Photo Scanning and Alcohol (Non-)Intake

For about a week now, I’ve been scanning old photos – again. It took me nine days to begin to scan those very old photos of mother which I had brought back. I didn’t scan all of those, and I do remember she showed the photos to me before. I simply do not remember when it was. In many photos taken in a period spanning from the late Taisho and early Showa years to the Showa 30s, it is mother I do not know – an experience.

I also scanned my own photos of the junior and senior high school days and, yesterday and today, those days in 1996 when I was working in Korea. And special come-back trip there in the fall of the same year. There are many more photos I should scan to preserve my memories.

Alcohol intake record:

18 (Wed.): none

19 (Thu.): none

20 (Fri.): none

21 (Sat.) none

22 (Sun.): none

23 (Mon.): none

24 (Tue.): none

25 (Wed.):  none

26 (Thu): none

27 (Fri.): two glasses of beer with a TV director and a cameraman after work at Interpol

28 (Sat.): none

29 (Sun.): none

30 (Mon.): none

Another Trip to Japan and Fatty Liver

Attended mother’s 49th-day ceremony on 13th. Got some items she left behind on the previous day. One night on the ground and two in the air.

Yesterday morning, abdominal ultrasound screening at Lucky Plaza. Result out in an hour and a half. Brought it to the Upp. Thomson clinic. Confirmed: I have a fatty liver.

Alcohol intake record:

6 (Fri.): half a bottle of vodka

7 (Sat.): none

8 (Sun.): none

9 (Mon.): none

10 (Tue): none

11 (Wed.): a pint of beer at Changi

12 (Thu.): a few “cups” of Chardonnay on board to Kansai and a 500-ml can of grapefruit “chu-hi” at hotel

13 (Fri.): a few “cups” of Chardonnay on board to Changi

14 (Sat.): none

15 (Sun.): none

16 (Mon.): none

17 (Tue): none

My right index finger still looks funny but with noticeable improvement.

More Whmmies

After midnight last Thursday, I was taking a late shower and noticed the sound of water dripping. It was obviously not the sound of water dripping from the shower head.

It was from the ceiling. I quickly finished my shower and dressed, and rushed down to the entrance with wet hair to talk to I don’t who living at the unit just above mine on the intercom.

She said, “Nobody is using the bathroom now.” Apparently the leakage was happening in the ceiling not coming down from her unit.

I contacted the owner and the agent.

On Friday, the water kept not dripping but now was flowing down. I looked in the ceiling through the manhole (false ceiling). It seemed the water was leaking from a tank-looking thing with the label, “ARISTON” on it. I couldn’t be if this ARISTON was the source as my view was blocked by the piping. On the web, I found that ARISTON was a water-heater manufacturer. There are a lot of websites that tell about water leak from water heaters including those by ARISTON. Very suspicious. I took a hot shower while looking at the water.

Saturday morning, the agent came. Looking into the ceiling, he confirmed the source was ARISTON and managed to turn off the heater.

I had a weekend of cold shower. And it will continue until the heater is fixed (or replaced). I guess the ceiling needs to be cut open for fixing or replacement.

Friday night, I returned to the Upper Thomson clinic to learn about the result of my blood/urine test.

There was no infection, though initially some kind of infection should have been with the finger. The doctor told me that this should be a case of fixed drug reaction or eruption. The finger is allergic to a drug, possibly anti-fungal Combiderm which made it so so so red, and responded as it should. But a funny thing is this redness should disappear soon after I stopped the drug, but it has been persistent though I see some sign of improvement.

What concerned the doctor was not my finger. It was SGPT/ALT, SGOT/AST and GGT for the liver and the number for urine acid.

SGPT/ALT, SGOT/AST and GGT should be lower than 50, 33 and between  

9 and 50, respectively. Mine were 75, 71 and 161. I’ve never expected my liver’s condition is this bad.

And the number for urine acid was 8.2 when it should be between 3.4 and 7.0.

A major reason for these numbers is excessive drinking, and I know I’ve been drinking more than before, especially for the few months for a reason, which is obviously to me. Getting drunk with shochu and, these days, vodka was my way of putting myself to deep sleep. I know there would be many nights when I have trouble sleeping without alcohol. But looking at these numbers and knowing the reality, I have been alcohol-free from two days and having trouble with sleeping.

The doctor gave me tablets for relieving my allergic reaction and frolic-acid tablets for lowering the urine acid level, and I am now booked for ultrasound liver screening on 16th, to see how fatty my liver now is. I do hope this is a transient condition because of my stressed-out mental state.