Lame

Been under the weather for four days already. Berocca usually does the trick and I feel normal after three days but since Nanay has coughs and Angel has acute tonsillitis, I coupled Berocca with Bioflu.

I still feel a little heavy, I’m just thankful I don’t have fever and the almost-there cold and cough I felt last Saturday have already vanished.

I hate getting sick. Being sick means taking rest. Resting means sleeping, and sleeping hurts my site’s SEO. And no, not this blog cuz it hasn’t really been getting a lot of traffic.

I guess it’s because I haven’t been focusing here. Or the blog name’s so lame. Profound Bliss. But I like it lame, anyway.

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Leptospirosis Post Exposure Prophylaxis

When you live in flood-prone areas, you have no choice but to wade in flood waters at one point or another during calamities like this intense Southwest Monsoon that we are experiencing now. That said, people who are exposed to flood waters are in danger of leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis comes from the urine of rats that easily mixes with flood water and get in human body through wounds or through our mouths (accidents like that happen).

And what to do after wading or accidentally ingesting flood waters? Check out the photo above or read below.

Leptospirosis Post Exposure Prophylaxis:

- Take two (2) Doxycycline 100 mg capsules immediately.

- If you have open wounds and waded in flood water, or accidentally ingested flood water, extend treatment by taking two (2) Doxycycline 100 mg capsules once a day, for 3-5 days.

- If flu-like symptoms develop, consult a physician right away

photo: Twitter

No More Smoking in Starbucks

At the height of the MMDA's non-smoking campaign, Starbucks Philippines has also decided to make their branches non-smoking zones effective June 27, 2011.

And yes, we're referring to the outdoor smoking areas of Starbucks. No more smoking even if you choose to sit outside.

Thumbs up to Starbucks. I'm sure this move won't affect their sales, and it might make other coffee shops follow suit.

Feels Like Doomsday

At least now I can breathe easier.

After having allergies and being rushed to the emergency room Monday (Oct 11) at one in the morning, Wednesday night was worse as something happened to my system that I rushed to a gastroenterologist the following day. The week seemed like doomsday to me.  The gastroenterologist I went to wanted to do a colonoscopy without even checking me physically. Huwatt?! I asked if there’s an option aside from spending 14k for a colonoscopy, so he gave me a prescription to buy some meds (for something I am ashamed to say) and take them for a week.

I went home feeling so sad. Then my eldest niece, upon knowing what happened, told me her boyfriend has experienced something similar and even laughed at me when I told her the doc wanted to do a colonoscopy. I also asked around a little, and found out I wasn’t alone.

The first gastro asked me to come back to him after a week. I didn’t come back. I looked for another gastro instead, this time at Parañaque Doctors, and cool enough, the new doc was so accommodating he did an inspection of me and stuff and gave me options.

I now really believe that expensive hospitals aren’t always the best.

Right now, I'm with Angel at the FTI office of SSS, completing her requirements cuz she's gonna start work next week.

As cliche as it seems, I can still vividly remember when I took her for an entrance exam at St. Francis when she was just 5 years old. Time flies really fast.

Reason why I wanna climb as much mountains as possible. LoL!

My First Case of Allergies

Went home around 3 PM last Sunday. Around 5:30 PM, I had dinner – chicken adobo and rice. Around 6 PM, I fed Princess her Science Diet Gourmet Beef Entree at the dining table. After the feeding, I noticed what I thought were three, itchy mosquito bites on my upper left arm near my elbow. I thought the house was being invaded by mosquitoes so I made a mental note to buy another Baygon mosquito repeller just for the dining area.

After about 2 hours, I noticed the same “mosquito bites” on my upper right arm. When I checked my left arm where I first noticed the bites, I got scared. There were more bites, and they have become bigger!



Seeing these on my arm made it even more itchy. After about another hour, they became even bigger and seemed to join one another. I decided to bring myself to the doctor. Just waited for Angel, who went home around 12:30 AM, cuz I didn’t wanna go to the hospital alone.

Parañaque Medical Center is where we always go. But my sister told me it’s cheaper in Parañaque Doctors in Better Living Subdivision so that’s where I went.



They immediately injected me with stuff that I immediately felt on my back (I don’t know why) and my nostrils. The drugs also made me light-headed and the nurse told me it might make me fall asleep. It made me a little bulol but I guess only a very strong drug will make me close my eyes.



Within the hour, the swelling has gone down to almost 90%. Though the swelling on my upper lip only diminished a little, I kinda liked it that it’s so Pops Fernandez/Angelina Jolie.

I was released after two hours but Dra. Canlas made instructions on not to eat poultry, chocolates, cheese, and nuts for a week.

