The Nile is Not Just a River in Egypt: My Asthma Journey

"The Nile is not just a River in Egypt," is what my allergologist, Dr. Canlas, told me over 15 years ago after he informed me of the results of my allergy test.

I had to see an allergologist because I was suffering from severe asthma after a nasty bout of pneumonia. It took me awhile before I understood what Dr. Canlas told me. "The Nile" meant denial. He was telling me that the first step to healing is acceptance. I was able to renew my tolerance for chicken, chocolate and even Coca-Cola. The doctor explained I was always allergic to it, but my immune system went down after having pneumonia. 

I just took meds, didn't do immunotherapy and just kept eating chicken and chocolate by bits. Eventually, my tolerance returned. Unfortunately, I never regained tolerance for crab, but can eat a few pieces of shrimp.

I urged Sweetie to see an allergologist. I noticed he has been having frequent asthma attacks. He got it after COVID-19. I was baffled and worried since asthma can lead to other things. He did his allergy test today and the main trigger for his asthma attacks is dust. We have been beside two house construction in the past 3+ years and that's the leading cause for the dust (you can see it easily on my plants).

As Dr. Canlas advised me, I also reminded Sweetie of the quote he told me, "The Nile is not just a River in Egypt."

Acceptance is key. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Nebulizing at Home

I'm truly grateful I wasn't warded for the lung infection. It showed up in the x-ray. It's been causing back pain and I was afraid it might be another PE. My pulmo reassured me it's not since my oxygen saturation is normal. It goes down whenever I walk around, but not as bad as when you have a clot.

I was ordered to get a portable nebulizer. My doctor said I probably reached my limit to bad air caused by the construction beside us. The tarp they placed are rotten and throwing trash in our property. It doesn't help keep out the dust anymore. The construction folks don't care even though we complained so many times already to the HOA.

Anyway, nebulizing at home is much better than doing it at the hospital while warded. The equipment at the hospital is really noisy and cumbersome. I'm glad my doctor advised to get a portable device. I'm able to use it anywhere at home minus any cables. It's also very quiet so I can watch TV while using it.

I'm feeling a bit better, but need to make sure I take my antibiotics and do nebulization on time. I feel woozy after getting medicated, so no lakwatsa for the meantime.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Breathe

Taking a break today to recover from the asthma attack I had last night. I didn't know that the AQI was pretty bad when I went out to admire the sky. It was downhill after that haha. Anyway, here's a nice memory of me hiking! Yes, hiking! This was at Mambukal in Negros Occidental (more about the hike here).

And here's the sky I was admiring last night. 

And the yummy #JayBucks dinner Sweetie prepared.

And now I rest :)

#BeKind #StayHome

The Perils of Being Home

I know I've been eating too much the past two weeks, so I tried to cut down beginning yesterday. I haven't even weighed myself since I got home since our weighing scale is in a LBC box on a ship on it's way here. I feel a bit heavier and that's not good for my body. It's really hard to stop eating when all your favorite food is just within reach!

We haven't been able to cook because my stove conked out. It's taking awhile for the repair center to come back and replace the hot plates. I decided to get a single burner stove and it got delivered last night. This will help us prepare healthier dishes. I'm glad Miggy has taken a liking to cooking, so he can assist. 

The cost of living is really much cheaper here, which means it's taken a lot of willpower to resist shopping. I was really happy though that I was able to get good deals for some items we need during 11.11. It's not just Lazada or Shopee doing crazy offers, but also legacy stores like Abenson, Our Home, SM Appliance Center. I was able to buy three shower heaters for the price of two! Wow! It just takes a bit more research and digging through offers to get good deals. 

I'm not sure if it's pollen, dust or pollution, but the air quality the past few days has been very bad. I've been having asthma attacks everyday, ugh. I just had one while writing this post and thought I was going to keel over. Good thing I was able to calm myself and take deep breaths. I'm not really used to having severe attacks. They're generally mild and I can usually stop it in its tracks. I probably need to keep the windows and doors closed for now. 

I love being home and we're still adjusting to our new life. A bit of discipline is needed to make sure we don't run dry too soon, haha. I'm looking forward to spending Christmas with my boys and my Mom. Ahh, it means I have to sacrifice the calories for the next few weeks so I can indulge for Christmas. It's going to be hard though! 

It's a new week! What new experiences would it bring?

#Home19 #NewG225 #Xmas33 #StayHome #BeKind