Breakthrough Coming!

My respiratory doctor told me last week I need to get vaccinated before I go back home. We've been working on my transition the past few months. He's the one who saved my life three years ago when he discovered I had a huge clot in my left lung. He saved my life again when he instinctively tested me and saw I had multiple clots in my left lung. A nurse told me that he said I was a challenging case, but he really took care of me. He's a rockstar doctor. 

The discussion about getting vaccinated started when I asked him if I should get the flu vaccine. He said we'll do it in my next appointment. He then asked me if I've been vaccinated for COVID-19. I said no because my vascular surgeon said it wasn't safe for me. He reassured me it was safe for me and I should definitely get it before I go home. The next day I tracked down my cardiovascular surgeon and vascular surgeon to get clearance. 

My cardiovascular surgeon is in the UK right now, but he kindly responded to my Whatsapp message. He gave clearance for me to get vaccinated. On my birthday, my vascular surgeon, the one who said I shouldn't get vaccinated, also gave his clearance for me to get vaccinated. Yaaaaasssss! That really made my birthday happy since I want my family to be less worried for me. Of course, we still need to take precautions. 

I did some research over the weekend and saw the MOH has some guidelines for those who are medically ineligible. One should check back with your specialist every few months since more research and data become available. I guess my doctors finally gave clearance because there's more data to support that it's safe for me. I'm now trying to find out how I can get vaccinated at a hospital. MOH website stated that if you are immuno-compromised or have health issues you can request to have it done at a hospital. I'm just waiting for my doctor's nurse to respond to my request. 

I'm also happy that Miggy and my Mom got their first dose. They only felt sore for a few days, but have been fine so far. We've had to remind Mom everyday not to do any gardening for the meantime. The rest of my family have been fully vaccinated. Thank you Lord :D

Day 30 Minimalism challenge, Re-purge your wardrobe. This is what I started to do at the beginning of the month. I realized though that I didn't have the space to keep those clothes that I plan to bring back home. As it is our home is currently really messy since we've started to sort things that will be brought home. We stalled sorting for now until we finalize plans with the movers. For my wardrobe I'm thinking what I should do with my winter clothes. I used to use it a lot when I traveled, but I think it's going to take years before I use them again. What about you? What have you done with your wardrobe? 

CB///*Yr2/141 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/164 #NewG306 #Home64 #StayHome #BeKind 

Moments That Changed My Life

Have you thought about events in your life that changed your life completely? I started thinking about this after reading the Didache reflection last night. I looked back and thought about events and decisions that changed my life completely. Here's a few I thought about -

That time I had Miggy - having Miggy early ignited the fire in me. I had that burning desire to succeed because I wanted to provide the best life for my son. It hasn't been easy, but my decisions have always been what I thought would be best for him. 

That time I decided to take graduate studies - I was already working at a telco when I realized what I really wanted to do with my career. My undergraduate degrees were far from the direction I wanted to take so I enrolled in grad school a year after graduation. This decision helped me gain important skills I still use.

That time I worked for my Mom - I had a hard time during my first year in grad school. I was still inexperienced. They usually accept students with at least 2 years work experience. I got in because I got a good recommendation. I tried to move departments in the company I was working for but they didn't allow it. I realized that I wasn't going to get the opportunity to grow there so I left. I joined my Mom's export business and that's where I really learned a lot. I was doing web marketing as early as 1998. This moment set my path to where I am today.

That time I bungled up an interview - unfortunately my Mom's business was affected by the crash of the economy. All export businesses were affected. I completed grad school at that time and had to find a job. I made a good impression on the HR manager and was immediately sent to the president for the interview. I got really nervous and failed the interview. I had another interview the next day with a start-up company. I over-prepared and got the job. The interview I failed pushed me to the right direction (who would've thought I'd end up in the tech industry?). 

OHSI days.

With my scout brothers.

