Medical Fitness

Do Plants Feel Pain

 https://mercyforanimals.org/blog/heres-why-youre-wrong-when-you-say-plants/#:~:text=Do%20plants%20feel%20pain%3F,they%20can't%20feel%20anything.

Evolution In Cockroaches

Cockroach Reproduction Has Taken a Strange Turn

Feminine And Non Feminine Interests

 Difference between feminine interests and non feminine interest:

Feminine interest

https://thelogicalindian.com/my-story/kalyani-rohit-mental-health-35739 An interest in stories about people that involve pain, not, anger, romance etc. 

Not feminine interest:

https://neurosciencenews.com/parkinsons-biomarker-20673/ This news item has no story about emotions. This is about facts. Even articles are about emotions, how hormones regulate emotions would not be of feminine interest.

CentiMorgans - DNA

 Only links on the subject.

It’s Too Late to Protect Your Genetic Privacy. The Math Explaining Why

Life Of A Runt

Interesting links on the topic

• https://breedingbusiness.com/runt-of-the-litter/
  
• 
  

Inguinal Lymph Nodes

•  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphatic_system
• https://www.google.com/search?q=+lymph+nodes+groin+pain&client=ms-android-motorola-rvo3&sxsrf=ALiCzsZfOUpGM4aYPJzKA2b4n_TidUrYCA%3A1651769405451&ei=PQB0YpOYG6eO4-EPjquhkAY&oq=+lymph+nodes+groin+pain&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIFCCEQoAE6BAgjECc6BAgAEEM6BggAEAcQHjoFCAAQkQI6CAgAELEDEJECOgoIABCRAhBGEP8BOgcIABCxAxBDOgQIABANOgYIABANEB5KBAhBGABQ5hpYg2lg4nNoAXABeACAAegBiAGWCZIBBTAuNS4ymAEAoAEBwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp
  

Progression Dementia Parkinson's

This post has no content created by me. It's a bunch of quotes from links I collected. 

The following is the Google search results for the words in the blog heading

https://www.google.com/search?q=progression+of+Parkinson%27s+dementia+until+death&oq=progression+of+Parkinson%27s+dementia+until+death&aqs=chrome..69i57.15080j1j7&client=ms-android-samsung-gj-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

These are the some of the interesting links and excerpts.

https://www.gmjournal.co.uk/management-of-parkinson-s-disease-symptoms-in-the-last-days-of-life-a-review-and-guide

Can a patient’s ability to make decisions in the last days of life be impaired and how is this managed?

In a North American study of 47 carers of idiopathic PD patients in the last months of life most described the goal of care as comfort, and almost half “of the patients were described as unable to make any decisions in the last month of life.” " 

https://www.verywellhealth.com/end-stage-parkinson-s-disease-hospice-criteria-5205423

• "Significant speech changes: Patients may have a very soft voice and experience speech freezing (when they cannot get their words out).
• Increased fall risk: Patients are at an increased risk of falling from a combination of poor balance, severe stiffness, and orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure when changing positions).
• Severe dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing can lead to weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, and a lung infection called aspiration pneumonia.
• To clarify, rapid disease progression means that patients are bedridden, have unintelligible speech, require a pureed diet, and/or need major assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). All of these symptoms or circumstances are common in end-stage PD.
• "A critical nutrition impairment is common in end-stage PD and means that patients are:

Unable to maintain sufficient fluid/calorie intake

Continue to lose weight

Experience dehydration

Refuse artificial feeding methods

https://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/drug-treatments

"Like the newly reported study, patients who were older when their Parkinson’s disease was diagnosed had a greater risk for early death."

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/end-life-care-people-dementia

Support for Dementia Caregivers at the End of Life

Caring for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias at home can be demanding and stressful for the family caregiver. Depression is a problem for some family caregivers, as is fatigue, because many feel they are always on call. Family caregivers may have to cut back on work hours or leave work altogether because of their caregiving responsibilities.

Many family members taking care of a person with advanced dementia at home feel relief when death happens—for themselves and for the person who died. It is important to realize such feelings are normal. 

https://parkinsonsdisease.net/basics/stages

Stage four of Parkinson’s disease

In stage four, PD has progressed to a severely disabling disease. Patients with stage four PD may be able to walk and stand unassisted, but they are noticeably incapacitated. Many use a walker to help them.

