Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

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Urinary tract infection occurs when bacteria or other infectious organism invades and multiplies in the urinary tract. Women are more susceptible to Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) than men. It is because a women's urethra (tube that connects the urinary bladder to the genitals) is shorter and closer to the anus.
http://www.rnpedia.com/home/notes/maternal-child-nursing-notes/urinary-tract-infection-in-postpartum-women
I personally experienced this and it really causes discomfort, first symptom I had was pain in my lower abdomen and lower back, and also leg cramps. The worst symptom will be blood on your urine. It's actually a recurring infection, especially when I drink a lot of Sodas and junk foods.

Other signs and symptoms includes:

  • Urgent need to urinate
  • Painful burning sensation while urinating
  • Blood or pus in the urine
  • Nausea & vomiting
  • Cloudy urine

Some Reasons why UTI occurs:

  • food allergies
  • frequent sexual activity
  • using certain types of birth control
  • suppressed immune system
  • undergoing menopause
  • blockage in the urinary tract
  • having urinary tract abnormalities
  • using a catheter to urinate

Since women are prone to this infection, it would be best for us to do some precautions. Proper hygiene is the first defense, followed by a healthy diet.

Pap Smear – A woman’s precaution

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A Pap Smear or Pap test is a gynecological exam done to detect any abnormalities on your cervix or check for cervical cancer. Women who are 18 years and older, either sexually active or not should have the Pap Smear. Regular check-ups with our gynecologists can determine if we have sexually transmitted diseases, so early detection can be really a great help.

Some women might think that a Pap smear is painful but actually it's a quick and easy screening test and it benefits women, so we shouldn't be reluctant to undergo this kind of test. If you are already on the right age and haven't been screened for the Pap test, then visit your gynecologist.




ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)

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This procedure will diagnose and treat conditions of the biliary or pancreatic ductal systems. The Endoscope is used by the physician and it let them see the inside of the stomach and duodenum and it also injects dyes into the ducts in the biliary tree and pancreas so they can be seen on x-rays.

both pictures are from http://www.hopkins-gi.org/



A month after I had my Choleocystectomy, and after the confirmation of the retained gall stones on my common bile duct we seek other medical opinions from different doctors. One in Chong Hua Hospital and the other one is in Cebu Doctor's Hospital. And since same things were being discussed on what will be the procedure of taking the gall stones, we took in to consideration the charges and expenses.

I need to be admitted at the hospital so I can be scheduled for the ERCP. They did some preparation the day before my procedure. I was on fasting mode, and they also gave me Dulcolax. They pretty sure emptied my stomach.

My procedure was scheduled afternoon. I was sent to the X-ray room, where the machines and apparatus for the ERCP procedure is placed. I remember the Radiologist were nice and they kept comforting me in an effort to keep me relaxed. They started monitoring my pulse, as well as my blood pressure. When the Doctor came, they prepared all the stuff and they started spraying anesthesia on my throat and then they let me lie on my left side. And the anesthesiologist inject some sedatives to my IV.

When the sedative took its effect I really went asleep. So, I don't have any recollection about the whole procedure. My mom was there on the corner behind a glass window and she said she was watching the whole procedure. I just woke up after it's done and they have pulled the tube on my stomache, and my mom was there beside me telling me it's done and they have the gall stone removed. I was really happy that the procedure went well. I stayed at the hospital for another day and was released the following day.

My Experience with Cholecystitis

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Let me tell you about my health experience of an ailment called Cholecystitis (an inflammation of the gallbladder) and thus results to my Choleocystectomy (removal of gall bladder) which after results to another minor surgery called ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography).

from http://medicalslide.blogspot.com/2009/08/acute-cholecystitis.html
 It was the most excruciating pain I felt both physically and emotionally. It started with a symptom which I didn't pay attention with since I associated the pain with the belief that it was because I was near my due, I was 8 months pregnant then. I first experience the pain on my upper abdomen which lasted for about 15 minutes. And then almost two months after I gave birth to my first born through CS did the symptoms came back, with severe pain, vomiting and heavy breathing.

