Friday, September 12, 2014

The Disease That Almost Stopped Me From Travelling

Just a few weeks before I was bound to embark on another overseas solo trip, that things started to get terribly wrong. Small clear and insanely itchy blisters started to appear on my palms. Since I never did have any skin related disease history apart from acne, I didn't take it too seriously and decided to leave it be without using any medical treatment.

[Warning : Pictures may be too graphic for some. Too much skin! Hehe!]

What are these? huhu



And soon after I was flown to Kuching, Sarawak to participate in a broadcasting training program for four days and three nights. The training includes some outdoor activities such as kayaking at the beach which I was only too happy to join, oblivious of the escalating itchiness that followed after.

We get to visit the Cultural Village in Santubung during my training there. Itchiness level during this time was 6 over 10.
It was towards the end of the program that the blisters on my palms started to multiply and began appear on the soles of my feet too!!! >______<

What the hell is this???!!! 
Both of my palms suffered the same fate. I was dumbstruck!
It seem to multiply and join forces in front of my eyes!
I couldn't bear the itch any longer and decided to seek immediate medical help at a nearby clinic once I went back to Kuala Lumpur. The doctor prescribed some allergy pills and cream for me, So I went home thinking everything would be OK.

I was dead wrong.

After two days applying the cream and eating the medicine, my condition worsened. It not only comprised the area of my feet and hands but also my head and whole body! I was also referred to the Breast Clinic in Hospital Kuala Lumpur to check the itchiness in that "area". My sister had to cut off big chunks of my beautiful, long hair (which took a year to GROW!) as it was filled with smelly, yellow puss and cracked itchy skin. I was actually devastated with the hair loss. Oh my crown... :(

I surely thought I was a goner. Friends shared their fears with me saying that it will take weeks for all these "spots" to disappear. My condition didn't get better. I could barely walk as the small blisters started to join and become even bigger blisters. It was horrifying! I tried puncturing the big ones on my feet, only to have them refilled again! And it happened again and again! 

Extreme HORROR! I was unsure if I'll be fit enough to travel to Russia this month's end

Everything around me seemed to get darker. I couldn't get myself up from the bed, it was too painful. And it become a daily struggle to just take a bath and change clothes. Even feeding myself was becoming difficult. My concerned parents back home were begging me to fly home so that I could be taken of ...

...and I was about to do just that, 

So one day, I took a whole box of tissues, used sellotape to tape them on the soles of my feet so that I can walk to the hospital less painfully. Put on a pair of thick socks and drove to HKL with a mind to fly to Sabah right after seeing a doctor FOR THE THIRD TIME.

It was then on that fated day, the 2nd day of September, that the doctor of HKL decided to ward me at the Dermatology Ward with Acute Eczema.

The kind nurses drained all my blisters and wrapped me up with antiseptic bandages. I never felt so relieved. 
Being warded at the hospital, my clothes and food were taken care off. They monitored my condition, made sure I ate the medicine on a timely basis and drained and wrapped up all my blisters twice a day for the next four days. It was amazing to watch the blisters eventually stopped refilling and dried up.

I was beginning to be hopeful again.
This is how it looked like after they drained the blisters and before wrapping it up.
They have put me on steroid medication, causing me to gain weight and making me always hungry. Hahaha! But I was OK with that as long that I was on a speedy recovery before my big trip to Russia! Yeahh!!

I was warded for five days and four nights. Also have became a model patient on Thursday where a group of doctors would come to my bed side and have mock diagnosis on my condition. It was entertaining to learn about my state through their professional probing. LOL.

The 6th of September 2014 marked the date of my discharge from the hospital and I'm forever grateful for the efficient health system of Malaysia. And very cheap that!! 

So now, I'm on a road to recovery and hope that this will never befell me ever again!! Amin!

Goodbye needle!!! I wish to never see you ever again!!!

9 comments:

Macedonia said... [Reply]

-__- poor..
i don't know if your condition same as mine. But it look like the same as 8 or 9 year old me. Try play with sand beach and make sure you touch the salty water...

it work on me..now i don't have such disease...aku bagi tahu sebab kesian tengok engkau..bye Allahu yashfik

penaberkala said... [Reply]

get well soon sis...
i heard about you when I met someone that know you during an event Inspitari @ DBKL. She told me that you got this disease.
Pray for your speedy recovery :)

syieda said... [Reply]

Speedy recovery jard!
Aishh takut pulak nengok mcm penyakit yg budak2 yg selalu kena tu.

Alid Abdul said... [Reply]

Don't get beat easily by this disease, glad heard you recovered :D

Good luck for your Russia trip :)

Biqque said... [Reply]

omg scary! get well soon jard.

Mas Light said... [Reply]

Speedy recovery! How did it first escalated anyways? Horrified, goosebumps as I was trying to finish reading it. But thank god you're okay. I've seen this type of blister but never that bad. Crazy!

Jard The Great said... [Reply]

@ macedonia.. that was a long time ago. hahaha. thanks bro.

@ nuar.. event? i wonder who that person is. hehehe. thanks for your prays beb. :)

@ syieda... thanks!! tulah. jadi budak kembali je rasanya. hehe

@ alid.. thanks!

@ biqque... sgt scary! hahaha! thanks biq!

@ maslight.. i have no idea how it escalated. huhu. still afraid it might happen again as i still dont know what caused it.

Farikica said... [Reply]

Hi jard..long time no hear from u.. so sorry to read about yr eczema. ... hope u'll be healthy in no time..russia? Whaatttt???? I'm sooooo jeallloouussss.....

P/s: I have a photo exactly like yrs @ the bridge, cultural village. Take care, dear...

hcvvorld of Travels, Lifestyle and Photography said... [Reply]

aiyo suddenly can kena like that..but luckily u got an early treatment! get well soon!!