MY EXPERIENCES... MY LEARNINGS... MY THOUGHTS... MY OPINIONS... MY LIFE AS A STUDENT NURSE...
I ♥ PayPerPost!
I just ♥ PayPerPost! It's the best way to earn money online! I have never regretted joining and I get to post about topics that I want and review products that I trust and get paid to do it! Click the banners to join now! You won't regret it! I already earned around $100 in just 3 months! How cool is that?
Ok this post may not be related to nursing or health (well somehow it is) but it is related to life and death...
Accidents do happen and cases of drowning are the worst accident that could happen. You and your friends are having fun at the beach or in the pool when all of a sudden friend disappears and you find his/her dead body minutes later.
We all have had a near-drowning experience and it is very frightening. We all had tried swimming in deep waters and then our muscles give up or worst we get a cramp. So to prevent incidents of drowning here are some swimming tips:
Always have a buddy system to always check if your partner is doing well and isn't drowning.
Do not swim in deep waters if you do not know how to swim. Use flotation devices if you insist on swimming.
Never swim in a pool without a life guard.
Learn how to float! Floating is a vital skill every swimmer should have because if one has cramps or any muscle weakness one could just float and rest.
I'm no expert at swimming but these are just some tips based on experience that I could share. The floating part saved me from drowning countless of times.
If you're thinking that these are pictures of a famous 5-Star hotel located in a famous tourist destination then you are partly correct.
Bumrungrad (Thai meaning "care for the people") Internationalis an internationally accredited, multi-specialty hospital located in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. It's the largest private hospital in Asia and well known for it's medical tourism. Millions of patients come every year to have their medical procedures because health care is cheaper in Thailand and the hospital is fully staffed (700+ nurses and 945 doctors, covering 55 sub-specialties) and has all the latest medical equipment and facilities. Red Cross gives Bumrungrad its top classification of "A" – defined as "a tertiary care center which should be able to provide quality care in all medical specialties including invasive cardiology, cardiac and neurosurgery."
And speaking of specialized doctors, Bumrungrad even has a golf doctor. Yes they have a golf course and an in-house ortophedic doctor/surgeon that not only cures golf-related injuries but help you improve your game! How cool is that.
And yes, Bumrungrad is a tourist destination/hospital that offers a shopping center, restaurants, and fully furnished private rooms. The room amenities include private bathrooms, cable TV, refrigerator, DVD players (available on request) and high-speed Internet connections. Suites also come with full kitchens as well as washing machines and dryers (available at one bedroom apartment up). The shared facilities include a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room. And did I mention maid-service?
But before you pack your bags to have a cheap cosmetic surgery and recuperate in a 5-star hotel suite you better think twice. Because Bumrungrad has some secrets behind it. Just like the death of 23 year old Josh Goldberg who died because of malpractice but Bumrungrad is protected from medical suits since it is a huge money earning company that brings a lot of income to the Thai government so it's natural to protect this gold mine from being exposed.
Bumrungrad has also been speculated to harvest organs from live patients that is why it's quite easy to get organ "donors" from Bumrungrad. But all of these are not proven because they are all perfectly covered up as said by bumrungraddeath.com.
But aside from these controversies Bumrungrad International is still such a wonderful place (for the filthy rich anyway). So if you plan on staying at Bumrungrad or any hospital for that matter please take note of these reminders/tips:
Always have a watcher with you at all times. You don't want to be a victim of organ theft or dying due to malpractice.
Always ask for explanations for all procedures and treatment, especially medications. Doctors might be blinded by greed and over treat a patient to get more pay from insurance.
Take note of all expenses and know the "hidden charges" are carefully tagged as miscellaneous fees and don't hesitate to ask what these fees are for even before checking in to any hospital.
Check the accreditation of the doctors and staff.
Refer to friends and relatives for feedback on their hospital stays so that you will be aware of what to expect.
Let us remember that health care is now a business (sadly). So let us not be victims of large greedy health corporations and let us protect our rights by always being informed.
I was actually shocked to discover that the former Philippine president, Cory Aquino, was announced by her daughter, Kris Aquino, a famous celebrity, that Mrs. Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer. We know Mrs. Aquino as a living symbol of democracy as she was swept into power by a peaceful EDSA I revolution to overthrow the then President, Ferdinand Marcos. She also was the one that helped bring the current President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to power and is also ironically the one joining protests to bring President GMA down. But this time she faces a far more bigger battle, a battle for her life as she fights against colon cancer.
So what is colon cancer? To know that we must first define what cancer is.In a normal body function, rapid division and multiplication of cells are needed to regenerate and heal the body. But there are times when the growth is uncontrollable and spreads (metastasizes) into other parts of the organs where it continue to divides and replaces normally functioning cells with abnormal cells. Cancer cells multiply so fast that they may occlude blood vessels and steal blood flow by forming their own vasculature stealing normal organs their blood supply thus the organ dies. And for the people who are confused, tumors are abnormal proliferation of cells and there are two kinds of tumors, benign and malignant. Benign is non-cancerous and does not spread so it can be safely removed by surgery. The dangerous kind of tumor is a malignant tumor as it is cancerous. Even if the malignant tumor is removed, remaining cells could still multiply at a more rapid rate that is why chemotherapy (the use of medication to kill cancer cells) is also required to kill cancerous cells, but unfortunately it also kills normal cells but that would be a different topic.
