Conference Day 2

So, today is the second day of the conference and I am suffering .... for the lack of sleep. Went to visit my parents last night as my Dad is flying off to Surabaya earlier this afternoon. Had no choice but to watch Akademi Fantasia, a spin-off of British Fame Academy. Suffered through much agony.

Then came the whammy! Stayed up until 3 am to watch United play Spurs. And by God, it was well worth it! Had 4 hours sleep, went to have breakfast at mum's and then gave Dad a ride to Sentral for him to catch his flight. Attended the meeting on time, and I did not dose off. Amazing.

The talk I thought were straight to the point, relevant and interesting! Rather than treating it as a lecture, it was more of a discussion. An intimate disclosure of how the experts actually deal with their day-to-day management of their patients, rather than the run-of-the-mill 'this is what the latest guidelines say we should do'! A few pearls were shared, and the question were answered matter-of-factly. The interesting discussion was certainly about patients getting pregnant while on Glivec. The party line is certainly clear.

Ornaments at the Main Lobby, Le MeridienUnder no circumstances should they get pregnant. Unfortunately, turning the disease into a chronic disability comes with it's own social baggage. We can't tell our patients - often young - and eager to have a family to just forget about having children. I have children of my own, and I appreciate how they feel. At the same time I understand the stance of the manufacturer not wanting to declare that the drug is safe during pregnancy, because there is definite evidence of theoretical harm to babies in the first three months of pregnancy. During the discussion, there emerged some strategy in terms of how to deal with it, but it is not something I wish to bore you with on this post. Do email me for details.

The whole thing lasted until 12.30, then had buffet, which was actually rather good. Had the standard rack of sashimi of course! Endured the usual chorus of 'Wah! You eat raw fish ah?'. Hey! It's Halal what? Enjoyed it!

Then spent the rest of the day pleasing the boys back home. We went to do a bit of shopping at Great Eastern Mall and had tea at Alexis. Good bowl of salad and pizza! It was nearly 7 when we finally reached home with both Idlan and Irfan nodding off to sleep!

Again to reiterate the point, bringing the speakers into Malaysia rather than flying us out is certainly a way forward. Apparently the dinner that I missed last night - at Carcosa - was rather nice. Cultural shows and the whole nine yards! Well done Novartis!