No blood transfusiom

Dear insansapinas, 

source of photo: as marked in the photo
Di ba lagare ako noong isang araw sa dalawa kong doctor? Dahil nga doctor's order for blood works/ chemistry sa ospital, ang hinihintay namin galing sa oncology nurse, sabi ko sa kapatid ko, siya na lang maghintay at may blood works naman ako sa primary care para naman sa diabetes ko. Kasi nga ang problema ay kagaya noong kay Mario O' Hara na may cancer at mababa rin ang WBC, blood platelets. Kagaya rin kay Dolphy na may low blood count, RBC, etc.mababa ang immunity sa sakit.

Last Monday, ang WBC ko ay sapat lang para pag may nag-aaligid-aligid na sakit ay pwede kong gamitan ng ping pong paddle para huwag makalapit. Toink.Pero ang blood platelets ko na dapat magti-nikling between 250 to 450, ay nasa 40 lang. Daming bundok na aakyatin.

Eh tuwing ganito, hindi tuloy ang chemo.

Pero ngayong araw na nachemo ako, kasalukuyan kong tinutukuran ko ang aking mata sa antok habang pinaghehele ako ng malakas na snore ng pasyenteng katabi ko an upuan,  (malaki naman ang mga pagitan dahil sa mga equipment  pero malakas talaga ang hilik,talo ako),biglang lumapit ang mukha ng  oncology nurse sa aking mukha. May dala siyang frozen yellow cream. Ipapasok daw sa blood ko thru the pedi-port. PLATELETS. Yon pala ang pinirmahan ko na NO BLOOD transfusion, Yon lang mga kulang sa akin. Yong nasa harapang pasyente ko naman, pula (more of purple...baka RBC naman yon).

Kaya ngayon hindi ko kailangang pumunta sa Filipino store para kumain ng dinuguan. Poink.

Pinaysaamerika

Hat

Dear insansapinas,

I got two doctor appointments yesterday, the oncologist and the primary physician. After my blood test in the cancer clinic, I waited at the reception area to wait for the doctor's instructions for my chemo on Thursday.

The door opened. A lady who I think is a Filipina entered, signed the appointment list and sat down in one of the chairs. The door opened again. A young lady who also looked like a Filipina entered and sat down beside the older woman. She put up her two feet in the chair. The door opened again. An old man entered. He looked like a Filipino. He sat beside the two ladies. They talked.

I looked at my brother who was reading from Kindle. He looked at me like saying "What?". I asked, did you see my hat?

He looked at my head, short to saying, kung sawa yan, nalulon ka na.

I went to the primary physician for my blood works, EKG, etc. After the session with the doctor about my diabetes, high blood pressure and medications, I went back to the reception room. My brother was waiting. I looked at him and I was about to ask, Where is my hat? Before I could ask I saw from the glass, I was wearing it. Hindi ko pala inalis.

Upon reaching home, I found out, I lost it. Not the hat, Kulit ninyo.  One of the earrings. Hindi ako sanay eh. Noong meron akong buhok, I seldom wear earrings. The Hat? It is still with me. Tinatakpan ang akin kalbong ulo.

Eh bakit napasok ang earrings. Kasi nagsuot ako para magmukha akong babae. Che.

Pinaysaamerika







'

Condolence to the Family of DILG Robredo

Dear insansapinas,
Since the plane crashed, I monitored the news. DILG Secretary Robredo was the former mayor of Naga City. He was the youngest mayor elected and the only awardee of Ramon Magsaysay for Government Service.

Today, they found the fusilage of the plane containing bodies. They are The bodies of Secretary Robredo , Capt. Jessup Bahinting and Nepalese Kshitiz Chand.

Divers found the plane's fuselage around 7:30 a.m. Robredo's body was found inside the fuselage at 7:45 a.m. His body was brought to shore at 8:40 a.m.

Date

Dear insansapinas,

I have been busy reading El Filibusterismo. No kids. Then I received a letter from a twelve year old girl asking me if I allowed my kids to go on date when they were her age.

Sagot ko. No. Kasi that age, my boys were still busy playing with their "barkadas" and watching wrestling. Tuksuhin mo sa babae, biglang iingos. The girls have crushes pero hanggang mga whispers lang. Ako noon, nakabilad sa araw makita ko lang ang crush ko na dumadaan sa bahay ng kaibigan ko. Arey.

Dito ang aga ng mga bata. Mga grade school pa lang may mga girl and boy friends na. O tumatanda lang ako. 

