Health Issues

Please Pray For My Kuya Bong's Recovery

I have some virus issues on my computer now, it started when my son plug his USB flash disk last weekend. It seems that he got the virus from school or from his classmate. Its a Worm 32.trojan.abj virus. I’ll be posting the details to my other blog later. Aside from being busy on Christmas preparations, migraine on getting rid of trojan, my family and I are worried with my cousin’s health condition.

Kuya Bong is only 42 years, single. He is confined now at San Juan De Dios Hospital, acute stroke ICU department. I can’t remember the medical term of “malapot ang dugo”, he have this rare condition and taking medicine for almost 8 years. Last Monday morning he collapsed after steam bath. Dehydrated? Maybe… and he had few nights of insomnia before Monday. Good thing that the moment when he collapsed, he was not alone at home. Its good that my other cousins know CPR, they said Kuya Bong had no pulse and cold. My Auntie was hysterical already seeing his son on that condition. Thank God that he breath again and they rushed him in San Juan de Dios Hospital.

Last night, together with my sisters and my two grown up sons, we visited him. We took turns on going in the ICU (one visitor only is allowed at a time), my sister cried when he saw our Kuya Bong. He’s not using respirator but many tubes attached to his body and he have NGT (nasogastric tube insertion) on his nose. While I was waiting for my turn, the scent of hospital bed and medicine brought back the memories when my tatay passed away. I told to myself, I have to be casual when my kuya sees me. He was awake, lose weight and seems fine except for the medical thingy. My son who was the last one entered the ICU told us that Kuya Bong was asking where my sister (the one who cried) and he didn’t saw and talked to her. And we went back to the visitor’s lounge.

When we told our cousin about this, she told us Kuya Bong sometimes have memory lapses. Kuya Bong underwent MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) last Tuesday at St. Luke’s Medical Center. According to my cousin, the result wasn’t ok, he had bleeding and clot on his brain. The doctor said, we might lose him on his next attack.

What worries me now is that I know he was battling depression after breaking up with his live-in partner of 6 years last five months ago. I understand depression, sometimes it took years to battle it. How I wish I had the chance to talk to him regarding his lost love and his depression before. Pamilya Banal (Cruz family) are praying for his speedy recovery. We love you, Kuya Bong.

UPDATE 12/21/08: Kuya was transferred to a regular room now. Thank you so much to all your prayers, I’m hoping and still praying for his recovery.

stroke

Patient Discrimination

Part 2 of Giving Birth On Lying-In Centers

I told my sister, my niece to accompany the house guest and I will follow them to Pasay General Hospital. When I got there, the patient (house guest) is already inside OB Emergency Room (2nd floor), no companions are allowed inside. There’s a small window so that attending nurse can call on patient’s companion in case they need to tell something.

The nurse was monitoring the patient’s blood pressure, they’ve will asked us to buy gloves, syringe and medicine. During the “interview” (on the small window), the nurse asked us why we bring the patient there. I told her what is true, the lying in center brought us and recommended their hospital… and explained the patient’s condition (hypotension). She said, we’re not Pasay residents and the patient didn’t deliver the baby to their hospital. She also said that the midwife should have stayed to monitor the patient’s condition and they not supposed to transfer the patient with unstable blood pressure. Am I supposed to know what the medical team’s SOP? I thought, this is an emergency situation.

The doctor came after 10 minutes, she said “the patient’s blood pressure is stable at 90/70″ and we could transfer the patient to PGH (Philippine General Hospital) or Paranaque Community Hospital. Why? Because we’re NOT Pasay residents. I asked her if we could transfer the patient to Ospital ng Maynila, she said “bahala ho kayo basta community hospital or PGH” and she handed me the patient’s records. She’s a doctor by profession.

At that point, I felt bad. Pasay General Hospital gave me the impression that the hospital is for Pasay residents only. So if we have emergency situation within Pasay, we cannot count on them, better go to PGH or OM or anywhere but not Pasay General Hospital not unless you live in Pasay.

During that time, I was thinking that if something bad happened to our patient, Pasay General Hospital will also be liable. We stayed there for almost an hour, rode a cab and transferred to Ospital ng Maynila.

