American Mission Hospital

So I finally took a trip to a hospital here. I have been asking around about good ones and American Mission Hospital popped up a few times.

So every year for the past four years I have been getting these red, very itchy, bumps on my knees and sides of my hips. I never really did anything about it because by the time I would decide to go get it checked out they were gone. Well since I have started working they have been appearing full force. We had a day off on Monday and I thought alright, it is time. So I called a few hospitals to ask if the dermatologist was available over the holiday and all said no except for AMH. So that already was a bonus for me in evaluating the hospital. So I went and saw the doctor whom was a very nice man. I am sorry to say I forgot his name. I informed him that I have psoriasis and have had it since childhood. He then took a look at my itchy, annoying bumps and then informed me that I have a form of eczema as well. He said sometimes it just appears later in life and it can just as easily disappear. He gave me antihistamine tablets to take for 15 days along with a cream to sooth the pain. So far they are still here but the itching is less.

The hospital is very nice and clean and more importantly the staff is very friendly and professional. I opened a file in less than ten minutes and was given a membership card with my picture on it and everything. BE WARNED, the computer camera they have is not the best and your picture will make you look like the cast of the cone heads. A fringe is best worn when taking you AMH picture. The process to pay and receive your medicine is also very organized. You go to the first counter and give them your prescription. You then proceed to the second counter and pay your bill. Finally you move on to the third counter, pick up your meds and voila! You are good to go. I really like this place and am ecstatic to learn that they just opened their new branch yesterday in Amwaj!!! I can walk to it from my house and be there in ten minutes or drive and be there in under a minute! It is located in the building that has the Lighthouse Cafe in it. It is the big blue building across the road from Alosra and across the street from the school. I couldn't be happier. Now they just need to open a gas station on Amwaj and it is literally perfection on an island.

As you know from previous posts, I rather use natural remedies. Right before I went to the doctor I put apple cider vinegar on the bumps to ease the itchiness and low and behold it worked like a charm. I am a firm believer in apple cider vinegar. It is the best thing for sore throats and avoiding a cold when the season arrives. Upon further research I also found that it is good for psoriasis as well. They say to add a cup up it in your bath or rub some directly on the areas of your skin that it is present. It is also good to add a tablespoon to a nice hot cup of water. Adding honey, lemon and cinnamon then turns it into a cold, strep throat combatant as well.  All in all this stuff is worth more than gold in my books.

For those of you who are interested I will explain psoriasis briefly.

Psoriasis: A skin condition that is a common, chronic immune- mediated disease which may also affect the joints. No, it is not contagious. Basically it occurs when your immune system mistakes a normal skin cell for a pathogen and sends out faulty signals that cause overproduction of new skin cells. People with psoriasis will also find they get sick less than the average Joe which is a hidden benefit to the disease. The disease is characterized into 5 categories which I will not go into detail about. Like most diseases some are harsher than others. For example, I get white, scaly, almost rejuvenating cut looking things on my elbow and upper arms, sometimes my legs and on my ears. For me they do not itch or bother me at all. Some people get it all over their body and some cases can itch and or be open sores. So I take it that I am very lucky actually. Most people believe their are certain foods to avoid and others you should eat. From what I know, psoriasis is at its least with me when I am healthy and exercise regularly. A very big trigger is stress. Yoga works wonders for both the psoriasis and the stress. There is no actual cure for it yet and it is still a disease that is being studied. Doctors and scientists don't exactly know what causes it and what cures it. There are many creams and pills on the market that help control it but noting takes it away. I stopped with all the treatments long ago. Most of the time the pills and creams are not very good for your body. Swimming in salt water works best for me alongside a healthy lifestyle. You can find a picture below of a mild case of psoriasis. I wont post a picture of a worse case in case some of my readers have a week stomach.
               
                                                                  Psoriasis on Elbow

I will post something about eczema once I know more myself. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Well clearly I as in the mood to write today. I hope you guys found my post informative at least!!!
Catch you on the flip side!!!! xoxo

Moving Up....

Hello All,

Work has been insane. I haven't had any time to myself lately. There was definitely no time to blog and I missed it. So I thought I would take some time out now and just write. Work is going alright. I still have to deal with daily politics, lack of proper English grammar, and bad attitudes but there is a plus side to it all. On Sunday I got my own office. I used to sit in a big room with two other coworkers and it was really nice when you wanted to have a chat. However, when you needed to make a phone call or concentrate....not so easy. So now I am in my own little quiet space and it is lovely. I went and bought some office decorations and made the place feel a bit more warm while still maintaining a professional appearance. Everyone in the office loves it. I think I may have inspired a few people to do the same. They way I see it is you spend close to 70%, if not more, of you week at work. Why not make it a comfortable place you enjoy? Sitting in a dull atmosphere, hating your work area for 70% of your time is not healthy. Positive outlook and thinking can go a long way in your life. Believe me, I speak out of experience.

On home life, everything is great. Indiana and I have really sunk well into our new life. It was tough at times. I tell ya a big move like this is hard but in the end it was all worth it. Life is so much calmer here. The country is a lot more tolerant than Kuwait was. The great thing is that even though Bahrain is more open, they have managed to keep the beauty of the culture alive. The way it should be. The world is an ever changing place and if you don't jump on the band wagon, you are just going to be left behind. No one is coming back for you after that. So yes, it is good to stay true to ones culture and immerse it throughout the country but you should also be tolerant of your surroundings. If you country is filled with expats that help grow the economy then you must also cater to their needs. It is a give and take situation. Something Kuwait hasn't caught on to very well. Bahrain tends to embrace its expats. So all in all, there isn't really anything I regret about this move thus far.

As for exploring Bahrain, I am sad to say that I haven't done much exploring. I did however find two small shops that I really like. One is an Arts and Crafts store at the beginning of Budaiya highway under the Marine seafood restaurant. It is a great shop that has two stories full of arts and crafts materials. I myself am not very artistic but I love going into these places and sometimes I get inspired to try something new. The other store I really really like is further down Budaiya highway close to the big Alosra called The Bookcase. It is this small little store that sells a great variety of books. It also sells little trinkets so it has a really homey feeling to it. It is tiny but I would probably spend hours in it looking at everything.

Well that is all for now.

Laters xoxo