Category Archives: it might happen to you

stone former

Posted by rob on

it started days ago as a sharp pain on my lower left abdomen, i tried to ignore the pain until one time it woke me up from sleep.  i had a medical consult last friday fom an internist from one of the local hospital near our place. she assessed my condition and took my medical history and i told her that i had kidney stones – she gave me anti-spasmodics to relieve the pain and requested blood work, urine and a k-u-b ultrasound. i have been on the same situation before years ago, so i already knew.  when my lab results were done i checked it myself, my creatinine was normal and my ultrasound read like this:

kidneys:

the right kidney measures 10.4 x 4.6 cm with cortical thickness of 1.0 cm with non-shadowing echogenic focus at the mid cortex.

the left kidney measures 10.6 x 5.7 cm with cortical thickness of 1.6 cm with shadowing echogenicity at the upper 3rd measuring 0.3 cm.

no hydronephrosis noted.

impression : nephrocalcinosis, right.  nephrolithiasis, left.

nephrocalcinosis is a disorder in which there is excess calcium deposited in the kidneys.  nephrolithiasis on the other hand is the condition of having kidney stones.

i then consulted with a urologist, he prescribed me a number of medicines to take saying we do first the “conservative approach”.  he also scheduled me for a ct scan (stonogram) just to make sure if more stones are present which were not visible in the ultrasound.

they say if you’re a stone former, it cannot be eradicated in your system.  obviously, the not-so-friendly stones are back again to haunt me.

the head count reduction project

Posted by rob on

co

the company i am working for is currently implementing drastic measures.  i have heard rumors of three more rigs going down after two were stacked out then most likely this is possible.  weeks ago, my manager asked for the list of personnel on our rig and i asked him if the main office is trying to layoff hands again.  he replied that the office have this thing they named as the ‘head count reduction project’ – on which the words speaks out for itself. 

so now, every rig hand is feeling threatened again of losing their jobs especially the t.c.n.’s (third country nationals – that is how we are ‘classified’ in here if you are of filipino or of indian nationality).  a few months ago they laid off a few of my co-workers and it is really not a situation one wants to be in.

ayurvedic

Posted by rob on

ayurveda is taken from the sanskrit words – axus, meaning life, and veda, meaning knowledge.  its practice dates back between 1500-400 ad.  the basic principle of ayurveda is prevention and treatment of ilnesses by maintaining balance in the body, mind and consciousness through proper diet, lifestyle, as well as herbal medicines.

almost two months ago, my blood pressure soared high unexpectedly.  out of self-medication, i did took atenolol to regulate my blood pressure.  it did helped but the thing was, this medicine made me experience some bad adverse effects in my body system so i stopped taking it gradually.

ayu

bipasil provides the total alkaloids of sarpagandha, along with various correctives, laxatives and diuretics.  it controls and corrects the causative factors responsible for hypertension.

weeks before, one of my co-workers from india told me he called up his wife to buy me some ‘ayurvedic’ medicine indicated for hypertension.  he received it as a package and handed it to me the other week.  i had to take two tablets twice a day on an empty stomach.  my blood pressure was averaging 150/90 before and after a few days of taking this herbal medicine, i noticed a change of 130/80 average.  well i thought maybe it does help.