At this stage, the patient is unable to live an independent life and needs assistance with some activities of daily living. The necessity for help with daily living defines this stage. If the patient is still able to live alone, it is still defined as stage three.

Stage five of Parkinson’s disease

Stage five is the most advanced and is characterized by an inability to rise from a chair or get out of bed without help, they may have a tendency to fall when standing or turning, and they may freeze or stumble when walking.

Around-the-clock assistance is required at this stage to reduce the risk of falling and help the patient with all daily activities. At stage five, the patient may also experience hallucinations or delusions.

While the symptoms worsen over time, it is worth noting that some patients with PD never reach stage five. Also, the length of time to progress through the different stages varies from individual to individual. Not all the symptoms may occur in one individual either. For example, one person may have a tremor but balance remains intact. In addition, there are treatments available that can help at every stage of the disease. However, the earlier the diagnosis, and the earlier the stage at which the disease is diagnosed, the more effective the treatment is at alleviating symptoms.

https://www.compassus.com/for-caregivers/end-of-life-signs-the-final-days-and-hours nice suggestions

https://www.healthline.com/health/parkinsons/stages#stage-4

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease (Parkinsonism) is marked by the presence of certain recognizable symptoms. These include uncontrollable shaking or tremor, lack of coordination, and speaking difficulties. However, symptoms vary and may worsen as the disease progresses.

The main symptoms of Parkinson’s include:

• uncontrollable shaking and tremors
• slowed movement (bradykinesia)
• balance difficulties and eventual problems standing up
• stiffness in limbs

Many doctors who diagnose this brain disorder rely on the Hoehn and Yahr rating scale to classify the severity of symptoms. The scale is broken into five stages based on disease progression. The five stages help doctors evaluate how far the disease has advanced.

Stage 1

Stage 1 is the mildest form of Parkinson’s. At this stage, there may be symptoms, but they’re not severe enough to interfere with daily tasks and overall lifestyle. In fact, the symptoms are so minimal at this stage that they’re often missed. But family and friends may notice changes in your posture, walk, or facial expressions.

A distinct symptom of stage 1 Parkinson’s is that tremors and other difficulties in movement are generally exclusive to one side of the body. Prescribed medications can work effectively to minimize and reduce symptoms at this stage.

Stage 2

Stage 2 is considered a moderate form of Parkinson’s, and the symptoms are much more noticeable than those experienced in stage 1. Stiffness, tremors, and trembling may be more noticeable, and changes in facial expressions can occur.

While muscle stiffness prolongs task completion, stage 2 does not impair balance. Difficulties walking may develop or increase, and the person’s posture may start to change.

People at this stage feel symptoms on both sides of the body (though one side may only be minimally affected) and sometimes experience speech difficulties.

The majority of people with stage 2 Parkinson’s can still live alone, though they may find that some tasks take longer to complete. The progression from stage 1 to stage 2 can take months or even years. And there is no way to predict individual progression.

Stage 3

Stage 3 is the middle stage in Parkinson’s, and it marks a major turning point in the progression of the disease. Many of the symptoms are the same as those in stage 2. However, you’re now more likely to experience loss of balance and decreased reflexes. Your movements become slower overall. This is why falls become more common in stage 3.

Parkinson’s significantly affects daily tasks at this stage, but people are still able to complete them. Medication combined with occupational therapy may help decrease symptoms.

Stage 4

Independence separates people with stage 3 Parkinson’s from those with stage 4. During stage 4, it’s possible to stand without assistance. However, movement may require a walker or other type of assistive device.

Many people are unable to live alone at this stage of Parkinson’s because of significant decreases in movement and reaction times. Living alone at stage 4 or later may make many daily tasks impossible, and it can be dangerous.

Stage 5

Stage 5 is the most advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. Advanced stiffness in the legs can also cause freezing upon standing, making it impossible to stand or walk. People in this stage require wheelchairs, and they’re often unable to stand on their own without falling. Around-the-clock assistance is required to prevent falls.

Up to 50 percent of people at stages 4 and 5 experience confusion, hallucinations, and delusions. Hallucinations occur when you see things that aren’t there. Delusions happen when you believe things that aren’t true, even when you have been presented with evidence that your belief is wrong.

Dementia is also common, affecting between 50 and 80 percent of people with Parkinson’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. 

