Jimbly’s Blog

Ears update

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

well, i’ve been to the hospital 2 times since my last update. Last time i was given a crazy cocktail of drugs.

Adetphos powder 1 g - otherwise known at ATP funky energy transfer coenzyme -  3 times a day
Merislon - basically Betahistene - 12mg - 3 times a day
Grandaxin - an anti-anxiety drug - 3 times a day
Predonine - a steroid - once a day
Meilax - another anti-anxiety drug - once at night
Rebamipide - a stomach calming medicine - 3 times a day (for all the drugs i’m taking)

as you can see, quite alot.

I kind of forgot to take the Meilax every night and I didn’t feel i was stressed so i stopped taking it.

I felt better this month after taking this lot, before i was only taking 6mg of the Betahistene so maybe it helped taking 12mg. This time the Doctor / Professor cut the Meilax and the Predonine to see how it goes.

I had the eye motion test again, here i am on the table, it drops your head back and he moves it from side to side, then sit up and lie down head back, i felt quite dizzy when he did this, again he said there was slight irregular movement which apparently indicates Menieres.

so he is still uncertain as to what it is, and isn’t ruling out anything, so i’ll be back there next month for another check.

Ome festival videos

Sunday, May 31st, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Japanese soft drinks - 16 tea bend tea

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

ok, there is alot of soft drinks in Japan, so I’m going to give a mini review/taste test for each I come across.
first up is juroku cha - 16 blend tea.
When I first came to Japan, I thought green tea was nice, but it had a slightly bitter aftertaste, 16 tea has a blend of teas, herbs and rice which gives a nice smooth taste, it can be drank hot or cold. normally vending machines here serve it hot in winter and cold in summer. This drink is one of my favorites here.

Ear Problems part 4

Friday, May 22nd, 2009 | Japan | 2 Comments

Ok, a bit of a late post

3 weeks ago, I went to the university hospital in the next prefecture, about 1.5hrs on the train from here.
We took the letter of recommendation and the CT scan with us.
On the way there, we realised we forgot my medical insurance card.. so we would have to pay the full amount, then return there with the card to get a refund.
When we got there we did the same as the last hospital, first went to the registration area, waited about 20 mins then got my registration card. We then went to the specialist area, in this hospital there is a little more precise specialists than my local hospital, there is general ear specialists and ear nerve specialists. We went to the latter. It was quite a busy hospital, so we had to wait about 1hr to see the someone.
When we went in, Mie saw the name plate on the door and remarked that the doctor was a Professor, i was quite pleased.
As we went in, the doctor was looking through my records, the previous hospital had emailed them, he took the CT scan and had a look, checked the records and asked me to lie on a table and wear a large pair of goggles similar to the ones they used in the last hospital, but these ones were connected to a tv monitor. He moved my head from side to side and up and down, apparently, if you have Ménière’s, your eyes vibrate strangely when this happens, i was feeling quite dizzy when he did this but he said afterwards that there was some movement but not all the time.
Next he looked at my CT scan and remarked that my ears are different, I know this as my mum told me when i was a baby i always lay face down, with my right ear to the bed, he said that the skull bone around my right ear is more dense than my left side, he showed me on the CT scan. Sure enough, there was ‘pockets’ (not sure if its marrow or whatever) in the skull around my left ear and none on my right. He asked if i had a disease when i was younger, i replied, nothing I know of, and after further consultation with my mum later, nothing either. After worrying about this for a few seconds, he said he doesn’t think it’s affecting my condition.
In the records there was hearing tests from the previous hospital, so he wanted to double check them to see if there was any change. After a wait of another 45 mins, I had another hearing test and he checked this against the previous test and said there wasn’t any change. He said that Ménière’s sufferers don’t have a general hearing loss, just problems with a certain range of frequencies ( i can’t remember if it’s low or high).
After hearing about my symptoms, he said that with all the factors, the general hearing loss could be Otosclerosis but the dizziness, pain and tinnitus could be Ménière’s. So he wants to try me on some medicine to see how it goes.
So now i’m on a cocktail of 5 drugs - one of which i found out is betahistene, my old medicine but a low dose.

I go back on 30th May, i’ll let you know the news

When I came to pay, the bill was ¥30,000, (£200) yikes without insurance, but they said we don’t need to pay it all, so i paid ¥10000. When we go back, we will get a refund, so it will be about ¥7000.

Ear Problems part 3

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 | Japan | No Comments

Before the appointment for the CT scan, we knew of a University hospital in the next prefecture that was famous for having people go there to check for Ménière’s.

Normally here, you need a recommendation from your hospital or doctor to go to another hospital. If we went to the other hospital direct, I would have to pay £20 to get registered. Since I had a CT appointment at my hospital, we were unsure whether to get the CT done. So we gave the university hospital a call, they said, go get the CT done and ask for a letter of recommendation.

So last tuesday i went to get the CT scan done, my appointment was between 1.15 and 1.30pm, i arrived at the hospital at 1.10pm, put my registration card in the machine at the entrance, it gave me a ticket, i took it to the CT scan area, waited about 2 mins then the guy called me to go in, the scan took 5mins and i was out again. Then you take the ticket back to the entrance to pay, there they enter what you had into the system and give you a bill, you can either take the bill to another counter to pay, or you can put your registration card into a automatic teller and pay there.

