Beat Yesterday

Time flies, it's already the 11th day of May today. I had to rest for a week following the heart catheterization procedure. I have recovered and had my first evening walk last night. As my doctor said, "Always try to beat yesterday." I hope to ramp up on my exercises again. 

In time I'll be biking again.

The sun was shining brightly when I woke up today. It's been hot and humid the last few days, but the sun has been good for me. I feel it's giving me extra energy. Today I felt like doing cartwheels (hahaha). Too bad I don't know how.

The past six months have been challenging. The best thing I did for myself was to change my mindset. I was getting frustrated with my slow recovery. Thanks to Bo Sanchez' video, I learned to reset my goal to improve at least 1% per day. This was reflected on my monthly step count and I hope to improve more in the coming weeks. 

For my next steps, I'm adding "beat yesterday" to my mantra so I can build on my progress. This is very different from my work mantra of growing 10x and shooting for the moon. My mindset had always been to grow by leaps and bounds. I learned the hard way that not all things will work with supersonic goals haha. 

CB//*Yr2/31  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/58 #StayHome #BeKind  

Step by Step by Faith

"Step by step, a little at a time" has been my mantra the past few weeks. Things got better when I shifted my perspective. Instead of pressuring myself to get better immediately, I aim to get better at least 1% everyday. I also go to my doctor when I need to, I don't wait for things to get worse before I go.

And guess what, I finally have some progress. The asthma attacks dwindled away. It only gets triggered now when the air quality goes bad. My body is now used to the meds and my doctor removed one medication. I finally lost some weight. I'm able to do some chores at home. Most importantly, I can walk 3k steps a day again. 

I have an important test to do this week. The test is meant to determine what kind of treatment I should do. It will also tell me how I could get better. There's a lot of considerations to make to see how I could really progress. I'm just grateful that my long-time cardiologist really cares about me. He took the initiative to send me to an expert since I'm a complicated case. 

Have a blessed Sunday everyone!

"Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer." Romans 12:12

CB///Yr2/8  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/35 #StayHome #BeKind  

New Gadget for Our Balik Alindog Program

As I was finishing yesterday's blog post our new gadget arrived. For many years I used a MiBand 1. I got one because I wanted to monitor my steps and know if I'm getting enough deep sleep. I didn't upgrade because I didn't want a step counter with a display screen. Eventually I needed to track more things, my pulse, BP and oxygen saturation. My doctor told me to get an oximeter last May. My physiotherapist monitors it while I exercise. 

I've been wanting to upgrade my MiBand since early last year. As usual I took so long to decide what to get. After some research I decided to get a Fitbit Versa 3. Aside from the usual step count and sleep monitoring feature, it also monitors SPO2 and heart rate while you sleep. It's important for me to monitor those while I'm being treated for pulmonary embolism. 

Used it for the first time last night when we went for our evening walk. Wore it also to sleep. I was happy to review the data in the morning. I still kept waking up at odd hours, but the data reassured me that my breathing was normal. I can also show it to my doctor when I go for my check-up tomorrow. It would be interesting to see how much progress I'll be making through this gadget. And I hope next week I can go back to my PT sessions. 

I made sure I didn't push myself too hard last night. I kept myself moving after lunch by making some leche flan and walked about 1,500 steps after dinner. It was a different experience walking outside at night. It was a bit windy and that made it easier for me to breathe through the mask (yaaas!). I usually struggle breathing through a mask, I hope the monsoon sticks around for awhile. 

Thank you to everyone who reached out last night. Really appreciate your prayers and messages. 

CB///286 #StuckAtHomeDay/316 #StayHome #BeKind 

Exercise After a Blood Clot (Pulmonary Embolism)

My body got de-conditioned even before my first pulmonary embolism (PE) was discovered. It came to a point I would be breathless after walking just a few steps. I experienced that again just before Christmas. When you have a blood clot in your lungs you're going to feel suffocated. It gets worse when you are going uphill or going up a stairway. This means, you become allergic to exercise. 

What I did not know after my first PE was I needed to exercise. I was travelling a lot that time and it did not cross my mind that I needed physiotherapy. It was over a year later after experiencing severe back pains when I was mandated by my spine doctor to do physiotherapy. I improved a lot in a few months and then the circuit breaker started. All PT clinics were closed, I couldn't swim and we were too scared to go out. I got de-conditioned again. 

My doctors have different ideas about exercise, so I did some research and found several videos on YouTube about post-PE exercise. They all said that it is beneficial. It takes a lot to get up and start exercising after your PE treatment starts. At the hospital I was just making 150 to 200 steps per day at the ward and almost none when I was at ICU. 

