. I like typing, and blog is a good platform to share. However, I am an inveterate procrastinator and I spent so much time thinking without taking any action. I had 'refresh' and 'restart' this blog so many times. This year, December 2017, is time for me to take some actions and stop 'restarting'. 

Anyway, just an update of the accident I had earlier this year. I have been going back to the hospital on monthly basis. I had started the steroid treatment for my upper lip wound. The wound turned into a keloid, and it needed the steroid to kill the infection and flatten it. The doctor told me that I needed around 7 to 8 sessions. Thus far, the last injection I had was the 4th one. 

The first session was the worst. It hurt really bad. I cried a little when the needle poked into the wound and the steroid gave a searing pain. It felt like it was burning the wound. I was in agony for the next few hours. As for the subsequent sessions, I get better at tolerating the pain. I still tear a bit during the injection, because the doctor does not just poke once. She may inject a few times, usually 2-3 pokes, so that the wound is fully covered with the steroid. 

Of course, there are risks in every treatments. The risk of steroid treatment is infection and thinning of the skin. So far, my wound is healing well after each session. I hope it continues on like that with no obstacles ahead. As for the wound at my forehead and cheek, they healed really well. Thank goodness. No pigmentation or keloid scarring. Right now, the upper lip wound has visibly became smaller. I just hope it continues flatten until it look like a normal scar. No pop-up. 

THE ROAD TO SURGERY & RECOVERY

!!!WARNING!!!

THIS POST CONTAINED GROSS PHOTOS.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. DO NOT CONTINUE READING 

IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE.

This post is a sequel to the accident that caused my face to be slightly disfigured. In summary, I sustained injuries on my forehead, right cheek, upper lip, inner jaw, left palm, the whole of right arm, left upper thigh and right knee. My left index finger and right shoulder were sprained too.

DAY 1 (23 Mar 17) - TINY STONES AND SAND!

In the A&E, I told the nurse that there were still tiny stones and sand in my mouth. As my lips were too swollen, she was unable to see and told me to go back home to gargle some water. So, after I was discharged and got home, I gargled. I then realized there were tiny stones deep down my jaw area. I put my index finger in and tried to dig out the tiny stones which caused a great pain. I managed to get all of the tiny stones out but not the sand. I could taste blood and sandy texture on my teeth. 

To be honest, I thought my lower lip were separated from the gum because I could literally feel the teeth, the gum and the root canal below the gum. My index finger could go so deep down. So, I told mummy that I want to see a doctor tomorrow. That night, I was unable to do much. I couldn't eat or brush my teeth too. Mummy gave me a packet of cold chrysanthemum tea and I slept early.

DAY 2 (24 Mar 17) - WENT BACK TO A&E...

I couldn't sleep well last night, because I kept dreaming of the scene where I fall onto the rocky pathway. So, I woke up very early and had water only. I could drink using straw. After mummy was ready, we took a cab to nearby Polyclinic. We queued for an hour or so before it was my turn to see a doctor. The doctor couldn't check on my mouth's injuries well, so he suggested to refer us to nearest hospital and get treatment. I immediately agreed to it. While he prepared the letter, he sent me to another room for re-dressing the wounds.

This was taken with front camera.

I looked like I suffered from domestic violence.

It was a pain to dress the wounds again. The nurse in A&E only used the non-woven pads and ointment, which resulted some cotton to be stuck on the wounds. The nurse in Polyclinic had to use some force to dig out the cotton which caused me to cry in pain. Afterward, she gave me another type of dressing which flushes yellowish fluid out of the wounds. Once done, we took a cab to the hospital and I am back at A&E again. Today, it was another doctor who attended to me. He sent me to X-ray for my head. No fractures or sign of any foreign objects (tiny stones, etc). The doctor said I had digged out all the tiny stones, and all he could see were cuts And ulcers. So, he prescribed me with oral wash, oral ointment and antibiotics. As for food, I had fresh orange juice in the noon and fish porridge ar night. I could eat but with tiny mouthful at a time.

DAY 3 & 4 (25-26 Mar 17) - REST AT HOME :)

I was instructed by the nurse in Polyclinic to change the facial dressing every day and so, I leave the job to our helper. She is experienced as she had helped grandma to change her wounds before. It was hard to keep the wounds clean because the yellowish fluid kept on dripping out. So, we decided to add another layer of non-woven pads. She also helped me to wash my hair ^^ I was really thankful for that because there was a lot of dried blood stuck in my hair and on the sides. With my hands' injuries, I just couldn't wash it myself.

The swelling had reduced a little but my lips and jaw still hurt. All I could eat was fish porridge with a baby spoon. On Day 4, mummy mixed some sweet potato into the leftover fish porridge. It wasn't tasty. As I was getting sick of porridge, out helper suggested juices. So, I started having vegetable & fruit juices too.

DAY 5 (27 Mar 17) - APPOINTMENT & SURGERY :0

I had an appointment at 10:30 AM. So, Mummy and I took a cab to the hospital in the early morning. I was sent to the treatment room where the plastic surgeons examined my wounds. Dr. Low was the one who cleaned some of my wounds. He was very rough and I am afraid of him. As my condition was bad, he gave me 2 options.

