#allergic in his skin swells up and he develops rashes over his whole body

[shinglescat]

Out of all cats I had and out of all I met, bengals ended up the most hypoallergenic, followed up by maine coons.

Mind you, I don’t have allergies on their fur, just the protein in their saliva, mucus and sweat, always makes me eyes swell to the point I can’t see, I cough and sneeze violently, have running nose, rash all over the body, itchy-bitchy, so on and so forth... and ofc asthma, tho I haven’t had it since Barsik’s passing.

I’ve had and met mongrels, to which I had severe allergy reactions;

my late Barsik was siamese, and I had the worst reaction at him, to the point of developing asthma;

I met a british blue and a persian, to both I had allergies, tho not as bad since those weren’t mine;

Alisher is a maine coon, and the only thing that provokes my allergies is his saliva (esp when he sneezes sending snots flying around, god forbid it lands on my skin - insta rash);

Weiss is a half-bengal, half-mongrel, and he’s absolutely hypoallergenic, even if he cleans my face off. The kittens from his litter were the same, and his mother didn’t provoke any reaction as well;

Stuart is a don sphynx, and lemme tell you, it’s a total bullshit when people say hairless cats are hypoallergenic - the liquids he produces, both saliva and sweat, all cause moderate reaction that results in rash, sneezing, coughing, itching, no swelling yet.

Alisher always sleeps on my pillow, right on my head. If it’s belly against my face, his butt, anything but head - it’s alright, but sometimes when he shoves his snout into my face I do wake up with swollen eyes, sneezing the whole day. His fur does nothing, given he hates grooming himself anywhere but his paws, but the saliva is nasty af. Actually, every time he had his fur shaved off completely, nothing made me allergic except for his s a l i v a. His sweat is prolly okay? We had his girlfriend several times at our place, the nicest grumpy maine coon ever - no reaction as well, tho I really wanted to give her a shower. Apparently her owners actually wanted to give her away and asked mom if we could take her, but she ended up staying with her owners’ parents. Man, I’d love if they ended up having kittens in the end, but both were and are the complete virgins lmao.

Weiss loves to clean everyone and everything, first time in the morning he usually cleans my face with the sandpaper tongue - almost never there is a reaction, even no swelling, except for the damage he does to the skin with that tongue of his.

Can’t pick up Stuart without getting red and itchy, then the rash starts. Kiss on his head - and here goes the allergy. It’s even worse than it was with Barsik - he at least had a thick coat to prevent the sweat from going all over the place. Ugh, gotta bathe the kid.

[itsdoctorhouse]

Pilot/Everybody Lies

CC (Chief Complaint): Conduction aphasia and grand mal seizure

Dx (Diagnosis): Neurocysticercosis

(I’ll be writing definitions/explaining each medical term mostly because its fun and good practice for me, thanks. It’ll go in chronological order for the episode even if it doesn’t pertain to the final diagnosis, which I’ll then explain itself.)

Conduction aphasia:

Patient is unable to articulate full words, she starts speaking gibberish

What’s important is that she recognizes that she isn’t able to form her words properly and that she’s still able to write on the white board legibly (”Call The Nurse”)

The previous point is important because there are different types of aphasia - “the loss of ability to understand or express speech”, I won’t go too in detail about all the different kinds except for what I reasonably think matches the patients symptom and another complementary type.

Broca’s aphasia, aka Expressive aphasia: the loss of the ability to produce language, although comprehension generally remains intact. So, in context of the episode, that’s why she wasn’t able to form full words/sentences, but was able to recognize it and write down a legible call for help.

Wernicke’s aphasia, aka Receptive aphasia: wherein individuals have difficulty understanding written and spoken language. Can demonstrate fluid speech but lacking meaning, for example, “Sugar may be house phone.” It’s technically grammatically correct, but doesn’t mean anything in context of a conversation. The individual might also be unaware of the lack of meaning in their speech (more in s2e10 “Failure to Communicate”)

I like to think of the previous two as “opposites” concerning types of aphasia. Which might be obvious by their names Expressive versus Receptive :)

Both types are common after an infarct (loss of blood supply to a specific region resulting in death of tissue), aka a stroke.

Grand mal seizure:

The most common types of seizures are as follows:

“Grand Mal” or generalized tonic-clonic: the one shown on all TV shows and movies (probably because it’s the most visually interesting), includes unconsciousness, convulsions, and muscle rigidity

Absence: a brief loss of unconsciousness 

Myoclonic: Sporadic (isolated), jerking movements

Clonic: Repetitive, jerking movements

Tonic: Muscle stiffness, rigidity

Atonic: Loss of muscle tone

If you’re familiar with latin roots a lot of the medical mumbo jumbo makes a lot more sense, for example these seizure names all look the same at first glance but the prefix a- means without, so knowing that tonic means “continuous muscle contraction”, you already know what kind of seizures tonic and atonic will be just from the name. P.S. myo- is for muscle.

Pulmonary edema:

Simply put, it’s when there is excess fluid in the lungs, so that it’s difficult for the oxygen exchange to occur. Meaning that the patient can’t get rid of the carbon dioxide inside their body and they can’t get new oxygen into their blood.

Can lead to a whole lot of complications because everything in the body needs oxygen and an abundance of carbon dioxide can cause respiratory acidosis (which is a whole other post because I love how the respiratory system works)

aka lung congestion, lung water, and pulmonary congestion

The most common cause is congestive heart failure (CHF), which is when the heart can’t properly pump blood throughout the body, so a backup of blood builds up, increasing the pressure in the small blood vessels of the lungs, causing a “leakage”

Symptoms will depend on the type/etiology of the pulmonary edema, but generally the patient will have a hard time breathing (technically it’s an issue with the oxygen exchange, not the actual mechanics of breathing) which means their body will try to compensate by breathing faster, aka hyperventilating (there are also so many different types of breathing which I won’t go into, but my favorites are Kussmaul breathing and Cheyne Stokes)

The patient “had an allergic reaction to the dye used in the contrast study.”

I’m not saying they’re wrong but...

