Tuesday 6 October 2009

My Poco-poco Teacher

My poco-poco dance teacher for Saturday mornings is a Type 1 diabetic which means his pancreas does not produce any insulin to metabolise sugar and carbohydrates; as opposed to Type 2 diabetes where the body is somehow resistant to the insulin produced by the pancreas thereby impairing the metabolism of sugar and carbohydrates as well.

Type 1 diabetics are insulin-dependent and they never leave home without their insulin kit. Every meal must be preceded by an insulin shot a half-hour before. They have to constantly monitor their sugar levels - never letting it get too low (hypoglycemic) by being strenuously active or not eating or both, or letting it get too high (hyperglycemic) by not having their insulin shots before meals. My poco-poco teacher was not able to fast because of this. Every year he pays fidyah as replacement.

One day during the Ramadan break, teacher decided to spring-clean his other house which is in a new development, in preparation for hari raya. His wife prepared a meal for him to take with him whilst she manned their bazaar stall. Teacher is well-known for being house-proud and fastidious about it too. Too engrossed in the cleaning, he neglected to have his meal on time.

And as to be expected, he experienced a hypoglycemic episode. What is a hypoglycemic episode? Hypoglycemic episodes occur when the sugar level in the blood is too low. An episode may be different fom one sufferer to the next and may include dizziness, disorientation, even fainting or seizures. This can lead to dangerous situations eg when driving, biking, or handling sharp objects and machinery, etc.

Actually teacher had decided to have his meal after showering. It was in the bathroom that he got disoriented. He had come out of the bathroom in his birthday suit, walked past the living room and straight into the glass sliding-door which was 5mm thick. He hadn't installed grilles for aesthetic reasons. He said diabetics going through such episodes sometimes experience abnormal strength, and as a result he left a hole in the sliding-door in the shape of a man just like in the cartoons.

He then fell unconscious among the shards of glass on the floor. Fortunately for him one of his neighbours noticed the broken door while she was driving home and alerted the head of the Resident's Association, who happened to be Mr Lee next door. Mr Lee knew of teacher's diabetes, he being similarly afflicted. So when he investigated the complaint with another neighbour and found teacher sprawled in the raw, he suspected the cause. They covered his modesty with a towel, made him drink some coke with some chunks of chocolates but called the police anyway just in case it was a criminal incident or breaking-and-entering.

When the police came, he had already come to but what he was incensed about was that instead of offering to take him to the hospital in the police-car, the mata-mata kept commenting how beautiful his house was (2 semi-dees combined into a single unit), with tastefully elegant decor and such. And there was teacher bleeding all over and in pain from the many cuts. In the end, it was Mr Lee who took teacher to the government hospital's trauma and emergency department.

Which turned out to be another traumatic experience for teacher. Because he had to have 50 stitches. Some jagged cuts were stitched by an inexperienced houseman who was directed to do so by the supervisor "pandai-pandai kau lah buat". Houseman's hands were shaking and houseman dropped the spiral suture and then had to search the shelves for another one, not knowing exactly where such things were kept. Teacher told houseman "If you mess up the stitching and my thumb drops off, I'll sue you".

While lying on a bed pillowless waiting to be warded for a night's observation, teacher saw a patient die, he witnessed a foreigner being denied a bed and told to sit outside, he saw a high-class looking lady yak-yakking loudly on her handphone with a pillow under her head and one on each side of her. Teacher sniggered when she screamed as the doctors realigned a foot or something. Mr Lee rolled up a blanket for teacher to use as a pillow.

Poor teacher. His wife vowed never to let him go anywhere alone again. He has recovered quickly indeed. Last Saturday we resumed classes after Ramadan and the festivities. He started off by putting us through the basic (for now) poco-poco steps and then torturing us with continuous repetitions of arm and shoulder exercises. Floor exercises were equally torturous and I found that I couldn't execute the full range cobra pose the way I could before the break, not to mention the 100 sit-ups and pelvic raises.

Tsk,tsk ...Should have continued with my stretching exercises during Ramadan.


Check-out these Swedish students doing the basic poco-poco. My teacher has in addition to poco-poco taught us cha-cha, salsa, rock-n-roll, zapin, basic indian and chinese steps too. The classes are fun exercise and never as boring as the gym could get.




Hope teacher has learn't his lesson and doesn't go hypo on us in class.

35 comments:

Lee said...

Hi Zendra, first time I read 'poco poco' being a dance.
I thought it was a kind of Lake monster like the Loch Ness monster, ha ha.
I remember reading about a 'poco poco' monster in a lake somewhere.
Wow! You doing the poco poco? Can teach me ahhhh? What beat to ikut?

Sad to see the poor teacher having to go thru that experience...
Diabetes in whatever form must not be taken lightly...
Hope he's recovered well.
Best regards, lee.

Anonymous said...

