Category: Health
Be Positively Teal – Raising Awareness for Ovarian Cancer
I have so much exciting news in store for you guys that I don’t know where to start!! Haha okay let’s do it step by step. Last Friday, I attended ‘Positively Teal Bloggers Event’ at La Maison Du Canele @ Shaw. It was AMAZING. I got so much out of it and I’m going to share.
Why teal? It’s the colour representing the fight against ovarian cancer! If you don’t know what teal is, just check out my profile picture on the top right! Haha ——————————–>>>>>>>>
I know nobody likes to talk about cancer… You probably have half a mind to close this page now, BUT hold up! It doesn’t hurt to know just a little more, right?
HERE’S THE TRUTH
You probably haven’t heard much on Ovarian cancer in Singapore due to the lack of TV advertisements and broadcasts. The ovaries are also hidden in the body such that most women possess the notion of “What you can’t see can’t harm you.”
But the truth is, it can.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among Singapore women, and 1 in 80 women face it in their lifetime. Those are pretty high odds, I’d say.
There are CURRENTLY NO TESTS that you can do, unlike breast cancer where you can go for mammogram, or cervical cancer, where you go for a Pap Smear, to detect ovarian cancer. That makes it so much scarier, and that’s also why patients usually go to the doctor when the symptoms become too unbearable. And that’s when the disease is already at Stage III or IV.
THE ONLY WAY. Is to recognize the symptoms by yourself. This is crucial, because sometimes our bodies give us signals that something is not quite right, but how many of us have actually listened? This is especially so with most older people. Even if they knew that there was something not right, they wouldn’t approach a doctor. That’s where you, the younger generation comes in, to help educate them and encourage them to see a doctor when they feel unwell. And unfortunately, cancer isn’t bias – it attacks women in their 20s too.
Treating ovarian cancer at its early stages can exponentially increase survival rates and patients are able to lead normal lives after that.
KNOW IT & RECOGNIZE IT
Here’s the most important part of my post. If there’s only one part you should read, this is it.
What are the symptoms?
- Bloated feeling in the abdomen
- Abdominal distension
- Abdominal discomfort
- Backache or ache in the legs
- Change of bowel habits
- Urinary complaints
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Loss of weight
I was damn upset when I saw these symptoms. They are so freaking non-specific! Every woman probably has experienced the above symptoms before, and how do we know if it’s the real deal?
Even the doctors had no answer.
I guess the only way is to be vigilant about your body’s signals and don’t ignore them if you or your loved ones are experiencing two or more of the above symptoms concurrently.
THE EVENTS
Canele, one of the sponsors of Positively Teal campaign, hosted the closed-door event for us on Friday. A total of about 20 bloggers were present, and I was really honoured to be able to attend. Thank you Ju Ann for the invite. =)
To show their support, the Executive pastry chef of Canele, Christophe Grilo, launched a newly created Teal coloured macaroon! Along with the teal macaroons, we also had cute cupcakes and finger food. All of them are too pretty to be eaten!!
Sweet feature of the day: Teal macaroons with a hint of mint and raspberry in the middle! The raspberry balanced the sweetness of the butter cream and the result was a a perfect combination of flavours.
Pretty cupcakes!! I would have ALL if I could, but I only took the pink coloured one.
Didn’t try this cuz it’s all sugaaar that melts in your mouth.
Cesar chicken mini-wraps.
Le chef proud of his creations.
Adorable illustrations on the walls of Canele.
Ovarian cancer survivor Lim Ai Ling, who gave a splendid speech on how she overcame the disease. She was diagnosed 3 years ago at 28 years old. What touched me was how she ended her speech with heartfelt thanks to the doctors present that day who saved her life.
Part of her speech:
“Being young doesn’t immunize you from cancer. I’m a living proof. I’m very lucky that I did not ignore the signs and symptoms that my body was showing.”
That seriously struck me and gave me goosebumps. I admire her for her courage and how normal she is now. She found a job, and a man who accepts her for who she is. I was lucky to sit next to her during the event and had the chance to converse with her. Amazing lady.
Then it was lucky draw time!! Haha What a surprise, I was the first to be called up to receive a consolation prize of Choco Marvel chocolate drink to ease menstrual cramps. Lololol. Thanks Samantha for helping me take this photo! She was really friendly and kind :) Other bloggers were luckier to win handbags from BATA and watches worth $108!
With A/Prof Jeffrey Low and Ai Ling.
So lucky to have spent such a meaningful evening with the peeps from Singapore Cancer Society, doctors and bloggers. The organizers really put in a lot of effort to prepare notes for us, and a FAT goody-bag filled with lovely stuff. More importantly, they want us to spread the message that we ladies must be aware of our own bodies, and never be afraid. What will come will come, but we must fight it. And in order to give a good fight, we must be equipped with the necessary knowledge. If you still do not know what knowledge I’m talking about, please read my post again from the top!! Haha
Anyway, the campaign doesn’t end here. They have something exciting coming up!
