Come home to Haiku Home

Just in March of the year 2012, I was introduced to Haiku, (re-introduced perhaps) by a cousin who had nothing better to do while recuperating from illness, but to write her experiences in 5-7-5 graphic scenes that got me hooked. How soon she recovered is a testimony of how art therapy can work wonders!

As a medical professional in my almost-retirable years, I sought the "comfort" activities of my younger years, like playing the piano. It all went well for 3 years with one recital to my belt -  a general class recital with small children, and I was last number to play in the program. On my 4th year however, as my piano teacher patiently prepared the simpler of  Debussy's, a bad carpal tunnel syndrome struck, first my right dominant hand, then the left, (like the rheumatism knew exactly who to afflict). Having treated many patients with the malady, I could hear myself say, "rest for the hands and fingers from avoidable activities is first line treatment, otherwise, you will either receive an injection to the wrist or get the part opened up".

Haikus came as a welcome respite. Yes, I still have to write or type the poems, but this art form is less finger intensive in terms of force and repetitive motion. Soon, my cousin and I exchanged haikus daily through SMS, writing them down at the same time on notebooks. Friends started to join in, too. 

I told a friend that to write haiku is to breath, a brief moment with almost no thought taken,  just short punctuations of observations about nature, experiences, so short that the only imagination allowed is that of the reader's. The poet pens thoughts down in 5-7-5 cadence,  with no burden to explain, leaving the scene to someone else.

 

We now invite you to +Haiku Home . Come one, come all haiku-ers!

Ethnic preponderance of some important joint diseases

Behcet's Syndrome - Turkish, Mediterranean and Arab, Japanese
               Behcet's syndrome affects both men and women almost equally and manifests with painful mouth and genital ulcers, eye inflammation, arthritis and in severe forms, can involve the heart, brain and lungs.
     



Osteoarthritis - most ethnic groups worldwide
               Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease of persons above 40 years of age. It affects  the joints of the fingers and knees but is most debilitating when in the knees and  hips, causing pain on walking. Osteoarthritis of the hips is reported more among Scandinavians/Europeans and less among Asians.




Gout - Polynesian, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Caucasians
               Gout is a severe, recurrent inflammation of one or more joints, most often in men. It is associated with high blood uric acid levels. It is reported to be related to lifestyle and obesity especially among Caucasians. Among Asians, gout is known to be due to problems in the elimination of uric acid by the kidneys. Uric acid deposits can cause masses to grow over joints and soft tissues in many parts of the body.




 Rheumatoid Arthritis - worldwide but probably more diagnosed among Caucasians

                Rheumatoid arthritis affects more women than men and affects more joints -  shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, knees, ankles and feet and severely restricts most daily activity due to pain and stiffness, and later,  joint deformities. More severe forms can affect the lungs, eyes, heart and blood.

Lupus - Latin Americans, American Blacks, Southeast Asian
                Systemic lupus erythematosus or lupus is a form of arthritis that affects more women than men, and is also systemic, affecting the kidneys, skin, blood and joints simultaneously or appearing in a progression. Severe forms can also affect the brain, lung and heart. Severe disease are reported more among colored people.






Spondyloarthropathies including psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease - Scandinavians, European ethnicity, Chinese
               This is a group of arthritides that affects the spine in younger individuals, causing back stiffness, hip pain and can also be associated with eye disease that can cause blindness in some cases. It can come with inflammation of the bowels causing repeated diarrhea,  inflammation of the skin and with the scaly rash of psoriasis.
             

This list is short and focuses on diseases that can affect many body organs and also cause severe disability due to pain, joint deformity and organ damage. The need to see a rheumatologist is emphasized, seeing that many of these arthritides affect many organs of the body and requires special forms of treatment.


All photos by Google Images

2012

2012 saw past December 21,  it is an old year now, with the remaining 10 days in a frenzy build-up for the next dated new year, 2013.


2012 saw in this Blogger 19 blogs -  from Thoughts on the new year to short expositions about osteoarthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis,  alternative medicine, back pain, sleep and inflammation, meetings in Jordan, and thoughts on aging.







                   




2012 saw Chikungunya fever outbreak in the Philippines and in my home, the "break bone" fever becoming real break bone (fracture) of my daughter with the Chikungunya arthritis severe enough to cause her to fall one day.

2012  saw my mother turn 90, outlasting friends (and perhaps foes alike), continuing to serve as auditor of the local association of senior citizens, getting crankier as her sharp mind blunts away and her quick body ever slower.


