Some of you would know that I have been ill since last Saturday. It all started on that hot Saturday afternoon after dropping my younger boy at his piano class. Upon reaching home, I started looking for my stylus which I had dropped in my car a few days earlier. Being the puteri lilin that I am, I felt quite sick, sticky and slimy after searching high and low for the blooming stylus and hit a brick wall. After a quick shower, I had a short nap. By then, I had a slight fever.
In the evening, we had to attend a dinner with my husband's friends. I am normally wary of steamboats for fear that I might pick something that is half-cooked. At home, we normally let all the stuff boil thoroughly, and then empty the pot before adding in new stuff. Alas, in the company of strangers, such ground rules do not apply. Who am I to dictate how and when to add the stuff to the pot? So I had to take a risk even though I knew the others were adding the condiments all the time. The point is, the soup may be boiling but it could be that some items which had just been added might not be cooked yet and one would never really know...
As fate would have it, I guess it could have been a half-cooked fishball or meatball that I ate or even the one slice of half-cooked p** liver that I ate which did the trick. By 11pm, I was running a very high temperature and slept with an ice pack. I woke up every few hours to take panadol.
The fever did not subside on Sunday, the day of the Sibu elections and I was in bed either sleeping or following the news online. By noon. I started throwing up and I had lost my appetite. The situation persisted. I do not like to see the doctor and only went to the clinic by early Monday evening after vomitting six times. Despite the persistent fever, she did not prescribe antibiotics as she said I did not have a sore throat. Sighs.
By 11pm on Monday evening, I had the worst case of diarrhoea that lasted till 6am on Tuesday. I will spare you the details. I thought the worst was over. As a coffee addict, I could not resist having my white coffee while reading the news and that triggered another series of runs. By noon on Tuesday, I was almost half-dead and could not leave the house to buy any food. In sheer desperation, I cooked a packet of instant noodles - I think it must have been brain damage due to the fever!!! All seemed to be ok till about 5pm when I made myself a hot cup of Milo which was my undoing. That triggered another series of runs - about 15 times in 25 minutes. By 9.30pm, I was having severe stomach cramps and spasms of pain in my tummy (much like labor pain) so I called up my doctor friend who prescribed a course of antibiotics for me. My husband picked it up for me this morning and I am finally better.
In total, I lost SEVEN pounds this week. I should be glad but not in this painful manner. I still feel very weak and can hardly walk up or down the stairs. I can sit, read and blog but not for prolonged periods as I am still giddy.
This experience has given me a glimpse of what life is like for the elderly, especially those who are sick and immobile or even those without their children with them. When my boy was at school, I was home alone and I wish there was someone around to get me my medicine or a bite or even to give me a hand. Sometimes, we can take health for granted...even our elderly parents or relatives. More than ever, this experience has taught me the importance of health, good nutrition and how to value life.
A few years ago, at my friend's dad's 100th birthday, I met a Mr. Wang, a bubbly 88 year old gentleman who entertained me with his experiences of how he escaped from Nanking during the Japanese occupation of the city. I asked him, "Sir, how come you are still so energetic even at your age?"
To my surprise, he told me that he lost his wife a few years ago and remarried a year later and was living a very happy life because he is thankful for each day. And he said, "When you came to this world, you were crying as a baby. Live each day to the fullest so that when you leave this world, others will be crying."
This steamboat nightmare was a temporary setback for me physically but it did not stop me from following the Sibu by-election or from blogging or responding to blog comments or from my other daily duties except for driving, sweeping and mopping. I tried to make the best of my situation instead of succumbing to the pain and despair.
I just want to say a big "Thank you' to all readers who sent their get well wishes via blog comments, emails, smses, skype/facebook messages and phone calls. Your kindness, concern, advice and love really touched my heart.
I have really learnt a lot about traditional remedies for food poisoning and even the benefits of Coca-cola, 100 plus drinks, nutmeg, ginger powder concoctions and so on.
Thank you so much!!! Your good wishes and prayers have given me the strength to get back on my feet again. God bless you all always!!