When I was moved back to the regular room from the ICU I made it a point to sit on a chair from breakfast to dinner. I told myself I had to move around because I don't want to wear compression socks all the time. I only registered 500+ steps when Sweetie brought me home. The next day Sweetie encouraged me to do some walking. I walked at sloth-pace, but managed 1,000 steps and had to rest in-between. I felt woozy and had to hold onto Sweetie's arm. 

Yesterday, I managed 1,250+steps. Still felt a bit woozy and wasn't confident yet to walk without Sweetie by my side. I noticed that breathing wasn't as labored anymore. Today I woke up early and bravely asked Sweetie if we can have breakfast at McDonald's. It's an 8-minute walk at normal pace, it took us 15 minutes because I had to rest at the bus stop. I was wheezing a little too, but I told myself I need to graduate from sloth pace to turtle pace in the next few days. 

Made it back home in one-piece and even cooked lunch (steamed fish ftw!). I was wiped out by 2pm. I think I may have pushed too hard today (4,500+ steps), but I'm happy I did. I need to be confident again about moving around independently before I can resume physiotherapy. I need to gain that confidence this week while Sweetie is still home. I can only go back to work when I'm breathing better and have the stamina to last staying up the whole day. 

I'm still pretty tired now and thinking whether I should take a walk tomorrow. Alternatively I can do some light exercises at home. We'll see when I wake up tomorrow. 

Some resources on exercise after pulmonary embolism (of course check with your doctor first):

Getting active after a blood clot

Patient Pulse: Exercising Safely After a Blood Clot

CB///283 #StuckAtHomeDay/313 #StayHome #BeKind

How Sweetie Took Care of Me

"In sickness and health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."

Even before Sweetie and I got married he already experienced staying at the hospital with me. He volunteered to stay because my Mom's helper couldn't stay with me for a night. He's had to do this a few more times (twice in the last 4 weeks). My doctors and nurses always tell me I have a great, supportive husband. I do! 

I know I scared Sweetie a lot in the last two weeks. I know he wasn't sleeping well because he was really worried. When I had my first PE I was treated as an outpatient, but things have become complicated in the last two years. I am so thankful Sweetie has been my rock throughout this ordeal. 

Everyone gets sick. That's why it's important to find the right person to spend your life with. In the patient group I'm part of, I've read some patients experience getting abandoned by their partners. Taking care of someone is a huge responsibility. It is the most unglamorous side of marriage. I think the hardest we've been through was when I had heart surgery (twice) and when Sweetie had knee surgery. We're also lucky we have Miggy who's always been supportive too.

The key to taking care of your spouse when they're sick is to have a level head. Do not panic! You have to be calm because your energy will rub off on your spouse. Sweetie is the best at that, he never really panics. Here's what he does whenever I'm hospitalized:

(1) He's my spokesperson - we picked up this term when Sweetie had knee surgery. You need to appoint a spokesperson who can make decisions when needed. 

(2) Prepare things for hospital stay - I had Sweetie bring me a few essentials for the hospital. Some essentials include underwear, water bottle, toiletry bag and maintenance medication. He also brought my tablet which helped a lot when I was in ICU (they actually encouraged me to use it). 

(3) Help with meals - meals came wrapped in cling wrap that's so hard to remove. A nurse told me they've been doing that to protect patients. Sweetie had to unwrap the food for me since my arm always had a plot in it. We stuck to the diet they gave me and I only ate Skyflakes once when I got so hungry. 

(4) Jaybucks expands to hair styling! - haha, yes, my hair has grown so long and unruly. I asked Sweetie to help fix my hair and he made a nice braid for me. 

(5) Pack up and bring me home - we learned in previous hospital stays that it's best to put all your stuff in luggage. It's more manageable and Sweetie still had a free hand to hold me as we walked out of the hospital. 

(6) Others - took care of business center matters and communicating with my other doctors. 

"Let all that you do be done with love."

1 Corinthians 16:!4

Road to recovery update: still at sloth pace, but managed at least 1,250 steps (+25% from yesterday). Still experiencing some dizziness and not yet confident to walk outside on my own. Got knocked out from meds in the afternoon. Some back pain after drinking meds. 

CB///282 #StuckAtHomeDay/312 #StayHome #BeKind

Road to Recovery: One Step at a Time

I never went back to normal after my first pulmonary embolism (PE) in 2018. It was really hard for me especially since part of my job requires me to travel. Many health articles say that it takes one to two years to recover. You also basically become allergic to exercise. Just before my doctor diagnosed my second PE last week I would be out of breath walking ten steps to and from the bathroom. 

Enjoying the fresh air by the pool.

The medication will not dissolve the clots in my lungs. With thinner blood it will hopefully disintegrate as blood flows or it can become a scar. The danger lies when a clot gets dislodged and travel somewhere where it blocks the flow of blood. It's like getting bubble tea pearls stuck in the straw. I did some research about post-PE exercise and it is a must. 

