My 78 years old mom chief complaints were acute abdominal pain and vomiting which persisted for successive days and it was alarming at her age so she was admitted to the hospital to have an IV fluid administered to arrest dehydration.  It was suspected that she has gastritis and was given initial medications.   My other sister is available to assist her all throughout and we  can only receive updates about her condition by constant overseas calls.

The latest that I’ve heard is that she has been discharged 3 days ago but she still needs to undergo ultrasound of hepatobiliary tree, whatever that means I don’t know!   We are worried because at 78 mom is already complaining of too many lab works and she could no longer tolerate too many pills to swallow every meal.   Well, maybe some maintenance drugs for her hypertension and high cholesterol might somehow caused reactions to the lining of her stomach, thus she has gastritis.

We are anticipating still with the outcome of the test scheduled today and hopefully it will come out well.

The other week my brother was an emergency case when he complained of chest pain and shortness of breath.  He was diagnosed to have suffered mild heart attack and found out that he has an artery block.   Who wouldn’t if you can consume 2 packs of cigarette a day, no exercise, stressed and he always stays up late at night?   Being an artist, for him cigarettes are his comforter while doing his oil painting but now it is beginning to take its toll on his health.  He was confined for 4 days and was discharged when he was declared out of the danger zone that is 1-3 days after the last attack… because according to the attending physician, it is likely to have another attack within 24 hours -3 days.

His take home medicines are a lot and the “bitter pill” for him to swallow is the stern advice to stop smoking.  The first few weeks is expected to be terrible and a struggle because of the withdrawal symptoms that he is going to experience.   Lately, he has been complaining of headaches but we were told that it is normal.  It will be an overall change of diet for him like avoiding saturated fats, too much preservatives, sweets and though he is protesting because his food taste bland, he had to obey and be a good boy.

brod is trying to eliminate the habit

I can see him always sitting on his favorite rocking chair and I have to cajole him to start walking around.   He should not just sit idly.. in fact he can start to go back to his painting but he needs to take it easy.   Discipline is the key.

A friend brought us hope and good news when she came back sleek and slim and looking young.  Of course, we were intrigued on how she did it.  Knowing that she also had this love and hate relationship with her stored fats…lol…. and yo-yo dieting is nothing new.  It is an endless battle of the bulge.   She will lose weight and gain it again in just few weeks.   She had tried all diets.. fad diet pills, yoga, tae-bo .. countless means to fight her ballooning weight…

However, this time, it was a success!  There is no surgical intervention because she hates surgery like liposuction that is why she is trying all possible means to lose weight.   We cornered and let her spill the beans… apparently, she has been drinking a new brand of  Slimming coffee and she hit the bulls eye… it is effective on her.  Actually, the effect is different for all types of people…she did not experience any side effects at all unlike others who swore that it is not good for them.

This time my friend Annie is bent to continue drinking the coffee and will do her work out to hasten her weight loss.  She is focussed to reach her goal because 6 months from now, her beau is going to arrive for their church wedding.   Any lady would want to look her best on her special day!  I am now tempted to try the coffee because I am one of the principal sponsors and of course, jut like the bride to be.. I also wanted to show off my new curves (if the coffee will work for me).

Let me see if I can ask for Annie’s before and after photo to post here… Just hang on…

My hubby just celebrated his 51st  birthdays 3 days ago.   Prelude to old age?  Well, I believe that he must do something about taking care of himself more because he (or we) are not getting any younger…. Last Sunday,while driving to  a meeting, he complained of shortness of breath and numbness on his left arm.  Knowing him having history of hypertension, alarmed, we proceeded to the Emergency room of a nearby hospital to have him checked.   He had his ECG done and X-ray (??? wonder why chest X-ray) and an IV fluid administered.

According to the attending physician, the pain was not related to hypertension but a neck problem, suspecting some nerves might have been blocked or twisted that caused numbness.  What a relief…but still he needs to take care.  He should not rest with the thought that his ECG was normal… he might overindulge again.  Actually that  is his weakness, he would not listen because he loves to eat and most often than not he would not skip eating those foods that he needs to avoid confident that his medicines are ever ready… lol…   Of course, I want him to enjoy food but he need to watch his intake.  I am not imposing too much restrictions on him and really, I would not want to see him starving.   Hubby should eat sensibly and healthy before it’s too late.

