WFW - Isaiah 53:5

I'm so glad I'm able to participate with WFW again.  I cling to this verse because of what I've gone through a month ago. I continue to claim this promise with all of my heart.  This is not just for me, but for all who are suffering with sickness and diseases. His promise and His word stand no matter what.

Hop on to Lori's for more WFW entries. God bless!!!

Remembering Dad

We went to visit Dad last Saturday to bring flowers and candles. Then we went to Papa John's Pizza for lunch.

We miss you, Dad! Love you very much! See you someday in heaven. 

I've Noticed

... That I'm always excited every morning. Excited to start my day. Excited to know what God has planned for me today. I like my new outlook on life now. It's like I have a new set of eyes.  Speaking of eyes, I've also noticed

... That lately my vision became blurry. Maybe it's because of the meds I'm taking. If this worsens, then I have to go back to my rheumatologist. Maybe she will lower the dosage a bit. Maybe. I don't know.

... That I can now boldly ask God for whatever in faith, in the true sense of it. I just have the confidence now to ask God with boldnesss.

... That I am calmer now. 

... That I am more at peace with myself. 

I believe this is a good thing. Though life has been full of challenges, God's word remained steadfast. 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Wonderful News!

I had another set of blood tests done this morning and doctor's appointment in the afternoon.  Got the results the same day after 4 hours, in time for my check up.

Praise the Lord for His goodness!

My rheumatologist said that my blood test results were good.  I'm recovering pretty well. She told me to continue Prednisone 60mg and Plaquenil 400mg a day until my next blood test and check up  on November to see if she can already taper the meds down.

Thank you, friends, for standing with me in prayer for my healing.

I'm so grateful to the Lord for this wonderful news. All glory and praise to Him!

Just a Short Update

Early this morning, I weighed myself in a sitting position, because I couldn't see the numbers on the weighing scale standing up. I lost my balance and fell on the bathroom floor. Argh!!!!  That didn't stop me from going to a client this morning on my own. I went back without anything tragic happening to me. Thank God!

Today, I got the results of my blood test which was done yesterday. My creatinine level is normal. Praise God! My BUN is a little bit elevated. My WBC and platelet counts are normal. Woohoo! My RBC, hemoglobin and hematocrit are still low though. I have another set of blood tests tomorrow morning, then check up with my rheumatologist in the afternoon and nephrologist on Friday. I pray to God that the results will turn out good. 

Finally! My nanny/girl friday arrived this afternoon. Woohoo!

Yoyo Weight

My weight is definitely out of whack. You saw how much weight I gained due to the steroids. Then, I shrank overnight. Seriously. I went to sleep wearing a pair jogging pants which fitted me just right with my bloated size. Then when I woke up, I was surprised at how loose it was. It was crazy! My skin felt like there are no muscles in it. I don't understand what's going on with my body.

I decided to buy a weighing scale. I got the analog one so I won't worry about changing the batteries anymore. I have to weigh myself everyday if I had to. My weight, 102 pounds, is still within my preferred range, but right now I look so thin. I wonder why?

Anyway, I attended church service earlier and had dinner at my friend's house. Boy, did I eat a lot!

God Saves Me Again

I was brought back to the ER this morning due to severe bladder pain.  I waited a bit for it to subside and kept praying and asking God to remove the pain, but He didn't. So I didn't have much choice but to go back to the hospital yet again.

I had my CBC, urinalysis and creatinine tested.  The results were not good.  My creatinine went up again.  144.40 (Normal values are between 53-115). I have a bad case of UTI due to lupus. Bacteria is 104236.8 (Normal values are between 0-110).  My urine WBC is 3013.10 (Normal values are between 0-11). Argh!!!

The doctor explained to me that it's good I went back to the hospital immediately because had I not, it could have gone up to my kidneys.  When I heard that, it got my full attention.  KIDNEYS? No! Not those!

Then I realized what God just did.  He didn't remove the pain to cause me too much discomfort. That way I will be forced to go back to the hospital to have it checked. God just saved my kidneys once again. Praise God!!! He knows best, that's for sure.

