Sunday Oct 18, 2015
"Can I buy you a cup of Ya Kun coffee?" I asked this sunburnt 76-year-old cardboard woman busily sorting out and flattening the cardboard boxes and piling them on the trolley. Cropped white haired, slim and be-spectacled, like one of those kindly grandmas we all love, she pushed her trolley past Ya Kun Cafe Toa Payoh Hub. That was where I just had my $4.80 breakfast of coffee, 2 bread spread with kay but without butter and two half-boiled eggs. I came to clinic early at 8 am to check on the 3-month-old kitten that had an operation and she was OK and decided to buy my Straits Times and drink Ya Kun coffee to keep me awake.
The haze blown by the strong winds from the forest fires in Sumatra had shrouded the sky, making it grey and the sun invisible.
"Give me the money," she replied. I handed her a $10.00 note.
"Just $2.00 will do," she said she had coffee.
"Why do you need to work at your age?" I asked when she said she was 76 years old.
"I need the money," she was forthright.
"Don't your children support you?"
"My only son has not worked and even pester me for money!" she spied a Burger King employee carting a few cardboard boxes to the bin and left to intercept him. He gave her the cardboard boxes.
"How old is your son?" I asked her.
"He is 30 years old, but now he is working as a seaman. It is better for me that he is not at home (as he often asks her for money)."
At this age, it was tiring for her to wheel the trolley loaded with cardboard boxes to Toa Payoh Lorong 8 where the karang guni man will buy her goods more than once daily, she told me. The time taken would be over an hour. A full trolley of cardboard boxes may give her $3.00.
She appeared fit and had no dementia as she conversed with me in Cantonese and English,. She could approach her Member of Parliament for some monthly assistance of around $200, but she had not done so. Perhaps she could work at Changi Airport to gather the trolleys if she was acceptable at 76 years of age.
Nowadays, there is a trend that a group of young Singaporean couples do not want children. Other than the increased stress and financial costs, some adult children have no respect for their parents and cannot support the aged parents. Some even migrate to Australia and other countries.
Perhaps, this group is wise as they could have savings in their old age.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Myanmar Travel Stories - Alms to monks and School Boat for children
Oct 5 - 10, 2015
Oct 5. MAI to Yangon by afternoon flight
Oct 6. Ygn to Hinthada by car. A-Z Guesthouse reluctant to accept foreigners. Went to another guesthouse with no English name.
Oct 7. Hinthada. Lucky Guesthouse. Cooked Food to 2700 monks
Oct 8. Hinthada to Ygn. 4am rice to 2700 monks.
River boat for school children living near river bank.
Royal Golden View Hotel. US$55 for suite Room 206.
Oct 9. Ygn. Royal Golden View Hotel. US$55 for suite. $45 for ground floor near guest bathroom
Oct 10. Ygn to Singapore by morning flight
4am 2,700 monks collect rice. Yesterday afternoon, they collected cooked food (meat, vegetables) from the same temple.
Oct 5. MAI to Yangon by afternoon flight
Oct 6. Ygn to Hinthada by car. A-Z Guesthouse reluctant to accept foreigners. Went to another guesthouse with no English name.
Oct 7. Hinthada. Lucky Guesthouse. Cooked Food to 2700 monks
Oct 8. Hinthada to Ygn. 4am rice to 2700 monks.
River boat for school children living near river bank.
Royal Golden View Hotel. US$55 for suite Room 206.
Oct 9. Ygn. Royal Golden View Hotel. US$55 for suite. $45 for ground floor near guest bathroom
Oct 10. Ygn to Singapore by morning flight
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
2329. KPI for 4 dew claw removal in a Yorkshire
Oct 14, 2015
Today I demonstrated to my assistant Naing how to be efficient and prompt in removal of 4 dew claws in an adult Yorkshire. From IV sedation to last stitch, the operation was 11 minutes.
11.19 am Inject domitor and ketaimin IV D+K 0.1 +0.12 ml IV, 4 kg Yorkshire
11.30 am First skin incision
11.42 am Last skin stitching
As the dog was excitable, 11.19 - 11.30 am were 11 minutes used to clip hairs off 4 feet and prep for surgery. This delay caused the dog to wake up at around 11.39 am and isoflurane gas had to be used to top up anaesthesia.