Pinaysaamerika

Sabunutan na lang

Dear insansapinas,

Sobra naman yong nanapak ng taga MMDA. Sabunutan na lang, lalabanan ko. mwehehehe. Malaki kasi ang katawan niya kaya matapang. Payat yong si Fabros kaya malakas ang loob niya.

 Ako kahit na nabawasan ng timbang, matambok pa rin ang pisngi. Dati nga mukhang bibingka yan eh na medyo sunog.  hehehe. 

Ngayon ala akong buhok, yong ulo ko para na lang niyog na inalisan na ng husk. 

Siyanga pala retired muna ang aking mga suklay. Walang susuklayin eh. Tipid shampoo. Hindi na kailangang magcurler sa gabi at magsuklay sa umaga.

Pimaysaamerika

No Chemo

Dear insansapinas,

This morning I went to the doctor's office to have a blood test before my chemo on Thursday. The doctor cancelled my chemotherapy treatment. The combination of the White Blood Corpuscles and platelets is not good. Wait another week said the nurse. It had been two weeks that my treatment is postponed because of my low blood count. But the bruisings are disappearing. Yong mga bruises pa naman ay yong para bang binugbog ka ng kontrabida sa pelikula na hindi ka nakailag.

 Kumakain naman ako pero sabi ng doctor, it is because of my liver na napakahinang magprocess. 

So my brother brought me home and I went back to the couch to go back to sleep. I was awake for three hours the other night. When I woke up, I have no appetite for my lunch. So I cooked adobo. My problem is I lost my taste, It is all bland, Sugar is not sweet, Salt is not salty and milk tastes water. glug-glug-glug.

This is what I planned to wear in my head--my black winter cap to go to the lab.  My big shades would hide my hairless eyebrows.

But I was in a hurry so I went out without any hat, bandana or cap. Di bale wala namang nanghuhuli ng kalbo. mwhehehe.

Pinaysaamerika

No Hair, Ma

Dear insansapinas,

When I was younger, I thought I became dumb whenever I had my hair cut. Like Samson whose strength

was on his hair, I had that silly notion that my intelligence is in my hair. Gupitin mo at magiging bobo ako.

I am very particular with hair shampoo. There was a time when I was buying one I liked which I did not know was being phased out in the market since it had a lot of carcinogenic ingredients. I do not know if it what caused my C.

When I was admitted in the hospital for respiratory failure last May, I still have full hair. When I woke up, the shampoo and conditioner in my bathroom shed "tears". 

When I was still working, I was so vain in my hair that my friend dared me if I can publish this photo of mine taken in the couch.

I did. Beh. 

Baka biglang mag-disappear.
Pinaysaamerika

Project

Dear insansapinas,

Since I was discharged from the hospital , I am having a hard time concentrating. I can not read books. I lost focus. So what I did during the time when I am trying to regain my strength and avoiding depressionl. I fixed some things which was part of my activities when I started getting sick. Here is the rosary that broke the strands. Okay na siya. Date bracelet ko, ginawa kong rosary. Milagrosa yan. 

and here is a bracelet that I bought from the Philippines that needed some change of the elastic thread that brings it together.

My brother bought this for me. A small blender. Small enough for my two meals. Hindi pwede diyan ang lechon.

Now my project is writing. Something to stimulate my brain. Kalat pa yata eh.

Pinaysaamerika

Eeeew

Dear insansapinas,
I've been monitoring the flood in Metro Manila. Pinasok,  ang bahay. Eewwww. Pero ang kinaiinisan ko ay ang mga pulitikong nangangampaniya na. Kahit sa truck sumasakay. Tapos, namimigay ng maliit na bag ng relief goods.

Nakakainis pa ang mga artista na kahit sa kalamidad sumasakay pa rin sa publicity. Nakikisama raw sa taong bayan, ang retrato naman, nakangiti. Nakakaloka ba kayo. Tse.

Pinaysaamerika

Camay Beauties (Part 3 )

Dear insansapinas,
When Camay Beauties are mentioned, it is the Revilla ladies who come into the picture.There were fashion models and beauty queens but they were not a popular as the Revilla mother and daughters.

Here is the mother, Paquita Roces, the late wife of Armando Goyena, a popular movie actor and father of the Revilla sisters,

Here are the two daughters who also became Camay girls--Cita and Maritess.