People allergic to contrast dye usually show adverse reactions cutaneously, meaning skin symptoms: rash, redness, swelling, etc., and usually more than 24 hours after injection.

For the most severe reactions, which is what the patient might have had, anaphylaxis and death is a small possibility. It’s a 0.008% chance to develop pulmonary edema as a complication to contrast media.

It’s not a true allergy, rather a pseudoallergy, because there is no antibody that causes the reaction. It’s the contrast dye itself that directly stimulates histamine release.

... so they’re not wrong really, just super unlucky.

Vasculitis

I don’t even know why they suggested this as a differential and then started treatment for it. They don’t even mention what type of vasculitis it might be. I’m reasonably sure they only included this so that they’d start treatment with steroids (prednisone) so that they patient would get better then worse again.

Neurocysticercosis

First and foremost, the way that he phrases it in the episode, he would have realized it was neurocysticercosis sooner, if not for the fact that he believed she was jewish (because Wilson lied to get him to take the case)

Reasoning behind this: that the parasite for neurocysticercosis, Taenia solium, is mostly found in pork (which religious jewish people are not supposed to eat). Which, first of all, as a non-religious jew myself, that’s some supposition right there. Immediately thinking all jews are religious and/or don’t eat certain foods because other jews don’t. 

And secondly, that he didn’t double check her religion status, so immediately discarded a diagnosis based on that erroneous fact. Like, I get it’s the pilot and they wanted to establish personalities and relationships right off the bat, but that’s the one annoying part of the show, if only he had gotten to know his patient he probably could have diagnosed her earlier (but that’s why we love House, his charming personality)

Life cycle: Eggs or gravid proglottids (pregnant segments of the adult parasite [tapeworms as a whole have different segments to their body called proglottids, their “head” is called a scolex and is mostly different for each species, the head is connected to the neck, which then connects to the first immature proglottid. Depending on the species they all have different amounts of proglottids, ranging from 5 to 1000. The further away from the scolex they get the more mature they become, and when fully mature they’re impregnated, one segment at a time, with each segment breaking off from the previous so that they can find a nice home in the body]) are found in feces and passed into the environment, from there they’re ingested by an intermediate host, usually a pig, but in the case of cysticercosis, a human. The eggs hatch and liberate larvae, aka oncospheres, which penetrate the intestinal wall and circulate to musculature. They mature into cysticerci over 60-70 days, and can migrate to the central nervous system, which is what causes neurocysticercosis.

The same parasite can cause another disease called taeniasis. This differs primarily through the acquisition of the parasite. The pig is the intermediate host in this case and a human the definitive host. It is ingested through uncooked/undercooked pork containing cysticerci. Wherein they will evaginate and attach to the small intestine by their scolices (head and suckers). This disease will normally only cause intestinal issues.

A primary infection of taeniasis with Taenia solium can cause a secondary infection of cysticercosis which can lead to neurocysticercosis. So it is possible for the patient to have neurocysticercosis even though they explained it using taeniasis.

Neurocysticercosis is one of the main causes of epileptic seizures in many less developed countries (not so much for a pre-school teacher in New Jersey)

Treatment can include steroids (which is what they gave her for vasculitis, and the reason why she seemed better for a time) but ultimately an anti-parasitic is needed, suggesting albendazole or praziquantel for about 2 weeks.

[love-skincareroutine]

How To Get Washable Marker Off Skin

New Post has been published on https://skin-care-routine.com/skin-care-routine/how-to-get-washable-marker-off-skin/

How To Get Washable Marker Off Skin

A. How to Get Pen and Permanent Marker Off of Skin

It is almost incredible how many problems children can get with a single marker. One minute they are happily doodling on a piece of paper, and the next they are getting themselves (or their brothers) fake tattoos and a face full of felt makeup. Fortunately (for you and her) not even permanent ink is permanent with the right tools and tricks. Here’s what to do to remove the pen or permanent marker from your skin – or yours.

1. Tips for removing pen or permanent marker from your skin

You can be comforted to know that ink from a permanent marker or pen fades naturally over time – two to three days, according to the Northern New England Poison Center. Even if you do nothing, your child’s skin will soon return to its original condition. In some cases, e.g. For example, if the marker is on an inconspicuous part of the body, doing nothing may be preferable to other methods, as certain products or rubbing repeatedly can be more irritating to the skin.

“Soap and water help with normal hand washing, and the rest eventually dissolves after a number of baths,” said Erin Kravitz, who has a young daughter, to Mom.com. “Most things are soaked in the bathtub, especially with the help of a cloth.”

2. Removal of skin blemishes with household products

However, if you can’t or don’t want to wait for the ink to disappear on its own, these suggestions can help. A general note: like most other spots, the ink on the skin is easier to remove when it is relatively fresh. So if you can put your child in the bathtub, or at least near a sink, you can quickly get better results.

a. Soap and water

If the ink stains in question are water-based – you’re in luck! – They should be quite easy to remove during the normal bath. Water-based paints are often used in washable markers for children, such as: B. Crayola, who recommends good old soap and water to erase accidental body art.

“Typically, Crayola washable products can be removed from the skin by washing with soap and water,” says the company’s website. “If soap and water don’t work, try wet wipes, baby oil or make-up remover. Since crayons are water-based washable products, keeping the area around the stain moist can help remove it. ”

b. Baby wipes

Crayola recommended wet wipes for more resistant and washable stains can also be used with ballpoint pen ink or permanent marker. And because they are formulated for babies, they are probably softer on your child’s skin than some other home remedies you can find on the Internet.

c. Baby oil

Baby oil is commonly used to remove makeup and temporary tattoos. So it makes sense that people would also recommend it for ink stains. According to Healthline, baby oil “adheres to excess skin oil and removes all substances” – possibly including a permanent marker. The website suggests applying a small amount of oil to the area and then washing it off.

d. Milk

It sounds strange, but a home remedy that Good Housekeeping mentions to remove permanent skin stains is to put a cotton ball in the milk and rub over the stain. There have been mixed analyzes of the effectiveness of this method – some say it is better to remove stains from fabrics and upholstery – but if you happen to have a little milk on hand, it probably doesn’t hurt to try.