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/help-dementia-care/recognising-when-someone-reaching-end-their-life

"Signs of late-stage dementia

Some symptoms of later-stage dementia can suggest the person is reaching the final stage  of their condition. These include:

• speech limited to single words or phrases that may not make sense
• having a limited understanding of what is being said to them
• needing help with most everyday activities
• eating less and having difficulties swallowing
• bowel and bladder incontinence
• being unable to walk or stand, problems sitting up and becoming bed-bound.

If a person with dementia has most or all of these symptoms, they are probably nearing the end of their life. They may have other problems such as being very frail, having infections that keep coming back, or pressure ulcers (bedsores).

Signs of the dying process

As someone’s condition gets worse and they are within a few days or hours of dying, further changes are common. The person may:

• deteriorate more quickly than before
• lose consciousness
• be unable to swallow
• become agitated or restless
• develop an irregular breathing pattern
• have a chesty or rattly sound to their breathing
• have cold hands and feet.

These changes are part of the dying process when the person is often unaware of what is happening.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320794#after-death

Additional reading 

• https://www.verywellhealth.com/movies-about-dementia-and-alzheimers-disease-97664
• Caregivers: Don’t Forget to Care for Yourself
  
• https://neurosciencenews.com/dementia-blueberries-20562/
  
• https://neurosciencenews.com/parkinsons-biomarker-20673/ Marker to detect Parkinson's 
• https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-depression-21228/
  
• https://wapo.st/3FtxS3b: Relief at the end
  
• https://wapo.st/3F8CYkh: Walking reduces possibility of dementia
  

Anna And Airtel

Today I received this message from Airtel, an internet and telephony service provider.

Hi, due to a technical issue at our end, your mobile services may temporarily get affected in Adyar. This is not the experience we want you to have. Rest assured, we are on the job to rectify the issue at the earliest - Team Airtel.

I was surprised. And somehow taken back few years down the memory lane when I used to teach fifth graders. There used to be a girl in the class whose milk teeth had fallen and the new ones hadn't yet come back, though she was in the 5th grade. Of course, the curiosity in me got the better of me and I used to ask the girl (in front of the whole class) when she plans to get her teeth back. One day she responded to me thus:

My father said it might take a looong time for my teeth to grow back and that you (meaning I) should just be patient and not inquire about my teeth frequently.

 

It sounded eerily like the message I got today.

Hi, due to a technical issue at our end, your teeth may not grow temporarily. Rest assured, we are on the job to rectify the issue at the earliest - Team Toothfairy.

Both Airtel and Anna found a way to shut me up by just acknowledging their problem but without a specific date commitment.

Women And Pain Are Synonymous

I read this article and I was like wowow.

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/women-and-pain/2021/05/14/

This was my formula.

"For the same amount of issue women feel/express more pain than men."

Actually my formula is more comprehensive.

There are two kinds of pain

One is the pain you feel when someone hits you with a rod or a bus hits you resulting in immense physical pain. This is involuntary.

There is a second pain which is calculated, processed, thought about and then expressed. 

"If this, this, and this happened, (which did to me), then I must be feeling a lot of pain. Go ahead and express it.

Aaah aaaaaaah OMG ayyo."

This is a quote from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/26/hundreds-uk-women-demand-formal-apology-forced-adoptions?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other - 

“I was never asked whether I wanted to go ahead with the adoption. It was a fait accompli.” She became pregnant in 1967 at the age of 16. Her baby Liam was taken from her nine days after she gave birth. “I was expected to just go on with my life as though nothing had happened … I’m certain it has had an impact on my life. There’s a cycle of grief and anger. A kind of melancholy is always there in the back of your mind.”

The part in italics (italicized by me) comes rather close to what I am talking about. A pain that isn't intrinsic but thought about processed and then created.

The lady's feelings are interesting by the way. She gets pregnant at the age of 16 or 17, she expected to be asked whether she wanted to give up her baby for adoption. And if she had said no to the request, then how would she plan to bring up her child? Did she think through the problem? 

Is this how this kind of a pain happens?

"I am not feeling good. I, hence, must be in pain. So, someone else must have done something wrong."

Additional reading 

• https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2021/05/high-fi-enf.html
• News18: New Zealand Cricketer Tim Seifert Breaks Down in Tears While Recounting His Covid-19 Ordeal in India. - A good example of feminine behaviour with exaggerated emotions
  
• https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/28/sufferers-of-chronic-pain-have-long-been-told-its-all-in-their-head-we-now-know-thats-wrong?utm_source=eml&utm_medium=emlf&utm_campaign=MK_SU_SOINewsletterCanvas&utm_term=Email_RC_ROW&utm_content=variantA
  

One Year Of Covid

It's been a year since we have had this pernicious virus in our lives. At the end of the year, since last March when India was locked down, I wanted to see what I had done - a kind of self appraisal. A friend of mine asked me this question: what was I upto. And I couldn't give him any answer, I was blank.