That time I applied for a job at Google - I heard about the opening from my boss. She heard about it from a conference she attended in HK. I looked it up and the job description was overwhelming. I checked it again six months later and was surprised that the job description changed. It was less intimidating. I submitted an application without expecting anything. I was super surprised to receive an email the next day. I went through the eye of a needle and was eventually hired. This is probably one of the biggest life changing moments in my life. 

That time in the airplane I asked God to take over - after a series of disappointing relationships, on September 27, 2007 I begged God to navigate my life. During that year I told him that if by September 30, 2007 I didn't have a partner I would enroll in post-grad studies and live a life of single blessedness. I had no clue that He had already started writing my love story when I met Sweetie. On September 29, 2007, Sweetie asked me if he could court me. 

SG office when it was just tables and chairs.

That time I jumped at a role that brought me to Singapore - I never intended to leave the Philippines. My Dad would not have allowed it if he was still around. My old mission had ended and I was told to look for a new role. I really thought my journey had already ended. My managers though were keen to keep me and it was fate when my manager met my future manager in a trip to Indonesia. He set up a call with my future manager who was based in Zurich. That call eventually brought me to Singapore. 

That time I had open heart surgery - It was honestly the move to Singapore that eventually saved my life. The surgery changed my life completely. I had to change the way I lived my life. My family wasn't living in Singapore when I did my surgery. Sweetie stayed as long as he could (he had to go back to work). My Mom and Miggy stayed with me until I was well enough to fly back to Manila to recover more. I never went back to normal so the OHS effectively changed the course of my life. 

That time I had pulmonary embolism - post-OHS I was still able to do a lot of activities. I tried to cope after the first PE, but it really changes your body. The second one I had early this year has changed my life completely. A year ago today I was a very busy bee. My focus now is to get a bit better everyday. I'm still living this moment and I expect it will be what will completely change the course of my life. 

Life is beautiful. We go through a lot of moments. Some effectively change the direction of our lives. I believe though that we all have our individual missions from God. He nudges us to the right direction at the right time. I'm never scared whenever I feel I'm going through a life-changing moment. I embrace it because I know it's where God wants to take me next. 

What are your life changing moments?

CB///*Yr2/87 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/114 #NewG359 #Home133 #StayHome #BeKind 

Live in the Moment

I am over the moon today. My doctor gave me good news. They solved the clotting mystery and the recommendation is not to do surgery. It took me a long time to fall asleep last night. I was dreading the consultation today. I'm just so relieved and grateful that the course of action is not going to be invasive! (Thank you so much to my doctors!). 

Before going to see my doctor I watched Kulas' (Becoming Filipino) vlog. He vlogs almost everyday about his laid back life in Cateel, Davao. I've been so amazed with his lifestyle. He acquired a beach front lot, built a huge hut and lives with trusted friends. His hut has no doors and they just sleep anywhere. It's a great example of living in the moment (and being responsible about it too). Kulas is in his early 30s. 

Responsibility has been my driver since I completed my studies. That's why I took breaks sparingly. My Mom reminded me that I'm an empty nester now. She said it's time for me to enjoy life. And that's why I've been so fascinated with Kulas. He's been able to show me a different way of living. 

I'm after all just 45 and I feel I've been given a new lease of life. It's been hard for to transition from my super busy life to my slow, forced to chill life. I need to embrace it and just live in the moment. 

After all, it's never too late to make new dreams. 

Thank you for your continued prayers my friends.

CB///*Yr2/80 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/107 #StayHome #BeKind  

 

Dance to the Rhythm

Waiting for meds.

Yesterday was what my PT warned me about. It was a two steps forward, but three steps back kind of day. Went to see my doctor this morning for my regular check-up and he gave me medication for the meds. I'm on the fence on whether I should bother my cardiovascular surgeon.

I think this is the day I realized that I need to understand more about living with arrhythmia. It was discovered six months ago when I just suddenly had dizzy spells and strange heart rate. I was so exhausted (just as I have been since yesterday). My doctor explained to me when it happens my heart beats like it's on a marathon. That's why I feel so exhausted. 