3. Other methods

Many people say that alcohol is the key to ink stains, but you need to exercise caution. Alcohol can be easily inhaled or absorbed through the skin, creating a risk of isopropyl alcohol poisoning. Children are particularly at risk, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics on its website HealthyChildren.org emphasizes that alcohol should never be used to lower a child’s fever. If you have a permanent mark on your skin, a small amount of alcohol in a cotton ball – used in a well-ventilated area! – it may be good, but for children or stains that cover large parts of the body, it is better to try something different or let the paint fade naturally.

  B. Removing Permanent Marker from Your Skin

We offer products that we believe are useful to our readers. If you buy through the links on this page, we can earn a small commission. Here is our process. The ink happens. From time to time, it is possible to get permanent ink on your skin. Unlike tattoo ink, which is actually embedded in your skin, permanent ink – think of sharp markers – just touches the surface. This means that it will disappear over a few days. However, there may be ways to remove permanent marker stains from your skin a little faster. Watch out for so-called remedies that can do more harm than good to your skin – you may accidentally get more than one permanent marker.

1. Remove the permanent marker from the skin

According to the Northern New England Poison Center, it can take two to three days for the permanent marker to disappear from the skin on its own. If you want to remove the marker a little faster, you can also incorporate one of the following methods into your washing routine. You will probably have to repeat these methods several times before you see the results. There are also aggressive ingredients that you don’t want to apply to your skin. This includes baking soda and bleach. Also, do not use ingredients that may have an allergic reaction.

a. Sea salt shell

Sea salt has natural exfoliating properties. When mixing with warm water, you can make a gentle exfoliation to exfoliate the top layer of the skin. Mix equal parts of salt water and warm water to make a paste. Gently massage the scrub into your skin – but don’t rub it – twice a day.

b. Olive oil or coconut oil

If you have olive oil or coconut oil at home, apply a small amount to your skin and rub gently before rinsing. These oils can help to bind to your epidermis. In theory, the oil can adhere to the permanent marker marks on your skin and help to remove them smoothly.

c. Baby oil

The idea behind mineral oil, or baby oil, is that it can adhere to excess skin oil and remove any substances. In theory, this would also work with permanent stains. Apply a small amount of oil to the affected area and then wash and rinse as normal. However, be careful if you have acne-prone skin, as applying extra oils can lead to subsequent rashes.

d. Whitening toothpaste

The same properties of toothpaste that help lighten surface stains on teeth can also lighten permanent marker points on your skin. Use this method twice a day. As a bonus, you can even use a new toothbrush to exfoliate. Massage gently in a circular motion around the colored skin and rinse well.

e. Chemical-based remover

Household chemical removers can remove permanent marker pigment when you are in an emergency. These include:

Isopropyl Alcohol

Nail polish remover

Hand sanitizer

You can use this up to twice a day. Apply a small amount with a cotton ball and rinse with warm water.

f. Make up remover

Makeup remover can be another solution to remove permanent marks from your skin. This is also a less harsh option compared to household chemical removers. Apply with a cotton ball and massage in a circular motion for a few seconds. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

2. Is the ink not healthy for the skin?

Traditional permanent markers found in office supply stores are not intended for your skin. In fact, permanent markers contain ingredients considered to be toxic, such as resin, xylene and toluene. If these markers come into contact with your skin, they may be slightly irritated. Symptoms include redness, swelling and itching. Permanent marker vapors can also irritate the eyes, nose and throat.

3. Safer ink for the skin

Accidental marking with permanent ink is unlikely to cause adverse symptoms. With that said, you don’t want to purposely put a permanent marker on your skin. If you are interested in markers for your skin for sports or tattoos, find markers that are designed specifically for the skin. They are also waterproof, but, unlike their traditional marker, they do not contain toxic ingredients.

The permanent marker will eventually disappear from the pores with regular washing and natural oils. However, if you want to remove marker stains a little faster, consider the home remedies above. However, be careful not to use substances that you are allergic to or sensitive to. Consult a doctor if you develop rashes or swelling due to permanent marker marks on the skin.

  C. How to Get Crayola Markers Off Your Kids Skin

Then you bought your child a set of Crayola markers. They just wanted to get Picasso out of him. The next thing you know, he’s just messing up his skin with them. Freaky? You shouldn’t be. Pencil markers are made in such a way that, although your child uses his whole body with drawing paper, he can easily remove it from the skin. And that is what we are focusing on today. We’ll show you how to easily remove Crayola markers from your child’s skin.

1. Ways to remove markers from children’s skin

There are several methods that can be used to easily remove the marker from your child’s skin. While some may work, others may not. That’s why we talk about all the effective ones.

a. Method 1: using soap and water

Most Crayola markers are washable. You can try using soap and water to improve the situation. If you can only use the method when the spot on your child’s skin is recent, it will work best.

Use warm water to moisturize your skin first. Next, you need to use a clean towel and add some detergent.

Now rub the stain in a circular motion while proceeding smoothly. This trick will help you to remove almost all the stain. To make sure it is completely erased, you will need to clean the area several times.

b. Method 2: using disinfectants

Hand sanitizer is very useful for removing stains from markers. When we say disinfectant, we mean that it is “alcohol” that does the trick.

This works perfectly as a catalyst for removing paint. Because they are “HAND SANITIZERS”, they are also kind to the skin.

Enough talk, let’s see how it works. First, you need to apply a small amount of disinfectant to your child’s skin. You will see the ink reactivate. Clean it with a cotton ball.

When you’re done, just rub the skin to remove the marks.

c. Method 3: makeup remover

Who said makeup removers can only be used to get rid of makeup? You can also use them to remove Crayola markers from your child’s skin. In addition, it is one of the safest methods to use when aiming at the eye area.

To do this, you need to use a cotton ball and put some remover on it. Now, carefully clean the stains. You can also use the remover to remove ink stains.

Once you’re done, it’s time to rinse your skin with warm water.

d. Method 4: baby wipes

To remove difficult but washable stains, the Crayola team recommends the wipes themselves. Remember, they don’t work with permanent markers.

