I do not know if it is just psychological or what but ever since I started to drink the sambong tea, my fluid retention or edema has been kept on a minimal level. Then again, my lab results speak otherwise.
Two weeks ago, my urine creatinine protein ratio was 7.07 mg/dL. It surged dramatically from the previous reading of 1.61 mg/dL. Without changing my medication, my nephrologist ordered for a repeat test after two weeks.
I have got the result and it showed a whopping 8.87 mg/dL.
This time, the doctor ordered for an increase steroids (from 10 mg to 20 mg). I have been on steroids for almost a year already and I brought it up to my doctor and he said it is okay. I said I thought that he will increase the dosage of CellCept. In the end he increased it to 3 g from the usual 2 g that I have been taking in for the past six months.
He just took my BP (he wrote 100/70 mmHg) and looked at my feet.
He ordered for another series of tests: urine creatinine protein ratio, CBC, lipid profile (which I asked), serum creatinine, AST/ALT and CPK.
I pray that God will intervene in my complete healing.

In the past few days, I have noticed that my morning sniffles have returned. I have been sneezing like before, sneezing like there is no tomorrow.

I’d like to think that I am back to the good ‘ol days but that would be a  pulsating  lie.

I have developed joint pains, my feet continues to swell if I stopped popping  in diuretics, I still have hematuria and my back pain begins to eat me.

Maybe morning sniffles has just been added to my list of  unending physical condition.

Here’s to life. Cheers to life!

First of all, I am having severe leg cramps, yet again. It is my second day on Burinex and Aldactone. My doctor instructed me to pop these pills whenever edema sets in my feet.

As I had to evenly space out my medications, I decided to take them in around lunch time right after my dental check up. These diuretics are expected to kick in from 15 minutes to 2 hours so I need to be near a comfort room to go.

I have been to St. Luke’s and Lung Center of the Philippines and fortunately, their comfort rooms really offer comfort. I also had to use Chow King’s rest room which is clean too on my way to LCP.

I got the result of my 2D echo and the finding s are mostly normal except for:

- Minimal pleural effusion

- Mild mitral and tricuspid regurgitation

I’m a nurse but I don’t know that exactly they mean but from the sound of it, they are on the lighter side. Well, I don’t want to second guess, I will be having a cardio consult with our in house cardiologist.

I also went to see a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Gosh, I have to check what these doctors are called.

Anyhow, I arrived around 1 p.m. and I am already 10^th on the list. I have waited for almost an hour and when there was no sign of the doctor’s arrival, I told the secretary that I will just be back.

This is why I hate doctors. They make you wait forever as if they are the only people in the world who are busy.

I need to go to LCP to complete my requirements for the nurse trainee program.

I arrived at LCP before 3 p.m. and went straight to the training office. I wore my mask on. It was the Lung Center of the Philippines, which means every possible lung disease are existing there and afloat. Good thing, wearing masks there is highly encouraged.

After reviewing my requirements, the administrator gave me an order to get chest x-ray and PPD (Purified Protein Derivative) test. These are the tests required to all the trainee applicants. Although I had my chest x-ray last March, the result would no longer be reliable according to her. SO I obliged. Anyway, I also want to know if my lungs are still healthy. I could have the test performed in our office lab but I had to justify my request and I need to have the result interpreted by LCP’s radiologist which will also cost me some money.

The chest x-ray was available immediately. It’s like Polaroid! I was called by the receptionist and the first words that came out of my mouth: Are my lungs okay?

The receptionist replied that they are okay and the result will be sent to the training office. I felt relieved. I was scared that they might see some problems like pleural effusion – the thing that my nephrologist wants to rule out.

Then I headed for the PPD test. It is a skin test to check if you have been exposed to TB bacillus and do not ask me why it is called PPD. I was asked to be back on Friday for the reading and as I look on the test site, there has no signs of wheal formation. Maybe because I lost all the protein in my urine. Ha-ha. If you get 10mm or more of induration, you might be considered positive for exposure but it’s non-confirmatory.