On the lighter side: Since the Christmas season is fast approaching, I've already hung my Christmas wreath last October 15th, the day after my birthday.  I made that my personal tradition.  A very good friend of mine gave this wreath to me as a birthday gift.

I'm looking forward to Christmas. I love the Christmas season.  I hope and pray that I'd be fully recovered by then to celebrate Jesus' birthday.

Jesus My Healer

I am in awe of God!

Today began with a miracle.

October 15, 2012 / October 17, 2012

See that?  My feet are no longer swollen. Praise God!

In my post before this, the doctor said that this condition was kind of scary. The medicines that would be administered to me would be so costly. I wasn't afraid though. So I prayed and humbly submitted myself to the will of God.  I spoke to this mountain of illness to be healed in the mighty name of Jesus.  Sang praise and worship songs then went to sleep.  I believed in my heart that God would heal me as He promised and this greeted me this morning.

Next would be the result of my albumin test.  I went to the lab and got the results.  Praise God!  They all turned out normal.

My pulmonologist cleared me.  All tests were good.

My nephrologist was surprised to see how much I've improved.  He checked my vitals and said all good.  He checked the results of my albumin test and said they're good. I showed him my CBC results and he said good. Then he looked at me and said, "What on Earth did you do? What shall we do now?  You're okay! Just repeat urinalysis 2 weeks from now then see me again."

Those words were music to my ears.  Who else is able to turn things around in an instant? It's only JESUS!  Jesus, my Healer!

I still have to continue the steroids for lupus as prescribed by my rheumatologist until I repeat CBC, also 2 weeks from now.

I'm jumping for joy for this miracle I received from Almighty God. I believe I've already received my complete healing as Jesus has promised.

By the way, this was the song I kept singing last night.



Dear friends, God is true to ALL His promises.  He is faithful! Thank you for praying for me.  Thank you for believing with me.

While I was going through these trials, Mom was always praying for me. I know how much she wanted me to be well again. I know because she often cried while praying for my healing. Thank you, Mom. I love you very, very much.

All praises to God!!!

Need Prayers...

Please pray for me.

I had my check up today. Some results came out good, some not so good.  Honestly, I felt nothing when the doctor was explaining to me what step has to be done. I wasn't really afraid.

My rheumatologist said that my swollen feet can be an indication that my kidneys are not functioning properly.  I have a check up with my nephrologist on Wednesday.  My creatinine level is 133.50 and the normal range is between 53-115 only. It's elevated. According to my doctor, the lupus affected my kidneys.

My doctor said that based on another set of blood test taken earlier which the result I'll get on Wednesday, in time for my check up with my nephrologist, a decision has to be made whether or not this new medicine for lupus will be administered to me immediately to save my kidneys.

The meds are very costly.  A vial would cost around Php90,000 ($2,142). Doctor said I have to have 2 vials immediately.  Then another 2 in 2 weeks.  That will cost me around Php360,000 ($8,571).

Please stand with me in prayer that the blood test result will come out normal.  The test is about albumin. Whatever that means.  I pray to God that the swelling decreases and that my kidneys function normally.  Dear friends, please pray for me. If my kidneys fail, I may have to undergo dialysis. I don't want that.

My meds as it is, are already very costly.  Having to get this new medicine will cost me a whole lot more. Friends, if you find it in your heart to help me with the cost of my medicines, I'd truly appreciate whatever amount you give. I've put a donation button on the top right of my blog.

God, I know You are in control.  I humbly submit myself to Your Will. Please help me!

It's My Birthday!!!

Today is my birthday!

Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings you've given me. This year sure has a lot of difficulties, but you never failed to deliver me through it all. I am in awe at the things you're showing me on a daily basis. You gave me new eyes to see the beauty of life. Thank you, Lord. This new hope I have right now is so precious.

My life is in your hands and I know without a shadow of doubt that you are directing my every step. I am destined for blessings because I am your daughter.

In everything, Lord, I give you praise.