However, baby wipes are the most delicate alternative to everything else, as they are only made for babies and toddlers.

e. Method 5: baby oil

Of course, if you have a baby in your home with your child, you also have baby oil in your home. Use it as a quick alternative to remove the marks.

Your child already has excess oil on his skin. What baby oil does is basically sticking to excess oils while removing stains. The best part? You can also use baby oil to remove permanent markers.

f. Method 6: using milk

You read that right, “milk”. This will help you to clean these marks. Knowing how to properly apply milk to your child’s skin can also help remove permanent stains.

However, you will hear mixed reviews on the subject. There are mothers who say that applying milk only works if the stain is on the upholstery or on the fabrics. On the other hand, we have no problem with trying your child’s hand.

2. Here are some that are not for you

Now we talk about rubbing hand sanitizer and they have alcohol, even though it’s just a tiny portion. You will find that some people try to remove alcohol on their own to clean the stains, and yes, it also works. However, when applying it to your child’s skin, you must also take the necessary care. You should know that the skin absorbs alcohol very quickly, which can lead to isopropyl alcohol poisoning.

Your child’s skin is delicate and if you rub the alcohol carelessly, there is a chance that the skin will be vulnerable to withstand the reaction. Therefore, even when applying it, you should use only a very small portion and rub with a cotton ball.

3. Summary

Well, that was all there was to remove Crayola markers from your son’s skin. We talked about all the effective methods here so you can choose the method that best suits you. Don’t worry, one of these will definitely work for you, no matter what. But remember that we do not recommend drinking alcohol unless it is really necessary.

[ajuimaginary]

Soulmate Wonwoo

Part of the Seventeen Soulmate Series

Everyone has some sense of tangible connection to their soulmate. No matter how far away you are, they become a physical mirror through which your body experiences the world- your life a string tied with their own.

It’s a very abstract thing which even the greatest minds of the modern age find hard to define. All anyone really knows is that bound soulmates have some sort of bodily connection which seems to provide indicators of well-being and health. When one person is hurt or sick, the other feels an echo of the pain. When one person gets close to death, the other loses grip on their senses. If one person dies, well, the other will experience indescribable pain and then never be the same again...

But when soulmates are together, especially in physical contact with one another, the touch somehow provides healing. Not complete, but enough to make a difference.

Scientists link it back to all sorts of things- the evolutionary benefits of having a connection to your perfectly matched life partner and being able to monitor their survival even from a distance, and to help with it when close. The more spiritual among the population would call it a divine providence- something that gives you a soul deep connection to your destined other half. 

And those who are simply romantic minded? Well, they just seek comfort in the fact that they can feel the presence of their soulmate in every breath and beat of the heart. 

Wonwoo has read about a thousand books on this soulmate connection, always so interested in the world around him. He keeps them, filled with little post-it note bookmarks, on his shelf. He also keeps a notebook writes down the things he feels through his own soulmate connection- mild colds on your end give him a stuffy feeling in his nose, but produce no snot- vomiting bugs send weird chills through his stomach. He worries about you, feels relieved when your illnesses get better, but for the most part, it feels scientific to him. Fascinating as another thing to learn and uncover.

You happen to be a bit more of a romantic sort when it comes to the soulmate link, though you would never admit just how much you already adore your unknown other half. 

The worst day was the one where Wonwoo discovered his seafood allergy. You were still pretty young, and of course had no clue what was happening on his end, so it really hit you hard. You had felt a tingle in your tongue a few times before, perhaps the mild allergy kicking in when he ate small amounts. But one day he had a whole seafood platter at a restaurant. And you felt it.

Echoes of a phantom itch burst across your skin like the breakout of a rash- but most intense was the tightening in your throat, like your tongue was swelling, even though you could still breathe easy. And as the minutes stretched, you suddenly realized your sense of touch was dulling, a ringing in your ears was growing louder, drowning out the world around you.

You were in the middle of class, but this was worth an interruption. A few kids had been excused to the nurse because of soulmate connections before. As the teacher walked past checking everyone’s work, you whispered to them over the dampened sound in your eardrums:

“I think my soulmate is dying.”

Through the strange dizzy sensation of your senses dimming, you could hardly hear the response she gave, gesturing to the door, sympathetic and concerned. Your friends gave you a few worried goodbyes, and you stumbled out of the room, into the halls of your school.

It was painful to even walk to the nurse, mind dull and aching with the thought of what was happening to him. 

All you could think of was how the things you experienced were meant to be shadows of his pain, and whatever he was feeling must be worse. But you managed to find the nurse, and to explain to her everything that was happening.

“It sounds like an allergy,” she told you after she heard what you had felt. “It may be that your soulmate will be fine, dear. Someone should be with them. They could arrive at a hospital any second, or administer medication if they already knew about the allergy. Don’t worry yet, okay?”

“Okay,” you said dully, still clutching the pillow as you sat in the sick room at your school, eyes fixed on a peeling poster about drug dangers. “I’ll try not to worry.”

But worry you did.

Until, only fifteen minutes later (what seemed to you to be the worst fifteen minutes of your life), the pain began to ease. First, the ringing vanished, and full sensation returned to your body. The agony lifted out of your throat. The tingling feeling like a rash on your skin slowly evaporated.

Finally, by the end of the period, you were better. Your soulmate was alive.

Miles away, sitting in hospital, grumpy to have had a nice family lunch at the restaurant ruined, Wonwoo was listening as the nurse explained to him and his parents that it seemed he was allergic to seafood.

As you both grew up, the soulmate connection continued to provide you little hints of each others lives. You loved every part of that distant connection, even as you worried about his winter sniffles (it was funny how it helped you work out something as simple as the fact that he lived in the Northern hemisphere, sickness getting common in his winter time), and even as you fussed over the few other tongue tingles you got as he (most likely) accidentally ate some seafood again. You still loved feeling linked in. 

Well... you loved most of it. There were hard times too.

There was one thing that made you get irrationally angry with your soulmate. While young Wonwoo was going through puberty, your own school life was disturbed as you were kept up almost every night with the echoes of his growing pains shooting through your legs. By that stage, you’d had health classes and been told that it was one of many weird side symptoms bound pairs could have at this age. But each night, while you tossed and turned and found yourself getting more and more exhausted as school loomed the next day, you found yourself glaring at the ceiling and cursing the boy who (rationally) you knew had no control over it.