Yesterday I insisted on walking to the taxi stand. I didn't want a wheelchair because I wanted to see how far I could walk without huffing and puffing. It was adrenaline haha. I hope to go back to my physiotherapy sessions next week, but that would only work if I don't get easily exhausted (the first step is to commute to the clinic!). Today Sweetie accompanied me on a short walk to the pool. It was just a thousand steps and I'm now exhausted. 

My doctor told me to take it easy, but I have to work on getting my stamina back. I hope to add more steps when we go out for a walk tomorrow. I'm also doing some stretching exercise (more on the legs) to get my blood circulating properly. I'm also walking around every 30 minutes so my legs won't swell. 

Sweetie said we should set a goal so I can get myself moving more. We'll set this during dinner tonight :)

CB///281 #StuckAtHomeDay/311 #StayHome #BeKind

Wellness Tip from my Physiotherapist

I've come to love my twice a week physiotherapy sessions. I used to dread it, but after two months of regular sessions my body has adjusted and look forward to the workouts. I've also tried to swim two to three times a week, but it's been suspended until the pandemic is over.

I told my physiotherapist today that the highlight of my week has been seeing her for our sessions. We've been following the government advise to only go out for essentials so I only head out for my PT sessions, nothing else.

So soon I hope I'd have real exercise photos haha.

How I felt about my PT changed a lot when I started working from home twice a week. I requested for the accommodation because I was getting sick from juggling work stress with the physical requirements of the PT sessions. My doctor recommended the accommodation since it would not benefit my body if I just kept getting sick every other week.

It took a long time, but now I realize why my doctor had been insisting for me to do yoga since my heart surgery. I tried a few times, but it was just unnatural for me to exercise or even just do some stretching. I thought I'd be forever young (haha!) and I thought it was enough that I was making an effort to reach my daily step target.

See how we try to integrate exercise during our day.

My physiotherapist explained that we were not trained to exercise our body like how we brush our teeth. She said that if we eat candy or anything else we all automatically brush our teeth. Sitting all day at work is just like candy for your body. To "clean it" you need to exercise to get the effects of sitting all day reset. I told her that it's strange that we all had PE (physical education) growing up. We were never taught though that we have PE to require us to continuously exercise our body. I guess we really won't think that way because we only have PE once a week at school.

That was a great perspective she shared with me today and now I understand even more the value of why you need to exercise. It's just like brushing your teeth! :D

6.5 Minutes on the Bike Today!

Thought I'd celebrate a milestone I had today! I managed to use the bike for 6.5 minutes. My physiotherapist has been trying to up the level of my exercises. She's had to adjust how we do my sessions because I kept getting sick during the first few weeks of my sessions. My body just couldn't cope well with adjusting back to work plus doing physiotherapy during work days.

That fateful day I tried the stationary bicycle last year. I super failed haha. 

I asked special accommodation to work from home twice a week to allow me to have rest in between going to work. It helped because my PT was able to slowly add in harder exercises. I was ecstatic when she had me try the stationary bike. I loved biking when I was a kid. I always went with my Dad and our neighbors every Sunday morning. We'd go around the village until we had to go home to prepare to hear mass.

My fave workout shirt! 

The other PTs in the clinic asked where they could buy the shirt!

The first time I went on the stationary bike I got sick after. I was quite sad about it because my therapist de-escalated my exercises again. She had to find the right balance to make sure I didn't get sick after. Last week we finally went back to the gym and she had me go on the bike. I managed for about three minutes and then we did other stuff. I went again on Monday and did 5 minutes and then today I managed 6.5 minutes. I think I could've done a bit more, but my PT didn't want me to push too hard.

My kind of post-PT happiness. Shopping for fabric!

This is an important milestone for me because a year ago when I tried the stationary bike at our place, I barely made it to two minutes. I had to work hard to improve my breathing and strengthen my body to get to where I am today. My PT and I talked about the situation we have today. There's a possibility that we'll all be forced to just really stay home. She's made a list of exercises I can do at home in-between our sessions and worse off it can be my list if in case we all can't go out.

We're looking forward to the day we can do an onsite session at work (well I hope they'll allow it!). I told her that I've been to our gym only once! I signed up for a beginners session, but we ended up doing burpees! I couldn't walk for a week and realized that I need someone who can really understand what my body's capacity is. I thank God I found the best PT for me! I was in so much pain for a few months last year and the sessions have really helped improve my situation. I'm insistent on attending the sessions because I know it is good for me and it's going to help me ward off any sickness.

Maybe I should do a vlog with me exercising. Might help my other patient friends who need a little inspiration to get things going.

Have a great day guys!