I had to stay at a cafe after my check-up since I felt so groggy. Ate a bit before going home. It didn't help that the Grab driver was arguing to pick me up at the other side of the hospital. I refused since I booked my pick-up location correctly and it would have been detrimental for me to walk a block to get to where he was. A little empathy picking up passengers from a hospital would go a long way noh. 

Got home and did some important stuff for work that couldn't wait and then I took a long nap. Woke up when Sweetie arrived. I'm thankful that the nap helped because we had a scheduled housewarming get-together that I didn't want to miss. Seeing friends always helps me get better. 

Housewarming.

Tomorrow I have to do a bit more research how I can conquer this weird heart rhythm. The strange thing is it springs on me unexpectedly and normally when I'm doing much better. It shouldn't be that way. I will not be defeated. 

Pray for me, k?

#CB//247 #StuckAtHomeDay/277 #WFH165 #StayHome #BeKind

My Heart Went Whoopsies

The past ten days have been very challenging for me health-wise. My doctors have been hesitant to give a diagnosis just yet until they understand the full picture. 

I oftentimes ask myself why did God give me a very unusual body. I was always different even when I was a child. And then eventually my congenital heart issues progressed and I had to under go mitral valve repair. My doctors discovered during my surgery that the structure of my veins were very different. I had many nurses who came in to look at me because they said it was uncommon to meet someone like me. 

At my fave doctor's office. I was on the same spot, also sitting on a wheelchair almost 8 years ago. 

He's been my doctor for 17 years now.

My doctor said though that my issues have been there all my life and any procedures or medicines I take should be carefully scrutinized. I do get frustrated because there's so much I want to do. I believe though that you are given the cross you can bear so I try my best to cope and serve the mission assigned to me. 

On the bright side, I am very grateful to have a team of doctors who really care for me. Yesterday my respiratory doctor was really concerned about my condition and insisted I immediately see my cardiologist. I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in my cardiologist's office for tests. One thing I like about my doctors is they recognize that I'm an unusual case and they need to give me customized care. 

So that's what I've been going through the past ten days. I'm just resting at home, sleeping when I feel like sleeping. I should probably see my other doctor next week. I missed seeing him today because I had to wait for the results of my test. In the meantime, I pray, try to live healthier and rest for now. 

Pray for me okay?

#CB//213 #StuckAtHomeDay/243 #WFH144 #StayHome #BeKind

Two Achievements Today! Hooray!

It took me seven months to reach where I left off in my exercise achievements. The physiotherapy clinic was closed throughout the circuit breaker and I was back to zero when I returned. I also got sick towards the end of August and it took awhile to resolve those issues. I was getting better, but slipped in the bathroom and it took time for my body to recover. #SignsOfOldAge!

Yes, the struggle is real! 

Last week my super patient physiotherapist decided it was time for me to try the bicycle again. She had me use it for 3 minutes and then we did ball exercises. Took me two days to get over it. By Thursday I did 4 minutes on the bike at a slightly faster speed. Today my PT said I should try 5 minutes. I did 7 minutes! That was where we left off last March, although back then I could also do a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing. We'll probably complete that in a few weeks. 

I'm so happy I'm back to where I left off before the circuit breaker. It took seven long months! When you really put your mind into something you want you can achieve it :D

You'll probably laugh at my second achievement, but if you play Pokemon Go you'd understand why. I finally completed the "nine nice throws in a row" challenge! I tried doing it over the weekend, but I ran out of balls. I got "streak broken" so many times I wanted to delete the game out of frustration. After achieving 7 minutes on the bike today I thought I was in the zone to achieve anything. I sat at the park, logged into the game and saw there was a sea of Duskulls in the area. Took a deep breath and worked on the nice throws. I almost danced for joy when I completed it! Of course I didn't, I just took a screenshot and sent it to the boys. 

My happy fez after completing the task!

