I don’t know if I got the title right, but, I’ve been truly Грустно и одиноко for the past five days.
Good thing my mind’s so pre-occupied with a lot of things (and my hands as well!) since the help has been absent for the past month. Meals to prepare, household chores to attend to, meetings and reports to accomplish…
I know being Грустно и одиноко will come to pass… the hubby will be home in three days’ time.
Yes, that’s what I call him. A total stranger who came to my son’s rescue as he lay like a crumpled heap on the sidewalk a year ago. Although a lot of people hovered around Miguel that fateful night, he stood out from among them. He ministered to my son and never left his side. He waited with him for Miguel’s father to come and fetch him. In his daze and confusion, my son forgot to ask his name. Thus, he remains to us an angel of mercy and compassion.
Thank you so much for looking after my son. May you be blessed all the days of your life.
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Something important happened on that day fifty years ago… a handsome baby boy destined to inspire others with his simplicity and quietude was born. He may not have been “to the manor born” but God had been very generous and kind to him through the years.
Nostalgia… amusement… joy… pride… gratitude. These were the range of emotions seen on the hubby’s face when we celebrated his 50th birthday two weeks ago. Family and close friends came to honor a wonderful hubby, a great dad, an admirable brother, a good friend and a dutiful son.
Although we celebrated a day in advance a life given to God, family, friends and work, the timing was still right because he had the whole day of his birthday to let all the accolades, wishes and prayers sink in his mind and heart.
My son underwent the tilt table test nine days ago. It turned out negative because the symptom of extreme abdominal pain due to gaseousness (or flatulence) that usually triggered his syncopal attacks did not occur during the 45-minute test. What it confirmed was that he suffers from situational syncope caused by a vasovagal reaction.
He wasn’t given any medicines but the cardiac electrophysiologist’s report recommended a number of things that he needs to do and watch out for. Most important of all was for him to avoid factors that triggered his attacks, recognize symptoms that will lead to another episode and resort to maneuvers that will avert his syncope. Thank God he’s responsible enough to follow these.
On our flight home, the hubby and I decided to bring him to a doctor who specializes in alternative medicine. We have allowed conventional medicine to run its course and it’s about time we resort to traditional ways of healing his gaseousness which causes him to lose consciousness.
By the way, kabag is the Filipino word for gaseousness. Normally, local herbs or oils and a gentle massage are applied to a person’s back (from the nape and shoulders down to the buttocks), arms, legs and feet to enable him to pass the gas. For those who can’t, the steam bath or tuob in our dialect is another method that will remove the accumulated toxins in the body.
And so yesterday, by God’s grace and with the referral of a good friend, the hubby and I brought him to this dentist who became an alternative medicine specialist for the past 15 years. The first thing she asked my son was something that his other doctors never bothered to ask: the cause of his gaseousness. She found out (and to our dismay!) that he hasn’t been moving his bowels regularly. For his age and body build, the normal frequency is 2-3 times a day! And so, she recommended a 15-day natural detoxification for him.
Detox meant eating more fruits (excluding mangoes and solo papayas) and veggies. It meant drinking water at the appropriate time; meaning an hour before a meal or two hours after a meal. It also meant no pork, soft drinks, and junk/fast/canned foods. Detox meant he could only eat lean beef, chicken breast (minus the skin) and certain kinds of fish. It also meant taking light meals during supper. He’ll also have steam baths every three days. He was given fiber supplements to soften the compacted unmentionables in his colon tract so that he would be able to eliminate these normally.
Everyone in the family is now adhering to his diet. Although there are a few objections being raised by his younger brothers, they cooperate after explaining to them why this is the lifestyle we would now be embracing. I previously thought I was very conscientious about our family’s food preferences but I now see the errors the hubby and I have made along the way. Hopefully, we will be able to remedy these mistakes and pass on a valuable lesson to our children.
Tags: alternative medicine, health, parenting, Syncope
We ended summer with a splash this year. We hauled the kids and their cousins to their favorite haunts. Actually… anything with a pool and a basketball court is a favorite haunt!
Two Sundays ago, after Mass and lunch at Mamma Maria’s pizzeria, we headed to Northcrest Clubhouse. We had the pool to ourselves. Who would want to be under the heat of the sun at 3PM? The kids slathered their bodies with sunblock lotion and frolicked in the shady part of the pool. An hour or two later, they trooped to the recreation center for a game of basketball.
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Yesterday, we spent our whole Sunday at the Banana Beach. So named because it’s the only beach resort set against a banana plantation. The kids (and the adults in our group, too) had a blast. The sun, sea, good food, the infinity pool (minus the basketball court because it was a long way off), the resort’s ambiance and friendly staff combined to make it a perfect celebration of the kids last day of summer.
I hope they have enough memories to last them till Christmas break.
Tags: banana beach, family, fun, northcrest, vacation
My youngest son turned 13 a few days ago. Officially, he’s now a teen-ager with the attendant physical and emotional changes.
He has become more picky with clothes and stuff. He keeps begging me to buy him new shirts whenever we’re at the mall and I keep reminding him of the shirts in his closet that haven’t seen the light of day yet. He has a variety of reasons why he hasn’t worn them. One good thing about him, though, is that he capitulates whenever his requests are turned down.
Lately, too, he has become obsessed with his hair. Blessed with shiny straight locks, it seems he has taken to the Bieber look minus the blond hue. He has a day or two to sport this look, though, since classes begin next week. One of the regulations at the school where he attends requires the crew cut for boys. Maybe, he can hide the look with bonnets and berets… another penchant he has acquired from his older brothers.