2012 meted out a personal warning, with two falls, only 10 days apart, for me to be more careful.




2012 saw a protracted Arab spring in Syria (dragging through summer, autumn and winter of 2011 and 2012) and the possibility that Damascus, the longest living city which has not been sacked or destroyed through all waves of empires it rode, may actually lay flat in ruins, desolate; and elsewhere in the Middle East, wars and rumors of wars.

2012 saw Europe do balancing acts for the teetering economies within, London's success as host of the Olympic games, a royal wedding; America re-electing Obama and hoping to survive the "fiscal cliff" and the burden of a wave of gun-related violence that killed innocents; Latin America preparing for another World Cup; African countries holding fast despite its cauldron of famine and share of wars; the "awakened" giant of Asia asserting its numbers, and the hermit kingdom handing power over  - nuclear at that, to a young progeny.

2012 saw earthquakes everywhere, storms, tornadoes and floods of "strange" dimensions.

Then I smile as 2012 saw hope - Aung San Suu Kyi, ever poised, with flowers in her hair, finally fly and take to wings. This phenomenon has shown how transformation is possible in unexpected places, like the rigid, inflexible mold of a military junta. A generation of leaders pass, the new generation decides to change for the greater good and for their own sakes.



The world will continue till its set time so 2012 is able to fold in its arms the bits of history it has collected. It will then add them to the Library of Man that contains what has been known since the beginning of time.

All of 57 years: A synopsis

c. Nov 11, 2012

Soon, I will be all of 57 years.

The signs are here:
PHYSICALLY - the law of gravity for sagging skin;

Leaving the office one rainy day...
An anticipation of
days to come:-"leaving"
(retirement, that is : D)
for new ventures- exciting times!

OUTDOORS - deference as I fall in line- "mauna po kayo, 'Nay"; ("nanay", is Filipino word for mother);  on purchase of hypertension medicine,"senior citizen card Ma'am?"
FAMILY -  enjoying long drives with hubby in silence- no words needed; children asking, "why do you know that song, Ma? Is this a remake then?"; weekly conversations with spritely 90 year old mother;
FRIENDS - more fb groups of past school years; uploaded photos with browned edges - authentic, not edited nor photoshopped;
MIND- more minutes spent trying to remember passwords, attenuated, sharpness gone which is sometimes irritating, sometimes a good thing; o_O
CAREER - signs like walking through the university hallways and meeting no one I can address as Sir or Ma'am, but instead, people who greet me "Hi, Ma'am";

These are just a few of my favorite things now!

And in all these, I praise the Lord Jesus, for His great brush strokes of retaining the love, beauty and peace in this canvas of life, despite the difficult and dark times. Necessarily, the lessons were many times painful, but He bore them all for me.

May all of us experience His Love in this life.

Arthritis meeting in Amman, Jordan.

The APLAR (Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology) 2012 is on - previously scheduled in Damascus, Syria, it is pushing through in Amman, Jordan.

Many had been adamant in coming, in my case, mainly due to the extended Arab Spring phenomenon, just several hundred kilometers away, and the fact that geographically, Jordan is wedged between Israel and Iran. But in the airport I met several friends from other countries and  represented in the mix were attendees from Korea, Japan, Indonesia,  Malaysia, China, and some from western countries AND the trainees slinging poster canisters. It was a comforting sight.

Today will be the first day of meeting and I am hopeful that this Middle East meeting will still give us a good "harvest".

Some notes on the bus trip to the hotel: searing hot sun, immense expanse of red brown land, with sparse dots of palms, olive grooves, one camel herd, and one sheep and goat herd - as quick as my neck can turn. It's fantastic, given other countries that I have visited had trees and plants, asserting themselves between buildings - here it is a desert expanse, breath -taking for a first-timer. One cannot but praise God for His creation. We are in the Dead Sea - where the convention center is located, and it is 384 meters below sea level!

The "chick" - ever heard of Chikungunya fever (and associated arthritis)?

        This article is being written with a real time possibility that chikungunya fever is on the rise in Manila. It is a virus, the CHICV, that is also acquired from a mosquito bite (same mosquito as the dengue -  Aedes aegypti  and some other species). 

        This viral infection has also been described as the "neglected" infection since its course is more benign and has not hugged the lime light of public health concerns,  as say, dengue. There has been NO reported deaths from it since its first isolation in Tanzania in 1953, but the arthritis associated with it can be debilitating. The term chikungunya is from a Bantu (African) language, which means to "fold up." This is thought to refer to the patient's stooped posture due to joint pains and generalized body aches. This fever is unique since it makes its appearances in many African, Southeast Asian and even temperate countries like Italy, where it had been reported, then disappears for decades at length, then is back.