Zendra,

,,,I "was" a type 2 diabetic b4 but been kind of self-cured after getting rid of my gallstones via the natural treatment !!..apparently the pancreas turns healthy again since the bile produced by the liver would flow through the gallbladder normally again plus will not disrupt the pancreas insulin release timings anymore !!.
,,,my guess, island healthy living and healthy diet does help too BUT my doctor found me free of type 2 diabetic nowadays and was pretty surprised as to how it can be treated naturally !!.
,,,suggest that others should try out this simple treatment too ??.
...Just give it a try and check out its result within 3-6 months or so ?!. That was how long it approx. took to get my pancreas back on track in producing insulin at the normal flow rate again.
,,,after the gallstones removal exercise, I still have fresh green apple juice plus lots of h2o everyday yaa and daily workouts too.

Tok Uban...just sharing-lah on healthy living.

Zendra-Maria said...

Dear Lee, think you've confused poco2 with "pocong" - the hantu of restless souls in malay ghostdom hooooooo!!!!

Alamak Lee poco2 is too simple for you lah, it's a dancercise only, no syiok for you cos you're / were the tango king mah - on floor and off too hahaha.

True, diabetes is a progressive disease and is rampant here because we love our carbos and our pepsis and our cokes etc too much. Even the word pepsi imply a lot of sugar content - to "pep" one up!

Teacher is scarred but none the worse for wear.

Zendra-Maria said...

Way to go Tok Uban! Our friend DrSam has a bad case of gallstones but I think they're going to yank off his gall-bladder once and for all for a complete cure.

BTW what's your blood sugar level nowadays? RA's always at the high-end of normal, mine is cantik, very normal hahah

Kak Teh said...

my blood sugar is like my poco poco - very chaotic!

is yr poco2 teacher ok now?

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Hi Zee, so v r playing doctors & nurses now kah, I like that lah, I can oso do locum sometimes too…muahaha.

Anyway I don’t take sugar much nowadays, I’m too sweet oreadi mah. Sugar oso bad for ppl with thinning hair lines ;);), especially Ajinomoto MSG sweetness.

Poco2 macam itu line dancing kan? The ultimate line dancing muzak is;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGpZ9bchCJw

Thank god he’s a one hit wonder….hahaha..(Gua ingat Billy Ray Cyrus ni SAYA punya heartthrob). Dia Hannah Montana punya bapak kan?

Salam,
Tommy

P/S – RA, what’s the definition of a Husband?
Answer: That’s a gardener who gets to sleep with the boss of the manor.

Usually the husband regards himself as the head of the household, and the pedestrian knows he has the right of the way. Both of them r safe until they try to prove it……….muahaha.

ladymarko said...

So that's what poco-poco dance look like! I'm from the macarena era... heheh...

Zendra-Maria said...

Kak Teh, teacher's ok now. Is that for real about your sugar??? Gosh...

Zendra-Maria said...

One of my son's a houseman - so when teacher complained about houseman, I kinda feel it too.

Poco-poco's much like line-dancing but teacher maintains he teaches us a wider repertoire of dance steps and choreography. Achy-breaky not included - looks boring lah hahaha.

Zendra-Maria said...

Ladymarko.... Oh OK now I know why the name hehe .... Ladymarkorena ;D

Zendra-Maria said...

Just now I snipped away one comment - sorry

Capt's Longhouse said...

Doc Zen,

my blood glucose levels as follows-lah ;

,,, average 6 mmol/l before meals
,,,less than 9 mmol/l i.e. 90 minutes after a meal
...around 8mmol/l at bedtime.

So can I live to 100 ?? Doc Zen ??.

Hahaha.,,,but seriuosly my dead end target is 79 years of age only, so just another 20 yrs to go-lah.i.e 7300 days to survive !! yoo

If I go earlier, nasib kurang baik-lah but am ready for it everyday, its up to the BOSS kan. Just don't want to burden anyone to take care of me-lah....guess poor 'Jane' will miss me ?.

"...for life is eternal, love is immortal, death is only a horizon and a horizon is nothing but the limit of our earthly vision..." ,,,o.k we chopper pilots, have artificial horizon in our cock-pit but that don't count hehehe.

,,,i hear thunder n lighting outside, o.k. BOSS i was just kidding, sorry !!.

Capt.

Saya... said...

oooo...ni la pocong pocong...hehehe...kat mane the class tu?

Saya... said...

ish...jenuh nak hafal step dia..baik aku jalan kaki jer...hehehe

Zendra-Maria said...

Capt you can stay borderline sweet till 100 kakaka but if you want to go at 79, I'm not stopping you... just remember us in your will lah, hehe


As for Jane,kahwinkan dia - habis cerita.

As for me, I just pray for a "good" ending.

Zendra-Maria said...

Saya, nak kena hafal tu lah seronok. Just adds to the many hafalan which we makcik-makcik can do actually, to keep the circuitry up there wired properly.

Hope you don't dream of the pocong-pocong tonite hooooooooo....

mamasita said...

Wah Zendra, pandailah you nanti with all kinds of dancing.