Option 1: Leave the facial wounds as it is and let it heal by itself, but there will be ugly scarring.

Option 2: Stitch the facial wounds, scarring may look nicer.

I chose the option 2, since both will result in scarring. After my decision, I was scheduled to a surgery in the afternoon and needed to be hospitalized for a night. Dr. Low was the one who performed the surgery. It was an absolute nightmare. I was given multiple anesthesia shots around the upper lip, nose bridge, right cheek, forehead and left palm. Even though my cheekbone and jaw hurts, he doesn't care much and used his force all the way. After an hour or so of torment, the surgery finally ended. It was such a painful experience that I worried about taking out the stitches... As for those who went for plastic surgeries, I am impressed with their bravery and courage. I wondered how they had tolerated the pain of needles and knives.

Before Surgery

After Surgery

According to the surgeon, my upper lip was badly damaged with almost no skin left. So, it will be ugly even when it has heal. To look better, I can opt for skin grafting or laser in the future. Somehow, I am thankful to Dr. Low for removing all of the scabs. At least, my face doesn't look so distorted than it had before the surgery.

After resting for about 15 minutes at recovery room, I was sent to ward 2. The nurse had a hard time finding my veins and it was a mess when she finally inserted the tube. So, every 4 hours, I am given the IV drip and antibiotic via the tube. They also took my temperature and blood pressure every 4 hours, even when I am sleeping. 

As for dinner, I chose to have grilled fish with herbs and mashed potato. I was craving for mashed potato for many days and could have it here! I ate with the knife and took a long time to finish it. Oh right, Dr. Low assigned me a task and that is to drink 'Ensure - NutriVigor' milk powder twice a day because the protein can help me heal faster.

DAY 6 (28 Mar 17) - DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL!

There was no way that I had a good sleep. At around 6AM, the nurse woke me up to gargle my mouth. They wanted to give me the IV drip and antibiotic but realized my tube had been clogged by the blood. So, they had to re-insert in another area. They tried on my right palm which failed. Then, they tried my right antecubital space which thankfully succeeded. It was so painful and they had wanted to try on my foot's veins if they ever fail the 2nd try.

For breakfast, I had pork porridge. Then, I had a short nap while waiting for mummy to come. There were 3 other patients in the ward and all of them discharged earlier than me. Apparently, the doctor had assigned 2 injections to me. One on my left arm and another was Tetanus shot which they injected it on my butt, because the amount was quite large. I took the shots while having my lunch. 

Weird right? The nurse asked if I wanted to take it right now or after lunch. I was thinking that eating might distract me from the pain, so I took it at that point. Indeed, it wasn't painful because I was so focused on eating. They gave me rice with chicken meat and eggplant. I ate them with a teaspoon and managed to finish it. I learnt a new tactic and that was to slurp up the food from the spoon. That way, I wouldn't hurt my jaw or have to open my mouth wide.

Afterward, I'm discharged. My face was still kind of swollen and was given anti-swelling medicine. For the other wounds, I am sure it will heal well after the scabs have drop off. 

AS FOR NOW...

I am still healing and no longer in pain. However, I cannot smile, laugh or frown. Else, it would cause a sharp pain on my facial wounds. Especially, the upper lip and forehead. Other than that, my other wounds started to itch which is a good sign that they are healing well. 

My cheekbone and jaw are no longer in pain too. However, my lower lip's frenulum is not healing and it felt like my jaw is hanging low. Due to that, I can't brush my teeth because the mouth still can't be opened wide. I have to depend on medicated oral wash to maintain the hygiene which is never enough. Hence, I will consult with Dr. Low again on coming Monday. Or, maybe seek a dentist and have a polishing session too.

*UPDATED* 

THE ACCIDENT THAT DISFIGURED MY FACE

!!!WARNING!!!

THIS POST CONTAINED EXPLICITLY GROSS PHOTO, 

DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED ONES.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. DO NOT CONTINUE READING 

IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE TOPIC.

On Thursday, 23 March 2017, Mummy and I had decided to explore the Pulau Ubin island. We had talked about it since last year and only decided to carry out the plan this month (since I was very free too). So, in the early morning, we took off to the Changi Terminal Jetty. Paid $6 in total for the boat fee and spent 20 minutes across the sea to that forested but inhabited island. Once we reached, I helped mummy took a few photos and we went to a seafood restaurant for our meals. 

After our meals, we decided to ride bicycles. We rented 2 bicycles for $12 that lasts the whole day. The brakes were okay for mine. As for Mummy's, one of the brake broke but another one was usable. Since the brake was usable, we ignored the flaw. We rode off on the main road and followed it through wherever it took us. Halfway through, mummy complained that her bicycle was too high even though the seat was set to the lowest. So, we exchanged our bicycles. We continued riding until there was no more main road except for a uphill rocky slope heading towards Chek Jawa Wetlands.

