Andee at 10

Andee celebrated her 10th birthday at home. Cousin Angge got her a Kim Possible birthday cake (kelangang color purple eh) which to my surprise was enormous!!!!

Boy talk

"Mike who?!?" I asked yaya when she told me I have a phonecall. The only Mike I know is my team mate, Daddy Mike, but then again he surely does not know what my landline number is. It might be from work so I decided to take the call. It was an unfamiliar voice. "Hi Reia". I asked who he is. "It's Mike. Kamusta ka na?"

Umm, Mike who?

"It's Mike. Dr. -- (says his last name)". It was the endocrinologist who examined me at the hospital. He called to remind me of the blood tests he'd like me to go through again and to see him on a specific date. Uhhh..ok.  "Alright. You take care, bye".

 Interesting call. Normally they'd ask their secretaries to make the call, or, actually say that they are Dr. so and so. Definitely not by their first or nickname. Sobrang friends ba kami? Anyway.. niloloko tuloy ako ng nanay ko. Gwapo naman daw. Sorry, --tall, mestizo and handsome nga but not my type.

This happened I think the other day, and mama broke the tsismis to my cousin, Angge at breakfast kanina. This started what I'd call a very rare opportunity at breakfast table... boy and relationship talk. From the one/s we are dating and not dating anymore, to the types we prefer and not prefer, if it's commitment or companionship, maginoo or konting bastos.. etc. etc. Perhaps the most wild moment was when Angge asked what was the most memorable(kilig) thing that a guy has told us. The three of us shrieked. Parang mga school girls. As if automatic, I answered the question immediately. There was a pleasantly funny reaction from mama. Hehe. Tawa kami ni Angge because of the look on her face. It was Angge'sk turn to share. Kakatuwa. Sometimes without them realizing it, may nasasabi na sila na nakakataba ng puso. Sa totoo lang, that time, the emotion was so intensed I was almost in tears. (next time na lang kwento hehe). When it was mama's turn, she started with a laugh and then... "wala eh!". Nge.

Small needle and Diego

Yesterday, Mama took Diego back to the Medical City for the 1st among 4 succeeding vaccines/ injections after the dogbite incident last Tuesday, as I was in turn, at Makati Med with a scheduled doctor's follow-up consultation.

Diego: (while being braced for an injection and looking terrified at the syringe and needle the doctor is holding) "AYAW KO YAN! MASAKIT! MASAKIIT! AYAW KO NG INJECTION!! AYAW KOOOOO!......ay bakit ang liit ng needle, lola?"

Comedy ka talaga, baby. After ng injection, nag hot fudge sundae nanaman sila.

One wonderful reason of maintaining a blog is recording funny moments like this with the kids, especially with 6 year old Diego. Here are random quips:

Me: "Diego!!!! Stop that! Where did you get that? Akin na yan! Dirty!" (Scolding Diego for the nth time. He has this nasty habit of putting things (anything!!) in his mouth)
Diego: "Si mama pumapangit pag nagagalit."
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Diego: (Ran over to me, excited, without anything on, after taking a bath) "Mama! Mama! Tignan mo abs ko!" (strikes a pose ala muscleman)
Me: "Baby, di yan abs. Ribs yan!"

Hehehe... till next laugh.

40 pesos vs. 20k

It would only take a McDonald's hot-fudge sundae to forget the pain of 5 injections for a dog bite.

Just when I am just 'not yet' recovering from (very) frequent trips to doctors, physical therapy, and an overwhelming emotion of being an LWOP (leave without pay), helpless, sitting duck at home, it was another rush over to the emergency room at the Medical City yesterday. Diego was apparently bitten by a neighbor's dog.

When Diego was fetched from school at lunchtime yesterday, Yaya Wilma noticed traces of blood on Diego's school trousers. When asked, Diego said 'Natusok lang,lagyan ng band-aid', which his yaya did. However, the story changed when they reached home. Diego was saying that the neighbor's dog bit him while they were walking on their way to school that morning.

In Marikina, there are free cat and dog registration and anti-rabies vaccinations done yearly per barangay and the neighbor, when asked, did have his dogs vaccinated. The thing here is, the dogs were inside the house and unfortunately somehow the smaller dog was able to stick out its head from the gate.

Still a bit whoozie from a never-ending headache, we rushed Diego over to the Medical City. The doctors pronounced the wound as a 'category 3 dog bite' (blood is present). Vaccines are VERY expensive and Diego's health card can only cover half of the initial amount needed, this is not even including the succeeding 4 other vaccinations. The initial shock of seeing a 7k per vial pricetag on a Human Rabies Immune Globulin-Berirab, among others, kinda took a back seat when Diego, after being quiet and probably trying to absorb what the doctors are about to do, said in a very calming innocent voice, "Mama, di na masakit, Ok na ako. Tara na".

Cak arrived and I almost cried. Like I said, being home, out of work and recovering, can really pose a problem especially in cases like this. Good thing also there's HMI. Diego endured the 1st 3 injections: 2 on the right arm and 1 on the left. The 4th one was directly on the wound, under the skin. This was when Diego started to 'howl' (pardon the word).. His cry was loud enough for the other people in the room to take a peek at our cubicle (I could imagine the pain as I went through skin tests when I was confine) The 5th and final injection was on his buttocks.

We had Diego rest awhile and then we went home. But not before a late lunch at McDonald's where Diego apparently forgot everything after a hot fudge sundae.

