ARTHRITIS and ATTITUDE GONE BAD

by Earlie Doriman

Gout attack on the big toe. (Photo by yahoo images)

For a long time, I suffered attacks of arthritis – matter-of-fact severe ones because it is gouty arthritis, the most painful of all the rheumatic diseases. You might ask my age now and well, I am only 37 years and that would surely surprise you. You would be more worried to note that I had it when I was 34 years. It had really gone bad that my typical routine, my work, and usual life were so much affected. During the first attack in 2007, I realized it could render me useless. As my big toe was swelling red, I could not lead myself to stand because of the excruciating pain at the joints connecting my toe and feet. It would normally take five to seven days to subside, and I lived in silent agony for that same span, I should say.

CHICKENPOX and INTRAVENOUS CANNULATION

by Earlie Doriman

When springtime comes, one of the most common diseases comes around too: the CHICKENPOX. In fact, it is dubbed as a classic childhood illness because in most cases, it happens to children below ten years old. And my two sons were not an exception as they suffered this viral illness recently.

To us, the last couple of weeks were the most challenging so far this year. My two children had chickenpox, one after another. My eldest son Matthew got the virus from the nursery. When I picked him up from school, I noticed threenor four red spots on his neck but I thought those were just plain rash marks. When I changed him at home there were few more around his body, my wife declared it was chickenpox. The following day, it was obvious that my son has indeed caught the airborne disease. It was all over his body including his tongue and mouth.