Sick while traveling

I have been getting the coughing since last September. It's on and off. Sometimes it's just dry coughing, which hurt my throat. It's the ticklish feeling in the throat that made me cough.
Well..... I know the source of the problem..... It's because I keep staying up very late every night. I went to bed at 2 or 3 AM, sometimes I even didn't get sleep!

So, I had to travel on Nov 23 to Dec 1. I planned to see my physiotherapist before I went, but there are lots of things to do before the trip and I ended up not going for the treatment. I saw a doctor in a clinic near my house to get medication before the trip. He prescribed me two types of antibiotics for my coughing, a flu medication, and a medicine to take whenever I feel difficulty to breathe.

The coughing was still there before I went to Malaysia. Since I had the training in Malaysia, and I was online every night and went to sleep around 1 AM, I started to get the flu.
I did get some rest in my last day in KL.

It was a torture when I had to be in plane. The flight from KL to Bangkok was a start. I had headache at one side of my head, then my left ear was blocked. I tried to yawn and yawn, but it was difficult to make the ear free from blockage. It was painful!

The flu started in Hua Hin, Thailand. To make it worst, my asthma reoccurred and the constant coughing gave me back pain. I had short breathe. I couldn't do physical activities. I tried to hold on as we had meetings and team building rally.
In the last day of meeting, I couldn't hold it. I had another headache in one side of my head, yesterday was at left side, that day was right side and it's painful my eye couldn't be opened.
I asked the organizer to take me to a clinic. My medications have finished.
They took me to San Paulo Hospital. A missionary hospital. They checked my temperature and blood pressure. All were normal. The doctor gave me three medicines.
Oh man..... It cost a lot! I paid THB 2,969.
The price to pay when you are sick abroad.

Another thing happened after dinner in the the last night of our stay in Hua Hin (Nov 30). I had stomachache which caused me diarrhea. I was planning to shop at night market in that night, I only stayed 10 minutes there and decided to come back to hotel to poop.....
It was between the urge to poop that make me wanna run and the difficulty to breath. A contradiction indeed.
When I arrived in my room, I straight went to bath room. After poop, I took shower. Apply cajuputih oil all over my body to warm me up, and slept under my blankie. I was very very sick. I didn't bring medicine for this. Usually, I'd bring some first aid medicine.
In the next morning, I felt better, but I still had diarrhea.
It kept like that, but still controllable. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble because I was traveling back to Jakarta. In every terminal, I went to toilet and pee and poop. I didn't do that while I was in the plane.

Today, Dec 2, I stayed at home and just resting, sleeping the whole day through.

I don't like being sick when I'm travelling!

Go for physiotherapy for my back pain

This is a follow up posting for my back pain problem.

On July 21, 2009, after holding back the pain I got since ten days before, I decided to just go to a physiotherapy clinic.
A Chyropractic clinic charges so high for one time treatment, USD 60! I can afford for one time, but what about next treatments? Hmmmm, I don't think so.
The clinic I visited is near to my place, so I can always go there on my way back from office.
The treatment cost only USD 11 per visit.
The physioptherapist said there's muscle adhesion in my back causing restriction in my movement and pain. He massage my back and shoulder and also my back was warmed with special device.
I need to have treatment twice a week.

Signs of Stress

Lately I have not been feeling well. It's not my feeling, but my physique.
Here's the list of my what I'm feeling and the change in my body:
a. Back pain
b. Shoulder pain
c. Bad digestive system, including gastric and colon functions.
d. Weight gain
e. Sleep very late, over 1 AM. Reluctant to sleep.
f. Dry scalp and hair loss
g. Miss small details in my jobs


I think it maybe caused by my workload that is high currently. I did some research in order to understand my condition.

Stress (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm) is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way.
Stress is a good thing, for example, it helps you to meet challenges. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert.
But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.

According to http://www.tranquilityisyours.com/signs-of-stress.html, here is symptom of stress:

• Anxious
  
• Mind-racing
  
• Chest palpitations
  
• Problems concentrating
  
• Anxiety
  
• Easily irritated
  
• Avoiding people and responsibilities
  
• Focusing on negative thoughts
  
• Anger issues
  
• Headaches
  
• Digestive problems
  
• Muscle tension and pain
  
• Sleep issues
  
• Fatigue
  
• High blood pressure
  
• Weight loss or gain
  
• Skins problems - breakouts, rashes,
  hives
  
• Hair loss
  
• Decreased sex drive
  
• Nervous behaviors - nail biting, pacing,
  teeth grinding

So, no matter how often I go to see my acupuncturist or doing some exercise, although it improves the condition a little bit, it will not go away until I can manage the stress and get my body to rest properly.
Like this weekend, I worked til 5 AM on July 4, 2009 because I was traveling and I was only able to work with my e-mails at night. I replied and wrote e-mails and went to bed at 5 AM, woke up at 7.15 AM.
That's not good at all!
If I keep doing it, my mind can't concentrate on work, it's dangerous when I feel sleepy when I'm driving, then I need to pay my sleep debt during weekend, stay in bed, while I actually can do more activities, like going for exercise.
Some organs in our system work best during our sleep.

My next goal: Get 8 hours of sleep.

Having back pain: Ouch!

It's been 2 months since I first felt the pain on my left back.
I think it caused by carrying laptop and heavy back pack everyday before I have my car.

What is back pain?
Wikipedia says that it is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.

Back pain can be divided anatomically:
neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain, tailbone pain.

By its duration: acute ( less then 4 weeks ), subacute ( 4 - 12 weeks ), chronic ( greater then 12 weeks ).

By its cause: MSK, infectious, cancer, etc.

The pain may be felt in the neck (and might radiate into the arm and hand in the upper back, or in the low back, (and might radiate into the leg or foot), and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.

I tried traditional massage for the back, but it remains.
I'm on acupuncture now, it needs to be done regularly, while I only go there whenever I have some free time over my working hour.
Another therapy I can get is physiotherapy.