Missing work

I can't believe I'm saying this but I missed work. It has been almost 4 weeks.. hospitalized twice and now undergoing physical therapy to somehow ease the headaches or dizziness I am feeling. Can't go around much even when I wanted to. Kelangan may kasama..

I'm still a bit afraid of going out by myself because of this head thing. I'd like to go around just to keep my mind off from getting into a self-pity mode. See a movie or cool off while malling. But I can't. Kelangan may kasama..

But I could go ahead and update my blog and online store. Make the most out of google adsense and affiliate sites to earn extra. But I can't. Sumasakit ulo ko.

Or I could spend my time on my drawing board.. fiddling with oil pastels or whooping up another piece of botanical art.. but I can't. Lumolobo ang ulo ko.

Maybe just rest. Sleep the whole day. Watch TV, cable or DVD's. But still I can't. Nahihilo ako AND lalaki lang ang bilbil sa kakaupo.

Bottomline here is... yes I needed the rest and I miss work. I am caught between getting through and finishing therapy and completing medications first (one would last till Oct 4th) or run the risk of going to work hoping that I won't be rushed to the E.R. the 3rd time. Kainis.

Pacify me!

No, it's not that this baby has a complete set of teeth already. It's actually an innovative and cool design for a pacifier. Hehe. I'd imagine the shock and look of people's faces when they see your child with this.

I actually can't remember if I had Andee or Diego on a pacifier. Probably not that long--meaning only about a month or two. There had been heresays that pacifiers greatly contribute to a child's being buckteeth (or what we jokingly call 'bugs bunny').. much the same with thumbsucking. But then again putting that aside, these pacifiers really deserves a second look (of curiosity, that is!)

Letter Swap

Part of Diego's lesson at school is the introduction of community helpers or personalities and what they do to help the community, like policemen, street sweepers, bakers, etc. They went on a mini-field trip at a nearby bakery wherein each student was requested to bring 30.00php. Diego had fun 'buying' bread and drinks of his choice.

There ws also a lesson on letter sending when they were introduced to the work of a mailman. We parents were asked to compose a short letter to our kids to give them an idea of how letter sending and recieving is done. When Diego got home that day, he was pretty much excited to say that he received a letter from 'mama'. Two days after the letter sending thingi, Diego surprised me with a handwritten letter as well. Unfortunately, I am unable to post a picture of the letter, but it read this way:

Dearmommy,
Thankyoufortakinggoodcareofmelove
diego

"Wow, baby, ikaw nag-isip nito? You wrote this?"
Diego: "Si teach.... opo!"

Heheh!

Back home

It has been a gruelling 3 weeks for me right now. Spent 3 days confined at the Medical City in Ortigas and 5 days rest period at home, after which on the very 1st day back at work, I was rushed to Makati Med's emergency room for dizziness and (again) very low blood pressure 80/50. It was actually better than at the Medical City's emergency room where my blood pressure went down 80/40.

My problems with attendance started in July where aside from fever, body pain and sore throat, I was constantly bothered by hot flushes. Tanda na kasi eh. Pre-menopausal na daw. I was given medicine for that by my OB which took care of those flushes and headaches, or so I think it did. At Medical City, I was diagnosed to be very dehydrated and have 'community-acquired low risk pneumonia' (?!?!). Lack of water intake has been a perennial problem for me as drinking a full glass of water leaves me very bloated and an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach. I got accustomed to drinking mostly juice at work (I've slowed down with coffee na eh) so drinking 8-10 glasses a day is always mission impossible for me. Anyway, was given antibiotics but still nothing about why I get these headaches, whoosie feeling, and shortness of breath.

On my 1st day back to work, after placing my things in the locker, I needed to go to the clinic because headaches were starting again. This time I almost fainted. After the company nurse took my BP which again was 80/50, my hands began to curl involuntarily. WTF?!!? There were tingling sensations and parang nangangalay ang hands and feet. I was told it has something to do with the (excess of) oxygen I was taking in or something like that. I was rushed over to Makati Med.

It was a dizzying chaos at the emergency room as blood tests were taken twice for whatever reason and my head was like throbbing as if a balloon was being inflated inside. Blood pressure was still low that time. I was given 2 very painful intravenous pain killers and then an IV. I am very grateful and really appreciate our company nurse (thanks, Nurse Candy!) for staying on with me until my brother Cak arrived. It was very uncomfortable lying there without any support for my head and my feet elevated. It was just around 8pm and no rooms were available until about 4pm the next day.

Spent 5 days confined at Makati Med where my arm has turned black and blue for a total of 6 blood tests. Underwent 3 x-ray procedures, urine exams, ECGs and almost an electroneuro something. Reason for headaches turned out to be muscle spasms/tensions and Cervical Spondylosis Disc Disease, the wear and tear of the vertebrae and discs in the neck region which in turn 'traps' the nerves and causes numbness and headaches. Naiipit na ang nerves kaya nagkaka-headaches na ko. Not only that, but because of the numerous tests made, it was also found out that I have urinary track infection (hmmm..di ko ata naramdaman yun) , hypothyroidism , and hyperventilation syndrome (panic/ anxiety attacks).

I am taking tons of medicines under a strick time schedule specially the one for the nerves. It has to be taken before bedtime because it induces sleep and dizziness, and would need at least 8 hours or sleep (something I never had the luxury of since I work graveyard). I will be starting with physical therapy today in order to ease the rubbing together of the discs. I am still getting those headaches, and numbness which make me time out to relax, stay put, breathe until the discomfort fades away...only to come back shortly, and the whole cycle repeats.

Well, life begins at 40 daw o.