Wilson's Disease

I went to the docs today. Not for the usual M.C., though it is such a tried and tested routine already. MCs during the semester to skip quizzes and labs, MCs during the hols to skip work.

No, actually I went cos of a niggling curiosity of mine about my own health. 2 girlfriends and 1 good friend over the years have tried to compel me to go have a full body exam done cos they insisted that my behaviour was not soo normal. I always thought I was a lazy mofo and the problem was more psychological than physical.

So, I went to the physician to get my eyes checked. I already have myopia of quite a high degree my guess is somewhere around the 500+ region. My left eye is suffering from astigmatism also. That for the un-spectacled is a visual defect in which the unequal curvature of one or more refractive surfaces of the eye, usually the cornea, prevents light rays from focusing clearly at one point on the retina, resulting in blurred vision.

Now, I have a yellow ring around my pupils. I noticed it at 17. Didnt think much of it, thought was just an anomaly of my already partial colour blind eyes [yes, I got that too..don't ask how come I still work in the airforce or drive safely, just whack only ;)]

However, apparently, the yellow rings are actually copper deposits. The body depositing copper there as the liver is not getting rid of it well enough. For 6 goddamn years, I might be the 1 in 50,000 births who is infected with Wilson's disease, so named for the first fella who got it.

Kayser Fleicher Rings

Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder in which excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body. Symptoms of the disorder appear only later in life, between 6 and 40. The primary consequence for 40% of patients with Wilson's is liver disease. In other patients they include tremor, rigidity, drooling, difficulty with speech, abrupt personality change, grossly inappropriate behavior and unexplicable deterioration of school work, neurosis or psychosis.

The symptoms highlighted are of course those I already have.

Without proper treatment, Wilson's disease is generally fatal, usually by the age of 30.

Ok, I still got 7 years before I may die.

The only thing is this disease is apparently hereditary and no one in my dad/mum's family have had a history of it. Or maybe they did, and jus didnt know. No use investigating on my dad's side, most of them died young.

Oh well, cross fingers and pray? That's what I'm not gonna do. Mwahahha. Just in the off chance that I'm infected with an incurable disease, a la Aman from Kal Ho Naa Ho, I'm a gonna party like its no tomorrow baby. Also, be sure not to inform my insurance companies. I think I'll take out 2 more policies, this time make it to like 5 million. After all need to pay premiums for coupla months only what.

More importantly, its time for that last will and testament where I instruct my mum to:

1.pull the plug if I ever go on life support

2.donate all my usable organs [already my eyes and liver can take out of that list]

3.bury not cremate me [i have these fantasies about having flowers puts on my grave, hope the govt changes the exhumation policy by then]

4.tell her that if I suffer a stroke and become an invalid, to skillfully euthanize me [this one leave it up to her creativity la].

Instead of speculation, shall I just go get the blood tests done then?

P.S. If you need to know how I might die, being a great fan of mine, visit the Euro Wilson organization.