Celesthamine should be taken every 8 hours, round the clock, for 2 days and as needed after that.

My chest and back were still a bit itchy last night but there’s no swelling. This morning, I noticed three bite-like spots on my right arm but they immediately disappeared.

Right now, however, Princess’s boiled chicken looks so tempting.

Christmas Trees are Love

Went to SM South Mall yesterday after my day 3 vaccine (for dog bite) at RITM. It’s funny how the stores are dressed up both in Halloween and Christmas decorations. But, of course, I prefer Christmas more.

And I love this Christmas tree better than the bigger green ones. I know, though, that Nanay would insist on using our old Christmas tree from 20 years ago and won’t let me buy a new one. And besides, I think this tree would be very hard to store after Christmas. Imagine not wanting to deform the branches.

But I love this tree just the same.

Anyway, the follow-up vaccine was so itchy I always find myself scratching that part of my upper arm. Good, though, that it didn’t leave a red mark afterwards.



Angel went with me, perhaps because she knew I’d be roaming around Festivall Mall and SM South Mall afterwards. Those two malls were part of my younger years, actually. Lotsa good and bad memories. But it’s not the memories that I wanted to go back to at those malls. I was looking for a dri-fit shirt that would fit me. Every brand, it seems, only has Small for the smallest size. I can’t wear just small. As Nanay puts it, “parang kalalabas ko lang daw ng ospital” because size Small shirts look so big on me. Shirts have to be XS.

After those two malls, though, I still don’t have a dri-fit shirt.

Anti-Rabies

Maya, our two-month-old pup, died yesterday. It was sad. But we had to let her go, instead of making her suffer more.

Before she died, though, I tried giving her meds. But she was strong I struggled to keep her mouth open. In the process of giving her medicine, her teeth wounded my index finger. Not really a wound but a scratch I didn’t even feel until after I fed her and saw a line of blood about an inch long.

And that means a trip to the doctor.

I first went to a nearby private animal bite clinic, was given Verorub (or was it Verorab) and was told I had to be given ERIG for they gave me a Category III for that scratch. They told me it could have been Category II (which doesn’t require ERIG) had the pup who caused it been healthy. The problem was they didn’t have ERIG (which was to be had at RITM), and not even anti-tetanus (they told me to get it at the barangay health center).

So I decided to just go to Alabang.

It was past 11 PM when we arrived at RITM. The building was almost deserted except for two patients and the nurses. So different from when I first went there in 2007 due to a dog bite on my upper lip. The line then was so long.

Anyway, the doctor asked if I would like to get all the remaining shots in RITM. I said I wanted to because it’s much cheaper there. She then told me that they don’t give Verorub anymore, that if I wanted to continue Verorub, I would have to get it at the animal bite clinic where I first had it. If I wanted to get my shots at RITM, they would have to repeat the anti-rabies vaccine from day zero, since they use a different (brand of?) vaccine. So I had the day 0 vaccine reinjected.

I thought the anti-Tetanus was painful enough especially that it had to be given twice on my arm and hip. I didn’t know they’re gonna inject the whole 10 cc of ERIG on my left thigh, the other one cc on the wound itself on my finger.

The thigh injection was torture. Imagine a whole 10 cc of it in one shot!

Anyway, I went through a total of 8 injections last night. I haven’t had so much injections in just one sitting, not even when I was confined in an ICU for hypokalemia.

I would like to commend Nurse Evy of RITM, though. She was so friendly  unlike the other nurses.

But ERIG’s price was so high. I eventually learned, though, that’s it’s a once in a lifetime vaccine. Once you’ve had it (as well as HRIG), you don’t have to be injected with it again. And the anti-rabies vaccine, if you get all the shots, is good for 5 years.

I just hope I’ve done the ERIG soon enough. Maya is now dead, and I didn’t wanna cut her head to have it tested, the reason why I opted for ERIG. I don’t know if it’s just me but I can’t really cut a dog’s head even if it’s already dead.

Knock on Wood

I went mountain climbing in Batangas last week, September 20. I don’t wanna say the name of the mountain yet until after I blogged about it (which is taking forever because I still have two places to blog about before that).

I was wearing this Penshoppe shorts I always wear when I travel, and short-sleeved t-shirt, which allowed the mosquitoes to bite freely into my arms and legs.

I actually had with me a bottle of OFF! but I forgot to apply it on my exposed skin before the climb. I only got aware of mosquitoes when we made a stop and saw them biting on my legs. And these were big ones. With white stripes on them. Ack! They were the dengue-carrying ones!