Curled toe nail (arrow) snagged into the skin had been clipped short
Today I demonstrated to my assistant Naing how to be efficient and prompt in removal of 4 dew claws in an adult Yorkshire. From IV sedation to last stitch, the operation was 11 minutes.
11.19 am Inject domitor and ketaimin IV D+K 0.1 +0.12 ml IV, 4 kg Yorkshire
11.30 am First skin incision
11.42 am Last skin stitching
As the dog was excitable, 11.19 - 11.30 am were 11 minutes used to clip hairs off 4 feet and prep for surgery. This delay caused the dog to wake up at around 11.39 am and isoflurane gas had to be used to top up anaesthesia.
IMAGE OF ANOTHER CASE OF INGROWN TOE NAIL IN 23 NOV 2021:
Curled toe nail (arrow) snagged into the skin had been clipped short
2328. Rabbit with left mandibular fracture
Saw the rabbit on Oct 11, 2015
Dental work was done by another vet.
Oct 10, 2015 Drooling a lot
HISTORY
15 Jul 2015. Dental. Right and left upper CT1 loose and moving towards cheek. Removed.
Spurs CT2 left upper and CT1 left lower, CT2 right lower. Multiple CT trimmed.
27 Aug 2015. Dental. Pus in left side of mouth. Dental rad - Osteolysis around left mandibular CT1,2,3. These were extracted. Pus seen. Post dental rad - no roots retained at left mandible. Dental disease - early abscess formation on left mandible.
Oct 10, 2015. Drooling a lot. Came to Toa Payoh Vets. X-rays taken. Under anaesthesia isoflurane, the left mandibular mid area had a large bony lump - a biopsy for bone cancer is advised.
2327. Myanmar travel stories - The taxi had no power uphill
Oct 10, 2015
At 5.30 am, Thin Thin hailed a taxi and got to my hotel, Royal Golden View. My Myanmar Airways International flight would be departing Yangon Airport at 8.30am.
"Taxi drivers had robbed passengers," Thin Thin ensured that I would be safe by sending me to the Airport. There appears to be thousands of taxis in Yangon and the common 2-hour downtown car jam is really there nowadays. So, how could a taxi driver earn a living by being caught in such a jam? There is no mileage meter as fares are fixed and negotiated before driving.
On the uphill road to the departure area, another car stopped in front of us. Our taxi driver found that he could not drive his taxi uphill.
"This car has no power," I suggested all 3 passengers alight. Thin Thin objected as this was not her style. The taxi driver smiled as he understood what I said but had never spoken a word. Since nobody alighted, he slowly reversed his taxi downhill to the level road.
Fortunately there was no car behind him. From the level road, he drove the taxi uphill to the departure lounge. He fulfilled his duty. He helped to take out the luggage. Such incidents make for a distracting memorable experience of my Myanmar travel.
When there is life, there are challenges. This very trim and young taxi driver must be experienced to resolve the challenges.
P.S
There is a Ya Kun coffee shop in the Yangon Airport. But it was not opened till after 8 am unlike the other local coffee shop nearby. As I had to arrived at 6.30 am, I had no chance to sample the coffee. Yet in Singapore, Ya Kun opens before 8 am.
Maybe Ya Kun finds it not worthwhile to open early.
At 5.30 am, Thin Thin hailed a taxi and got to my hotel, Royal Golden View. My Myanmar Airways International flight would be departing Yangon Airport at 8.30am.
"Taxi drivers had robbed passengers," Thin Thin ensured that I would be safe by sending me to the Airport. There appears to be thousands of taxis in Yangon and the common 2-hour downtown car jam is really there nowadays. So, how could a taxi driver earn a living by being caught in such a jam? There is no mileage meter as fares are fixed and negotiated before driving.
On the uphill road to the departure area, another car stopped in front of us. Our taxi driver found that he could not drive his taxi uphill.
"This car has no power," I suggested all 3 passengers alight. Thin Thin objected as this was not her style. The taxi driver smiled as he understood what I said but had never spoken a word. Since nobody alighted, he slowly reversed his taxi downhill to the level road.
Fortunately there was no car behind him. From the level road, he drove the taxi uphill to the departure lounge. He fulfilled his duty. He helped to take out the luggage. Such incidents make for a distracting memorable experience of my Myanmar travel.