P.S. No more steamboats for me *winks* unless it is cooked by yours truly. :-)
By the way, my feedburner counts have been erratic of late - today and also two days ago and it has always been a consistent pattern. I checked with Feedburner help group and apparently, others are facing the same problems. If you are unable to pick my feeds in googlefetcher or RSS or any reader, please let me now. Perhaps you might want to consider clicking on to the url directly, bookmarking the site or using livebookmarks. It could just be a technical glitch as my statistics are fairly stable. Do let me know if you have encountered any problems. Thanks! Have a nice day.
17 comments to MY STEAMBOAT NIGHTMARE
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KoSong Cafe Other than your friends, nobody would know about your ordeal since you have been blogging regularly.
I agree with you about the dangers of having steamboat with others who do not share the same views on the right way to cook the stuff. There are certain items which need only a quick boil to get the best taste and you have a dilemma between taste and preventing possible food poisoning!
Quite recently, my wife and two sisters went to Cambodia. After the trip, one of them had severe diarrhoea and vomiting and had to be admitted to Pantai for a week! She had to be wheeled in because she was too weak to walk and vomited before she could reach the room. She insisted that she got it from Cambodia but her sisters said they had the same foods!
More recently, my wife went to China with two sisters and they had food poisoning too.
Apparently, as we age, our resistance is lower and you just need one item to trigger off (similar to allergies), you will have problems with other items too.
Take care and have a nice day.
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Anonymous Illness is not something to feel ashamed of. It is not a sign of misfortune or defeat. Suffering is the fuel of wisdom, and it opens the way to happiness. Through illness, human beings can gain insight into the meaning of life, understand its value and dignity, and strive to lead more fulfilling lives.
~~ Daisaku Ikeda
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Unknown Dear Anon @ 6.09pm
Thank you for such a lovely wish. I also need you and other readers around to give me the strength and inspiration to carry on. A symbiotic relationship! Take care and God bless you!
Cheers
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Unknown Dear KoSong Cafe
Thank you for resonating with my post and for sharing about the experiences of your loved ones. I hope they have fully recovered by now. I do agree that our resistance decreases as age increases.
You have rightly pointed out the steamboat dilemma - the quick-boil or over-cooking. I guess it might have happened with that slice of p** liver as I love it best when it is dipped in boiling soup for just a few seconds. It could also have happened when I took the soup after they had dunked more sea cucumber or other stuff...I will never know but suffice to say, I will be very careful from now onwards.
You take care too. God bless you and yours with good health and melting moments.
Have a lovely evening!
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Unknown Dear Anon @ 7.11pm
Thank you so much for this meaningful quotation which is so relevant to my recent experience. I am constantly amazed at how, with the click of the mouse, you can come up with appropriate quotations from Daisaku Ikeda which jive with the post.
Thank you for your time, effort and kind thoughts behind this gesture.
Take care and do keep in touch.
Best wishes
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Anonymous Well, it looks like our resistance to illnesses is truly weak!
Perhaps, we are all made in Malaysia, just like our national cars, tak tahan lah!
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Unknown Dear Anon @ 9.34pm
I think it is the age as well...The older a person, the lower the resistance and the longer one takes to recover...Sighs.
As for Malaysian cars, it is about luck...Some get real good ones that last whilst some don't have that luck...
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Anonymous John 9:1-3 (New King James Version)
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
1. Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
2. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3. Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
Dear MWS,
Sometimes, we just wonder why we are put to test with pains and sufferings ? And we do question on whether we sinned or our parents sinned as related above. No, in a way God can use various issue in our lives to shape and mould us into being more perfect. Also for the fact that His work can be revealed in us.
The process is never easy but without prunning, a plant will not bears much fruit. As we are the clay and He is the porter, thus He knows what shape we are to be in. For His grace will be sufficient for us and He will not test us beyond what we can handle.
Be of good courage and know that nothing happens without His knowledge. Take things easy and know that a new day awaits to welcome us with sunshine and fresh air. Let your today be better than yesterday BUT worse than tomorrow !
