General Medical issues thread

[cove]

I have pulled out some Biofreeze sachets for you Flashback. Wash your hands thoroughly in warm soapy water to avoid contact with other special bits of your body. See you tonight.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

2nd time this particular issue has presented to one of my team. He is feeling poorly and growing weaker. His infliction is (as it's a recurrence) ... a curse!

This man quite genuinely believes a witch has, once more, practiced sanguma on him. Last time, he had until the next full moon to reverse the curse. Luckily we know a licensed ai dokta (witch doctor) and the curse was reversed. This time, it's full moon today, so I'm not entirely sure what his chances will be. I hope the witch doctor works his magic again.

For those scratching their heads about this, I can assure you that there are many people in the PNG highlands that totally believe in sorcery and witchcraft and it sits perfectly in harmony with their deep Christian beliefs as well. Here's another fairly recent story for all you disbelievers .

I'll let you know the outcome, but I must admit to being somewhat out my depth in dealing with these very real issues. At least he is agreeing to let the western doctors treat him for typhoid.

It does bring up an amusing story from a few years back though. At that time, a game of rugby was being played here and the local Suyan team was awarded a penalty. Their kicker missed and according to the crowd, he never misses, so therefore the opposing team had cast a spell on him! An all in brawl betwween the spectators occurred as a result. When the Suyan spectators were asked why they didn't counter the spell with one of their own, they replied that they did, but the other spell was stronger!

 

[love_the_life]

2nd time this particular issue has presented to one of my team. He is feeling poorly and growing weaker. His infliction is (as it's a recurrence) ... a curse!

This man quite genuinely believes a witch has, once more, practiced sanguma on him. Last time, he had until the next full moon to reverse the curse. Luckily we know a licensed ai dokta (witch doctor) and the curse was reversed. This time, it's full moon today, so I'm not entirely sure what his chances will be. I hope the witch doctor works his magic again.

For those scratching their heads about this, I can assure you that there are many people in the PNG highlands that totally believe in sorcery and witchcraft and it sits perfectly in harmony with their deep Christian beliefs as well. Here's another fairly recent story for all you disbelievers .

I'll let you know the outcome, but I must admit to being somewhat out my depth in dealing with these very real issues. At least he is agreeing to let the western doctors treat him for typhoid.

It does bring up an amusing story from a few years back though. At that time, a game of rugby was being played here and the local Suyan team was awarded a penalty. Their kicker missed and according to the crowd, he never misses, so therefore the opposing team had cast a spell on him! An all in brawl betwween the spectators occurred as a result. When the Suyan spectators were asked why they didn't counter the spell with one of their own, they replied that they did, but the other spell was stronger!

Hopefully the curse can be lifted in time. Has he crossed someone in the village?

 

[drron]

Never underestimate the power of the mind.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Hopefully the curse can be lifted in time. Has he crossed someone in the village?

His crime was to better himself. Because he has a good job, others in his village in the Southern Highlands are jealous. This started a couple of years ago when, at the death of one of his relatives, he contributed a pig to the haus krai (the wake). A pig is worth roughly K5000 (give or take) and that gesture required him to pay with his life, so a curse was placed on him. We reversed that curse back then, with help from the witch doctor. I watched a fit and healthy young man waste away to point of considerable weight loss and zero energy within weeks and then recover again after the passing of the full moon. One of his tormentors has since passed away as he apparently had a counter-curse placed on him!

Never underestimate the power of the mind.

I certainly do not. I've witnessed the hold that "beliefs" can have over a person. I've also had two people I know here die of Malaria after refusing western medicine and returning to their villages to seek the help of witch doctors. In this case, I'm not entirely convinced of the "typhoid" diagnoses either as the local PNG western doctor placed two question marks after the word on his medical certificate ie. "Typhoid ?? and dysentery" . It didn't instil much confidence in me. He is also not suffering fever and I asked him if he had "pekpek wara" (diarrhoea), which he hasn't.

 

[JohnK]

For those scratching their heads about this, I can assure you that there are many people in the PNG highlands that totally believe in sorcery and witchcraft and it sits perfectly in harmony with their deep Christian beliefs as well. Here's another fairly recent story for all you disbelievers .

