Pneumonia is Not a Joke

In 2008, I fell very ill and I had to ask my Mom to bring me to the hospital. Good thing I did because I had pneumonia. My lungs were filled with water and I was having a hard time breathing. 

I was in a daze for about a week and I finished up boxes of tissue because of the cough. Two weeks after discharge  I flew to Singapore for my annual checkup. My cardiologist was gravely concerned and had additional tests done. I was so thin and could barely eat. Everytime I ate it turned into a coughing fit.

I was less than 100 lbs by March 2009

I was diagnosed with asthma and heart failure. The lab also found possible strains of legionella in my blood. It's one of the worst causes of pneumonia and 30-80% fatal. It's a miracle I survived.

It took a year with many prayers and visits to churches to pray for a miracle before I started to get better. Other worrying blood markers also consistently normalized everytime I saw my cardiologist. Sadly, the effects of the illness still affect me today. I am kept stable with the help of my doctors and those who pray for me. 

If there's one thing I think I could have done after that very bad bout of pneumonia, I think I should have heeded the advise of my parents to rest more. I should also have sought to know what caused the illness so I could have the proper care.

I know the experience I had was extraordinary and that's why I worry whenever I have friends who get sick. I don't want them to end up like me, retired at a young age and barely able to do normal stuff. 

Bouncing Back from this Setback

The events in the last two weeks have been challenging. The good news is my heart is okay, but my doctor is still deciding whether I should have more tests. I missed seeing my other doctor last Saturday, so I need to re-schedule that. Since I had no diagnosis said my doctor said just take it slow for now, stay happy and eat oatmeal. 

I'm as baffled as my doctors on what really happened, but I'm leaving it up to them to figure it out. There's no use for me to be anxious about it. I need to focus my energy on getting well. I'm still experiencing some of the symptoms off and on, so I'm taking it slow for now. 

This was at my cardiovascular surgeon's office. My other doctor made tsismis to me he did another pro-bono delicate heart surgery for one of the hospital guards. A week after my surgery he did a heart surgery for a baby. My doctor is truly a lifesaver, you need to see the photos of all the babies he has saved. 

I've been through this several times. My doctors think it may be the scars in my lungs causing the issue. I previously had severe pneumonia caused by legionella bacteria. I survived it but it left scars in my lungs. I only found out about the scars after heart surgery. My doctor asked me if I had a previous lung operation. I said no and from then we always wondered why I have scars in my lungs. 

If you read up on pneumonia caused by legionella bacteria (legionnaire's disease), the symptoms are very similar to COVID19. Overall mortality rate is 5-10% (source: WHO). It is a nasty disease and it took me a year, a miracle for me to get well. It's one of my battle scars that's now causing issues. Unfortunately all my medical reports from that time were damaged during typhoon Ondoy. The only record I have is the blood test my doctor here in Singapore did a few weeks after I got discharged from the hospital. 

So this is something I need to ask my doctors to investigate further. It might be scars in my lungs causing issues or my unusually prolific vein system. Both issues cannot be solved by medication or an operation. I will need to get myself to work harder to heal -- through exercise, better nutrition, more positive vibes and a prayer for a miracle. 

#CB//215 #StuckAtHomeDay/245 #WFH144 #StayHome #BeKind