I know it’s kinda late but I frantically applied the mosquito repellant during that stop, and all the while fearing I have already contacted dengue.

When I got home that night, the first thing I did was to search the net about dengue. From medicinenet.com, I found this:

The virus is contracted from the bite of a striped Aedes aegypti mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person. The mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags, and cans year-round. One mosquito bite can inflict the disease.

The virus is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person. There must be a person-to-mosquito-to-another-person pathway.

Also:

After being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, the incubation period ranges from three to 15 (usually five to eight) days before the signs and symptoms of dengue appear. Dengue starts with chills, headache, pain upon moving the eyes, and low backache. Painful aching in the legs and joints occurs during the first hours of illness. The temperature rises quickly as high as 104 F (40 C), with relative low heart rate (bradycardia) and low blood pressure (hypotension). The eyes become reddened. A flushing or pale pink rash comes over the face and then disappears. The glands (lymph nodes) in the neck and groin are often swollen.

Today’s the eighth day since I went to that mountain. I’m (almost) past that usually five to eight period. But I still have seven more days to wait before I can rest my worries.

I had a light headache yesterday. You know that feeling of your head and eyes being heavy. But I’m without fever. Luckily.

I’m going to another mountain this Sunday, and it’s the thirteenth day since I was bitten by those big mosquitoes. But thirteenth day, I guess I would be pretty out of it by then. Hopefully.

And I guess it should be written in my itinerary to apply OFF! before starting the climb, and on each and every stop.

I’m also gonna use leggings and arm bands this time.

Bonding Time

I'm sick. And it means I get to stay inside. And bond with Princess.

Bonding Time

I'm sick. And it means I get to stay inside. And bond with Princess.

Get Well Soon Danilo

Danilo is in Alabang Med. Confined since Friday. I only learned about it last night.

He was complaining of his tonsils when he dropped by last Thursday Wednesday to borrow my flamenco and talk about my coming birthday. I didn't know it's that bad.

Over the phone this morning, his dad told me that Danilo couldn't eat anymore last Friday and was already feverish. Danilo himself asked to brought to the hospital.

I've texted our friends already. We're gonna visit him this afternoon.

Hospital stories make me sad.

Vegan!

For the nth time, I'm trying out vegan-ism again. It's this sudden urge for kangkong that got me. And I don't know where the urge came from. Perhaps I just missed the kangkong with bagoong at Chowking during my college days.

Good thing we still had kangkong. But unluckily for me, we ran out of bagoong. LOL! I blanched the kangkong and used soy sauce for a dip. Went well with rice.

I really hope that I can keep up with this no-meat diet. More so, green veggies are also good antioxidants.

Honestly, I wanna keep a healthy lifestyle. I haven't had even a drag of cigarette or a drink of alcohol for almost three years now, since after I got out of the hospital for hypokalemia. Hypokalemia is a problem with potassium count so it had nothing to do with smoking or drinking. But still, I chose to stop those vices for fear of being in the ICU again.

Now I hate even the smell of cigarettes. And I can bear clubbing without drinking alcohol =)

All I can't bring myself to do is sleep early. Can't really sleep before 1 a.m. I can force myself to sleep by that hour. But if I'd follow my body and go to bed only when I already feel sleepy? It'd be a little before 3 a.m.

And it's too bad I always have to wake up early.
photo: flickr

Of Weight Gain and Harry Potter

So, okay, it's already a month after and I still haven't reached my desired 5 kg. more. From 55 kilos, I am now just 57. Sad. But at least I gained a couple of pounds more. I really wanna be 60 kg. And maintain it that way. I don't know but I find myself so stringy. I am perhaps the opposite of the anorexics who find themselves still too fat despite being too thin. I'm still on Ling Zhi and I take it every other day. The Chinese drug really gives me appetite (for food). I watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with JP last night. Not to be mistaken for a boyfriend cuz we really are just movie buddies. We, in fact, don't talk much in between movie trips. But if there's a new movie coming out that is of our interest, we just know we have to see it together. But I missed some parts of the movie, the one around the scene where Ron and Lavender first kissed. I had to go out of the cinema to buy a PSU for my other desktop. We were so excited to see Harry Potter that I completely forgot to buy the PSU before going inside the theater. It was a last show so the shop would be closed by the time we get out. It was fun overall, though. The movie house was sooo quiet when Dumbledore died. It was really emotional. And JP couldn't stop talking about the movie on our way home.

Always Wash Those Hands

My youngest nephew’s amoebiasis struck again. He was confined at the Parañaque Med for three days beginning Saturday, June 13th. I visited him Sunday and Monday. He complained about not being able to eat because he wasn’t allowed to eat anything till Sunday afternoon. But he still complained cuz he was only allowed to eat lugaw and boiled egg.