When I slipped in the bathroom I got so fed up at myself for being weak. I told myself things would only change for the better if I put my mind to it. And that's what I did. And I worked hard to turn the corner. I'm so grateful I have a very patient and caring physiotherapist. She's truly the best! I'm probably her most problematic patient, but because she believes I could do it I'm motivated to achieve more. I'm taking things one day at a time and I believe I'll be better soon. 

CB//203 #StuckAtHomeDay/233 #WFH138  #StayHome #BeKind

Mind Over Body Experiment

I have been feeling unwell off and on since end of August. It's tiring and has affected my productivity. The meds my doctor gave me helped, but I don't want to be dependent on medication. I also have a target to reduce the medication I take daily. 

Last week I was so exasperated already at my condition. I was doing everything my doctor told me to do, but my progress was still slow. I remembered a session I watched last year. It was a session on how you can heal yourself through meditation. I learned this from Dr. Joe Dispenza. He said you can pull energy from within you and direct it to the area you want healed. 

Dr. Joe Dispenza learned it when he had an accident. He had a spinal and was told he had to go through several surgeries, but it was uncertain whether he could walk again. He eventually healed himself through his mind (watch videos about it here). 

My Kuya enrolled me in the sessions Dr. Joe taught and I watched all the videos, but never put what I learned in consistent practice. I thought I'd put what I learned to practice last week. I started to do the meditation to pull energy from within myself and re-directed it to what I needed to heal.

By weekend I was feeling better I decided to do another mind exercise that Dr. Joe taught. He said you can train your body on something using your mind. I've not been able to do any of my physiotherapy exercises at home for a long time now. Last weekend before going to sleep I would think about doing the bridging exercises. I would do several rounds in my mind. 

Yesterday my physiotherapist asked me to do bridging exercises and she was surprised that I was stronger than usual. She was so happy with my exercise performance yesterday. I shared with her what I did and she said that it really helps when your mind is in a good place. 

So that's my mind over body experiment. I did that because I was so fed up feeling unwell. I thought about doing the meditation exercises since I wouldn't lose anything anyway if I did it. And it looks like it helped. I was super wiped out after my physiotherapy session yesterday, but it was a good wipe out. What's important to me is I'm okay today and still kicking. 

CB//190 #StuckAtHomeDay/220 #WFH129 #StayHome #BeKind

It's My Second Clotiversary

"If untreated, acute PE is associated with a significant mortality rate (as high as 30%), whereas the death rate of diagnosed and treated PE is 8%. Up to 10% of acute PE patients die suddenly. Two of three patients succumbing to PE die within 2 h after presentation." (Source) 

I am posting my clot story to drive more awareness about the risks of having this disease. My doctors never thought this would happen to me.

Two years ago after multiple tests my doctor told me what was ailing me. I had a huge blood clot in my lungs. No one suspected it because my open heart surgery was successful and I had resumed regular activities with heavy traveling.

Enroute to the hospital for a test.

I suspected something was terribly wrong. There were nights I could barely breathe and I would sleep sitting up. I thought it was just really bad asthma. I would even put the air filter right beside my bed. I suffered through it for more than a year. I was already seeing another doctor for over a year when I felt the medications he was giving me wasn't help. I was also in and out of the ER every other month.

I honestly had to fight for myself. Because I wasn't getting well I went to a clinic to request for a referral to see a respiratory doctor. The doctor in the clinic told me that I'd probably get the same diagnosis -- acid reflux that was causing asthma. I knew something was wrong so I insisted. At that time it would take me 15 minutes to walk, take an elevator to the next floor and reach another meeting room at the office. It would usually just take 2-3 minutes to do that if you can breathe properly.

It took a few weeks before I got an appointment with my new doctor. When I saw him he ordered for tests to see if I had COPD. I had a flurry of blood tests, allergy test, xray and a CT pulmonary angiogram. The CT clearly showed I had a huge blood clot in my lungs. After that my doctor had me do another series of tests to determine what caused the blood clot. It was undertermined and I didn't have a DVT. It was only ten months later when the cause was determined (May Thurner Syndrome, read about it here).