I was staying with my husband in the province, we went to a doctor who lives a few blocks from our house. And after I told him about the pain on my abdomen and the vomiting after meal, he diagnosed it as related to Ulcer and he prescribed medicines for me like Maalox and Buscopan.

I was taking Buscopan whenever I'm in pain but as days passed I was frequently having some episodes, medicines won't take it's effect on me and the pain becomes so excruciating that I was rolling on the bed and grasping for air. It comes and goes for 2 months until I was rushed to the hospital since I was vomiting the whole night until the following day. I was vomiting yellow stuff and the pain on both of my upper abdomen and on my back was unbearable, I thought that I would die.

I was given pain reliever on the hospital which does not really guarantee any relief on the pain I felt. There were series of laboratory test to find out what was wrong, then after when I had the ultrasound, they found out that I had numerous gall stones in my gallbladder. I was told by the resident doctor that I need to undergo surgical operation because they need to remove my gall bladder since I was in pain all the time. I was financially distressed because I was unemployed then, I stayed in the hospital for almost a week until we had the money which was provided by my father-in-law and we also found a Surgeon who will perform the procedure. I was brought to the operating room on December 15, 2009, I remember when we were waiting for the surgeon, there were 2 nurse interns who were talking to me and comforting since I was very nervous. It was my second time under the knife. I am very disturbed even now, when I remember how I was conscious for like 10 seconds during the start of the procedure. My eyes where shut, I can't move and I can't speak but I somehow hear the people around me, I heard my doctor talking and I felt the doctor's surgical knife slicing through my abdomen. When I woke up after the operation which lasted for more than 4 hours, I was really in pain and I had what they called T- tube inserted on my abdomen. I was told that it was necessary because there might be gall stones retained on the bile duct during the procedure and they will take the bile bag off after a month. I also asked them about my experience during the procedure when I was conscious for seconds during the operation, they said they will investigate the incident. And when they did, they came to me and told me that it was the fault of the nurse in-charge during the operation. They said that it took a while for the nurse to put another dose of anesthesia on my IV. My General Anesthesia was injected to my IV then, I didn't opt for the epidural one.

I was sent home after almost 2 weeks and the bile bag was strapped on my leg. It was very difficult for me. I was home with my baby but I can't hold him, We can't risk the t-tube being accidentally pulled off. It was 2 weeks after the operation and still I'm bringing the t-tube with me when I had another episode of pain on my abdomen just like what I felt before the operation. I was so scared because I was thinking, my gallbladder was already taken so what's the cause of the pain again.

One month after my surgery, I went to my surgeon's clinic and the Doctor told me that I need to have T-tube Cholangiogram or x-ray for my bile duct so as to confirm that there is no gall stone retained. So I was scheduled to have it on the following day. What happened on the day of the Cholangiogram was unexpectedly agonizing. I was really expecting a regular type of x-ray but I was instructed to lay down the steel bed in the x-ray room and I had the patient gown worn the other way around. The doctor used a big syringe to suck the bile on the tube and then clipped it. It really felt like something on my insides was being pulled and the worst thing that happened is when he injected the contrast dye (which took us one day to search for the specified brand but wasn't really able to find one) slowly on to the tube and the effect was really something that caught me off guard. It was like someone punched me on my gut real hard, I can't breathe, I was shaking and was almost close to screaming. I was like “where are these pain coming from”, I need to hold on to the side bars of the steel bed because they have to take the x-ray.

The doctor and Radiologists hurriedly went out of the room so they can perform the x-ray. I was sweating inside the air conditioned room. The female radiologist was very nice, she comforted and encouraged me. I saw them checking out several of the x-ray film they took and pointing on to something. We waited for the results and from what I understood there was a stone retained on my bile duct. Another surge of emotions came to me. I was so tired of the pain and really want to stop it. We went to my surgeon the following day and that's when he confirmed that there really was a gall stone retained on my common bile duct and it must be removed. I have to undergo another procedure known as ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) and it costs more than half of the procedure for my Choleocystectomy.