You were sure your soulmate had his own share of annoying puberty side effects coming from your end too. Like dull ache of a new pimple about to erupt on your face. 

You just wished there was a way to snap at him and tell him off for keeping you awake at night. Then you wished there was a way to apologize for being grumpy, since it really wasn’t his fault. Most of all, you just wished there was a way to talk to him.

Growing up was certainly a time of some inner turmoil. But what teenager didn’t go through some angst?

Once you had settled into yourself a little more, got a little older, you didn’t feel quite so much emotional turmoil when it came to your Soulmate. You were still fond of him, still fretted over him when he was sick, but you were a little more settled into the routine or your connection now. And his growing pains and the resulting sleepless nights had vanished, legs finally free of cramps. Which certainly helped. 

On the 10th of May 2016, you and a couple of friends discover Seventeen. You love their cheerful, catchy music. You love their astonishing synchronized dance moves. You love their handsome faces. And then, once the three of you find some subtitled interviews, and a few hilarious variety shows, you love every single member.

Especially Wonwoo.

“Of course,” one friend teases you. “I am not surprised.”

“Why?” you demand.

“He’s so the kind of person I could see you with,” she says, and as you open your mouth to try to ask what that’s supposed to mean, your other friend joins in.

“He really is,” he says. “He’s your type. Completely.”

The other continues: “he’s just the kind of person you find handsome, he’s bookish, intelligent, he raps really well, he has a great voice, he’s funny in a really awful dorky way-” (”HEY!” you protest) “and to top it all off, he’s tall.”

“Tall?” you’re surprised. “Why do I care if he’s tall?”

“I don’t know,” your friend shrugs. “I guess with all your soulmate’s growing pains, it seemed like he was getting tall. I connect you with tall guys now.”

“Huh,” you say. You’ve never considered your soulmate’s height before, and for some reason it sends the smallest shiver down your spine. “I’d never thought about that.”

The conversation moves on quickly, as all of you keep scouring the internet, staying up way too late that night, and you find out that Seventeen pretty recently received their first win on a music show. With so much continuous new content, it’s enough to keep you all fully invested, very quickly becoming solid fans. 

Over the next few weeks, pretty much all you guys can talk about is Seventeen, developing inside jokes as you go.

You catch a cold at one point, and you have plenty of time to spend at home sitting around while you wait to get better. Seventeen do a VLive at one point, you and your friends talking in your group chat while you watch together. The funniest thing is that Wonwoo is sitting grumpily in the back of the VLive, and the members start teasing him because his soulmate has a cold and his nose is all stuffy. As you watch, you let out a hacking cough, and after a short lag in the VLive video, Wonwoo suddenly winces like an echo of pain shot through his throat. 

Your friends think it’s hilarious to joke that the soulmate must be you, and you roll your eyes and remind them how common colds actually are. It would be ridiculous if he really was your soulmate. 

Your cold passes quickly, and as June begins, you’re getting closer and closer to Seventeen’s next big event- the Dream Concert. But one day, while you’re hanging out with your friends and catching up on old videos from before you were fans, you feel dull echo of sharp pain in your stomach.

You double over, crying out, clutching the spot, tears pricking your eyes. As the pain swells, a ringing in your ears begins, a dull numbness in the tips of your fingers, a flicker in the corner of your eyes. 

“It’s my soulmate,” you gasp. You can’t believe this is happening again. The dulling-senses feeling of him getting near to death. And it’s not the allergy this time- you had none of the warning signs you had become so familiar with. “Oh god, oh god, something’s wrong.”

The tears spill over.  

“Something’s wrong,” you repeat. “Oh god, I have to-”

You try to stand, some instinct in you desperate to run to his side, but with your dull senses, you almost fall over with dizziness. 

Your friends gather around you, incredibly worried. You can feel nothing but ghosts of his agony, a terrible weight upon you, a knowledge that he’s hurting in the worst way and there’s nothing you can do. All you can do is sit, surrounded by friends, by their comfort, and hope with every fiber of your being that someone is helping him. That he’ll be okay.

Eventually, with the dizziness rocking in your head, you manage to fall asleep. And you wake up the next morning to your friend shaking you awake and holding out her phone to you. You take stock of your senses, the pain less than before, and the ringing in your ears now faint, but better. And then you read what’s written on the screen. 

Time stamped June 3rd 2016, the current date, Pledis Entertainment have put out an announcement that in the middle of the night, Wonwoo experienced sharp pain in his stomach and had to be rushed to hospital. He was diagnosed with acute gastritis. He’ll be missing the Dream Concert and following fan sign.

“Poor Wonwoo,” you gasp, heart aching, tears springing to your eyes immediately. You see your friends exchange a glance. “What’s that look for?”

“Um, Y/N, I know we joked about it,” your friend begins. “But we were talking and... we think Wonwoo is really your soulmate.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, guys.” you sigh, instinctively clutching at the pain in your stomach. “It’s a coincidence.”

“Yeah, but remember that time you had a cold?” your friend begins.

“Easily a coincidence.”

“We also looked at some old Seventeen stuff after we came up with the theory,” your other friend says. “And, well, it all fits. He’s allergic to seafood, and your soulmate has bad allergies. When you broke that bone in your foot a couple years ago, Wonwoo sat out of a dance because his foot hurt. It was captured on Seventeen TV. The date is right. Plus, there’s the VLive from a couple months ago where he kept touching his nose like it was hurting. Didn’t you have a massive pimple erupting that day? I remember because it was school pictures and you were really annoyed-”

“Stop,” you say, shaking your head. “There’s no way-”

But strangely, it actually makes sense. 

They keep going. It seems they’ve spent the last couple of hours searching for evidence. Eventually, you’re close to convinced. Though you really really don’t want to get your hopes up. Not about something as magical as this. Because it would hurt you too badly if it turned out you were wrong.

