Preciso de ti!

Olá, eu sou o Lucas.

Sou um menino muito pequenino que gosta muito do papá e da mamã.
Infelizmente, o papá e a mamã tiveram que me levar a uns senhores vestidos de branco. Não achei piada no início, mas agora reparo que todos são muito simpáticos.

Não sei porquê, mas fiquei doentinho. Fiquei numa cama nova no hospital a 18 de Fevereiro (tinha eu 10 meses de idade, nessa altura era um rapaz). Já fiz um ano, agora sou um homico. Desde então fiz 82 hemogramas, às vezes um por dia, outras 2 e 3 por dia. São tantas picas que me dão, tenho muitos doidóis.

Os enfermeiros brincam comigo, quando preciso de uma transfusão de sangue, dizem sempre que vão buscar o meu bife. Nesta história toda, hoje fiz a minha 16ª transfusão.



Eu vinha pedir aos colegas, amigos e familiares da mamã e do papá uma coisa muito dolorosa. Eu sei que dói ser-se picado, mas se forem fortes, podiam dar sangue, assim quando eu precisar tenho sempre algum de reserva.

Não sei quando vou ficar bom, só sei que tenho uma doença com um nome muito esquisito e comprido, tem a ver com anemia hemolítica auto-imune (acho eu!). Todos os dias os meus bonecos tomam o remédio, e eu também.

Mas o mais engraçado do hospital são as máquinas. São giras, têm muitos botões. E quando elas apitam, a mamã faz "chhiu" e dá-lhes uma cacetada. São bem comportadas as máquinas, elas calam-se logo.

Espero por vós (em bife claro).
Beijinhos e muitos sorrisos para todos.

Sleeping, Eating and Sleeping

Last week I’ve spent my time on eating, writing and sleeping. It’s hard when you want to work; you sit in front of the computer, open the text editor and decide to take a nap. Sometimes it is irritating, because you want the work done, but your body/head don’t let you accomplish your task.

Yesterday I’ve decided that by the end of this week I will have chapter 5 and half of the chapter 6 of my thesis written. I’ve started quite well today. I woke up at 9 a.m., eaten by breakfast and 10:30 I was in bed to take a nap. I woke at 13:00 and had my lunch. Miraculously I did a banana pudding instead of tacking a nap.

Did I say tacking a nap? I went to bed to take the second nap at 14:30. Again… I woke up at 18:00 and tasted the pudding. You are wondering when I’ll finish to write the thesis. Well, I do not know. Meanwhile I’m trying to not take another nap. It would be great if I could write the first paragraph of the f***ing fifth chapter.

I'm an Editorial Manager

Many of you know who I am and what is my job. In these last 4 years I have not received any promotion neither a salary raise. To change the scenario I've decided to create my own journal. The first edition was released today... I have distributed the first free edition about 10 minutes ago. Just take a look and have fun!

If you received any specimen like this one under your door, what would be your reaction?

Smoking in enclosed Spaces

Next time, I'll try to do the same, :p

The Perfect Imperfect

Do you remember this movie?! Do you recognize who’s the dancer guy?!

Or… if you prefer this scene of the most famous series in USA:

All the movie scenes can be perfect and eternal however in real life is difficult to keep something eternal. I’ve stepped on a news today… Patrick Swayze is sick. He has a pancreatic cancer. From my research, the pancreatic cancer is one of the fastest killers. From several risk factors smoking represents 75% of the danger "... and the risk persists for at least a decade after quitting."

Do you really want to keep smoking?! Just imagine all the moments you could have if your life was bigger than expected. What's the life time? I do not know, anybody can pass away from one moment to another, but we can always avoid some situations.

French Campaign Against AIDS

Flash version here

A Happy End :)

I always have been a little rushed on some kind of things. I've not waited 2 days to do a cut on my finger. In the same day I’ve done the cut myself. Meanwhile, the intensity of pain has decreased and I do not think that it is necessary to remove the nail. Honestly, I think that tomorrow it will be as if I did not had any problem on my little head finger.

Sometimes, we need to be our own doctors.

Alone, Busy and Desperate

Remember the Murphy’s Law? Last night I didn’t sleep a minute. I had so many pains on my finger, it was like if it was exploding and still like it. By the early morning I went to the doctor. Thanks’ God… he has prescribed some antibiotic. But… perhaps in two days it will be necessary to make a cut on the finger to clean the region or in the worst case, to remove the nail.