I'm grateful I was able to visit Rome, but I should have probably taken a break to recover first. 

My doctor was meticulous and knew exactly how to get me better. He even allowed me to go to Rome three weeks after diagnosis. It was a bad idea, but I survived and after that my doctor because stricter with grounding me when needed. It was my urologist who told me I am very blessed to have lived through it.

2nd anniv check up.

Recovering from pulmonary embolism does not have a set timeline. The clot is gone, but recovery is very slow. I rarely go out because I don't have the same energy as normal people. I read that pulmonary embolism affects both your lungs and heart, so it really takes time to recover. I joined a group where patients share their experiences and no one patient is the same.

To be honest, heart surgery was the most painful thing I've been through, but I was much better in about six months. My lifestyle changed a lot, but I still got to do a lot of things. PE and May Thurner Syndrome is a different monster. It's been two years and the effect has been more severe than undergoing heart surgery. To my family and friends who have been supporting me the last few years, thank you. The love, care and understanding means a lot to me.

CB//163 #StuckAtHomeDay/193 #WFH111 #StayHome #BeKind 

It was a Bad Day

Last Monday started on a bad note. I was feeling unwell and saw my doctor during my lunch break. My stomach acidity was triggered when I went for physiotherapy just after lunch. And then it got worse when I enjoyed eating too much during my birthday weekend. By Monday my body was going bonkers so I went to see my doctor. With just a few questions he knew what went wrong and gave me a some medication and a lot of reminders.

I was back to my happy self the next day and I resumed my usual activities. Attended my physiotherapy session on Wednesday. My PT adjusted my activities to lessen the impact on my tummy. I was feeling okay the next day and we even went to the park. Friday was busy and I puttered around the house all weekend. I was happy I didn't need to see my respiratory doctor since he said if things got worse to go see him again before the weekend.

I had been ignoring a symptom which I've been feeling for a few weeks now. I sometimes feel like I'm being choked. My doctor explained that it's probably some of the acid reaching my throat. Last night though the feeling was quite unbearable and this morning I was having difficulty breathing. I already took a shower and was getting ready for work when I felt really weak. I laid down on bed and when Sweetie checked on me I told him I probably needed to go to the emergency room.

I was not sure if it was my tummy or my lungs. I just watched a vlog last night where they mentioned, "If you're feeling pain make sure to get yourself checked!" So I did. We were ushered to the A&E (ER here in SG) and I was greeted by a Pinoy nurse. The A&E is located in I think a basement parking area. I was the only patient and was quickly attended to by a nice doctor who explained everything to me. He said not to be worried because it's just still the acid affecting my throat.

There was one important tidbit the doctor explained to me -- even just drinking water can affect my tummy. So even though I've been following my doctor's advise, there are other adjustments I need to make so my tummy will go back to normal.  I usually just eat 3 meals per day, but now I need to chop that up to smaller meals. I love drinking water, but I need to drink in smaller quantities too. I didn't sleep well last night and doctor advised to rest for two days. I'm not allowed to do anything exhausting so my body can recuperate. Arggghhh.

It was a bad day, I'm still experiencing the symptoms. Hope tomorrow will be a better day. Pray for me okay?


CB//153 #StuckAtHomeDay/183  #StayHome #BeKind 

3 Things You Need to Keep Healthy According to My Doctor

I went to see my doctor today. He's the one who did my open heart surgery (twice!) seven years ago. He remembers me well because they only discovered I was a complicated case after they opened me up. The original 2-hour surgery lasted 4 hours and then they had to do it again a few weeks later when I had water in my heart. He is one of my heroes. His expert hands ensured I would live.

He is one of my favorite doctors because he's so chill. Whenever I come for a check-up we always end up having a long chat especially when he's not busy. He took over management of my MTS issues last year and has been really supportive whenever there's something weird going on in my body. He checked my heart and said that the valve is beautifully placed and there are no leaks. In a few months he said we could likely remove one of my maintenance meds. Yay!

I've been going to this clinic for 8 years now, this is my first photo in it haha. 