Anyway, visiting my nephew brought back memories of being in the ICU of that same hospital some 2 years ago. And I fully understand my nephew’s whining. Even if he could eat a full meal, I know he’s gonna complain about some other things just to have something to whine about.

It’s never easy being confined.

There’s nothing to be happy about the incident, but Juansen (my sister’s eldest) was made to stay with us while the other kid was at the hospital (the father’s not in the country at the moment). Juansen and I enjoyed some bonding  moments cuz I brought him with me to my ortho appointment Monday before going to the mall, then we visited his brother at the hospital. We spent his nights here playing Restaurant City and trading ingredients LOL!

Juansen missed the first and second day of his Grade 7. No one would drive him to school. He only started attending his classes yesterday. The younger kid is doing okay now at home and would start going to school on Monday.

You Wanna Gain Weight?

Been feeling back aches and right arm cramps since yesterday. And I know it's because of Ling Zhi. I gotta stop taking it. Hypokalemia is striking again.

Ling Zhi has steroids. And steroids causes potassium levels to drop. My doctors say it's not Ling Zhi, though, cuz its steroid content is so little. But then why do I feel the symptoms of hypokalemia a few days after I started taking Ling Zhi? I don't wanna be confined at the ICU again. And for that, I have to shift vitamins. I was prescribed with Mosegor but it's not as good as Ling Zhi in giving me "mass." But then again, I don't wanna be hospitalized if I can avoid it.

Ling Zhi costs 500 php. The bottle contains 30 capsules. And I still have 26 capsules left.

Throwing the bottle would mean throwing my money. I'd rather give it to someone who likes it. I'd give it for free. Just pay for the shipment. LOL! I'm serious.

You can contact me via the comment section of this blog.

5 Kg. in a Month

I started taking Ling Zhi vitamins last Friday. I don't take it everyday cuz I'm afraid it would cause my potassium to drop again. I'm still observing how my system is reacting. So I take it every other day. I'm now 55 kg and I wanna gain 5 kg. in a month. We'll see if I'd reach my goal.

I Wanna Gain Weight

I bought Ling Zhi at Elov Thursday afternoon. I believed I had problems with this meds before but the doctors said otherwise so I'm taking the risk. This is the only vitamin brand that makes me gain weight. I actually went to the mall to look for A4Tech earphones for my old iPod but the shops only had A4Tech headphones. I wouldn't wanna be wearing headphones to sleep. Good thing Asianic has this Philips earphones that comes in different colors. It's actually the color that made me buy. Lilac on white iPod doesn't look that good but oh well, I love lilac.

De La Salle Suspends Classes Due To Swine Flu

Wow. Swine Flu has broken into DLSU! Heard it on the news a while ago. A foreign exchange student, a 21-year-old Japanese to be exact, was found positive of A-H1N1 virus. Enough reason to suspend classes in the university for 10 long days (until the 14th).

But what's funny is that the students of DLSU, having been in contact with the Japanese flu carrier or not, are advised not to go to public places like malls to make sure they don't spread the virus. LOL! I wonder how they react to that.

Anyway, DOH is still investigating whether the said Japanese student got the flu from whichever country she was in before she came here, or if she got infected here since she's already the 22nd victim. They're doing that because the Jap was reported to be here long enough already (about 10 days) before she showed signs of infection.

Let's just pray that no one else gets infected, especially from our family.

Stomach In

I feel bloated. My tummy's a little too big for comfort, and I'm not even fat. I'm thinking about downloading an ab workout video. Davey Wavey has one but I don't wanna pay LOL! I'm sure there's a free one around.

A New Ortho

I went to an ortho... again. My unsuccessful trip to the ortho two years ago had left a memory on the alignment of my teeth. My lower teeth got somehow crooked that I find it stressful when I look in the mirror and smile. Now why would I smile in front of the mirror? Haha sounds funny now but I bet all of us do.

Dr. Kristoffer Erich Roldan Padilla says he can align my teeth in 6 months. And that means I'm just gonna be on braces (again) just for 6 months. Great, eh? But he's going to Australia on October for two months. I just wish no bracket will fall while he's not around.

Erich (allow me to call you by your first name) was so friendly he even showed me his collection of miniature action figures, his oil paintings, pics of his dogs, and a lot more. He's so entertaining he also kept me talking.

Now I have teeth separators between my molars.

I'm going back to his clinic on Sunday. Bracket fitting. My first ortho took almost 6 hours to do it, which means my mouth was open for almost 6 hours. I hope Erich will make it faster.