I am never good bab poco2 or any other..joget macam kat parties yang takde law tu boleh. Nyanyi pun boleh..sikit2..

Sorry lambat drop by..busy mentally..

hobbit1964 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hobbit1964 said...

What they say about people who live in glass houses is true...they shouldn't walk around in their birthday suits. Are you crazy about the poco-poco? It was a huge craze in all the armed services wives clubs, which Brenda and I made religiously a point to avoid. I won't say more as I know the practicioners to view the poco-poco as a version of golf, with near pious fervour. Have fun and prosper, Zen!!

Capt's Longhouse said...

Zendra,

,,,no worries, that old man, he came back later with a gift hat for me !.. he also bought my old Volvo 144 that was left rusting at my in-laws house. Apparently, he had paid the money to my mother-in-law but was told to see me prior taking the car away !! pandai juga the old lady in selling off the junk for rm3K !!. (not the other old lady on the island yaa hehehe)
,,,all ends well indeed today but its raining cats n dogs right now !

RA ,,,only goats like long grass hohoho !

Zendra-Maria said...

Mamasita, takde lah pandai, suka-suka jer. Eh I did not mention belly dancing. This teacher semua dia terrer, even belly dancing walaupun he has no hips hahaha! Apa jer, hawaiian, arab, jawa, bali, for us so very susah sebab no abs.

i nyanyi langsung tak boleh harap, melalak bab chorus as background singer pun kena marah hahaha

Zendra-Maria said...

Major Jeff, am not overly crazy over poco-poco as to suffer withdrawal symptoms when without a fix, like some army wives perhaps. It's just another form of exercise for me. The gym can get terribly boring at the time of day I go there - nothing much to look at lah. Once in a while I do tag along with the mak datins to their glitterati functions if I am sufficiently persuaded. My poco-poco fervour is hardly religious, it's more of the sensuous kind... hahaha like cycling...

Amen to the fun and prosperity. Wishing you the same - not too long now eh? How did the CPL exam go?

Capt's Longhouse said...

Zendra, pls advise DR SAM b4 accepting the removal of his gallsbladder to consider the natural method for gallstones removal-lah !.
,,,once the gallbladder has been removed, the biles produced by the liver will go direstly to the stomach but its rate will never again by controlled by the gallbladder but also unfortunately other complications shall be created/encountered.

Zendra-Maria said...

Haha Capt what a savvy mom-in-law you have jual besi buruk for RM3,000. Dapatlah duit kocek...

Itu typhoon Melor ke yang sedang melanda Kapas?

Zendra-Maria said...

BTW DrSam is already under medical care. Hope he reads your comment lah but maybe too late. My younger sister had hers removed over 10 years ago. She seems fine to date. Anyway I'll try to contact him.

Saya... said...

Tommy,

Billy Ray Cyrus? Aiyo...close eyes also I cannot...its the twang thing

Saya... said...

Zen,

Uban ni, Professor Serbatau...baguih la

Tommy Yewfigure said...

G’day Zee & Mamasita, kalau takde pandai lumsing & lomancing, biar Tommy ajar. Tommy tu jaguh ‘Saturday night fever’ sama itu ‘do the hustle’.

Hahaha, mamasita, u cracked me up, brought back old memories "..joget macam kat parties yang takde law tu boleh." Is this the party where all the girls stick to one corner & dance amongst themselves, likewise for the boys…kekeke. I macam itu RA did confessed we both loved slow dance to lagu macam ni;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_UKdjPQGXQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmWdOvg6v1k

Hang loose guys, TGIF

Tommy

P/S - SAYA itu, Kool & the Gang kaki; 'Get down on it."....hahaha
Cherish is the word I describe her ;)

Zendra-Maria said...

Saya, betuilah, tak tau apa yang depa tak tau...
A product of the School of Hard Knocks kot

Zendra-Maria said...

Tommy, itu slow dance lah yang tak pakai law... ceh!

Zendra-Maria said...

BTW Tomee, lunch harini makan wallabee kah?

Tommy Yewfigure said...

SpagBog with crumped barramundi and spears of blanch asparagus, plus a glass of red wine (good for blood circulation mah) ;)

Tommy

Zendra-Maria said...

Tomee, sounds delicious. I know barramundi is siakap but what is crumped? With spagbog not too much kah?

Yet another open house dinner tonight and tomorrow night. Am getting more and more berisi hahaha.

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Haiya Zen, crumped macam battered & sprinkle with stale bread crumps before deep frying mah. Like the fish & chips that comes wrapped in old newspaper u get in UK dulu...hahaha.

Sekarang zaman moden, serving macam iron chef judging, cuma plate besar, food bitesize only...kakaka...ahem ini macam lots of class mah. Gua ni bolih kira si-Gourmet, u itu big serve kira Glutton.....muahaha..

Tommy

Zendra-Maria said...

Aiyer - crumBs lah pek. Ini macam tak boleh makan gourmet - boleh kawan gurmit chua chu kang sajer.

HAPPY WEEKEND anyway!