They are bringing the party to ZOUK! I’d definitely want to see doctors letting their hair down. *QUICK, think of the doctors in Greys Anatomy* Haha AND AND I might just be walking down that runway dressed in KissJane apparels alongside inspiring cancer survivors.
Purchase the ZOUK tickets here and the proceeds will go to Singapore Cancer Society in support of the fight against Ovarian Cancer.
So spread the message and see you there!
Click for more events and seminars on Ovarian Cancer – Calender of Events
I’m going to reveal what KissJane has in store for you, in my next post. So stay tuned! =D
Like this:
Curious case of ‘Old Oil’ at Seoul Garden Korean BBQ
It’s time for another session of ‘Complain Queen*’. This time, I want to complain about the service and hygiene of Seoul Garden at North Point Shopping Centre.
First, we were greeted with the foulest face of a 40+ woman, who was incidentally the duty manager. But I was willing to forgive that, as she might be menopausing. We paid for two students’ lunch and then we went to sit at our table. The hotplate was set, and soup served in a hotpot. The moment I sat down, I asked Hammy to go change two forks as there was still oil stains and stubborn food bits stuck on them. Yucks.
Then I started noticing some black/greyish grime bubbling at the side of the hotplate, which we haven’t touched yet. There was A LOT all over the plate that I started to freak out cuz it was just plain gross!
We used the thongs to scrape some of the grime out and wipe it on a piece of tissue. Look at it.
I was super grossed out already and requested the service staff to change a hotplate for us. We showed them the bubbling diesel-looking oil on our hotplate, and asked them to change. The service crew was polite, but he just said that the grime was (LISTEN CAREFULLY) “old oil”. We were stunned. He then beckoned for the manager, the previous cranky old woman, and she came, giving us a very displeased look. She also said it’s “old oil”, and said, “It is normal after using the hotplate for a very long time. If you want you can ask the staff to change”.
Firstly, WTF is OLD OIL? That old oil that you guys let customers eat is BLACK.I am sorry I am so grossed out that I cannot help but curse. So does that mean that the hotplate is not washed properly after each use, that’s why the oil accumulates and becomes old oil? Omg even as I’m typing, I’m super disgusted. Don’t come and bullshit us that it’s old oil and it’s something normal and natural. We never had this problem with the outlet in Bugis. In fact, their utensils are clean, hotplate clean, smooth and well-oiled.
Secondly, what kind of attitude is that? Duty manager of Seoul Garden Northpoint outlet on duty on Wednesday 25th April 2012 at 2pm? You’re lucky that you were hiding in the kitchen when we left. I wanted to get your name to lodge a complaint. How can you allow the standard to be like that, and your service really sucks, Madam.
Seoul garden serves good marinated meats and we go there to satisfy our meat cravings, but looking at the disgusting state of utensils makes me want to puke instead. I cannot stand unclean utensils!!! Imagine putting a spoon/fork that was half-washed, still had tiny food bits into your mouth. I had half a mind to demand a refund and leave. It’d even be better if we were to drive down to NEX for Crystal Jade’s Korean BBQ. It’s cheaper, and there’s free authentic ginseng soup.
But I really didn’t want to make a fuss and come head to head with that menopausing woman. Plus we don’t know if they allow refunds cuz I paid by Visa. It’d be so unfair if they didn’t allow a refund and we just left without eating. So after changing the hotplate, which also had some black grime, we cooked and ate… Trying our very best not to think of all the grime and what we do not know that goes on in a dirty kitchen.
Everyone reading this, please patronize that outlet at your own risk. We know that we will NEVER EVER step in there again.
*Singlish for a woman who complains a lot*
Cuts and bruises.
The most ridiculous thing happened to me tonight. I fell into a bush!
I twisted my ankle when I stepped into a hole at the carpark while walking to my dad’s car, fell and landed palm-down into a bunch of thorny bush! Haha the scene must have been funny cuz I literally went, “OW, OW, OW!” while falling.
(By the way, I have no idea why NEA or NPARKs made the decision to grow thorny bushes beside a parking lot, where people have to walk close to it! But at least they had enough brains to make it non-poisonous.)
My dad, mom and sis rushed over and helped me up, get into the car and then went home. At home, I tweezed out 12 tiny triangular thorns from my palm and fingers. Twelve’s the trophy number. I admit I got a little freaked out with so many thorns stuck in my hand, but I felt like a hero picking them out one by one, and saving my palm from the pain and numbness. Every one out of my skin is an accomplishment. Haha. One was tricky and I had to tease it out with a needle.
Go macrophages! Go neutrophils! Cuz I didn’t use sterilized needle and tweezers.