I've been nagging him on when we can remove one of the maintenance meds. I gave him the good news that my respiratory doctor discontinued one of my inhalers. I really want to eventually get rid of all of my maintenance meds. My doctor said that medicines help in some way, but ultimately there are three things you can do to be healthy.

1. Diet 

When I told him a few months ago I was learning how to bake bread, the first thing he asked was, "Does it have a lot of butter?" So far the buns I've been cooking does not require a lot of butter so it's been okay. My doctors don't prohibit me to eat anything. The only usual reminder is not to eat acid inducing food and to eat on time. 

2. Exercise

Since I've been working from home my doctor has been teaching me quick exercises I can do in between meetings. I actually taught my colleagues some of it. It's usually stretches you can do so your back won't hurt. I'm lucky my physiotherapist is so patient with me. I feel we'll soon be back to the strength I had in early April. She said soon I should be able to go biking. Yay!

3. Sleep

Eight hours of sleep is what you need everyday. For your body to be restored overnight you need 8 hours of sleep. Ahhh I don't have any issues about sleeping long. It only gets interrupted when I have early morning meetings. Oh, my doctor also said that if you drink sleeping pills that doesn't help restore your body when you sleep. His advise for those who have a hard time sleeping is to take a walk after dinner. That would tire you out and you'd have a good night's sleep. I had a good night's sleep last night because our walk in the park covered 2 kilometers.

I think to support all three points one should also top it up with positive thinking. :)


CB//150 #StuckAtHomeDay/180  #StayHome #BeKind 

Beautiful Afternoon Walk

It was raining cats and dogs all day, but it stopped around 4 in the afternoon. Around six in the evening Sweetie came up to me and asked if I wanted to accompany him to the park. I hurriedly said goodbye to my manager and said I'm going out for a walk to exercise! Surprisingly he bit me goodbye immediately. I guess he was pleased to hear I was going to exercise haha.

I quickly changed to sportswear ("If you cannot perform, japorms!" - Marc Macalua, circa 2007). I have a very small selection of workout outfits so it wasn't hard to choose. Few minutes later we headed to the West Coast Park. It's only my second time to walk around the park, so Sweetie wanted to bring me to the edge of the water. Last time we only walked half-way. I completed 2 weeks of PT sessions without cancelling so I thought I'm in better shape now.

Sweetie was forced to walk slowly since I stop to catch my breath every 50 meters (may be shorter than that tbh). We made the whole round without me sitting so that's quite good. We stopped for awhile by the beach to check out the ships. Sat for about 2 minutes, but insects started chomping on our legs so we started our stroll back.

The weather was a bit cooler than usual, probably because of the rain. I loved it and I love just looking at the trees, the sky and the sea. The gigantic ships, boats and yachts were fascinating to watch. It's just simply a great feeling to be out and about. I think we're starting to feel a bit safer now because confirmed cases is averaging about 50 per day, with only 3 to 5 community cases. Sweetie even allowed me to go to Spotlight tomorrow after my doctor's appointment! Yaaaas!

Someday I hope when I go back home we'd have a nice home near a park (farm would be ok too!). By the sea would be nice too, but I dread being near the sea during a typhoon. My "someday" plan is still fuzzy, I just know I don't want to live in a condo unit anymore. I want a right-sized house with a garden or backyard where I can plant more! I also want a hobby room. That's what I hope to have someday!

For now I content myself with where I am now. My immediate goal is to be able to go biking around the park and hopefully check out Clementi Woods Park (it's an uphill park so it's gonna be hard!). We have a company holiday tomorrow, ahhh it'll be good to have some rest after a very busy week.


CB//149 #StuckAtHomeDay/179 #WFH104 #StayHome #BeKind 

Living with MTS

Last week I blogged about that time I had pulmonary embolism. My long-time doctors were baffled about it. I was super lucky and blessed that the doctor I was referred to found out what was ailing me. It took two weeks of tests before I was properly diagnosed. It was a huge blood clot that grew over a year. I had been doing a lot of overnight flights that year and that probably made things worse.