I'm not sure if Mrs. Aquino's cancer is malignant or benign, but I'm guessing that it is malignant because she wouldn't have let the whole Philippines know that she had cancer. So let me share the some relevant information as to what causes colon cancer, signs and symptoms of colon cancer, what the treatment is, and what the preventions are. These are very important to know as this could save your life one day.
So what causes colon cancer? It's still unknown but it is believed that a high fat diet increases one's risk for colon cancer. Why? Breakdown of fat leads to the formation of carcinogens (cancer causing substances). Although cancer is not contagious, it is hereditary so if you have any relatives with any kind of cancer then you are at high risk for cancer.
Symptoms of colon cancer are numerous and nonspecific. They include fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, change in bowel habits, narrow stools, diarrhea or constipation, red or dark blood in stool, weight loss, abdominal pain, cramps, or bloating. Other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (spastic colon), ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diverticulosis, and peptic ulcer disease can have symptoms that mimic colorectal cancer (from medicinenet.com).
The treatment for colon cancer, like any other cancer is surgical removal to prevent the metastsis or spread of cancer cells to other organs. But treatment does not mean that you will be treated immediately. Factors as to how much the cancer had progressed plays an important role. This is why prevention is better than treatment because one only notices that one has cancer when it is already too late when the cancer has already grown and spread causing the signs and symptoms.
Preventing cancer entails a healthy lifestyle like eating healthy avoiding fatty foods, carcinogens like charred meat, drinking too much alcohol, etc. But the best prevention is early detection. It is recommended that all individuals over the age of 40 have yearly digital examinations of the rectum and their stool tested for hidden or "occult" blood (from medicinenet.com).In a digital rectal exam a doctor inserts his finger through your anus and feels for polyps (abnormal growth). For males, a digital rectal exam is like hitting two birds with one stone as the prostate gland can also be checked for prostate cancer at the same time.
Other early detection procedures are flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. Here a video camera is inserted to see how your colon looks checking for abnormal growths and other anomalies.
For more information please visit this site: medicinenet.com
Hypoglycemia is the medical term for a level of blood glucose (blood sugar) that is too low to meet immediate energy needs of the body. Glucose is a sugar that our bodies use for energy. A normal level of glucose in the blood is between 60-110 mg/dl . If you are hypoglycemic you will encounter the following symptoms: sweating, feeling warm, dizziness, difficulty speaking, inability to concentrate, hunger, drowsiness, anxiety, confusion, nausea, trembling and headaches.
There are two types of hypoglycemia. And these are:
Fasting hypoglycemia can occur when a person goes without food for eight or more hours. It can be caused by certain underlying diseases (tumors of the pancreas, severe liver disease, adrenal failure) that upsets the body's ability to balance glucose.
Reactive hypoglycemia is when blood glucose levels fall too low within a few hours after eating. This type rarely has a serious underlying cause. and is not easy to diagnose.
But I guess that the type of hypoglycemia that students are more associated with is Fasting Hypoglycemia. Nursing students are guilty of skipping breakfast especially if the duty is very early in the morning and don't expect them to eat lunch either. My duty mates said that they don't want to eat because they want to finish whatever they are doing first. But I wonder what makes them so busy that they don't eat lunch? But I can never go on if I don't eat lunch. I can skip breakfast (I'm used to it) but I can never skip lunch because if I do I'll just end up very grouchy because as shown in the symptoms above, I get a headache and my body weakens because there isn't enough energy being created because of a rapid decrease in blood sugar.
But skipping a meal is not the only cause of hypoglycemia. Other causes are: alcohol on an empty stomach, taking too much insulin, exercising hard without eating a snack first, eating excessive amounts of carbohydrate foods.
But if you think that hypoglycemia can only lead to headaches and body weakness, think again! Hypoglycemia an lead to the decrease supply of glucose as fuel to the brain, resulting in impairment of function (neuroglycopenia). Derangements of function can range from vaguely "feeling bad" to coma (rarely) permanent brain damage or death.
So never skip a meal guys! If you do skip meals because of uncontrollable circumstances then always bring food with you that are high in sugar like candy or chocolates so that you can have something to munch on even when you are on duty.
This is a music video from the Korean Movie "200 Pounds Beauty". The song is entitled Maria and is sung by the main actress of the movie herself Kim Ah Joong. Anyway the song is a Korean rendition of Blondie's "Maria" for your information. Here is the lyrics:
"Maria" (English translation)
She moves like she don't care. Smooth as silk, cool as air. Ooh, it makes you wanna cry.
She doesn't know your name and your heart beats like a subway train. Ooh, it makes you wanna die.
Refrain: Ooh, don't you wanna take her? Wanna make her all your own?
