sooyindotcom

I finally went to see the neurologist, Dr. Sng Kim Hock, today at Gleaneagles. Here’s how it went:

Parents picked me up from the office at 2.30pm. Reached Gleaeagles at 3, went to register myself at the corporate counter (the medical fees are covered by ING, Citibank’s medical insurance company) and headed up to the 5th floor to Dr. Sng’s clinic. The receptionist (nurse?) was really friendly, took down my details and gave me a copy of Dr. Sng’s resume to read while waiting. I learnt that he stays in the same area as my parents and his daughter graduated from Warwick University…what a small world! Dr. Sng’s really friendly…a pretty fatherly figure, actually. I told him the type of headache I was experiencing, he did a couple of reflex and movement tests and then sent me off to the X-ray and imaging department for a CT scan (see * below). However, he wanted me to see an eye doctor cause he saw some irregularities while checking my eyes. It may be caused by my contact lenses, but just to be sure, he wanted an ophthalmologist to take a look (see…I’m learning all these big words…neurologist, ophthalmologist, computerised tomography….*grin*).

We waited for about 15-30 minutes at the X-ray department before it was my turn. Dear hubby came over to accompany me as well…*muaks*! Before going in, I was asked to declare that I’m not pregnant as the radiation may be harmful to fetuses. The machine looked pretty intimidating…but at least it wasn’t THE TUNNEL (used for Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI)…phew! I was asked to lie down on the ‘table’, my head was kinda strapped down to prevent me from moving, I suppose, and they thoughtfully covered me with a blanket. I then closed my eyes and tried to relax. I was told that the scan would take ten minutes, but I think it was over much faster than that. Maybe my head is smaller? Hmm…

After about 20-30 minutes, the results of the scan was ready. Took a peek at the radiologist’s report…it read:

CT OF BRAIN
There is no space occupying intraparenchymal lesion (see ** below).
No intracranial haemorrhage seen.
The grey white differentiation is preserved
No hydrocephalus, mass effect or midline shift
The paranasal sinuses appear clear.
No significant abnormality

Since i only understood about 20% of the words in the report, I surfed around and found this medical dictionary on the Internet:

in·tra·pa·ren·chy·mal - adj : situated or occurring within the parenchyma of an organ

pa·ren·chy·ma - n : the essential and distinctive tissue of an organ or an abnormal growth as distinguished from its supportive framework .

hy·dro·ceph·a·lus - n, pl -li : an abnormal increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid within the cranial cavity that is accompanied by expansion of the cerebral ventricles, enlargement of the skull and esp. the forehead, and atrophy of the brain.

And here’s a picture of my scan (I was proudly exclaiming to my mum: “Look, this proves that I have a brain”, to which she retorted: “But it’s so small”. Darn. I got the same response from my ever helpful and supportive citibank colleagues…! confidence level really went sky high….). Basically, what the machine did was to take ’slices’ or cross-sections of my brain…my guess is that the top left picture is the slice near my jaw, while the bottom right is the slice at the top of my brain.

The doctor said everything looked normal, but he’ll only be able to conclude once I’ve seen the eye doctor. However, 4 out of 10 people get headaches so I’m really not the odd one out. And it’s probably due to STRESS. Stress?!? Anyways, it’s a blessing that it’s nothing serious, though I had hoped that there’ll be a miracle pill that I could take to banish the headaches once and for all.

I’ll have to go back to see a Dr. Cheong to check out my eyes, and a follow up visit with Dr. Sng…in the meantime, still praying that I’ll wake up headache free one day soon.

Back in the office, my brain was criticized for being too small, my declaration that the headaches were due to stress were met with disbelieving looks…haha…seriously, they were all very nice and concerned…thanks for caring, guys! It was also a colleague, K’s birthday (it was actually an early birthday celebration)….so boss bought a cake from Nikko, we all gathered around and sang Happy Birthday. Take a look at the photos here! Also, photos from boss’s birthday lunch at KimGary the day before…

Boss also treated us to a lovely Lou Sang lunch today at Noble House. We had the yee sang (for those don’t know what this is, check out this freaking funny blog I found here!!! Even funnier if you understand Cantonese!), tofu, chicken, pork ribs, fish and fruits to finish off. The food was really tasty…will definitely bring my parents to try.

And that, my friends, concludes the day when I went through the donut hole…

*Computerised Tomography Scan

A computerised tomography (CT) scanner is a special type of X-ray machine used to produce pictures of the inside of the body. Unlike an ordinary X-ray, which is developed on film, a CT scan creates images of “slices” of the body on a computer screen. The images are black, white and grey, like ordinary X-rays, but are much more detailed and can even be viewed in three dimensions.

About CT scans
CT may be used to make images of every part of the body, including the bones, nerves, muscles and organs.

Depending on the part of the body being examined, a dye (contrast medium) may be used to make some tissues show up more clearly. For scans of the abdomen, this might be a drink containing barium, which shows up white on the scans. For other scans, contrast medium is injected into a vein.

Like any type of X-ray, CT scans can be harmful to a developing fetus, so they are not performed on pregnant women.

The procedure
A CT scan is routinely performed as an outpatient or day case, requiring no overnight stay in hospital. The procedure does not require an anesthetic (except sometimes for small children). Some people are offered a sedative medicine to help ensure that they are relaxed and comfortable during the procedure. The scan itself can take up to an hour to perform, but at least two hours should be allowed for the whole appointment.

Preparation for the scan
People having abdominal, pelvic, or brain scans may be given special instructions in advance about eating and drinking. Women who are having a pelvic scan may be asked to insert a tampon beforehand. But in many cases no preparation is required.

Some types of metal can interfere with the image quality, so everyone who has a scan will be asked to remove metal objects such as coins, jewellery, and hair clips, and it’s best to wear clothing that does not have metal zips or buttons.

The scan
Having a CT scan involves lying on a table that slides through the “ring” of the scanning machine. The table is positioned so that the part of the body being examined lies within the ring. The table moves backwards or forwards to take each new image “slice” (this can be a bit jerky). The scanner rotates around the body as each picture is taken.

A radiographer operates the scanner from behind a window, and is able to see, hear, and speak to the person being scanned throughout the procedure. He or she may ask the person to keep very still and hold their breath or avoid swallowing for a few seconds for each image.

If a dye injection is needed, it is usually given into a vein in the hand or arm at the beginning of the scan. Intravenous dyes for CT scans are harmlessly removed from the blood by the kidneys and passed out in the urine. Sometimes, if the lower bowel is being scanned, an enema containing a dye may be given before the scan so that the lining of the bowel, coated with the enema, shows up on the scan.

When the scan is complete, the table is easily moved out from the scanner.

**Space Occupying Lesions

CT scans demonstrating space occupying lesions (those black weird stuff in the brain, i suppose). Pictures from this website.