I’ve learned to cope with his other quirks. Thanks to the so many years of exposure in this regard with his four older brothers. Although it’s quite difficult to let go because he’s the baby in the family, I’m learning all over again the art of handling a 13-year-old.
There we were at the Southern Philippines Medical Center’s Special Laboratory at exactly 8AM for my son’s scheduled EEG. The amiable technician attached a number of electrodes on his scalp and apprised him on the 30-minute procedure he’d be going through. She also told him to follow her instructions at certain times during the EEG, especially when she induces him to hyperventilation.
As he lay in bed with all the wires and electrodes attached to him, I watched from across his bed how he took everything in stride. After the procedure, we waited for another 10 minutes for the printout of a few (30 pages or so) selected recordings of his brain activity.
Clowning around prior to the EEG
We then rushed to the Davao Medical School Foundation, a teaching hospital that was 15 minutes away, for his stress echo test. This time, his cardiologist was present during the entire procedure. By the looks of the accompanying photos courtesy of my mobile phone, his test went well (thank God!)
Both doctors found nothing in particular that would clearly point to the cause of his syncope. If we wanted to get to the bottom of his fainting spells, his cardiologist suggested that he undergo the final test which is the heads up tilt table (HUTT) procedure. We had it scheduled after his summer classes because she recommended that it be done at the Philippine Heart Center in Manila. Sigh…
The quest continues…
Sign at DMSF
2-D echo image of his heart
tinkering with his ipod while waiting for his turn at the treadmill
on the treadmill for his stress test
A good friend advised me to bring my son to a neurologist due to his sleeping-while-driving episode last December. Initially, I shrugged off the idea because I knew my son well enough. He sleeps late on school nights; more so on weekends. He doesn’t have the luxury of afternoon naps as he’s in school the whole day. I figured this was what caused him to fall asleep on the wheel.
But my friend was insistent and I began to lose sleep over the matter. To regain my peace of mind, off we went to her referral 2 weeks ago. The doctor found nothing wrong with him. My son was plainly fatigued and the doctor prescribed vitamins that would perk him up during the day and make him sleep well at night. Thank God for the old reliable mother’s instinct.
Early last night, the hubby rushed our other son to the hospital’s OPD. He was on his way home from summer classes when he experienced stomach pains. He got off the jeep for fear of passing gas in front of the other passengers and passed out on the sidewalk instead. Thank God! kind-hearted strangers ministered him to consciousness and stayed with him until his Papa arrived. Good thing, his Papa’s office was just a few minutes away from where he collapsed.
The resident doctor at the hospital advised the hubby to bring our son to a neurologist (sigh!) because his was rather an unusual case. We went this morning and he was diagnosed with syncope which is the medical term for fainting. The neurologist required him to undergo an EEG. To rule out cardiac causes of syncope, we were also referred to a cardiologist (sigh!).
Thank God the cardiologist was in early this afternoon. After an extensive interview to determine family history, he had an ECG test which registered normal heart activity. He was attached with a Holter monitor (a 24-hour portable ECG and quite expensive!) later in the evening. He needs to return the following night for a reading of the monitor’s results. He’s lined up for a stress test and an EEG next week (whew!)
Sadly, my mother’s instinct failed me this time. He had the same fainting spell one early morning last July. We rushed him to the ER and the resident found nothing wrong with him. The abnormal thing about it all was I took his word as gospel truth. I usually go for a second opinion. Sigh!
I’m thankful to God that nothing bad happened to my son the second time around. Kind strangers came to his rescue and no one took advantage of his predicament. He provided a silver lining to the dark clouds. He still does incredible things.
It’s going to be a long wait this Holy Week (sigh!) But I continue to hope and pray that nothing “major-major” is wrong with him. On a serious note though, I believe that the Lord has a wonderful purpose for all these. For it to happen on a Holy Week is truly meaningful and all I can ever do is to put all my trust in Him. Amen!
Tags: divine intervention, family, kids, parenting, sickness
Our family had just finished saying our daily Advent prayers when my eldest son called up telling me he had figured in an accident. He was a hundred or so meters away from our home when he fell asleep on the wheel and collided with a truck.
I felt the world came crashing down on me as the hubby, my second son and I dashed out of the house. I couldn’t control the sobs that shook my body as we came to the scene of the accident which was inside our subdivision. It was a head-on collision. My son’s car was going uphill and intruded on the other lane by a feet or two. Upon noticing this, the truck driver stepped on the brake and pounded on the horn to warn my son. He woke up, saw the truck looming in front of him, and instinctively put his foot on the brake before impact.
God is good! He protected my son and the occupants of the truck from physical harm and serious injuries. Even from minor ones since my son did not have scratches or bruises. Damages to our car would be taken care of by the insurance company.
Luke 17:26 … “We have seen incredible things today.”
Indeed! I saw incredible things that night. Incredible things that God alone could perform and I continue to thank Him for sparing my son’s life. For the rest of my life, I will be thankful to Him for my son’s second chance in life.
Tags: divine intervention, family, miracles, second chances
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While Halloween preparations might have been on the top agenda for most families last October 31, ours was abuzz with quiet excitement for Jonah and Joshua’s piano recital. Per Joshua’s request, Christmas filled our home as we put up our tree and other decors.As I listened and watched my sons during their sets, I couldn’t help but thank the Lord for the talents that He has given them. My heart almost burst at the seams with pride, happiness and gratitude when their two older brothers joined them for the Blues Scale finale. Miguel was on bass guitar, Gabriel on drums while Jonah and Joshua played the piano. They played beautiful music together.
It was truly an afternoon to remember.