When you are diagnosed with pulmonary embolism it's important to know whether it's provoked or unprovoked (the cause). This was undetermined after doing so many tests. I had just finished my medications 9 months later when weird symptoms started showing up. I was having frequent headaches, blurring of vision for a few weeks.

It was another series of ER visits, new doctors until I ended up with an interventional radiologist. I had an angiogram and venogram and it was found I have May Thurner Syndrome. It means I have an artery and vein pushing against each other. This is what caused the clots that eventually found its way up to my lungs.

I probably have it for a long time because my cardiologist through many years always wondered why my calves are always swollen. I would usually tell him I just have thunder thighs and it runs in the family! To fix MTS one is given the option to have a stent placed in the vein. I was super iffy about it and got the second opinion of my cardiovascular surgeon. He did two open heart surgeries on me and so I sought his opinion. He said I shouldn't do it and explained that one should only do these kinds of procedures if your life depended on it and whether it would improve your quality of life.

Pain goes hand in hand with MTS. Swelling is an everyday thing and I have other medical conditions that complicate matters. To this day I follow my allergologist's advise, "Accept things early and be flexible". I believe I will get over this. My doctor reduced my medication already. It's hard because there are good days and bad days. My goal is to go back to the days when I didn't have daily medication (my Mom is 85 and doesn't have any meds and she had medical conditions also in the past).

Here's what I'm doing to work towards my goal -

(1) Physiotherapy
(2) Exercise
(3) Staying positive (meditate!)
(4) Eating properly
(5) Pray

Road to Wellness, Recovering from Pulmonary Embolism

The past three years have been a struggle for me health-wise. I was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism back in 2018. I was lucky because my respiratory doctor found the issue after a lot of tests and scans. It took a year before they found the cause - May Thurner Syndrome. My body issues have always been mechanical, but despite that I'm still blessed because I'm still alive and able to contribute to my community.

I kinda lived a normal life post-heart surgery seven years ago. I didn't get sick for almost five years. I didn't have any maintenance meds. My weight was acceptable (depends on which of my doctors you talk to). I traveled a lot. I may not have been able to do my favorite activities anymore like riding ziplines, roller coasters. I wanted to do para-gliding and other adventurous stuff. It's okay, I'm just happy to be alive.

Going through all of these challenges have not been easy. There are days when things go dark for me. You'd know I'm okay when you see I'm busy with my hobbies - I sew, I bake, I cook, I vlog, I blog, I nag my boys, I nag my Mom. I become unproductive when I'm unwell. Having body issues is just half the battle, the other half is pulling myself out of feeling unwell.

The battle to get well from PE was followed by severe asthma from the haze and crazy backaches. My doctor advised me to do physiotherapy and I have been doing that since November last year. It has helped me a lot. My back has been okay and I feel my lungs are working better now. I only feel unwell when my asthma is triggered from haze and when I get too tired. The key to avoid getting triggered is understanding my body and avoiding stress!

Clean air to keep my lungs healthy!

I'm so grateful that I have an amazing set of doctors who really show they care for me. My physiotherapist really tries to understand what my body can and cannot do. She makes sure I don't overdo things so I can make it to my next session. And because of their support I am inspired to become better. 

I'm happy to share that my doctor has removed one of the inhalers I had been taking for almost two years. My goal is to remove all my maintenance meds because it's been making me bloated. Hopefully soon my cardiovascular surgeon will remove my daily dose of blood thinners soon. Then my next target is to get rid of my daily inhaler.

To balance all the medical requirements I also do meditation, diffuse oils and pray for healing. I'm able to share this today because I've just gotten out of a health rut which lasted a few weeks. I need to stay in this state so my physiotherapy sessions can progress to my favorite exercise -- biking! Ahhh, we can all hope and pray.

Happy Monday everyone!


CB//139 #StuckAtHomeDay/169 #WFH99  #StayHome #BeKind