This illustration is worth sharing to all (including him….).

Oh well, it is really true… we can never teach an old man new tricks!

We decided to forgo  our old sphygmomanometer in favor of a wrist digital blood pressure monitor.   We  decided to  buy the latest apparatus with LCD screen so that hubby can constantly monitor his blood pressure even if I am not around in the house.  It is handy and convenient to use too!  My husband got alarmed when friends one by one had stroke or heart attack that are associated with hypertension.  And he is one candidate because he too is hypertensive and on maintenance medication.

Our BP apparatus is ever reliable having served its purpose to the fullest…lol… it is now high time for it to retire.  Hubby will no longer bother to wake me up at night to have his blood pressure reading because with the new digital blood pressure monitor we bought, he can do it himself.   It is easy to use with its large LCD display and comfortable wrist cuff.  The systolic and diastolic pressure reading will be displayed in the LCD monitor.  It’s handy!

Actually both apparatus have their own advantages and disadvantages and it all depends on what you prefer to use.. The manual or the digital?  For us?  We want to go modern this time!

Bye.. manual bp apparatus! You’ve been with us for decades already… good job!

from manual to digital……

I feel so sad for Teodoro Modesto III , fondly called Thirdy. The baby is only 2 months old and his worried sick parents is appealing for help.  Actually, he was rushed to the hospital early morning of Thursday when  apparently the boy was sweating cold… and since it is unusual to his  first time parents, they wasted no time to have their baby checked.

Actually, the history was, the baby was jaundice at birth.  Actually, when I saw him, I already noticed his yellowish skin but dismissed the thought of something else about him, I am aware that usually babies are jaundice in the first 2 weeks after birth.  Alarmingly,  my friend told me that Thirdy always vomit when fed, profusely cold sweat and pass pale colored stools.  This prompted their immediate visit because from what I’ve heard pale, grey or white bowel movements are probably the most reliable sign of liver problem.   And the boy has those symptoms.

When we had the chance to visit them at  home, I offered help to get second opinion from pedia consultants in our hospital.   I asked for copy of all the baby’s laboratory results and ultrasound plus medical report so that I can immediately present it to a  specialist.   True enough, his bilirubin count is way beyond normal and his attending physician reported of suspected biliary atresia.   When I presented it to the consultant,  I was saddened to hear about his review of the case,  it but try not to show any trace of panic when I talked to the couple.   We told them that we will work hand in hand and we will try our very best to extend any help they need.  In fact, all our friends are pledging their support for the baby.

This afternoon, after office, we passed by their house to check on the baby and get the CD of his ultrasound result so again for more comprehensive review.  The baby looked fine but  for now….but as what the specialist confirmed he needs to have liver transplantation the soonest time possible.   Actually, the couple are still waiting for the other test scheduled tomorrow and we are in the “wait and see” mode.  I don’t want to pre empt or give wrong signals to our friend by revealing the opinion from our hospital not until we have the complete results from their side.

We will continue to pray for Thirdy….

I need to recharge my weary mind and body.   Due to the changing weather, I am not feeling well today.  But I will bounce back to my old self hopefully soon.

Don’t miss me.. but I will be missing you my blogger friends.!

Take care too and God Bless everyone!

Off for a while from blogging.   We might spend our whole day to accompany a friend whose husband suffered stroke yesterday.   He is now in the Medical Intensive Care Unit of a nearby hospital and no good news to date.   Actually, yesterday, we were also there but no new development came out till we left to attend to some appointments.  As my friend recounted, her husband complained of chest pain the night before and slept his aches away hoping that it will subside but woke up very early with unbearable pain.  Since he can’t drive and  calling and sending for  an ambulance will take longer time, she decided to rushed him in a taxi but she almost panicked when he was sweaty, cold and pale and about to collapse.  The medical team in the Emergency room who received them attached all tubes and did emergency procedures on his husband.  Afterwards, she learned that his heart stopped beating for seconds but was revived.   In case his condition deteriorates, he will undergo open heart surgery which was scheduled tomorrow.  So, today, we will lend a hand the best way we can.   We just need continuous prayers for her husband Vaughn.

