Monthly Archives: October 2013

October 26th, 2013
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Cass’ Urine Leakage Problem – 2nd Opinion Sought

We brought Cass to see a Professor at UMSC (University Malaya Specialist Centre) yesterday for a second opinion on her urine leakage problem.

The Professor did a quick non-invasive test on her to see the extent of the urine leakage. He asked Cass to cough and pressed her abdomen to see if there is any urine leakage. He also checked her rectum to see if there are feces.  Constipation is one of the reasons for urine leakage, caused by the distended intestines putting pressure on the bladder.

After a long Q&A session with him, he advised us to help Cass do some exercises at home to strengthen her pelvic muscles. He opined that Cass either has weak sphincters or an overactive bladder.   If the exercises do not help to show any improvement in her leaking issue after a month, he will then carry out a Urodynamic Test on Cass’ bladder to study the bladder activity. That test is invasive, i.e. a catheter will be inserted into her urethra and rectum respectively and water will be pumped into the bladder.

One of the exercises is shown in the picture below. I’m not sure what this is called but she has to grip something thin with her thighs. This process will strengthen her pelvic muscles and the urinary tract muscles through the ‘tightening’ exercises.

The Professor also recommended swimming (in particular breast stroke) and yoga. I am planning to start Cass on kids’ yoga class next month.

Exercise for cass24 oct

 

I also taught Cass to do Pelvic Floor Exercise and I also jump on the trampoline together with her.

Exercise for cass24 - 3

It is NOT easy to get this rascal to obediently go through these exercises on her own.  She will only do them provided I do them together with her.  This means I will have to squeeze out an hour of my time everyday to do these physio exercises with her four to fives times in a day (15 minutes each time).  As it is now, I am already struggling to complete all my must-do tasks each day, with some tasks not accomplished on most days.  God is indeed testing my patience!  But I will do anything for my baby girl to save her from having to be drugged on a daily basis or be placed on the OT table the fourth time.

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Cassandra, Incontinence in Kids, Urine Leakage in Kids ,
October 18th, 2013
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Handy Manny

Last weekend, when my hubs could not find a plumber to come over, he had to fix a clogged sink with a broken pipe himself. My hubs has never been taught how to fix clogged sink or how to fix broken pipes and what nots. With 5 trips to the hardware shop to finally get the pipe with the correct length, with him sawing off part of the pipe himself with a metal saw, he finally fixed the pipe and sink! My hubs is indeed a handy man who could fix almost any defective items in the house, including doing victor torches cutting. I am so proud of him!

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Cracked heels
October 17th, 2013
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Back and Waist Ache

I cannot pinpoint what I did exactly that caused the terrible ache that stretches from my right back to my right waist.  The pain is more pronounced when I sleep. I cannot lie on my back nor sleep on my right. That would cause me breathlessness from the severe pain!   Gawd, history has indeed been repeated. I have had similar bad episodes of bad pain in the past which caused me to be in tears.  Imagine the pain is even more severe than childbirth via C-Section.  I did not shed a single tear in my 3 C-sections though I must admit that the spinal epidural was one of the most painful experiences I have had.  But the past backaches that attacked me had caused me to be in tears.  Anyone would be in tears when the pain is so piercing that you cannot even have a good 30-minute shut eye at night.

This time, though the pain is not as bad as the previous episodes, it is bad enough to cause me sleepless nights. For someone who is so dead beat tired that the word insomnia is not in her vocab anymore, I have been having sleepless nights caused by the back and waist ache.  The only position that  can get me a few hours of light sleep is  on my left side. A turn to my back or right side would cause the pain to pierce through my entire body.

For the past 2 days, I have been doing back bends on my fitball once again.  My fitball has been hiding at the darkest corner of my living room for over a year!  I miss my fitball. I have not been exercising on it for more than a year. And I have been getting massages from my OTO massage chair for the past 2 days. These manage to relief the pain during the day. When night falls, the pain would creep out again the moment I hit the bed!  NIGHTMARE begins the moment my back touches the bed!

Today, I have been lying on my bed, trying to find a position that would cause the least pain when I am on my bed.  The only position that allows me to turn to my right side is the ‘prawn position’!  You know how a prawn looks like when it is all curled up? Yup, that is the position that I can find some comfort if I sleep on my right side.

The hubs has advised me to use ice or hot compress on my back to get some relieve. I think I will do just that too, on top of what he’s been doing for me.  He’s been applying Perskindol rub on my back followed with a pain-relief plaster that he  normally applies on his injured muscles after his basketball matches.

Why does backache have to exist, OH WHY?!  I am learning this phrase from Alycia.  Yesterday I heard her mumbling this to herself at the dining table when I gave her purple carrots for dinner :  “WHY DO CARROTS HAVE TO EXIST, OH WHY?”   LOL!!

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Backache