So, I went to the chemistry to buy the medicine:

me: This one is the antibiotic, right?!

lady: Yes, you must take one each 8 hours… and this one is for the diarrhea.

me: I’m sorry?!

lady: For the diarrhea.

me: Yes, I’ve understood… but I do not have diarrhea!!

lady: Perhaps the doctor has miswritten the medicine.

me: Can you check for me the secondary effects?

lady: Oh God, this antibiotic will cause gastro-intestinal disturbances.

Great… now to stop the pains on the finger I’ll have pains on the ass.

Alone and Busy

It is almost 2:30 a.m. and I’m still working… yah, writing papers, it’s amazing. The bad part is my third finger on the right hand. YES, precisely that one. Today is the fourth day that I’ve a huge paronychia. It has started at the nail groove and at the moment my finger seems a round red candy with a stick. It’s a real shit to write on the computer without this finger.
Tomorrow (or today) if someone messes me I can always complain about my luck and show my finger in this position .|. :p

Today I cried

Since my 15 years old that I have (or had) a health problem. I’ve got used and lived with it until today. On each year passing the quality of life had always an exponential decrease. Soon I had a restricted diet, but you know better than nobody that sometimes we break the diet. It’s not easy to go to a restaurant and do not know what to eat. I’ve always avoid the weird names on the menu and sometimes I asked to the waiter which specific condiments the food had.

There was times that I didn’t knew that I will got ill. I remember the day I’ve started the master degree. My mother has made a delicious soup with white beans for diner. White beans… Today I run away from them as the devil runs away from the cross. Another memorable day, a MOO dinner (the last dinner, not lunch), while socializing I’ve drunk a vodka. Vodka… I’ve passed around 10 hours in the hospital in the next day. While attending the SofExtrusion 2004 at Algarve, I’ve drunk some red wine while I was dinning with my boss. We were in the Pestana Hotel (5 *) at Alvor. 5 days of conference it was like 5 days of nightmares. In the last night, I went to the emergency and remained there more than 24 hours. Don’t blame me, I just wanted to visit Portimão and stay another night in that luxurious hotel. Well the white wine had the same effect, 4 days before to go to USA I’ve made a little visit to the emergency. Then the doctors have decided for a surgical treatment.

I always though that problem was my weakness but today it is my strength. Many of you know that I’ve got a surgery 2 months ago (finally) but just a few knows what the problem was. It’s a fuck to can not eat, drink and… other stuff.

We were 4 people, 3 old men (around 60/70 years old) and me, a young woman. Usually it’s always first the ladies, but this time I was the last one. The nurses were always singing childish music to relax the patients. I was not afraid and seconds before the anesthesia I’ve asked to the nurses who was the doctor that will operate me. “Do you want to see him?!” she asked. “Yes, of course”, I’ve replied. The doctor came and looked to me without saying a word and I’ve said “Just do a good job; let the things pretty because I’m still a single woman.” I do not remember their reaction; I had no time to see it before to fall asleep.

I’ve woke up in the hell. A fat nurse told me “try to be calm, take deep breaths.” “I’m calm. Just give me something for the pains”, I said. “You are already medicated unless I put you in coma again!” she replied. The doctor arrived and she was explaining that I was to much agitate and didn’t know what to do to help me. At this time 2 guys approach to me, one injecting some stuff in my veins and the other one doing the same thing but in my ass. The doctor said to the nurse “No wonder why she is agitate, you do not want to do what she has done.”

The pains calm down but I’ve realized that I need to control a spasm. Until that day I didn’t know I had frequent spasms in such region. Each spasm took me back to hell. And you wonder how we control spasm… I don’t know, I’ve made the impossible to avoid them. I could not asleep at night with afraid of having a spasm. They took me to the bedroom where my mother was waiting for me. I really don’t want know what my mother saw into my eyes. She burst into tears. And yes… seeing her crying, I’ve cried too of weakness.

Today I’m fine, but I have not recovered yet. I’ve a fucking diet which is cereals at the breakfast, soup at lunch and soup at dinner, until the doctor changes his mind.

--------------"----------------"-----------

Today I’ve received a letter with no remitter. Funny… they have used the prefix Dr.a. Inside there was a CD with a single letter written on it… T.