The evil eye in Greek culture is very real. There are many accounts of people incapacitated or bedridden where science/medicine cannot explain.

P.S. I succumb to the evil eye quite regularly and it's not fun when you feel suffocating. It's not anxiety or panic but the chest feels heavy.

 

[Pushka]

So now my niece who also has lupus has just also tested positive for the same blood clotting disorder that I have and which resulted in the DVT in my jugular vein. She has to have the test repeated in 12 weeks but she’s a little freaked out. She flies to France with her kids regularly (every few weeks) to visit her husband who has taken up a contract there. She is now on low dose aspirin and her main symptoms are the migraines. She was asking me whether I have a clexane shot before I travel but as I’m already on blood thinners it isn’t needed. She won’t be given blood thinners unless she has a clot. Her specialist (and mine) keeps saying how much alike we are, even in speech and expression. It’s kinda weird really as we didn’t spend a lot of time together as she was growing up. And weirder the specialist said is that such auto immune issues are carried through the maternal line - that’s where I got mine from, mother, but my niece is my brothers child.

 

[drron]

But I presume your brother had the same mother as you.

 

[Pushka]

But I presume your brother had the same mother as you.

Yep But she seemed to think a more direct maternal link was "normal" and not via the male (as in brother). I'd love to get him tested. But he hates Doctors He and his son (my nephew) both have shakey hands, tremors, ever since childhood. My nephew was called shakey at school but no neurological deficits found as he had multiple tests to get into the RAN. I think there is more there. I was teasing him today saying that our specialist might want him to participate in some kind of genetic tracing but he refused to budge.

 

[JohnK]

Dad still in hospital. Operation a couple of weeks ago. Slowly starting to walk with the walker. Can get out of bed but still requires some help with most things.

Hopefully out and back home in the next couple of weeks if continues to progress.

 

[love_the_life]

Dad still in hospital. Operation a couple of weeks ago. Slowly starting to walk with the walker. Can get out of bed but still requires some help with most things.

Hopefully out and back home in the next couple of weeks if continues to progress.

That sounds promising. Recovery can take a long time and he is best not to try and rush it.
Sort of related is that my SIL who had a knee replacement 5 weeks ago was going really well but then fell over at hydrotherapy. Surgeon said that put back her recovery by 4 weeks. The other day she wasn’t able to bend the knee at all. So make sure he takes it carefully.

 

[Hvr]

Had a blood nose which first aid at Work couldn't stop so after after 30 minutes of to the ED. Now have a balloon up the nostril and being observed.

All ok now but geez I had a lot of blood.

 

[suze2000]

Don't rush to get him out - looking after yourself at home is much much harder than having help in hospital. All the best to him. x

 

[Cossie]

Had a blood nose which first aid at Work couldn't stop so after after 30 minutes of to the ED. Now have a balloon up the nostril and being observed.

All ok now but geez I had a lot of blood.

Yikes, blood pressure related? My Mum used to suffer horrible nose bleeds , was connected to getting her bp under control.

 

[Hvr]

Am home now feeling sick and sore. Was offered a bed for the night but it was cold, very noisy and way too small.

Back tomorrow morning to have the balloon deflated and removed.

Apparently frequent exposure to air conditioning is a cause.

 

[JohnK]

Don't rush to get him out - looking after yourself at home is much much harder than having help in hospital. All the best to him. x

Thanks. Dad is not going anywhere. They will not let him leave unless he can walk unassisted.

 

[love_the_life]

Am home now feeling sick and sore. Was offered a bed for the night but it was cold, very noisy and way too small.

Back tomorrow morning to have the balloon deflated and removed.

Apparently frequent exposure to air conditioning is a cause.

Hoe you had a reasonable night and no more dramas when the balloon is removed. If you use a spray to keep the nose moist, will that help?

 

[JohnK]

Taking a 2 year old to ER after vomiting 5-6 times is not fun. Cannula in foot and another in arm does not look good.

 

[love_the_life]

Taking a 2 year old to ER after vomiting 5-6 times is not fun. Cannula in foot and another in arm does not look good.

Hope little one is feeling better today.

 

[JohnK]

Hope little one is feeling better today.

We still in hospital. Probably one more night. She's not eating but drinking water and now sitting up.

At least Virgin let me cancel today's flight without charge.