Time passes after that. By mind-July, Wonwoo still hasn’t joined Seventeen in their next round of promotions for the repackage album. Your own body continues to mirror the effects of his illness, slowing you down a little. But at least you’re still able to go to school.

Then one day, while you’re still trying to process the complexity of the situation, you’re walking down the hallway in your house, the familiar dull agony suddenly rises like an explosion and you nearly pass out. 

Your senses begin to fade. You stretch your numb fingertips, vision blurring at the edges, and feel panic rise.

Perhaps you’re being too rash and not thinking clearly. But the idea that your soulmate might be in danger becomes your only thought. You don’t care about embarrassing yourself by jumping to conclusions. Not if there’s even the slightest chance to save Wonwoo.

So you take out your cellphone, and find the contact number for Pledis Entertainment that’s saved in your phone (your friends had scoured the internet to find the number and given it to you, saying you should have it just in case). You thought it was silly at the time. But now it’s your only hope...

The receptionist who picks up doesn’t speak much English, but she hears the urgency in your voice and gets her colleague to translate. They don’t believe you at first (of course) but when you plead- “Wonwoo’s condition just plummeted. He’s in danger. Please, I know having a soulmate nearby could heal him.” - they decide to give you a chance. Just in case. They can’t risk being wrong and putting one of their idols in danger.

So they transfer the call through to one of Seventeen’s managers. You re-explain the story to them, and they’re very surprised when you can tell them the exact time of Wonwoo’s sudden downturn in health. Especially since, as far as all his fans know, he’s been recovering lately.

They question you about a few different things, suspicion in their voice giving way to surprise. Then they reveal that they’re actually almost at Wonwoo’s hospital room right now, having been called by the nurse when Wonwoo took a turn for the worst. And they will soon test if your theory is right.

Only a minute later, they’re talking to Wonwoo in the background of the call, and you can hear the distant sound of his voice. He’s weak and tired, but it’s him. You feel your knees shake and sit down quickly, not wanting to fall.

“Y/N?” the manager says.

“Yes?” you answer instantly.

“Wonwoo is going to do a few things. Tell us what you feel on your end. If the connection is real, you’ll feel it.”

“Okay,” you say. “Just- just make sure he doesn’t hurt himself too badly.”

Wonwoo starts by biting the soft pad on his thumb, and you hiss in pain at how hard he does it (of course he doesn’t hold back, why are you not surprised?).

“He’s biting his thumb,” you reply. “Tell him not to do it so hard.”

“Okay,” the manager says, and repeats your request in Korean, to which you can hear Wonwoo laugh, your heart soaring at the sound. “What about now?”

And so it continues, you confirming each thing Wonwoo does very easily. You’re amazed at all the creative methods he finds. In the background of the call, you can hear the rumble of his laughter each time you get it right.

The manager considers it proven after that. Wonwoo refuses to have his first interaction with his soulmate be over the phone, so she takes you away, and you start sorting out the logistics of the situation- to get you to Korea- to get you to your soulmate’s side.

-

In the end, Pledis pay for everything.

They get you on the first flight to Korea, have a driver waiting to pick you up from the airport, and even prepare a hotel room for the night (though you insist, and they readily agree, that you go to the hospital as soon as you touch down). You spend the ride over full of nervous energy, only half able to keep up a conversation with the manager you met on the phone, who has joined you in the car.

Even as you travel, you could feel Wonwoo worsening. Because of the medical attention he’s been getting, you know the illness is very very unlikely to become fatal (you spent a lot of time researching acute gastritis once he was diagnosed). But it could put him out of action for a very long time if you can’t kick start his recovery.

You get more nervous as you go. When the car finally stops, you and the manager speed through the hospital. You pause only to take one last deep breath outside the door of Wonwoo’s room, and then you turn the handle and enter.

There he is. Propped up against pillows, looking at the door with hopeful eyes, which grow wide when he sees you, your favorite nose squishing smile breaking over his usually serious face.

“Y/N,” he breathes, already knowing from the phone conversation.

“Wonwoo,” you reply softly.

You cover the last distance to his side in a few steps, his hand reaching for you as you approach, entwining your fingers immediately. The second you feel him, skin on skin, you can feel something pass between you.

He doesn’t stop there either. He tugs you in as close as he can, your hips pressed against the hospital bed. Then he lets go of your hands and places his broad palms on the small of your back instead, closer and more intimate. You lift your own hands and cradle his face, looking back at him.

The room seems to lighten, your eyesight returning in full. The ringing in your ears dims to nothing. Sensation flows through your hands. With touch, sight, smell, taste, hearing- your senses rejuvenated- you know Wonwoo is no longer close to death.

Even the sharp medical smell of the hospital, the artificial light, the beeping of monitors, is like a fresh relief.

He’s still sick, of course. It’s not a magic heal-all. You still feel the dull ache in his stomach, the slight weakness of his body. But he’s so much closer to good health. So much better just from being with you.

He’s staring up at you with emotion in his eyes, like he’s drinking in the sight, cataloging and remembering forever.

“Oh, Wonwoo,” you gasp, tears pricking in your eyes. “I’m so- I can’t believe-” and then you remember there’s a language barrier. You laugh, and with the little Korean you’ve picked up, you manage to say “I love you.”

“Thank you,” Wonwoo says in the sweetest English you’ve ever heard. “I love you too.”

He doesn’t even glance at the managers, who must still be standing behind, before he props himself higher on his pillows, lays his hand is on the back of your neck, and pulls you in for your very first kiss. 

[enzaime-blog]

Bob’s Brain Tumor Story

New Story has been published on http://enzaime.com/bobs-brain-tumor-story/

Bob’s Brain Tumor Story

One Valentine’s Day, Bob collapsed with a seizure. Emergency room doctors diagnosed him with a high-grade glioblastoma, the most aggressive and deadly form of brain tumor. He came to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Brain Tumor Center where he received surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and rehabilitation.

It was on Valentine’s Day 1996, when Bob Immerman collapsed. The 56-year-old architect had been working on a project in Manhattan and had returned to the office after showing the building to a structural engineer. A few minutes later Bob fell to the floor, foaming at the mouth.

An ambulance was called, and paramedics took Bob the closest hospital, a few blocks away.