Ah ha! Were you caught there? Trust you were not as today being worse than tomorrow is a good deal ya! May each new day be a better day in the days ahead for you and yours at home. GBU
~ahoo~
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rainstorm Any possibility u might be prone to lactose intolerance (which u r not aware of) as u mentioned after u had ur white coffee & milo?
When i was much younger, i had no problems with fresh milk, milo. Few years ago, when i was having my usual mug of milo, within minutes i was heading towards the washroom. Of course i didnt expect it could be due to lactose intolerance. So, the following day i tried agin & it happened agian. With that i suspect it could be due to lactose intolerance.
Few days later, i tried the fresh milk and the same thing happened. That confirmed my suspicion that i'm one of the millions that is lactose intolerance . Sigh !
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Anonymous BTW, dear ~Ahoo~, the answer by Jesus in #3 actually does not put to rest the idea that the ancients did know of and believed in the concept of reincarnation. Many Christian used that for this purpose - to disprove reincarnation as a belief of that epoch and as a viability.
#2 is more powerful a question...the man cannot have sinned before he was born this time around. Therefore he must have lived b4 this time and this birth.
~wits0~
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Anonymous Dear witso,
You are very wise in so many ways as I read from your many comments. You articulate well and do excuse me for rambling many a time as I am still learning daily.
Wrt the questions posed can we exchange ideas through private email? Do email me at ahoo@live.com.my. There are lots of wise teachings we can explore from many religion out there. Ultimately, we are all searching for truth and wanting to know where we will end up after death.
Thanks, witso and glad to know you through cyber space.
~ahoo~
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Unknown Dear ahoo
After many trials and tribulations of all sorts and differing magnitudes, I have learnt not to question God or gripe. At my age, I know that time is running out and I try as far as possible to see what lessons can be learnt from each hiccup that I face, a sharp contrast from my younger days.
At the end of the day, what matters is not the amount we have in the bank but the type of character we have in our hearts.
For each day that I am alive, I am thankful and for each evening when on my pillow I lay, I am also thankful for whatever has happened.
I Thess 5:18
Thanks so much dear ahoo, for sharing and blessing us with your input shared from your heart. I am much better now, and would be even better if not for the Blogger technical glitch haha...
Take care and God bless!
Shalom
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Unknown Dear rainstorm
Thanks so much for sharing about lactose intolerance. No, I don't have that but my older boy developed it at a later stage after a bout of food poisoning. From the age of two he stopped drinking milk and we were up in arms about his calcium intake. Today, he is 6f 3 inches tall and is testimony to the fact that worrying does nothing so I have given up my title of Queen of Worrying :-).
Mine was a severe case of food poisoning and I am much better now, thanks.
Take care and do keep in touch. God bless you always.
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Unknown Dear ~wits0~ and ahoo
I hope the two of you will get in touch and become great friends. You have both been tremendous blessings to me and it gives me great joy to see a fantastic friendship blossoming here!!!
Cheers to life and to great people like the two of you!
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Anonymous I am your webpage regular readers, from sarawak; at first I would like apologise as I never give any input instead of taking the advantage by reading what you write here, Sorry & thanks;
Wat a sad thing to know you are type of "lilin puteri"; may I suggest you, to have physical workout for at least 30mins a day, like plant need watering & sunlight.
As human beside intake good nutritious food, we need excersie nurture our health, guess its easy to catch a yoga class in penang, walking etc, here http://www.new-fitness.com/walk.html.
with love & cheers!!
Joo
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Unknown Dear Joo
Thanks so much for your well wishes, loving and caring comment. I truly appreciate it and want to let you know that your comment means a lot to me.
I used to be very outdoorish but after a spinal injury,I had to slow down. I am ok in the sun but not when it is hot...
Thanks so much for the suggestion and for the link. I must confess the greatest downside of blogging is the sedentary lifestyle :-(.
But once I fully recover and have completed my medication, I will definitely do brisk walking and hiking at easier sites.
Once again, thanks so much for reading my blog!!! Please do not apologize. Do keep in touch. I hope to hear more from you.
God bless!
with love and much appreciation to you
Anonymous Hopefully, you are always in the pink! We need you around to raise us up!