“T?! I don’t believe… It can not be! Well, if it is what I’m thinking let see the show.” I’ve received a SMS saying “Have fun and laugh on watching it.”

I’ve watched the movies (some 80’s amateur tape). I did not laugh and I did not have fun. I’ve cried. I’ve replied to the SMS “I never done such things but I know what the pains are. The bastard should have a bullet in the brain.” I’ve taken about 30 minutes to stop crying and begin to write this message.

A special message for someone: “Do you understand why people were protecting me?!”

n.b. The sentence "The bastard should have a bullet in the brain." is a bad translation from the Portuguese sentence "O gajo merecia morrer com uma bala no meio da cornadura."

I’m Unforgettable

When people met me, usually they never forget me. I can be unforgettable for bad or good things. I always try to leave a good impression so people can always smiles remembering me.

But… sometimes it’s quite difficult to cause a good impression, especially when we can do anything at all. I remember, a few years ago, the 1st surgery on removing the 1st tooth wisdom. Yes, it was a surgery and not a simple tooth extraction. It took 3 hours to have the bastard off my bone, and the assistant lady at the middle of the surgery has decided to faint completely dead on the floor. Here I was on the dentist chair holding all the medical stuff inside my mouth, while the doctor was helping the lady. The 2nd tooth was easier to remove. Again another surgery of one hour but nothing strange has happened.

I have always believed that the worst tooth was already removed. However I have decided to remove a tooth each year, and not all of them in a short time. I was removing the wisdom teeth but at least I still have some good sense (or wisdom).

Another doctor has removed the 3rd tooth. I have told him the story of the first one. The guy simply said: “With me it will be much easier; I’m a skillful doctor. I have never made a surgery but it doesn’t seem so difficult.” Do you really want to know how much he was regretting in the end for such word?! :-) The guy has broken two calipers while pushing the tooth and my lips were quite damage on the next days. The guy was sweating, I saw his shirt completely wet. I was lie-down on the chair without moving a finger and he was always telling me “Wait… don’t worry… be calm… everything is fine!”

The 4th tooth… the 4th surgery was last year on the day after my birthday. Another doctor was the prize-winner of such rare specimen into my mouth. Again, I told him all the stories. He have listen carefully and told “I hope I will not be a such lucky man!”. But.. he was! :-) It was the worst of the teeth. I never had a toothache before neither after of a removal tooth on the past surgeries. The 4th surgery was a KO on my physical and mental health. 3 weeks to recover and to go to US to present an oral session. Yes, I have recovered… after 2 mounts. Yes, everybody has called me the superwoman.

I was talking in the beginning that I’m a unforgettable persona. Yes I am.

Two days ago I was into the dentist just to remove some tartar. Usually I do this once a year. When the doctor saw me he have asked astonishingly:
- Are you coming to remove another tooth?!
- I’m glad you remember me. I’m just making a check-up, I do not have any more these kind of teeth. – I said. The doctor:
- Thanks God! How could I forget you?! It was the most difficult tooth I’ve removed in all my life.

See?! I told you … I’m unforgettable. :-)

Food Supplements

Talking again about Lecithin and MSM… I deduce that you are curious.

Soy Lecithin helps on keeping a good memory. In my case it is sustaining me. Believe me or not, I do not have holydays and a good mental rest since 4 years ago. Perhaps I will have time for holidays when I’ll finish my PhD thesis.

I have found MSM when I was at US. I have bought for my hair. Usually it falls all over the year. It is so thin that I can not have a long hair. My hair continues falling more or less, but my knees joins does not hurt since I take MSM.

I have knees of a 50 years old woman, or perhaps older than that. When I was young I’d practice weightlifting and of course… my knees do not liked. My weight was about 70 kg and my knees could not support such weight. Since I take MSM, I have the same weight and I do not have pains on my knees.

They hurt if I surpass the 72 kg either if there is humidity in the air. This year we had a raining winter at Portugal, but I have not noticed any pain. :)

Every morning I take 1 capsule of 1200mg of Lecithin and 1 tablet of 1000mg of MSM. Oh, you want to know the URL of the e-shop, don’t you?! Ok, you could have asked earlier! Here it is: http://www.healthydirect.co.uk.