When there is life, there are challenges. This very trim and young taxi driver must be experienced to resolve the challenges.
P.S
There is a Ya Kun coffee shop in the Yangon Airport. But it was not opened till after 8 am unlike the other local coffee shop nearby. As I had to arrived at 6.30 am, I had no chance to sample the coffee. Yet in Singapore, Ya Kun opens before 8 am.
Maybe Ya Kun finds it not worthwhile to open early.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
A 6-year-old male neutered seal poiont Siamese cat dribbles urine again
Tues Oct 12, 2015
Today, the mother and son came to me with this Siamese cat that dribbled urine and lived with 2 other cats in the Singapore aparatment. She had consulted Vet 1 Toa Payoh Vets in 2012, then Vet 1 who started her own practice in West Singapore in 2013. The urinary problem recurred and Vet 3 in East Singapore was consulted in Sep 21, 2015.
Vet 3 treated the cat was an in-patient for 3 days at $50/day with the total bill approximately $600 (ultrasound - lots of sediment in thickened walled bladder; urine test pH 6.5, SG >1.050, Lecuo 3+, Protein +, Blood 3+, . struvite crystals 3+
Vet 3 catheterised the bladder and flushed 2X/day for 3 days. The cat urinated normally and went home on medication of curam antibiotic, phenoxybenzamine 10 mg at 1/8 cap sid, bethanechol 10 mg at 1/8 tablet with 1 tab in 2 ml water and giving 0.25ml.
The cat completed the medication. But today, Oct 12, 2015, the cat had difficulty peeing and so I was the Vet 4 to consult as the medical expenses were deemed high.
Medical costs can add up when the cat has recurring urinary problem as in this common medical condition known variously by different vets as FIC, FUS or FLUTD.
What are the solutions?
EXAM
I palpated the bladder. It was full as an orange. The prepuce was swollen and the penis bright red instead of the usual light pink. Slight kidney pain.
FEEDING
In 2014, no urinary problem. The cat was fed on Urinary S/0 dry food and canned food. Two new cats were introduced in July 2015 and the cat had to be crated inside a cage with his own litter box and water. "He is aggressive towards the new cat and did not drink much water," the mother said.
I did not do any test like X-rays owing to economic considerations. I prescribe antibiotics and painkillers meloxicam for 4 days course. The owner is to syringe water.
.
Today, the mother and son came to me with this Siamese cat that dribbled urine and lived with 2 other cats in the Singapore aparatment. She had consulted Vet 1 Toa Payoh Vets in 2012, then Vet 1 who started her own practice in West Singapore in 2013. The urinary problem recurred and Vet 3 in East Singapore was consulted in Sep 21, 2015.
Vet 3 treated the cat was an in-patient for 3 days at $50/day with the total bill approximately $600 (ultrasound - lots of sediment in thickened walled bladder; urine test pH 6.5, SG >1.050, Lecuo 3+, Protein +, Blood 3+, . struvite crystals 3+
Vet 3 catheterised the bladder and flushed 2X/day for 3 days. The cat urinated normally and went home on medication of curam antibiotic, phenoxybenzamine 10 mg at 1/8 cap sid, bethanechol 10 mg at 1/8 tablet with 1 tab in 2 ml water and giving 0.25ml.
The cat completed the medication. But today, Oct 12, 2015, the cat had difficulty peeing and so I was the Vet 4 to consult as the medical expenses were deemed high.
Medical costs can add up when the cat has recurring urinary problem as in this common medical condition known variously by different vets as FIC, FUS or FLUTD.
What are the solutions?
EXAM
I palpated the bladder. It was full as an orange. The prepuce was swollen and the penis bright red instead of the usual light pink. Slight kidney pain.
FEEDING
In 2014, no urinary problem. The cat was fed on Urinary S/0 dry food and canned food. Two new cats were introduced in July 2015 and the cat had to be crated inside a cage with his own litter box and water. "He is aggressive towards the new cat and did not drink much water," the mother said.
I did not do any test like X-rays owing to economic considerations. I prescribe antibiotics and painkillers meloxicam for 4 days course. The owner is to syringe water.
.
Friday, October 9, 2015
2324. Alms to 2700 monks
Oct 7 and 8.
Benefactors Drs Thein Tun Aung and Thin Thin Soe donates food and rice to 2700 monks, the 25th year of donation from the family.
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