Cause And Effect

I will be meeting with my orthopedic surgeon this Tuesday. So far the medication has not helped very much (because after two weeks I stopped taking the Pregabalin pain killer drug unless it is so painful on my leg). I read from www.netdoctor.co.uk that some of the side effects of Pregabalin includes:

• This medicine may cause dizziness, sleepiness, confusion or blurred vision and so may reduce your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and you are sure it won't affect your performance.
• There may be a small increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour in people taking antiepileptic medicines such as pregabalin for any condition. For this reason, it is very important to seek medical advice if you, or someone else taking this medicine, experience any changes in mood, distressing thoughts, or feelings about suicide or self-harm at any point while taking this medicine.
• This medicine may cause skin reactions. You should let your doctor know if you develop a rash, skin peeling, itching, or other unexplained skin reaction while taking this medicine.
• This medicine may sometimes cause allergic reactions, including angioedema. Consult your doctor immediately if you experience difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat while taking this medicine. 
• Some people have experienced withdrawal symptoms after stopping treatment (long-term or short-term) with this medicine. These have included insomnia, headache, nausea, diarrhoea, flu syndrome, nervousness, depression, pain, sweating and dizziness. 

I did a self examination around my groin area and noticed a little lump along a nerve line that is causing the pain on my right leg. Anyway, I would discuss with my doctor about doing a scan on my pelvis area, also at my left knee joint and maybe my lungs. A reader, SK has suggested that I take an x-ray on my lungs to see if there are fluid retention. My breathing has become more difficult of late especially when I lie down to sleep. My breathing problems started only after I started taking Pregabalin, so it may be due to it or I may have some other problems.

An IT Guru I Admired The Most

A friend email me a short bio about Steve Jobs. This is the man who gave you the iPod, iPad, iPhone and for me Apple II.

He is a genius that helped to bring the computers into homes and started my personal computer journey. My brother brought an Apple II clone in the early 1980s and I remember spending all my weekend nights and money on books learning how to program first with BASIC and then dBASE II.

This picture, taken outside the technology mogul's California home, fuelled fears that Jobs was nearing the end in his eight-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Fortune magazine reported that instead of surgery to remove the malignant tumor, Jobs instead treated his tumor with a special diet. The Apple Board of Directors pressured Jobs to get the surgery, and eventually he did.

I wish him the very best and hope he will recover soon.