MAN WITH A TUMOR REMOVED FROM HEAD, NOW BLIND

While on my way home from a introductory talk about SCOLIOSIS by a Chiropractor, I met in the public bus a 100% blind man (he lost his sight completely after his operation seven years ago).  He had boarded the bus a few stops after me.  Those people seated near the entrance quickly aided him to the vacant seat beside me.  He was a chirpy, not bad looking man and thanked us all for the kindness, that’s ROY.

I, being a busybody, or another word for kaypo, out of concern, asked him where he was alighting and if we could assist him in other ways.  Found out that he was living in Bedok South Block 6.  He told me he became blind after an operation in year 2000.  Then he flipped up his hair and i realised that he had a gaping hole on his skull.  Assuming our head is 100%, he now has only 80% or less.  From the side, it was rather like a right angle.  Rather scary for me, sitting beside him, seeing this for my first time in real life.  Oh ya, I had watched Guinness World of Records, the Negro man who had half his head partially blown off by a gun, and now the other half remained.  But never in my dreams to sit beside a man in my country who also almost has the same condition – part of the skull missing.  He told me it’s all soft there.  Hummmm. Actually I wanted to feel it or to take his picture but thought it would be too rude.

He said seven years before the operation, year 1993, he, while working as a dispatch driver met with a traffic accident, bike skidded and he suffered a cut near his right eye.  He was on medical leave for a few days.  Everything was fine, nothing happened after that and it was only in year 2000 that he started having headache, migraine, pain …. that he went for a check up.  Doctor told him that he had a small tumor above the same eye where the cut was.  He said he had to undergo the brain operation to remove a small tumor.  When he woke up after 2 months, he was told that it was the size of an egg.  It was non-magliment. He is still wondering what the doctor meant by small tumor. He had thought it was quite small but the size of an egg??? It was not small.  Maybe the doctor just didn’t want to frighten him or maybe it’s true, in the doctor’s eyes, this was small?? The doctor also didn’t tell him that he will be blind on both eyes after the operation otherwise Roy said he might not have gone for it.  After perfect or almost perfect eyesight to totally blindness is no joke and no fun. It was scary, very, very scary, he said.  And he bowed down and sighed.  He seems to be on the verge of crying, his eyes seemed red, but there were too many people in the bus.

From what I make out is that he didn’t really have a smooth operation or post-operation.  There was some infection and he was in a coma like condition for two months.  Roy didn’t have any feelings or emotions, etc, as he laid there on the hospital bed, he just occasionally opened his eyes, couldn’t talk or remember anything. (I did wonder if the coma was induced by his Doctors or was it a natural thing after brain surgery. But so long, two months??)  His mum told him that he was fed through a tube. Only near the last part of the two month, was he spoon fed.  I didn’t and couldn’t probe too much in the bus.  He would be wondering why I am asking him so many questions.  I managed to speak to him for about 20 minutes.  Roy is staying with his mother and he is now a Masseur. He massages people’s feet and shoulders, not the body.  He started massaging only about 3 years ago.  He does not have a basic salary, his pay is based on commissions.  If he has no clients, that means, no pay.  He earns about US$460 to US$530 per month.    Told me he has aching shoulders after all the massages.  I just kept quiet.  What can I say?? Can’t ask him to change jobs, can I?? But I did tell him that he has a good voice, can be a telephonist or telephone marketeer.  Queried him about the cost of his operation, it cost about US$16,000 C class (subsidised a lot). The family had to pay the money from their own pockets because they couldn’t claim insurance as he didn’t have money to renew his insurance that caused it to lapsed.  Sighed again.

From our conversation, can tell that he is still depressed about his blindness.  Just to comfort him, I had to tell him I understood his feelings.  But i told him there are many more people who are worst off than him.  There are definitely some people who have had undergone brain surgery that have left them either totally vegetable, or left them with minds still aware of everything but are paralysed, or half paralysed, etc.  I said at least his limbs are all working properly, it’s only his sight and the missing part of the skull.  I told him GOD LOVES HIM. I said if compared with other more unfortunate, he is considered fortunate already. I also told him my own daughter has fits, thus I know how he felt.

He said he was given a fake skull to cover up his hole but it was too uncomfortable, thus he preferred to go without his skull protection.

Because of him, I again wondered, what happens if he falls ill?  It’s definitely not good to be poor.  He doesn’t have much education like me, but probably worst, maybe primary or lower secondary only.  He can’t see, look a bit different compared with us because of his missing skull on right side, near temple.  

LIFE….          UNPREDICTABLE ….          FORTUNE OR MISFORTUNE????      BETTER TO BE ALIVE OR DEAD???

Getting late, tomorrow i will blog about what the Chirpractor said about scoliosis, very briefly.

Please donate by Telegraphic Transfer to my accounts by reading my earlier blogs on where to donate. Thanks .

NOVALIS SHAPED BEAM SURGERY

Anyway there is this advanced radiation machine that can destroy brain tumours that previously could not be removed using surgery or existing radiation machines.  This new system is called NOVALIS SHAPED BEAM SURGERY.  It is better than the gamma knife. Like the new system, the gamma knife involves radiosurgery – using radiation to burn off cancerous growths. But for some whose tumours were too large or located at the lowest part of the head, even the gamma knife could not help.  The gamma knife involves firing burst of radiation from a few points on the top of a metal helmet which the patient wears over his head while lying down.  The rays are angled in such a way that they converge at the spot where the tumour is too low, such as at the top of the spinal cord, the rays cannot reach it. 

With the new system, developed by German medical technology company BrainLAB, radioation is emitted from a J-shaped machine, which can revolve in a complete circle around the patient’s head or any part of his body while he is lying down on an adjustable table.

Radiosurgery can now be done for inaccessible tumours in the lower part of the head,spine and even other parts of the body. This new machine also allows for a lower dose of radiation to be given over a few sessions, rather than all at once. This reduces the risk of side effects such as nausea and even sight loss. (read my above posting on Roy.) May God bless these wonderful scientist and doctors for their advancement in technology!!! How many people are left more intact, perfect.

For example, 40% of patients with an ear tumour would lose their hearing after gamma knife treatment, but just 8% do so after being beamed by the new system.  The machine can also cauterise (burn/burn with hot iron) tumours up to 10 cm wide, much bigger than the 3cm wide growths the gamma knife can treat.  Some people who have heart problems can have this option and have this non-invasive treatment and need not have to stay in hospital.

Charges for radiosurgery using the new system are about the same as that of the gamma knife.