Accepting Reality

"The Nile is not just a river in Egypt."

The first time I heard that was from my allergologist. He meant to tell me that denial is something that won't help you when you have a medical condition. It's better to accept and adjust as needed. That was one of the best advise I've received from a doctor. This was over a decade ago when I had adult onset of asthma. 

Accepting your reality is not easy. I took my doctor's advise to heart. It helped me to learn to be flexible. I made major adjustments on my lifestyle. My doctors are always happy to see me because I stay cheerful. Acceptance, that's my secret. 

I went to see a new doctor today. My cardiologist sent me to see her to figure out how to help me get better. I was already expecting to hear what she told me. We'll see how things go. Please pray for me. 

Last night Sweetie surprised me with dinner! He got Ikea meatballs!!! Woohoo! I was so happy! Thank you Sweetie for the yummy dinner! <3 <3 <3

CB///354  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/17 #StayHome #BeKind   

Acceptance

When my doctor discovered I had pulmonary embolism I joined a patient group on FB to understand what I was going through. Knowing what others with the same condition helps. I had ten years to prepare myself for my heart surgery and I prepared by reading a book written by a patient. It also helped prepare my family.

You always have the choice to make your life colorful.

The clot in my lungs was discovered after suffering from "severe asthma" for over a year. It was left undetected because I would feel okay after taking asthma meds. I didn't feel better after having "mild pneumonia" and it was then I realized something was terribly wrong. I insisted on getting a second opinion. It was my second opinion respiratory doctor who finally found what was wrong.

My seatmate who got sick last week told me that he wondered how I pull through whenever I get sick. He told me he got a bit depressed when he was sick. I admitted to him that I get sucked in the black hole too, but I always fight to get out of it. My secret? Acceptance.

Two weeks after I was diagnosed with PE I went to Rome (for work!).

I really wanted to go and commanded my body to cooperate!

Doctor grounded me from traveling after haha. 

My allergologist was the one who taught me that the first step is acceptance. I took that lesson to heart and whatever comes my way I accept it, learn from it and move on. By accepting what you have it is easier to learn how to take care of yourself. There's no use blaming yourself or questioning why you got sick. Sometimes there are no answers to that especially if you were born with it.

Majority of my medical conditions are largely due to mechanical issues in my body. It's been really hard to manage, but as I told my friend yesterday, "I cannot live in fear." I have to trust Him that I am where he wants me to be until I complete all my missions.

So if you have medical conditions, fear not. You were saved for a reason. Don't question it. Live your life happily and you can still do many things. Understand what your limitations are and accept that as an excuse to discover other new things about yourself. 

Acceptance

Acceptance can mean a lot of things. It can mean it's suitable, adequate, tolerance, and perhaps to some it may mean defeat. I started thinking about this word when I read about a friend experiencing some health problems and he's been having a hard time about it.

Back in 2008 I contracted pneumonia which resulted in heart failure. I was constantly coughing for about a year because the water in my lungs just wouldn't go away. When it did my immune system had deteriorated a lot and all my allergies were activated. I couldn't eat chicken, chocolate, couldn't drink Coke and cockroaches (even their smell) made me feel like I was dying. There's no cure for heart failure but there are ways to help ones allergies. So I saw an allergologist, Dr. Canlas of Makati Med. Being the best allergologist in town the line was long and I waited for about 3 hours before I could see him. I thought I was going to pass out while waiting for him, good thing Sweetie was there for me and told me I would get better after I see the doctor.

So after getting pricked 40 times to test for allergies the doctor rattled off the stuff that would trigger my allergies. He said though that the first step to getting better was accepting the fact that I have allergies and that I would need to adjust how I live. I was feeling sorry for myself then because I was so weak, I could barely eat and I couldn't do anything anymore. I thought then that I was probably dying a very slow death.

That was the first and the last time I saw Dr. Canlas, but the advise he gave me on that day made a huge impact on how I live today. Acceptance doesn't mean defeat. It means that you can face challenges in a mature manner. It means being flexible and adjusting to what you have. I know I have a lot of limitations because of my heart, but it doesn't mean I cannot do anything anymore. It also means I just really need to be smart about the choices I make so I can still do what I want and like doing.