Here are some photos taken today...

Went to visit Dad

My cake.  Thanks, May, for this.

My heartfelt THANK YOU to all!!!

Lupus Awareness

Hi friends! How are you today? Hope all is well with you.

I'm recovering fast by God's grace. I'm feeling much better now. Life has to go on and I thank God for the miracles I receive everday. I can now walk with much ease. There are just times when pain can be a little bit unbearable. I know this is just temporary because my body is still adjusting to the meds I've been taking. The difficult part of my daily routine is taking a shower. It takes me a little bit longer now because I have to watch my step in the bathtub and put on all the lotion and sunblock before heading out. Other than that, everything is pretty much going back to normal. Oh, I might have to hire a temporary nanny/girl friday to assist me around.

I will have my next check up on Monday, day after my birthday. Please pray that the results will come out normal. I'm actually excited to see the doctors' faces when they see how much I've improved.

I've inserted a link on my header about lupus awareness so people will understand what it is, what it actually does to one's body and how to prevent flares. Please visit the link when you have time.

Here's a photo taken earlier.

There's a cute story behind this photo. The guy standing is my ex-boyfriend, Jed. The one beside him is his lovely wife, Tim. The guy sitting beside me is Tim's ex-boyfriend, Ryan.  Ryan and I are from the same company. We closed the deal on both Jed and Tim.  Nice, huh?

Weight Gain Struggles

All my life I was often referred to as too thin. Honestly, I didn't mind. I got so used to hearing that a lot that I fully accepted the fact that I'm thin and I'll always be that... Thin. I didn't suffer from a poor self image growing up. I liked myself the way I was and I felt like probably gaining a little bit of weight won't hurt. Somehow, I had a little bit of allowance or space for myself to adjust weight freely as I desired.

Fast forward... Unfortunately, I had an SLE episode which I thought was non-existent until I got really sick. For months I didn't know what's going on with me. I've been experiencing depression, memory loss, mood swings that have gone whack, hair loss, anxiety attack, skin rashes, irritability, fever that wouldn't go away.

Let us first define what SLE is for those (at least on my side of the fence) who don't know that such a traitor exists and is beginning to wave it's banner quite a lot in this day and age.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system attacks various organs or cells of the body, causing damage and dysfunction. Lupus is called a multi system disease because it can affect many different tissues and organs in the body. Some patients with lupus have very mild disease, which can be treated with simple medications, whereas others can have serious, life-threatening complications. Lupus is more common in women than men, and for reasons that are not precisely understood, its peak incidence is after puberty.
While lupus is a chronic illness, it is characterized by periods when the disease activity is minimal or absent (remission) and when it is active (relapse or flare). The outlook (prognosis) for patients with lupus today is much better than years ago because of greater awareness and more accurate tests leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment as well as more effective and safer medications.

Since I'm taking steroids to control the flare up, I gained a lot of weight. I gained so much weight that most of my clothes don't fit me anymore. It does give me an excuse to go shopping though. I know it's just temporary and when I'm up and about, I'd lose all these unwanted pounds and go back to living a normal life.

  2011 & 2012

In the meantime, I just have to get used to this.  Another downside to this sickness is that my feet and palms hurt from time to time.  My feet used to be size 6.  Now they're size 8.  They grew bigger because of the steroids.  And because I feel pain and discomfort, I now walk like a penguin.  I also have to wear a mask when I'm out.  I have to use sunscreen all the time.  These changes are essential and with God's grace, I'm beginning to get used to it.  

Having this sickness is very hard, but even if the doctors said that treatment will be lifetime, I've decided to listen to what God says.  Fact is I'm sick.  Truth is I'm healed.  Which report will I believe?  Well, I decided to listen to God's truth. Healing is mine.

As I've always said, my life is in God's hands and not my will but His will be done. 

Rushed Back to ER

I was in so much pain last night. Both my palms and the soles of my feet were having burning sensations. I couldn't walk and touch anything because of the pain. I was rushed to the ER again in the morning.  I am blessed that I have friends who quickly rushed to my side to help me out. My Sun Life family is truly a jewel. 