I discussed this with another friend and she helped me put things in perspective. I take care of my elderly mother with a maid and a nurse. Household chores including cooking, getting groceries, getting medical supplies including diapers were difficult in the months of April and May 2000. We were just getting acquainted with "social distancing", shops were open only for a few hours each day, Amazon wasn't delivering.

My friend helped me realise that I had managed my 2 households fairly well never running out of stocks (well I did almost run out of shorts for myself but then another friend helped me in the nick of time), never missing salary payments to my household help.

Then I helped a friend prepare for her MRCS exam - the exam, conducted by UK, tests proficiency in candidate's knowledge of surgery. My friend passed the test in her first attempt. 

My mother had had her wrist fractured last year and I had to figure out whether to go for surgery in the middle of Covid or resort to plaster of paris. Half the orthopaedic surgeons suggested the former, half the latter. I got my mother through this predicament and her fracture is now healed (thanks specially to my surgeon friend and another neighbour who is an orthopaedic surgeon).

I managed these in times when people were getting infected, hospitalized around me and when couple of relatives died. 

And I made some money along the way despite not having a job, despite having plenty of expenditure each month.

Looking back, I see that it wasn't a bad performance. 

Too Little Sense And Too Much Maturity

Recently I came across a nurse who forgot to give me prior intimation that we were running out of diapers. She just informed me on the last day that there were no more diapers. 

I was aghast. What is this? I gave her a lecture about how important it was to inform me up front that something was going to get over so that I have time to procure it. And that she was not to intimate me after we ran out of something.

She was sweet. She kept nodding and accepted that it was her fault. She was smiling. There was no shock nor guilt in her face. 

I finally asked her how we would manage that day without diaper (we did have another kind of diaper but we needed the kind that we had run out of). 

She said it was ok, we will manage. I asked her how. What she meant was the patient will suffer / manage. 

Is this the meaning of grace under pressure with absolutely no sense?

Is this what we learn under the guise of grace and maturity - to be sweet, soft and clueless? Is this EQ? 

Most of the these girls don't have a clue about prevention of the problem in future once a problem has been identified. They also hate to tell the caretaker about the presence of an actual problem or the possibility of a problem. 

How can they do a good job if they hate to convey bad news? 

What is this kind of character?

Putting A Diaper

Place an underpad. And then the diaper as shown below. The head will be to the left and feet to the right.

Placing the patient on the diaper is the difficult step. Put the pillow below the diaper to move the person to the left (or right) as needed.

 

The portion below the hips is folded up and the portion to the left is placed on top and stuck. See the two stickers below. 

Then the piece on the right is stuck on top of the left piece.

Religion, Negotiation vs Nature

India Today: It’s time to stay in mosques, Allah will save us: Tablighi Jamaat chief told followers in leaked audio.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/it-s-time-to-stay-in-mosques-allah-will-save-us-tablighi-jamaat-chief-told-followers-in-leaked-audio-1662297-2020-04-01

This is the time when some (like the maulana) follow faith and disregard science. This is also the time when we find that the bluster and negotiation skills of people (like Donald Trump) doesn't work with nature. 

I used to wonder what exactly was different with people like Trump. Trump with his grandstanding, with his tendency to bamboozle, berate, belittle others, lie pathologically has been effective with humans. 

His tendencies fail to be effective against nature. This is typical of people without content.

There was an article in New York Times on Apr 6, 2020 along similar lines: Autocrats’ Dilemma: You Can’t Arrest a Virus

Corona Exposed Us

Corona Exposed Us

Most of us have the habit of expressing with regret that we don't have enough time in our lives to do the things that are most meaningful. And that we have only 24 hours in a day and we spend a bulk of it on work leaving very little quality time for our spouses, children, parents, siblings, our passions (drawing, baking, dancing, sudoku etc). 

We happily yearned for those extra hours we could never get.

Until one fine day a city called Wuhan gave humanity the Coronavirus (CV19) for short.

Now we all are forced to stay home. There is no work (professional). Office goers get to work from home. We get to stay home with our family. And we have more time to indulge in our passions.