Well, my hubby should cut out his hearty appetite as a warning.   He too is taking regular medication for his hypertension and lately, his blood works yielded high triglycerides.  I told him that he needs to take care of  himself.    Lol… and reminded him that gluttony is a mortal sin!

I’ll be out for a while… don’t miss me!!!!

these flowers might cheer up our friend…

Everytime, I see my cousin Jade, in her eyes, I can see the emptiness of  life.  The last time I saw her, I can’t exactly describe how I perceived how her life is going!  She was always in deep thought and her pretty smile and infectious laughter were gone.   A relative told me that she decided to hibernate in a place to “soul search”.  I felt sorry for I did  not even had the chance bond with her and know the true story behind that gloomy face.

Amazing!  One time, Jane popped out of the blue and would you believe in a social networking site when she joined our Family group page?   Jade is undeniably bubbly and happy in her post.   Her shout out in her profile was  ” I found my peace with ilchi lee!    Momentarily, I froze in amazement when I checked on all her pictures and I felt so happy for her.  Not even knowing who ilchi lee is, I presumed that she already found the man of her dreams. When I had the chance to chat with her, I did not hesitate to ask her (what cousins are for) about that newly found joy in her life.   She was all ecstatic, happy and proud about how her life turned 180 degrees from being helpless to being hopeful and she kept mentioning how ilchi lee brought the sunshine back into her empty life.  Very briefly, she recounted that her endless quest for serenity of life, wellness of life and health was discovered in a place she’s been to (she would not disclose).  I wonder which place she was referring to because there were several pictures of places with majestic and serene view posted,  t’was a sight to see!   I also saw her in several yoga poses and her face was very calm and peaceful….. I bet that was her tight guarded secret, ilchi lee!

Oh well, whatever… as long as she is happy and contented.. I am more than happy!

Good morning!

Such a refreshing picture of juicy, sweet oranges!  Hubby bought these fruits last night and when I woke up, I thought of capturing its freshness and giving  somewhat an artistic touch with flowers.  I need to preserve this shot because in a while I will  make orange juice and extract the juicy pulp out of it and it will be gone.

My research in the web about orange led me to these very useful information and orange is one of the best fruit that help promote optimal health like:

• Arteriosclerosis: Regularly consuming vitamin C retards the development of hardening of the arteries.
• Cancer prevention: A compound in oranges called liminoid, has been found to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.  The high vitamin C content also acts as a good anti-oxidant that protects cells from damages by free radicals.
• Cholesterol: The alkaloid synephrine found under the orange peel can reduce the liver’s production of cholesterol.  Whereas the anti-oxidant fights oxidative stress that is the main culprit in oxidizing the LDLs in our blood.
• Constipation: Even though the orange “tastes acidic”, it actually has an alkaline effect in the digestive system and helps stimulate the digestive juices, relieving constipation.
• Damaged sperm, repair: An orange a day is sufficient for a man to keep his sperm healthy.  Vitamin C, an anti-oxidant, protects sperm from genetic damage that may cause a birth defect.
• Heart disease: A high intake of flavonoids and vitamin C has been known to halve the risk of heart diseases.
• High blood pressure: Studies have shown that a flavonoid called hesperidin in oranges can lower high blood pressure.
• Immune system: The strong content of vitamin C stimulates white cells to fight infection, naturally building a good immune system.
• Kidney stones, prevent: Drinking orange juice daily can significantly drop the risk of formation of calcium oxalate stones in the kidney.
• Skin: The anti-oxidant in orange help protect the skin from free radical damage known to cause signs of aging.
• Stomach ulcer: Consuming vitamin C rich foods helps to lower the incidence of peptic ulcers and in turn, reduce the risk of stomach cancer.
• Viral infections, protection against: The abundance of polyphenols have been shown to provide protection against viral infections.