I was pricked again for blood work which, thank God, all came out fine except for my potassium level which went crazy low that it was identified as the thing that caused extreme pain last night. New meds were prescribed and I was told that a banana was to be added to my daily diet. That's it???  I was worried that it would be my kidneys acting up. Praise God they weren't!

I felt fine after that. Went back to work and finished what needed to be done. I had to do something other than stay in bed. That would make me feel sicker than ever.  Went home after 4 hours. 

Confined Again... Con't.

Wednesday (October 3, 2012)

• Worst day of my confinement.
• WBC and platelet counts went up a little. This is the first good news since I was confined.
• RBC and hemoglobin levels are still going down, but not as fast. 
• Fingers on my right hand were beginning to feel stiff. I couldn't bend them anymore. Requested that the IV be transferred to my other hand. Also, since finding a suitable vein to extract blood from in my left arm is getting more difficult each day, the transfer would mean they would have to extract blood from my right arm. My left arm's veins can rest.
• Although dengue has not yet been ruled out, it is still one of the possible causes. 
• They brought in a nephrologist to assess my kidneys since my creatinine levels were high. 
• Blood transfusion may be needed if my RBC continues to drop. My rheumatologist put on hold any plans of blood transfusion because she needed to make sure my WBC and platelets are within controllable levels. 

Thursday (October 4, 2012)

• No blood samples were taken today. My arm could use the rest from all the pricking. 
• Started experiencing pain in my lower lumbar region. It's there whenever I am lying down or sitting. When I walk it disappears. So, I did some exercise: I walked up and down the aisle around 5 times. That helped. 
• My nephrologist visited me today. He said that my electrolyte test turned out okay. Praise God! He told me that they might have to do a biopsy if my creatinine levels do not go back to normal levels. Just hearing him describe the process makes me cringe. I don't like needles, especially large ones! 
• My cough is getting worse. The doctor gave me some medicine to get rid of it. Towards the evening, my coughing began to subside.
• Before going to sleep, I had a migraine attack. The resident doctor gave me paracetamol, but it felt like forever before it took effect. I forced myself to throw up, thinking that I must have eaten something that didn't site well. Some coloured fluid came out. Could have been the paracetamol tablet, since the liquid was orange in colour. After around 10 minutes, I was fine.  I finally fell asleep.

I still tried to smile in spite of the pain I was feeling. 

Friday (October 5, 2012)

• Woke up with a terrible, head-splitting headache. Do you know how it feels like when your sleep is interrupted because people go in and out of your room to check on your vital signs? I know that the nurses had to do it, but once my sleep is interrupted, I find it difficult to go back to sleep. I think this is why I had a migraine. I took some paracetamol again. I was able to sleep for around 3 hours. I woke up hungry, but feeling a lot better. 
• I miss my own bed. I told myself that I want to go home tomorrow, Saturday. I prayed to God that He will make all my test results show the doctors that I am fit to be discharged tomorrow.
• Good news: one of my attending physicians told me that my WBC is now normal.  Praise God!
• Mom spent the night at the hospital to take care of me. 
• Visited by friends and church mates
• Removed the IV. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Now I can move freely again! 
• IV steroids to oral steroids.
• Had another migraine attack. Mom tried to ease the pain by stroking my head. It helped a bit.  I had to throw up and get rid of a piece of kangkong. After throwing up, I felt a better. 

I prayed to God for healing and miracles to happen. Honestly, I was so scared.  I praised and worshipped God and told Him that my life is in His hand.  I was in so much pain.  I told God that if He's going to take me now, I'm ready.  I just don't want to see my family suffer because of me.  I know they're hurting too especially Mom. I could see how worried she is.  But praise God!  I got miracle after miracle in the hospital.  The doctors expected the worse, but God delivered me.  

I may have been tested positive for SLE, but I know my God is in control.  I know that healing is mine and I will continue to claim that until the day He calls me home.  Please continue to stand with me in prayer for my healing.  Thank you so much.