What am I supposed to feel? Nagaksaya lang kami ng oras para ipagtabuyan lang. (We wasted our time and they drive us away) Correct me if I’m wrong to my translation.

pregnancy

Giving Birth At Lying-in Centers

This was the first time that I haven’t updated my blog for almost a week because I have had a flu. Two nights ago, I feel better and ready to blog but something came up at home. I didn’t sleep the whole night and tired. Reason? We have to accompany our pregnant house guest to a nearby lying-in center because her water bag broke. Her baby is supposedly due on Sept 29 (tomorrow) it was 3 days earlier. For those who didn’t know, lying in centers are for normal deliveries, most often, midwife help mothers to gave birth. Midwife studied and pass the board passers to earn their license and practice their profession.

A baby girl was born at 1:30 am, October 26, 2008. My sister caught the baby when they arrived at the lying in center (lobby). OMG! I didn’t know that my sister can do that, she pulled down the underwear because she already saw the head of the baby. The mother was still standing when the baby came, my sister caught the baby.

The mother’s blood pressure was not stable, it dropped to 60/40. The midwives told us that we need to rushed the mother to Pasay General Hospital because they don’t have “facilities” for her present condition. My niece told me that a midwife told them something like this, “mawawalan ho kami ng lisensiya, wala kami gamit dito“. I told them that we could bring the patient to Ospital Ng Maynila since the travel time from our place to Pasay General Hospital and Ospital Ng Maynila is almost the same but they insisted to bring the patient to Pasay because “time is running out”. For the record, the only thing they did was to check on the patient’s blood pressure.

Around 3:00 am, the ambulance brought the patient, my sister and niece to Pasay General Hospital accompanied by 2 lying-in midwives. Blood pressure during the travel according to my niece as she heard was 40/10. The midwives didn’t even bother to accompany them to OB Emergency Room and told my sister “makiusap na lang kayo” and they left.

pregnancy

Influenza Got Me

No matter I often says “bawal magkasakit“, flu got me. It started waking up sneezing, sore throat and a terrible headache. At first, I thought it was a simple migraine attack. I have ideas to post few days ago but I can’t think straight and finish a post. Even moderating and replying to comments is too tiring for me. Stress? Maybe. Which reminds me, I had my flue vaccine two years ago, I forgot to have my vaccine shot this year.

I still don’t have nanny now and not planning to have one, that’s another story. When I feel good nursing this terrible flu and when my kids went out for school, that’s the time I can drop entrecard and check on my mails and rest. But I managed to change my template here and tweak a little. I guess, its easier because I don’t have to stress myself on thinking a better post.

Future post? No, I don’t have any. I prefer impromptu, my writing depends on my mood, environment and current issues. No matter how I tried writing, my mind is clouded. I hope everything will be fine in the coming days.

Pinoy

DOH Might Copy Banned China Milk List

The melamine tainted milk from China creates worldwide milk scare. Philippine authorities prohibited the importing and sale of Chinese milk started last September 24. DOH together with BFAD conducted melamine test to all dairy products, imported or locally made dairy products.

Melamine also known as tripolycyanmide can caused kidney stones, renal failures and even fatalities. The chemical appeared to have been added to milk in order to cause it to appear to have a higher protein content.

As of now, these milks have found positive for melamine:

1. Mengniu Milk
2. Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk

Its all over the news that DOH said that we should wait to BFAD melamine test result because they are authorized to do the melamine test. There are some independent testing laboratories were also conducting melamine tests and announced that there is known luncheon meat and corned beef found to be positive for melamine.

Its been 10 days and yet the final result wasn’t finish? Would they blame independent laboratory for they speedykupad result? And now what? Tired or stressed? DOH undersecretary Alex Padilla announced this morning they might copy the banned China milk and milk based products from other countries such as USA.

In my opinion, its better be safe than wait for the final result. For now, every rumored positive on melamine is a big NO. Should we copy other countries list? What if the list is not that accurate? How about our local milk and milk based products? Every milk and milk based products should be tested, may it be local or imported products.