Maritess Revilla-Araneta

Cita Revilla

Tina Artillaga
Aside from fashion models, there were also beauty queens who were tapped for the soap promotion. Two of these were Tina Artillaga whose TV commercial showed her hair windblown, her right hand holding in place a wide-brimmed hat as she stood on a sailboat, with the voice over saying, “Ang lahat ay napapalingon…” Remember?

Anjanette Abayari

Anjanette Abayari was a beauty title holder from the US who became a movie star in the Philippine cinema.

Singers/Actresses and recording artists were also asked to endorse the beauty soap. One of this was Zsa Zsa Padilla, the long time partner of the Comedy King, Dolphy and herself was the daughter of a movie actor, Carlos Padilla, Jr.

Camay Beauties (Part 2 )

Dear insansapinas,
Here is the second group of movie actresses/celebrities who were Camay girls/endorsers:

• Tita Duran — “Ang matatapang na sabon ay walang mainam na bango…maging kaibig-ibig sa pamamagitan ng lalong mabangong sabong Camay!”

• Norma Blancaflor — “Harsh soaps lack fine perfumes…be lovely with extra-fragrant Camay!”

• Gloria Romero 

“Beauty demands a lovely complexion. And I’ve discovered Camay complexions are loveliest!”

  

• Tessie Quintana — “Lovelier complexions begin with extra-gentle Camay. Harsh soaps leave skin rough…use Camay for a lovelier complexion!”

• Delia Razon — “Camay’s exquisite new perfume keeps me lovelier much longer!”

Camay Beauties Part 1

Dear insansapinas,

When my girl friends were young and teasing each other as to what beauty soap we used, we would raise our hands and exclaim PAA (erase, erase, erase... CAMAY. I thought, there were only a handful of Camay lady models like the Revilla mother and daughters. I did not know that there were lots of them, mostly movie stars and celebrities.

And surprise, even Bella Flores was a Camay girl. 

According to an article, Camay was introduced in the Philippinnes in 1950 by PMC (Procter ad Gamble).

The following were the Camay models/endorsers:

• Carmen Rosales

“Every woman who wants to be lovelier will be delighted with Camay’s new fragrance!”

• Tita Muñoz — “Loveliness begins with extra-fragrant Camay!”

• Sylvia La Torre
“A screen star’s complexion must be perfect for close-ups, and Camay helps keep it perfectly lovely!”

• Nena Cardenas 
“Camay’s new fragrance is so flattering. Only this new perfume has such flavorful sweetness!”

• Armi Kuusela —
“Camay ang aking pampagandang sabon. Ang kasiya-siyang bula nito ay kawili-wili sa kutis. Sa bawa’t babaeng nais na maging higit na kaibig-ibig, Camay ang aking ipinapayo. Gamitin ang higit na suwabe, higit na mabangong Camay gaya ng ginagawa ko, para sa kutis at pampagandang pangligo!”

• Rosa Rosal

• Virginia Montes

 Pinaysaamerika

Daily Schedule

Dear insansapinas,

I follow a daily routine at home hindi lang dahil sa aking C but also due to my D and H. Hindi lang sleeping  zzzzzzzzz. Oops, Biglang mulat. At six, I should be awake for my first pill (hypertension) and the taking of the blood sugar level before I eat my breakfast.
I am not in any diabetic meds these days so I have to watch out for my bs level not to go lower than the ideal para hindi maulit yong bigla na lang na CCU. Noon naman kasi ang pag-inom ko ng aking mga pills ay minsan isang medicine cabinet sa morning at isang medicine cabinet sa evening. Ang mga pills magkakasama at ang gagawin ko na lang ay NGANGA, INOM, glug, glug, glug, e marami na akong parmasyutikang pinayayaman. Diabetic meds ko lang noon anim. Eh yong pang sa puso, sa blood pressure at mga medical supplies pa. Ngayon, bawas na.


Pagkatapos breakfast, personal hygiene (wisik dito, wisik doon).  Another pill for blood pressure, pill for potassium at pill para sa bakal. (IRON) Kailangan daw may panghambalos. Pero pag inom naman, kailangang may stool softener kung hindi maghintay ka ng Pasko bago may lumabas. Pahid ng noo.


Bago kumain ng tanghali, check na naman ng blood sugar. Kailangan bang kumain ng may matamis?
Two hours after lunch, check na naman.


Ang huling pagcheck ay bago matulog. In the meantime, ang dugo ay nakikipag-laro sa chem meds. Minsan itim ang marka; minsan reddish.