I finished all the tests before 4 p.m. and I headed back to St. Luke’s. I arrived around 4:30 and went in to see the secretary. He told me that I have been called already and just wait to be called again after the patient then being seen by the doctor. Well, not bad. At least I had no time wasted.

I was called in after 15 minutes and related my back problem to the doctor. She ran some physical exams and the last thing she did was like sort of massaged my back really hard and I was in pain. She told me that there is muscle spasm on my back and it is called the MPS or Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

She ordered a 6 physical therapy sessions and ordered me to plot a sked at the rehab department. She also gave me some muscle relaxant. Another pill? Aaargh!

I chose to get the thrice a week session in the morning. I am planning to head there right after my graveyard shift so I could have longer and uninterrupted sleeps when I get home.

I hope that this MPS thing will go away after the complete session. I will be evaluated after 6^th session.

This is a very tiring day for me, although my plan was to hit the gym after running the errands, I begged off. I have done so much cardio running from one floor to another and from one place to another.

I need a cold shower to relieve my leg cramps.

I have decided to head for the gym before reporting for work at 11:00 a.m. My pedal edema is on remission. Maybe because I limited my fluid intake to 500 ml per day and yesterday, I only took in a measly 300 ml.

Gold’s Gym is more accessible from home but what I forgot is that it was rush hour when I went out. Bus rides to the gym were all filled up with passengers and it took me 30 minutes before getting on a bus with still unfilled seats.  It was past 8:00 a.m. already and I arrived at the gym ten minutes before 9:00.

I immediately started on working out  and did my core exercises. I have been skipping the treadmill because it gives me nerve pains and I cannot standing brisk walking for over 5 minutes.  I concluded my workout with my period of serenity – the sauna bath. It really felt refreshing.

Oh, I was only 3 minutes late for work. I punched it at 11:03 a.m.

It’s been almost a week since I last hit the gym. I passed from Thursday to Saturday because I had my monthly period. It’s uncomfortable for me doing gym routines when I have my period.

Another thing, my feet have yet again become swollen. I noticed that Aldactone alone does not help make me urinate frequently.

I am supposed to have my lab work up today and to see my nephrologist tomorrow but my monthly period prevented me from submitting myself for the workup ergo my appointment was cancelled and was moved to May 4^th. May 1^st is Labor Day and the doctor won’t hold a clinic then.

Boohoo!

So I phoned my ever reliable doctor yesterday and consulted my bloated feet. He said that I should take Burinex again together with Aldactone. It’s really effective because I flushed tremendous amount of liquid through my urine within 2 hours of intake of the combo.

When I woke up this morning, my feet were still swelling so I told myself, I will go to the gym anyway but I will just do abdominal work out and so I did.

Since I ran so many errands (I went to see another doctor for my back pain and an orthodontist and I had a panoramic orthodontic x-ray) before I hit the gym, I felt so hungry. I fear that I will be hypoglycemic so I decided to chow down. Grilled Blue Marlin at the foodcourt which I did not enjoy by the way.

Full meal before working out? Works for me! I was able to do 100 crunches and so many crunches more using different ab workout machines including the gym ball! As promised, I skipped the treadmill but I hit the sauna which is my favorite part of my gym trips.

As I hit the shower, I was surprised to see that my feet are not swollen anymore.

God, I pray that this will last.

I had my check up yesterday. For the longest, my feet remains ginormous. I was asked by my doctor to have bed rest. Lie flat in bed for a week. Yey! This is life…. I really need a good rest. I am not happy with my performance appraisal in the office (what else is new?) but I do not want to make a fuss about it. I am doing away with stress, not that I can avoid it but I am trying to contain it as it exacerbate my condition. The doctor has changed my diuretics from potassium wasting to potassium sparing. I stopped taking the former because the last time I was outside running errands, the nightmare of having severe cramps happened to me. Not a good thing to happen on your birthday. Anyhoo, what am I to do for the next few days? I am thinking of some R and R. I cannot have a full body massage because of my bipedal edema but a good back massage would do.