Meanwhile, Bob’s wife, Minna, who was a preschool teacher in Larchmont, New York, was having a Valentine’s Day party for her class. When she got the call that Bob had “collapsed,” her first thought was that he must have had a heart attack or a stroke.

After completing blood work, the doctors told the couple that Bob had had a grand mal seizure, which is an electrical discharge, or “storm,” in the brain that causes an involuntary movement of the muscles, usually resulting in collapse and loss of consciousness.

“You Don’t Want it To Be a Tumor”

Trying to identify possible explanations for Bob’s seizure, the doctors asked him if he had had any symptoms prior to this incident. Bob and Minna recalled that in recent days he’d had a few mild headaches, and some episodes of “time lapses,” during which he experienced some blackouts and general confusion.

When doctors performed a computed tomograph (CT) scan of his head, they saw something in the frontal lobe of Bob’s brain. But they couldn’t tell from the scan if the lesion represented damage from a stroke or if what they were seeing was a tumor. Then they did an MRI.

“I remember asking the doctor, ’Which do I want it to be — a stroke or a tumor?’ I didn’t even understand which was worse,” says Minna. “And the doctor said, ’Well, you don’t want it to be a tumor.’”

The MRI showed that the mass was a tumor, but doctors couldn’t tell if it was benign or malignant. Benign or not, it needed to be removed, and brain surgery at the local hospital was set for two days later. “’What would you do if this were you?’” Minna remembers asking the doctor, a family friend. “He said, ’Listen, you’re talking about a brain tumor. If I were you, I’d go to Sloan Kettering.’”

They made some calls, and soon Bob was scheduled for surgery with neurosurgeon Mark Bilsky on February 23. Then — through ten inches of fresh snow — Bob was transferred to Memorial Sloan Kettering.

The Night Before Surgery

“People sometimes ask how we decided to have surgery. The way we saw it, there was no choice,” Minna explains. “Bob had a brain tumor. We didn’t know if it was benign or malignant, but he was having seizures. The tumor had to be removed. So it wasn’t a question of ’should we’ or ’shouldn’t we’? We knew he had to have surgery.”

The night before the operation Dr. Bilsky visited Bob’s room. Bob asked him to describe what would happen the next day. Dr. Bilsky said that he would do that and left the room to retrieve a medical textbook. When he returned, he opened the book to the section on brain surgery. With great patience, Dr. Bilsky used the diagrams from the textbook to show Bob exactly what he was going to do during surgery.

Remembering the moment, Bob says, “I just wanted to know what to expect, what was going to happen. And I felt better knowing.” Although hearing the details was frightening, Bob and Minna both appreciated Dr. Bilsky’s frankness and honesty. “I’ve always found that if you ask the doctors at Sloan Kettering a question, you get an honest answer,” says Minna.

“Dr. Bilsky is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” says Bob. Minna echoes, “He’s very approachable, and open, and reassuring. Whenever we see him on the neurology floor, Bob and Dr. Bilsky hug each other.”

Former president of his synagogue in Larchmont, Bob brought with him deep faith. Throughout his entire course of treatment, he maintained a positive attitude and a confidence that he would survive. The morning of surgery, Bob was lying on the gurney, about to be wheeled to the operating room. A nun drew up beside him and asked, “Would you mind if I prayed with you?” Bob replied, “Not at all.” He remembers thinking that he would welcome all the help he could get.

“When He Said ’Glioblastoma,’ I Stopped Breathing”

Minna waited for Bob to come out of surgery with her daughters, Suzanne and Gaby, and a group of friends. Every hour a nurse liaison would come out to update Minna on where they were in surgery. “So much of the anxiety about surgery is about not knowing,” she says. “But to be constantly reassured that my husband was doing well was extraordinary because the surgery took many, many hours.”

When the surgery was over, Dr. Bilsky called the family together. He told them that Bob’s tumor was a malignant glioblastoma, but that he and his surgical team had removed as much of the cancerous tissue as they could see.

Recalling her reaction to the news, Minna says, “When he said ’glioblastoma’ I stopped breathing. The doctors had said as they were first looking at the MRI, ’It looks contained, which is really good because what you don’t want is for it to be glioblastoma.’ So when Dr. Bilsky said it was a glioblastoma multiforme, I thought, ’This is the worst it could be.’”

Glioblastoma — also called glioblastoma multiforme or grade IV astrocytoma — is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults between the ages of 45 and 70. It tends to grow and spread aggressively and is probably the most resistant of all brain cancers to treatment.

One of the challenges of treating glioblastoma is that it is not contained. Instead, it is shaped like a hand, with microscopic “fingers” that fan out and touch many different parts of the brain. This makes a glioblastoma hard to surgically remove because these fingers can penetrate the folds of the brain and are impossible to see, and therefore impossible to remove. Remnants can multiply and form a new tumor. These remaining cells are managed and eliminated through radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Following surgery, Lisa DeAngelis, neuro-oncologist and Chair of the Department of Neurology, was brought in to oversee the next steps in Bob’s treatment.

Complications After Surgery

Most patients are discharged in less than a week following brain surgery, but a number of setbacks kept Bob in the hospital for six weeks. Among other things, he developed thrush sores inside his mouth (a condition in which a type of yeast grows out of control in moist skin areas of the body), and rashes. Once he was finally discharged, he had to return to the hospital four days later because a blood clot had formed behind his knee.

“In some ways it was good that we couldn’t really focus on the cancer and the prognosis because we were so busy with the day-to-day medical issues,” says Minna. “Whatever could happen did happen.”

Bob was also allergic to many medications, which made managing his care following surgery extremely challenging. “His allergies were such a problem,” recalls Dr. DeAngelis, “that I jokingly said to him that if he saw a pharmacy, he should cross to the other side of the street.”

After neurosurgery, all patients are given a medicine called Decadron (a steroid administered to reduce swelling). When Bob took the drug, he developed a case of hiccups that lasted for weeks.

During this time, Dr. Bilsky came to visit Bob, and sat holding his hand and listening. “He’s a surgeon with probably a million things on his plate,” observes Minna. “But when Dr. Bilsky’s with you, you’re his whole focus. You never have the sense of someone who’s looking at his watch.”