Total cost for CT scan £25

2 days later I went to the follow up appointment, this time I only needed to wait 15 mins. I had another hearing exam, and this time a test to see if the bones of the inner ear were working, it was a kind of pressure and high sound test, it showed a big difference in my left (ok) and right (crap) ear.
The doctor examined the CT scan and said everything was normal on it, but said that the bones might not be working properly, which can cause hearing loss and possibly dizziness.
She still seemed to be unsure, so we said about the recommendation, giving a reason we need to go there as it’s open on saturday morning. They agreed and said to come back the next day for the letter.

Cost for this appointment: £15

The next day we went and got the letter and the CT scans, cost for letter £3

the total cost for everything so far: £63
Now, to some people, this might seem alot, but when i look at it, i got 2 appointments and a CT scan in 2 weeks. I think its worth it.
In the UK it took 1 year to get the same and a crappy diagnosis at the end of it.

This saturday we are going to the University hospital, will let you know how i get on.

Ear problems part 2

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Japan | No Comments

Here in Japan, the healthcare system isn’t free, compared to the UK’s NHS. But if you join either the local government’s healthcare scheme, (normally around £50 per month) or join a private one through your company (not sure how this works at the moment). The local government’s scheme gives you 70% discount on any medical costs. Cos income tax in Japan is only about 5% and no National insurance, you don’t mind paying £50

After coming here, i needed to get some more medicine and also to finally try to diagnose what is wrong with me.

In Japan, if your ailment is more serious than your local GP can handle, you go directly to a hospital. When you get there you have to register, in my case I went to a large hospital about 30 mins away (we live in the countryside). To register you go to the main desk, fill in a form and they make you a registration card (credit card style), which took about 10 mins. New registration at this hospital costs about £8.

Hospitals in Japan have resident specialist doctors, they have their own examination rooms, usually around 3 for a big hospital. I went direct to the ear specialist. Because i didn’t have an appointment i had to wait about 30 mins. Before the doctor saw me i filled in a questionnaire about what was going on and then was taken for a hearing test in a soundproof room. After that, the doctor checked me over, microscope in ears, put me on tilting chair and put on me some big lens goggles, i presume to check how dizzy i got, it was quite odd. We explained to her all the things that happened in the UK too. She wasn’t sure if it was menières either, she needed to get a CT scan done to double check. In the meantime, she gave me a prescription for 3 drugs, 1 for dizzy control, 1 for circulation of ears, and vitamin B12. The CT scan was booked for 2 weeks later and a follow up appointment was 2 days after that.

Total cost for this visit including registration : £20

Part 3 tomorrow

Ear problems Part 1

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Japan | 1 Comment

Around 3 years ago i started having problems with my ears, i started losing hearing in my right ear, i got dizzy, developed tinnitus, had pain and felt pressure in them.

Unknown to me, my friend Jared developed the same symptoms and was diagnosed in France of having a supposed rare condition called Ménière’s disease, when he came back to the UK, he explained what he had i thought my symptoms were oddly similar.

So i went along to my local GP in the UK who referred me to a ear, nose and throat specialist (which took 2 months) there i had hearing tests and he examined me, after him being unsure what my problem was, he put me on ‘betahistine’ 8mg as a trial (same medicine as Jared is on) and booked me an MRI to check what was going on. After another 3 months i had the MRI, a few weeks after that, i got a letter through saying everthing is ‘normal’. Another 2 months later i got an appointment to see the specialist again…
I had another round of hearing tests and he checked me over, and this is roughly how the conversation went….

Specialist: Ok, you have conjunctive hear loss

Me: what about the pain, tinnitus and dizziness?

Specialist: I’m not sure, it could be caused by the hearing loss or be something different

Me: My friend has the same symptoms and he has been diagnosed with Ménière’s disease

Specialist: It’s not Ménière’s disease, you have conjunctive hear loss

Me: You gave me Betahistene, when i take it, i feel better

Specialist: I don’t think its helping you, but if you feel it is working, you can continue taking it

Me: ……

Specialist: Trust me, you don’t want to have Ménière’s disease

Me: ok, if it’s not Ménière’s then what is it?

Specialist: Your 2 hearing tests show you have gradual hearing loss in your right ear

Me: But that doesn’t explain the pain etc

Specialist: Exactly!

Me: ???? (Thinking, ‘what an idiot’)

After that, they booked me to get a hearing aid fitted…

Not long after that, i moved to Japan

Part 2 is me experiencing the Japanese healthcare system

Cherry Blossom

Saturday, April 18th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

This year the cherry blossom came early to this area. Last year when we visited on April 12th it had just started. Last week it finished, the blossom only lasts around 1-2 weeks. The usual custom for Japanese people is to go ‘Hanami’ - Flower viewing. This normally involves sitting under the trees eating and getting drunk. What a great way to enjoy spring.

arrival

Saturday, March 28th, 2009 | Japan | No Comments

A bit of a late post, we arrived in Japan almost 2 weeks ago, i’m looking for a job still but i’ve had a few interviews so far, so i expect to get something soon.

Soon the cherry blossom will come, the plum blossom is almost finished now.

on the side panel is twitter updates, you can fo

Japan

Saturday, February 14th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Ok, finally, i update my website for the first time in 6 months, shame on me.

Anyhoo, i’ll be updating here alot more often soon as i will be moving to Japan on the 17th of March, i’ll be moving with my lovely wife Mie and i’ll probably end up teaching english like i did last time i lived there.

So, i DO intend on updating frequently with the fun that is living in another country.

see you next month