So appreciate whatever good health you are enjoying right now. 
Thank HIM.


Pinaysaamerika

Blender

Dear insansapinas,

I lost more than ten pounds for the last few days. It is not only due to loss of appetite during the chemotherapy treatment but also the pain of swallowing food particles even those  small sizes.


A booster shot was done a day after chemo meds were "hosed " down to my blood system. Side effect, masakit, so I was brought to the ER where I was given painkiller meds that will make you drowsy  that you could hardly open your eyes. But first, syempre, kita muna sila. Pinotoshoot nila ako sa chest at sa upper stomach para walang ibang organs na involved. Smile. Tapos pinauwi ako with painkiller prescriptions na hindi pwedeng makuha ng basta-basta.

SONA Red Carpet Fashion Show 2012 of the Legislators and Wives

Dear insansapinas,
The SONA will not be complete without the attendance of the legislators and their wives whose gowns are designed by fashion designers and couturiers.

This year, these are the women who shashayed and walked with their respective spouses/families and friends.

kris aquino and boy abunda

manny and jinkee

lani mercado and daughter

risa hontiveros

lucy gomez and richard gomez

Chemo Treatment

Dear insansapinas,

Early morning of Thursday, my brother and I went to the hospital to continue my chemo treatment.I was the earliest and so the nurse had to call my oncologist if she can proceed.




There were six chairs for the patients and an hour or so, the chairs were already taken. But there was only one nurse so that she was the only one who took charge of the preparation and chemo treatment management. Some patients watched the small TV monitor for news and programs.There was a father-daughter team who played cards while the treatment was going on. Some were chit-chatting. I read a pocketbook and observed the nurse doing her tasks of changing meds/changing her gloves more than twenty times and talked with patients to comfort them. The chairs are convertible to mini-beds.

It was the IV which used up the time for connection to the meds. Mine and another woman were implanted with pedi-ports so all the nurse did was to inject the needles.

The Medi-Port

Dear insansapinas,

Pasensiya kayo kung kinukuwento ko kung anong ginagawa ng aking specialist sa akin (oncologist). Pinaschedule niya ako sa ospital para lagyan ako ng medi-port. Yon ang dadaaanan ng chemo na ilalagay naman sa akin bukas.


So pagkatapos ng tatlong timbang dugo, ikinabit na ako sa oxygen, sa antibiotics at sa magpapatulog sa akin. Siguro sa nerbiyos, di ako nakatulog. Nararamdaman ko ang ginagawa sa akin. Nagmulat ako ng mga mata, maraming plastic na nakacover sa akin. Nag-uusap ang mga doctor at nurses.


Mga mahigit isang oras ang nakalipas, isa-isa ng tinanggal ang mga nakakabit sa akin. Masakit yong hiniwa. Pagkatapos na advisan ako kung ano ang aking mga gagawin, isinakay ako sa wheelchair at dinala sa sasakyan. Saka lang umepekto ang pampatulog. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz


Pinaysaamerika

No Call

Dear insansapinas,
I was expecting the visiting nurse yesterday. She did not come. I called the agency and the person who responded informed me that the nurse is sick. Biglang taas ang BP ko. So I asked why she did not bother to call and inform me.Excuses, excuses, excuses. I said next time, a day before coming, they have to call me to confirm. Tchp 


Nursing registry and home health care agency are the two businesses that I helped put up in California with friends. We were very particular with the schedules of the nurses and other staff assigned to our patient/clients. We checked if they are available and if there are substitutes if they are not. When we were beginning, we even offered them rides so that we were assured that they would be in the patient's place on time. We also did not allow the staff to change their schedules with the patients. Whatever changes were made, we had it done in the office for coordination and information purposes. Dito sa agency na ito, nagpapalit ng sked yong nurse, cnas at 
therapists thru patients. 

The Memory-Do they remember you?

Dear insansapinas,

If you have been following the story of my life, you know that this "cat" been gifted with several lives. For the last two years, however, after I was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and was declared by the oncologist that it was gone in 2008, another diagnosis was made again in 2010; liver cancer, liver cirrhosis aside from diabetes and hypertension. In later part of 2011, another cancer (not a metastases) was found in my breast; two of them. I had them mastectomied last April and now I am undergoing chemo.


