Miracle Sundays: My Boys are Back!

My boys are finally free! The doctor advised to extend their quarantine to protect me. After more than two weeks they have both finished their isolation. They are still wearing masks outside when walking around and keeping a distance when we eat. That's fine since I could give back hugs. We've scheduled Squeaky.ph to come clean and disinfect the house. It's good to do that since we don't really know if the virus could live on surfaces. 

I'm truly grateful for all the prayers and support. Thank you to all those who prayed for us and sent us help. We overcame the challenge because of all the prayers and support. Aside from sending food and water, what also helped was the moral support. Family and friends reached out to check on us and give advise. 

The boys went through a few rough days and they had the most annoying cough. They both sought advise from a doctor through AIDE app. She was the same doctor that took care of them when they had the flu last June. I think it really helped that we caught the symptoms early. Aside from the medication, we supplemented it with essential oils, salabat, Lola Remedios and I diffused oils in the hallway to purify the air. 

I also felt some symptoms during the first week. I think my medications, using essential oils and taking VCO helped reduce the viral load. That, lots of prayers and my guardian angel protected me and we're truly thankful that we are all feeling better now. 

My prayer for healing continues. COVID-19 doesn't end when you're no longer infectious. It can cause other issues. Told the boys that we have to keep moving to prevent clotting. Eat properly to prevent diabetes. Do deep breathing to prevent lung issues. Monitor vital signs to catch possible myocarditis. We have to take care of our bodies to prevent other issues. One of the things I want to do with the boys is go walking everyday. Since it's raining I'll re-start spinning again. 

It's a happy day for our family today. Hope you are all doing great. Have a blessed Sunday everyone!

Wellness Wednesdays: Live in Love not Fear

I must admit, fear gripped me when Sweetie messaged me that he tested positive for COVID-19. I was in the hospital for a CT scan with Miggy. I felt though that Sweetie was as scared as me so I set my fear aside and told him everything will be alright. The next day Miggy tested positive too. 

I super miss my boys.

It was a miracle though that I did not pick it up where they got it. We suspect it was from the airport or plane ride. From what I recall, the three of us were always together. We were only apart when they bought food and stood in the plane queue. Sweetie covered me throughout the flight because someone kept vomiting. We were seated in front so he kept passing by without a mask. Sweetie said he wanted to protect me that's why when his temperature went up last week he immediately isolated himself. 

I'm still scared. I was with Miggy the whole day last Saturday. We thought his cough was due to GERD, but I had him isolate when I heard him wheezing. The next day he tested positive too. Patients though are contagious a day or two before they test positive and I was certainly exposed. We're praying I don't come down with it. 

I keep reminding myself though that I should live with love not fear. I told the virus it has no space anymore in my body. I am rejecting it! The next 48 hours are critical for me because we'll probably know by then if I come down with it. It's been very hard to decipher the symptoms since I experience being dizzy, raised temp, shortness of breath all the time. I'm just resting in between providing food for the boys and chores.

Live in love, not in fear. Have faith that God will protect you and keep you safe from harm. 

Keep safe everyone. 

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Why It's Important to Get Tested

In early 2003, I had a debilitating illness. For many days I had very high fever, experienced chills and had muscle pains. Everything was just dark for me and the only people I would hear come in to check on me was a doctor and my Dad. 

The doctor advised not to bring me to a hospital because I might spread the virus. I heard her say, "Yan na yun." I had no idea what it was that afflicted me, but later on found out that my BIL who had just visited us from the US tested positive for SARS. 

My doctors in Singapore wanted to figure out what caused the scars in my lungs. They required me to list down everything my lungs have been through. There were two major incidents: (1) The strange illness in 2003, and (2) Pneumonia in 2008 which caused heart failure. They wanted to review the tests and previous xrays, but unfortunately everything was destroyed by Typhoon Ondoy. 

For both illnesses, I never found out what virus/bacteria caused it. Second opinion doctors who reviewed my case confirmed that the lung scars would have been caused by previous illnesses. My heart surgeon noted in his operation report that my lungs looked liked it had previous surgery already. I never had surgery prior to OHS. 

VQ scan, one of the many tests I went through.
The medtech said sorry and good luck to me when we finished the two day test.

I'm sharing this because I see some friends who posted on their timeline that they are afraid to get tested. They said that they'll just "definitely get it" from getting swabbed. Some just also assumed that they have it. Looking back at what I've been through, I wish I had known. I wish we were able to address the issues better. We could have prevented or reduced the lung scarring and the issues that developed many years after.

Get tested because it's better to know what you're up against. In late 2019, I was infected again by an unknown virus. It wasn't the coronavirus, but probably a different one according to my doctor. Two months after that I had another pulmonary embolism. My doctors did everything they could to make me well. For many months I experienced shortness of breath, fatigue and brain fog. I probably got it worse because I have an underlying heart condition. I am seeing friends post about experiencing the same thing. 

Get tested. Consult a doctor. Do exercises to prevent lung scarring. Don't just go "business as usual". You'll thank me 15 years from now.

If you're scared to go to a testing center, you can request for home service. I have a list of home service providers here.

*OHS - open heart surgery

#BeKind #StaySafe #GetTested