       Again, i reiterate that its course is benign.

       There is a possibility that in the Philippines where dengue is endemic, fever and rash and general body aches associated with most viral infections could miss the "chick." Since its course is benign, identification of this fever can spare many a hospitals' resources on intravenous fluids which is the main supportive treatment for dengue at this current time. Still, any infection for that matter needs increased fluid intake, and if it's the "chick", drinking water may suffice. If there is headache and vomiting, then intravenous fluids become necessary.

       Your internist, infectious disease specialist and your rheumatologist can help. Please seek any of these specialists. Testing can be done if the illness is 7 days or less in the NIH of UP Manila,  and if more than 7 days, testing is in RITM in Alabang.

Ref:
1. Alladi Mohan, DHN Kiran, I Chiranjeevi Manohar, and D Prabath Kumar. Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of Chickungunya fever: Lessons learned from the re-emerging epidemic. J Dermatol. 2010 Jan-Mrch; 55(1): 54-63. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.60355
PMCID: PMC2856377
2. Dieudonné Nkoghe, Roland Fabrice Kassa, Mélanie Caron, Gilda Grard, Illich Mombo, Branly Bikié,Christophe Paupy,Pierre Becquart, Ulrich Bisvigou, and Eric Maurice Leroy. Clinical Forms of Chikungunya in Gabon, 2010. Negl Trop Dis. 2012 February; 6(2): e1517.

Published online 2012 February 14doi:  10.1371/journal.pntd.0001517

 PMCID: PMC3279511

with permission from my daughter who came down with fever, arthritis and rash, and is being tested for the "chick"

      Updates are upcoming, and we are collecting data on this interesting cause of arthritis.

Calisthenics: when was the last time you did it?

        The Merriam -Webster dictionary defines the word as systematic, rhythmic bodily exercises performed usually without apparatus.

        Fifty years ago, I recall my Grade 1 teacher, Ms. Rose Cabaron, (any current information about her is most welcome) leading us out of the classroom in a bee line, to bring us out to the sunny, grassy school quadrangle, for our regular calisthenics. She would have an empty can and a wooden stick to drum up counts 1 - 8, then 8 -1, for the head roll up, side, down, side and up again; for arms forward, upward, sideward, down, repeat, till you are down to count 1 again. Then while arms are in sideward position, we twist to the right and left, and the tin drum goes tang, tang, tang, tang 1- 8, 8-1. Then we should march in place, "feet high up" - she would holler, and the tin drum goes, tang, tang, tang. This was repeated several times, and when we were all sweaty and in all probability, smelly- she would then herd us back to the classroom for the rest of the lessons. (Thanks Ms. Cabaron!)

      Why talk about calisthenics after 50 years? It crosses my mind now why children in elementary grades had to go through such boring routine, when they should be jumping, running, climbing and even falling at that age.

      

       This is because calisthenics is the easiest exercise routine that can be done by ALL people, age 5 -95, with arthritis or not - as in, by all.  

      It can be done in the bedroom, on waking up, even while still seated at the edge of the bed (for those with knee or hip arthritis who have pain on standing), in the bathroom before dipping the "tabo" or opening the shower. It can be done by the busy mom who needs to fix kids for school before sun rise, for the business man who is averse to the gym, by the gym buff who knows that the body needs rest from heavy gym routines, and even by the teenager who is busy with, whatever- school, iPads, fb, etc. The stay at home moms can do this before doing the laundry, cooking, potato couching and even after!

       Calisthenics are essentially range of motion exercises, and for the uninitiated, heaviness and pain may be experienced as the limbs are moved. The muscles of the arms, legs and buttocks provide the natural resistance or weight. When done slowly -no jerky motion, please, the pain eases over a few weeks and the repetitions can then be increased.

       I used to attend a nice non air-conditioned gym, where I really sweated it out. But now, with less time and the distance of the place, I reverted to calisthenics. This way, I spend less, and has no more reason at all not to do the basic body maintenance required as we age. 

       This is an invitation to do calisthenics, add on the hula-hula for the hips, and any innovations you feel will move as many muscles there are in you. Just do it slow and deliberate, and feel the stretch (and pain) and enjoy the relaxing feeling after. Don't forget a good tall glass of 

WATER with it!