We got off our bicycles and pushed it up the slope. In front of us, there was a family of 3 pushing their bicycles too. The initial upslope was quite steep and I became tired very quickly that I was the last one in the line. Out of the blue, the boy tripped over with his bicycle. Fortunately, he was all right and his dad helped him out from there. They were gone by the time I reached the peak of the upslope and I saw mummy started riding on her bicycle. 

Since I wanted to catch up, I got onto my bicycle too. By the way, I am very sure that I am off the slope already and I thought it was safe for me to ride the bicycle from that point. Little did I know, there was a GENTLE slope in front of me and I saw mummy got past the slope safely. However, I was not able to...

My bicycle suddenly sped on a very high speed and I swore I hadn't cycled much. It was so fast that I started to worry. I put down my left leg and pressed both brakes too. It was useful. The speed continued on until I went passed mummy and....

CRASHED. 

FACE DOWN FIRST. 

SLIGHTLY DRAGGED ON THE ROCKY PATHWAY.

I remembered myself getting up, face numbed. Mummy quickly walked up to me while saying, "You cannot ride so fast!" but was stunned when she saw my face.

FACE FULL OF BLOOD.

I told her I tried to stop and the brakes just didn't work... In my mouth, there were a lot of debris and I thought all of my teeth broke into bits. Thankfully, those debris were tiny stones and sand. I gargled twice with some water and spat out blood. My mouth started to hurt a lot. I knew my condition was bad, so I asked mummy if I am disfigured. She just said, "No... But, a lot of blood."

I got up from the ground and we started to walk a bit. It came to my mind that the distance to the terminal was really far and there was no one nearby who could help us. So, I told my mum to call the police. She took out her phone and realized it had blacked out. What a luck... (To be honest, this part was really weird because her phone could work again when we were in the hospital and it has 46% of battery left. So weird that it had to black out on such a crucial time...) 

I asked her to take out my phone instead. At the same time, I started losing conscious. I kept reminding myself, in the mind, to stay awake. It would be trouble if I faint. I tried pressing 999 with my blurred vision but couldn't get through it. After my vision cleared a bit better, I tried again and it got through. After the call, we wait at that spot. A minute later, a policeman called my phone and reassured that they were on their way.

I only saw this photo after I was in the hospital. 

Reflecting back, mummy said it look like I was acting in a gore movie. 

Haha...Happy Halloween!

Curious of how I looked at that point, I took a photo while I started losing conscious again. Mummy wiped my bloodied face with tissues and wet wipes. It hurt so much when the chemical from the wet wipes touches my wounds, so I told her to stop. Awhile later, several people rode past us at different timings. We told them we had called the police. Some of them offered antibacterial wet wipes, tissues and even their water. I rejected their offers because we had all those things, but were really grateful for their kindness. 

5 minutes or more had passed. I started to worry because I might lose conscious anytime. I tried to call back the policeman and realized my phone was not in service. I quickly turned on the airplane mode and off it. Then, the service signal came back and I made the call. It took them another few minutes before the vehicle was drove to my side. Once they arrived, the painstaking procedure began...

YOUR NAME? IDENTITY CARD? ADDRESS? WHAT HAPPENED? 

(REPORT BACK TO HEADQUARTER)

DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE POLICE BOAT BACK TO MAIN ISLAND?

FROM THERE, WE CAN CALL FOR THE AMBULANCE TO SEND YOU TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL. OR, DO YOU WANT US TO DRIVE YOU TO THE TERMINAL?

Because of the extra charges, I decided to let them drive us to the terminal and we'll go to the hospital ourselves. On our way there, the police helped us to inform the bicycle's rental store. Then, they told me to clean up my bloodied face at the toilet first before heading to the terminal. So, they dropped us off outside the toilet. I tried to clean up but just couldn't get rid of the dried blood, and the fresh blood kept oozing out of the wounds. I gave up. 

It was drizzling when we were leaving. I held an umbrella with a hand, and focused another hand on my face to stop the fresh blood from dripping. Once we got to the terminal, the boat drivers were shocked but they quickly sent us back to the main island. I am sure I had scared the other 11 passengers in the boat too. When we arrived at the terminal, I was spared from the spot-check. The staff there offered us the first aid box but I refused. Since I am heading to the hospital, there was no need to use the box. 

The first cab we flagged down rejected us because of my bloodied face. The taxi driver told us to call an ambulance instead. Fortunately, the second cab was willing to drive us. So, we went to the hospital that is nearer to our house. It was a 30-40 minutes ride. By then, I lost quite a bit of blood but was able to keep conscious. 

I spent about two hours or more in the A&E. When I reached there, they gave me simple dressing for the open wounds. Then, a doctor checked on me and sent me for X ray for my left finger and right knee. No fractures, just slight sprains. Afterwards, the nurse cleaned up the wounds and I cried a lot even though they had given me an anesthesia shot. The doctor glued up the wound on the forehead. After that, I was discharged and ready to head home. Supposedly, I had promised my friend to accompany her to an event on Saturday. I couldn't make it, so I took the above photo and sent it to her instead of describing my situation. Well... The road to surgery and recovery will be tough.