Saturday (October 6, 2012)

• Got discharged from the hospital. Hospital bill was paid by my health card.  I shelled out minimal amount only for the excess.  Praise God!

Confined Again

Hospitals are never in the list of my favorite places to be in. Unfortunately, I am confined in one now.

Saturday (September 29, 2012)

• I wasn't feeling well, so I took my temperature: 38 degrees Celsius. 
• I took medicine for fever and rested the whole the day. 

Sunday (September 30, 2012)

• I took my temperature again. It was still 38: the medicine did not work. Something's wrong. I have to see a doctor.
• I rushed to the ER of Cardinal Santos Hospital, the nearest hospital. They examined me, took a blood sample and asked me to wait for the results.
• When the attending physician returned, she said that my WBC, RBC, hemoglobin and platelets are all way below normal levels. She said that I have to be confined. The doctors think that this could be a case of dengue.

• They inserted an IV. That hurt a lot! The objective was to rehydrate me because I was so dehydrated. The tests showed this, too.
• Fortunately, I have a health card. My plan entitles me to a semi-private room. The personnel at the admitting section of the hospital said that no semi-private rooms were available. Since I was an ER case, they gave me a regular room instead at no additional charge for the first 48 hours. On the third day, if I choose to stay in the room, I just have to pay for the difference.The room was bigger than I expected it to be. Plus, it had a good view! It had cable tv, a refrigerator, a phone, a toilet and bath.
• I was not able to eat well on the first night. 
• The doctor gave me Iterax to help me sleep well. It did not work.

Monday (October 1, 2012)

• I underwent battery of tests. 
• My CBC figures were steadily going down at an alarming rate. The doctors add SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) to the list of suspects.
• I had no appetite in the morning. I was highly irritable. (Later that day, an intern said my irritability could have been caused by hypoglycemia since I was not eating well.)
• The doctor started low dosage of steroids every 12 hours.
• The dextrose was on fast drip.
• I started regaining my appetite in the afternoon.
• Friends started coming to visit.
• I had a bad case of colds.

This is how sick I look. =(

• They started to nebulize me to ease my clogged nostrils/nasal passages
• Mom dropped by to check on my condition. She had to go home early because she wasn't feeling well after her dialysis that morning. She brought me some clothes because I had nothing with me when I was confined. When I went to the emergency room yesterday, I had no idea that I would be confined.
• My sister and her husband visited me and brought some food
• A friend brought salad made from camote tops. We call it "talbos ng kamote." The old folk say that this is good for improving the condition of one's blood. She also brought a drink that was produced my boiling the camote top leaves in water. Instead of drinking just water, I also drank this.
• I closely monitored my liquid intake and outflow.
• The nurse gave me Stilnox to make me sleep better.

Tuesday (October 2, 2012)

• Slept well. The medicine they gave me last night did its job.
• Test results came in: not good. My CBC was getting worse: dropped further. Funny thing was, my appetite was steadily improving. I ate a lot more than i did yesterday.
• I regained enough strength to allow me to move around on my own. Still weak, but not as weak as I was on the day I was admitted.
• My right hand was really swollen. Had to request the doctor to transfer the IV to my left hand. It was really, really painful. 
• Had a conference with the doctor. How they will treat me will depend on the results of my latest tests. She also said that there is a possibility that I might need blood transfusion if my platelet count becomes critical.
• When she got to the part that dealt with the costs, I nearly fell off the bed when I found out how expensive these medicines cost!
• Although my symptoms are similar the symptoms of dengue, the drop in the other CBC figures seem to point to something other than dengue. Just the same, she asked me to prepare two donors, just in case I needed a blood transfusion.
• Last nebulization session. Both nostrils are clear! I can breathe properly again! Woohoo!

Friends, may I ask that you please pray for me. Please pray that my CBC results fall within the normal range. Please pray that my SLE test turns out negative. Please pray that my hospital bill remains within the limits of my health card. Please pray that my health improves significantly over the next few days.

Thank you very much.