I however, did use the infamous Qing Cao You, known as Double Prawn Herbal Oil. This oil works like wonders for small cuts, itches and other sores, but is insanely painful to apply. Its main ingredient prevents inflammation. (Not advisable to be used on open wounds cuz it is toxic when the body absorbs a large amount.)
So this event was rather unfortunate, but I count myself lucky for not sustaining more serious cuts.
Actually for my life, I have not suffered anything more than some accidental cuts and abrasions.
My list of injuries:
- Dropped a porcelain plate and a piece of it flew and cut my ankle. I was pretty amazed at the amount of blood flowing out of a small cut. I was young.
- Tripped over my own costume during a rehearsal for Chingay Parade. Oh my knees, they went down on the asphalt road like tofu.
- Slipped on wet stairs in sentosa during a freshmen orientation camp, fell, and hit my back on a step. A mark formed, and is still visible on my back now. OH I went to the doctor for this, and he said something weird like the shape of the mark is pretty. Perhaps he was just trying to make me feel better.
- Slipped and fell in hammy’s kitchen once cuz the floor was wet. Butt pain.
- Then this falling into the bush thing.
These are probably some incidents that I remember. Not that many =) Because of that, I can be rather whiny when I get hurt cuz my tolerance for pain is quite low.
How about you? Are you accident-prone or accident-free?
Twin mini burger by Burger King
Guess what this is?
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It’s the mini burgers that Burger King introduced recently, supposedly to target ladies who are concerned about waistlines and calories of a full-sized burger. Actually I think it’s more cute than healthy that I chose to have it.
Signs of a possible fracture.
Poor TW’s popo had a fall at home and his aunt didn’t realize that she was exhibiting signs of fracture, and even went to apply ointment for her. Can’t imagine the pain when she rubbed the fracture area!
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When we went to check on her the next day (cuz we only got news of it then), she was very quiet and only said, “好痛哦..” which means very painful in mandarin.
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It is important to check signs for a possible fracture when an elderly has had a fall. Knowing that it is a fracture can help to make better decisions such as tying a temporary sling to stabilize the arm/wrist, or refrain from rubbing the affected area.
There are mainly 3 signs to look out for:
1) Tenderness when gentle pressure is applied.
2) Swelling or redness.
3) Deformities of limb.
If these 3 signs are present, it is very likely to be a fracture, and immediate medical attention is required. Go to the nearest polyclinic, or a clinic where they provide radiology diagnostic services (X-ray) cuz the patient will need it.
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What we did was, went to polyclinic, and they then referred us to Tan Tock Seng’s A&E department to have her forearm placed in a cast.
At Geylang East Polyclinic
Waiting wasn’t too long because there was a priority queue for elderly, so we were practically zooming from the doctor to X-ray room to doctor again. But the X-ray report still took about 30-40 mins to be ready.
Hammy made a temporary shoulder sling for her to rest her arm in, so that it’s kept close to her body and is less likely to suffer any more knocks/abrasions.
After receiving the referral letter to A&E, we quickly brought her to TTSH.
According to Hammy who saw the films, he said that Popo’s wrist had two broken bones. *Gasp* I also wanted to see the films but the huge envelop was stapled together.
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After reaching the Emergency department of TTSH, I couldn’t follow any her any further because they only allowed ONE visitor along with the patient. This is to prevent overcrowding in the area where they need ample space.
Then Hammy and I had to sit outside and wait while his aunt accompanied his grandma in.
That was when I noticed the ambulances coming one by one into the emergency area. I was in awe seeing those shiny lights and paramedics doing their work. I don’t think I’ve seen so many ambulances up close with the lights still blasting. Call me an airhead, but I like those lights. Not in the way that I want to have those lights, but in the feeling that those lights invoke in me; the feeling of awe and wow-ness.
Paramedics are an admirable bunch of people.
I wanted to go up close to take a photo then Hammy was chiding me for taking photos when people are being sent to hospitals. A bit insensitive and intrusive? I agree to a small extent. I wasn’t mocking them, although my taking photos might seem a little offensive…
So I went off to take other photos. I had to have something to do while waiting!!
This machine literally ATE hammy’s $2. He called the person and they were responsible, actually came down personally to fix the machine and return hammy his 2 bucks. Lol. That’s what people do when they are waiting; eat and drink.
This is not teh tarik, this was chrysanthemum tea dispensed from the vending machine. That’s a little bit too much foam don’t you think? I hesitated in drinking it, really looked like soap. You know how soap foam and normal water foam is different? Soap foam has really colourful bubbles while water foams have colourless bubbles when you reflect them under light. Mine were colourful, but given the fact that chrysanthemum tea is not plain water to begin with, I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
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After about 1.5 hours, Hammy’s Popo was finally out and more cheerful. :) Poor gal. It was really unfortunate, and only goes to show that looking after an elderly at home is not as easy task. Prolong disuse of muscles and bones can result in loss of strength and energy, and that was why she fell over when she was standing with the walking frame.