So then? Have our family lives improved? Are we experiencing the joy and bonding with our close ones? Are we indulging in our passions as we had often said we would "if only we had time and no work pressure"?

I think the answer is no. CV19 has exposed us for the frauds that we are. Tottering marriages, where issues were swept under the carpet, are having the issues unearthed and we have nowhere to hide either the issues or ourselves. 

The painting and sudoku and singing that we wanted to indulge in - have we done that? How many of us are thrilled that we have this unexpected vacation?

To quote the heroine in the movie Six Days And Seven Nights, "We've had just about as much vacation as we can tolerate"😀

Much of our "IF ONLY I HAD TIME" is very shallow and lacks content.

Additional reading:

1. Relationships Under Coronavirus Quarantine: ‘It’s Starting to Feel Like A Pressure Cooker in This House’
2. https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2020/03/corona-pyaar-hai.html

Coronavirus Statistics

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

The image below shows the stats of currently affected people worldwide split by condition - mild (95%) or serious (5%).

Bottom of the image shows the recovery to fatality ratio which is currently at 84:16. Meaning, out of 100 corona affected persons worldwide, 16 died and rest recovered. Fatality rate is 16% now. Few days back it was 14% and has increased to 16%.

Let us come to an interesting thing. The total affected patients as of now is 392k (392,527 see top of image). How many of this 392k will recover?

The ones that have a mild condition? If the virus kills at the current rate then the fatality world be 16% of 392k. The stats show that only 5% are critical. 

Assuming all those who are critical will die, where do the balance fatality of 11% (16%-5%) come from? 

This will come from those whose condition is currently mild. 

So we are looking at a fatality rate that is 16% of all affected people and the rate seems to be rising. We are also looking at good number of mildly affected patients might die.

How will the end game will play out (fatality becomes zero)?

China - Thought Leader

In the last 2 years, China has shown  leadership in 2 very different areas.  Both times it acted in ways that seemed, at the time, strange, gauche to the rest of the world. And within a month, the world was following its footsteps.

Now let's come to the two things. Going in a reverse chronological order, let's point out the way China handled the epidemic Coronavirus.  The West was aghast at China for literally locking up Wuhan province and its citizens. The democratic countries till February 2020 thought that freedom of citizens was an important factor to be considered while fighting the virus.

We now see Italy, Spain, UK, USA Switzerland scrambling while China has finished its show and is watching. The West has started to lock up, doing something that China thought of did much earlier.

The second thing I want to mention is unlike Corona, not many may recall China's contribution to the issue. And this issue is just 1 to 2 years old. 

So let's expand on it.

This is about Boeing 737 Max. (Read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX)
An Indonesian airline flying that aircraft crashed killing everyone in it in Oct 2018. While everyone was scrambling to locate the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) and decode the information, in March 2019 an Ethiopian airlines flying the same Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashed killing everyone in board.

As usual, FAA and various governments were trying to figure out the CVR. 

China was the first country which, out of the blue, took a decision to ground all the 737 Max aircrafts in order to prevent any future accidents. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX_groundings)

Within a month, most airlines followed China's decision. 

In both cases, Boeing 737 Max and coronavirus (in chronological and alphabetical order) China's decision had been stunning initially and left the world shocked. And within a few weeks to months, others followed suit.

Is China really the place which only makes cheap trinkets?

Corona Pyaar Hai

My way of life is the best. I don't go out. I don't meet anyone. I don't like people coming home. I keep washing vessels (using soap).

God designed me so I could handle coronavirus all my life. 

What people are now being forced to do unwillingly, I have been doing willingly for so many years.

Today (Apr 2, 2020) I came across this illustration. It looks as though it was created for me!

Speaking Out Aloud

I used to think that when people have a dream and talk or scream out aloud it's because of what they themselves were doing in the dream (maybe they were talking) or they had a nightmare and they screamed out aloud.

But recently I came across a scenario when a person who screamed because they were, in their dream, SILENTLY watching another person screaming and dying. 

This is strange. Beats everything I have heard.

Value Of Labor

Is it possible that some of us women value our babies that were born after a long intensive labor and not value those babies that were born easily. Kinda like we didn't do much effort for their birth, so not really valuable.

Don't we value those things more which we spent more resources on than those which we got cheap or as a gift?

Could our love for our babies follow the same paradigm? If so, should we insist on a Cesarean delivery if we want to be sure that we value our baby?