So when my visiting nurse informed me that the cause of my confinement in the hospital was RESPIRATORY FAILURE,(STOPPED BREATHING)  I can't helped but think, sa dami ng mga sakit ko, maoospital lang pala ako sa pagkalimot ng paghinga. Acheche.


What has this to do with my title? As I have said kung pinakikialaman ninyo ang buhay ko, sa bawa't buhay na isinasalba ako ni Bossing sa Itaas dahil ako ay masamang damo, marami akong eksperyensiya doon sa kalagitnaan ng Langit at Lupa. Di ba kinuwento ko noon na may nakita akong Napakalaking Pinto na sa Loob ay may Bright Light na pilit lumalabas sa mga siwang. Ang sabi sa akin ng isang babae doon, nasa loob daw ang Boss. Tapos bigla akong nagdisappear. Balik sa mundo.


Pero itong nakalipas na mahigit dalawang Linggo ako sa CCU at sa hospital, iba ang aking experiensiya na siyang mag-eexplain bakit tama nga ang ginagawa ng iba na pagnamamatay ang mahal nila sa buhay, hinihiling nila na tulungan sila o huwag silang pabayaan.


Let me esplain. Sa pagkakahiwalay ko sa aking katawan noong nasa ospital ako (hiwalay yon kasi kahit nakamulat ako at parang gising, hindi naman nila ako makausap at hindi ko rin naman natandaan ang mga ginawa nila sa katawan ko) may mga nakasama akong mga "tao" na" kau-kausap" ko. Pero ang natatandaan ko lang ay ang aking daddy na parang sinalubong lang ako at ang aking mother na hindi ako iniwanan. In fact nandoon  siya palagi. Tinatanong ko ang sarili ko kung sino ang mga "taong" nandoon. 


Ang nakakapag-isip ay ang aking nakikita sa mundo ng mga buhay. Kilala ko ang aking kapatid na nakabantay sa akin, pamilyar sa akin ang binabanggit niyang mga pangalan na related sa akin at sa amin. Ngayon ko narerealize na ang connection mo sa mga mahal mo sa buhay ay di napuputol. Lalo na kung tatawagin ka at aalalahanin. Nabanggit ng aking kapatid ang pangalan ng aking tsikiting gubat at doon sa "kinaroroonan" ko ay nanatili yon hanggang nagpilit akong gumaling. 


Naalala ko ang aking dating tenant na matanda. Naulila raw siya ng bata pa siya. Halos di  niya na matandaan ang mukha  ng mother niya. Pero minsang nagkasakit siya at halos  mamatay, may nakita siyang babae na nagpakita sa kaniya at sinabing siya ang mother niya. Hindi ba kataka-taka yan? Naalala pa nong ispiritu?

High Blood Pressure and Masamang Damo

Dear insansapinas,
Even if I was checked out from the hospital and rehab, the attending medical staff asked  me to approve the home visitations of the nurse, therapist and nursing assistants. Hokey, except for the nursing assistant whose function is to assist me in bathing. Silipan pa niya ako. Tse. There is no need naman eh because my brother installed a grab bar for me to hold on when I get to the bath tub, a rubber bath mat to make the tub flooring not slippery and a hand-held shower to enable me to control the temperature and flow of the water from the bath water pipe. Meron pang upuan.

My primary doctor temporarily asked me to stop diabetic and blood pressure meds so that the nurse has to monitor my vital signs. I've got also sphygmomanometer, pulse meter and glucometer but the determination as to what readings are good for me depend on the nurse.

 Kaso ang problema, dahil and bayad sa kanila ay per visit /per patient, gusto nila maraming mavisit. So, kapag may bago silang tanggap at nagconflict sa sched mo, itatry nilang baguhin ang iyong sked kung papayag ka, May isang araw na limang beses yatang tumawag para palitan from 3 to 11 or 10 to 1. . Minsan triny nilang magpalit ng sked to the extent na yong physical therapist gustong pumunta rito pagkagaling ko sa doctor para maaccomodate yong bagong pasyente. Ano siya nababaliw?  Paano akong makakapag-exercise kung halos hindi ako makalakad sa pagod. Sabi ko, NO. Kumg hindi siya pwede, di huwag siyang pumunta. taray.


Kahapon, tumatawag na naman, kung pwede raw ngayong Sunday. Ano? Wala na ba silang day of worship. Sabi ko, NO. Ako na lang ang mag-eexercise.

Masamang Damo


I talked with a friend of mine. She told me that our co-faculty in the Graduate School died of heart attack last June 20.