Chorus: Maria. Youve gotta see her! Go insane and out of your mind. Medina. Ave maria. A million and one candlelights.
Ive seen this thing before. In my best friend and the boy next door. Fool for love and fool of fire.
Wont come in from the rain. Sees oceans running down the drain. Blue as ice and desire.
(Refrain & Chorus)
Ooh, dont you wanna break her? Ooh, dont you wanna take her home?
She walks like she dont care. You wanna take her everywhere. Ooh, it makes you wanna cry.
Shes like a millionaire. Walking on imported air. Ooh, it makes you wanna die.
(Chorus 4x)
So and if you're wondering what the movie is about you can watch it from Crunchyroll and here's an interesting synopsis from Lunapark6:
"Han-Na is a very big girl with a warm heart. She is also gifted with an unbelievable voice from God. Han-Na has always wanted to be a pop-singer, but due to her appearance, could only work as a faceless singer. She provides the vocals for a popular singer named Ami, a beautiful young lady that can’t carry a note to save her life.
Also, Han-Na is in love with Ami’s music producer, Sang-June, but it is a one-sided love. One day, Han-Na is invited to Sang-June’s birthday party and receives a red dress from him to wear to his party. Han-Na is excited, yet scared. The dress is revealing and quite extravagant. With her very large figure, she is not sure if she could wear such an outfit. She does eventually go to the birthday party in the red dress, but is mortified when petite Ami appears in the same red dress. During the course of the birthday party, Han-Na absorbs more emotional trauma and she simply disappears……..
One year later, after Han-Na’s extreme makeover (major plastic surgery), Han-Na takes on a new identity and becomes Jenny. Jenny has a near perfect body and face. Nobody recognizes her, even her best friend. Meanwhile, the producer Sang-Jung is searching for a replacement singer for Ami, but can’t find anyone close to the talents of Han-na. Han-na as Jenny, now comes back into the picture and auditions for the job. Sang-Jung is immediately floored by her. She has the absolute beauty and that stunning voice. Soon afterwards, her dream that Sung-June will fall in love with her, is about to come true. Unfortunately, Ami is now jealous of her and feels threatened by her sudden success. She researches into Jenny’s background and comes up with the truth about her true identity. Will this ruin Jenny’s career?"
So you might ask me what the relevance of this post is to my blog... my answer? It's very relevant! It does not only concern physical health but it also includes mental health and even all around wellness. Think about it, we are surrounded by media that brainwashes us into thinking that skinny girls and buffed boys are the only thing beautiful.
Because of this g that the media is trying to portray, we have a society that looks down on obese people and think of them as ugly. In return these poor obese people become so affected that they are socially impaired and worst are driven to a life of self-pity and self-hate up to the point that they think of suicide.
We also have skinny people who believe that they are fat and ugly thus we have our beloved bulimics and anorexics. By the way the difference between anorexia and bulimia is that in anorexia, it affects mainly teenage girls (and even boys!) and is described by starving themselves to death so they are underweight. Bulimia on the other hand affects women to their early to mid-20's and they retain a normal body weight because they eat a lot but purge or throw-up the things they ate. Both bulimics and anorexics are laxative (a drug that makes defecation easier) addicts by the way.
But if you ask me, isn't it true that we find people who are skinnier more attractive? I am guilty of being a skinny person lover than a chubby person (but that depends if the person is cute hehehe ^_^). I even plan on dieting this summer because I see myself as fat, but I don't crash diet because I know that more harm can be gained from it rather than good. Crash dieting as defined by diethack.com is drastically cutting back on the amount of calories and fat that you take in on a daily basis. Similar to a starvation diet, a crash diet is often paired with other weight loss "fixes," including extreme exercise routines and the use of diuretics or diet pills.
So what are the effects of crash dieting? Well for one you become malnourished and there tends to be a"yo-yo effect" where a person not only regains his normal weight but also additional weight when he goes to his normal diet. diethack.com also emphasizes the following effects of crash dieting:
iron, vitamin B12, potassium and sodium deficiency
liver and kidney failure
heart attack
stroke
osteoporosis
anorexia
bulimia
But again the main reason why cause why people crash diet is because other people makes fun of obese people and bring their self-worth down. It would be nice if they don't treat obese people as monsters. People should really be educated that nothing would be gained from name-calling. Although the obese should lose weight but they should not lose their dignity in the process.
This is just one of the many reasons why I don't drink and why I highly discourage anyone else from drinking. Beer makes someone lose their selves for a while. Beer is a very good CNS depressant so your thinking and good judgement are impaired. This is the reason why there are so many drunk people out there who does stupid things like murder, rape, theft, and just plainly making a fool of themselves by lying unconscious on street corners. Not to mention that most vehicular related accidents are caused by drunk drivers.
There are so many health risks that I could give you that is related to drinking.
Increased risk of accidents
strokes caused by bleeding
medication interactions - including non-prescription drugs
breast cancer - alcohol increases estrogen levels, which is a risk for premenopausal women