Having been in the hospital for so many weeks, Bob and Minna knew the entire staff working on the floor. “Everyone from the people who clean the rooms, to the patient escorts, to the nurses and doctors — everyone is involved in your care,” Bob recalls.

Drawing Strength from Family & Friends

People react in very different ways when faced with a health crisis. Some withdraw and choose to deal with the problem on their own. Others turn toward family and friends. Bob and Minna chose the latter approach, welcoming the support of friends and family throughout the long ordeal of Bob’s treatment.

“We’ve learned that cancer first affects the patient, then the family, and then the community,” reflects Minna. “The response to Bob’s cancer was extraordinary. Everyone got involved.”

Minna continues: “I think there are people who live their lives in a private way, and people who live their lives more publicly. That was how Bob and I were. Anybody who could be supportive, we told. It wasn’t a secret, because that’s our style.”

 I just wanted to know what to expect, what was going to happen. And I felt better knowing.

Bob Immerman

On Friday nights, a group of their friends would come from synagogue, bringing their prayer books, and hold Friday night services in Bob’s hospital room. They would order pizza they dubbed “Shabbat pizza,” and would eat it after the informal services.

At times the support, although well-intentioned, could be overwhelming. The phone was ringing off the hook, and Minna would often come home to 30 messages on the machine. Too exhausted to return all the calls, she began to feel unable to keep her friends up-to-date with Bob’s health. Since his initial diagnosis came in the years before email, a friend suggested that she leave a daily update on the family’s answering machine. She began to leave a daily update on the machine — “Bob is finally out of bed,” or “Bob has thrush,” or “Bob has a rash,” or “Come see Bob, he needs company,” or “Don’t come see Bob, he doesn’t need company.”

The Next Five Years of Treatment

After the problems subsequent to his surgery subsided, Bob was able to begin the next phases of treatment. First was a six-week course of radiation therapy. Dr. DeAngelis then proposed a course of chemotherapy. During the first treatment, Bob had such a bad reaction — his white blood count dropping dangerously low — that Dr. DeAngelis decided to stop chemotherapy and monitor any further cancer growth through imaging techniques.

In the beginning, Bob would get an MRI every two months, then every three months, and finally every six months. Bob and Minna made a family rule that Bob could go alone to get the scan, but when the results were read, Minna had to be there too. Their doctors would schedule the scan and the appointment to discuss the results for the same day, so that the Immermans would not have to wait days for the report.

The scans — any one of which might have revealed a recurrence of cancer — would frighten Minna. But Bob was different. He remained optimistic, never thinking that the results would be that the cancer had returned.

They also found that being treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering took away some of the anxiety because many of the other patients at the hospital had cancer, and the fact had a calming effect on them. “I never felt, ’Why us?’ because I could just as well have asked why anyone else in the waiting room?” says Minna. “I’ve never felt that we were singled out.”

“I think the family’s response to Bob’s illness showed exactly who they are as people,” says Dr. Bilsky. “You can’t hide those things when someone gets sick and you have to go through something like this. They are an incredibly warm and loving family, and we became a part of their lives. They’re just great people.”

As time went on, Bob was able to get back to work — part time at first and eventually full time. Life returned somewhat to normal.

A few years after his initial surgery, Bob started to exhibit symptoms similar to the ones he experienced before the first surgery, including periods of losing time. Bob immediately took himself to Memorial Sloan Kettering for evaluation. The PET scan showed some “hot spots,” or areas of potential tumor activity. Dr. Bilsky advised a biopsy — the only way to make sure it was not a recurrence. A brain biopsy meant another brain surgery, but this time Bob was only in the hospital for a weekend. The hot spots were not cancer, but treatment-related damage, probably caused by radiation.

Bob still has several continuing health issues as a result of his surgery and treatment. His seizures persist, but he takes anti-seizure medication to keep them under control. The medication unfortunately makes him very tired. Another consequence of his brain tumor is that Bob has experienced a mild personality change. One symptom of the change is that he gets overwhelmed by multi-tasking, by attempting to do two things at once. These health and emotional changes have been a challenge for Bob, Minna, and their family to accommodate, but they are grateful that Bob is still alive and doing well.

Ten Year Anniversary, 2006

Early in his treatment, Bob asked the radiation oncologist how long he could expect to live. Bob recalls that the doctor said he would have “maybe 18 months.” With a twinkle in his eye, Bob says, “And here we are — ten years later. All I know is that when it comes to this kind of cancer, this is the best case scenario. But they never said, ’Cure.’ No one ever says cure.”

Ten years have passed since the Valentine’s Day in 1996 when Bob had his first seizure. His March 2006 follow-up appointment happened to fall almost exactly ten years to the day after Bob’s first surgery. To mark the occasion, Minna confirmed that both Dr. DeAngelis and Dr. Bilsky were going to be in clinic that day, and she brought them both flowers to celebrate. “They deserved to celebrate as we did,” says Bob. “We’ve been together with our doctors so long that we regard them as old friends.”

Minna continues: “We chat with Lisa [DeAngelis] about things other than Bob’s medical condition, the things that matter to him — his singing in our temple’s choir, the Berkshire Choral Festival, our travels, and most important, our grandson. Lisa has known Bob long before he became a grandpa!”

“They are delightful and special people,” says Dr. DeAngelis. “The fact that Bob’s life has continued to be so full — in terms of family, working, and everything else — is all because of who they are. They have really worked hard to reclaim their lives and to make sure that they are in control.”

The couple recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, and Bob and Minna now spend almost every weekend in their house in the Berkshires, which they bought to be close to their grandson. They have taken some trips since Bob’s diagnosis in 1996 and continue to enjoy the opera and theater in Manhattan.

Asked if anything about their lives has changed since Bob’s diagnosis, Minna says that they have more of a “Let’s-do-it” attitude than before. “We don’t say, ’Oh, let’s put that off, or that we don’t have the time or the money for something.’ It’s a mindset, an attitude about what’s important. Save it for a rainy day? This is a rainy day!”