The musings of a wandergeselle about faith, literature, music, dancing, culture, food, travels, art, fashion, photography, life experiences, and everything in-between from journée to journée.
Indeed, God sent “angel companions.” Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional got me teary-eyed after adjusting quite well to living solo for 2 weeks. There are times when I still miss my Mom or my husband.
I also got the results of my Executive Checkup and while I was happy that my breast ultrasound result (my primary concern) came out clear, my blood test, pap smear, and urinalysis results showed I still have an infection in my body though I’m asymptomatic. It looks like the kind of bacteria from my UTI last December is resistant to the antibiotics previously prescribed to me.
I clearly and seriously need to do some diet modifications. Oh rice, I’m going to miss you big time.
So I thought it would be best to get a urine culture test tomorrow but at St. Luke’s BGC because they post lab results in their online portal for patients. I’m bound for Bicol on Tuesday, so I will no longer be able to claim the result in person. Once I get the urine culture test result, I’ll schedule a tele consultation appointment with an ob-gyn so she can interpret my pap smear and urine culture test results side-by-side.
By the way, I haven’t used my KonsultaMD free subscription yet, and it’s going to end in June. It looks like God intended it for this very purpose. Ain’t His timing just always perfect? 🙏😊 I plan to consult with a couple of ob gynecologists on the platform and compare their recommendations. If my infection still doesn’t clear up after taking a stronger dose of antibiotic, most likely something else is causing the inflammation or the bacteria is just extremely resistant.
I also would like to find out why is the bacteria resistant to the usual antibiotics prescribed for UTIs, and how I got the bacteria. It could be because I have a very weak immune system (my immune system is compromised), I have an autoimmune disease (lupus maybe), or I’m just overthinking. The last one is most definitely true. 😂
I am just grateful and glad that God already sent “angel companions” to guide me in this season of prioritizing my health before anything else. Some of them are the healthcare professionals who assisted me during my Executive Checkup. I was also surprised to find out that my ob-gyn at Healthway is also my age, and she is also from UP. Noong nakausap ko kasi sya re work, I mentioned na graduate ako ng Literature. She asked from what school. Sabi ko sa UP. Tanong nya ulit ay kung sa Diliman daw ba. Sabi ko, yes. And she said na sya naman ay from UPLB noong undergrad. And I think this explains why we share the same sense of humor – “UP” stands for “University of the Palatawa.” lol Hi, Dra.! 😊
Kailangan din mag-ayos paminsan para hindi masyadong halata ang pagiging otherworldly natin.Btw, my predictions are right – I gained weight while I’m here in Manila, and I’m now 2 kgs overweight according to the doctors.lol
Who among you here is 30-something years oldlike me, but doesn’t have flabby arms? Kindly raise your hand. So I can check if you’re lying. 😂
I highly recommend getting Healthway’s Executive Checkup package (especially if you’re approaching the great 4.0 milestone) because the entire process was a breeze. I finished most of the tests including the initial assessment of a primary physician in just 2 hours or so. And super extra thanks to Sir Jerold, the Patient Care Coordinator, for being the epitome of grace under pressure while assisting me. 👍👍😊
The Executive LoungePinili ko talaga itong Executive Checkup package ng Healthway dahil sa free meal nila kasi PG ako. Kaya tayo nago-overweight. My favorite BLT Sandwich. 😍
I was actually due for a repeat urinalysis during my checkup at St. Luke’s BGC last December. But I thought maybe it would be better to just have an executive checkup before I go home. It would be easier this way for the doctors to rule out what could possibly be wrong with my body and which part needs medical attention. I also got to save time, money, and energy by not having to go back and forth to the clinic just in case doctors request additional tests.
Mga 100 pages lang naman ang resulta na aaralin mo. lol I’m just kidding. It has a summary of all the tests you had, and if you need the individual reports, you can find them in the back partincluding the graphs and the photos.
Mga 1 liter ng dugo ni-extract sa akin and I was like, “Uhm Nurse, are you draining the life out of me?” 🤣 Okay, it’s also another joke, so don’t be scared. lol Don’t forget to put a cold compress afterwards so it wouldn’t turn out like this. I keep on forgetting, that’s why I’m black and blue…and green?
Right now, I’m still not dismissing the possibility of getting tested further as requested by other “angel companions” in Bicol. But just like the song by Jordin Sparks played over at the mall when I went to Healthway, “One step at a time, there’s no need torush. It’s like learning to fly or falling in love. It’s gonna happen when it’s supposed to happen. Then we find the reasons why one step at a time.”
Alam ko kinanta mo rin sya. lol 😂 I am ending this article on a happy note. Because the mild inflammation is all I have to worry for now. And yet if ever it becomes serious, I believe God has already sent His “angel companions” ahead of time, so I can rest my worries.
Please still include me in your prayers for healing and a safe journey going home. 🙏 I’m sending hugs and lots of love to you and your loved ones as well. Be safe and stay healthy, my friends. And always have a grateful and joyful heart. ♥️😊
“God will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91:11
This year, God is telling me to prioritize my health above anything else. And once again, God never fails to provide when you ask.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7
My KonsultaMD activation came just in time for the celebration of International Women’s Day yesterday. Ah yes, thank You, Lord, for this wonderful gift. 🙏
And yes, it’s really a blessing because I got 3 months’ worth of free access including 1 video and unlimited voice consultations with a general practitioner/specialist. Super awesome, right? I can’t wait to ask the doctor every question I could think of like, “Doc, as a man of Science, do you think the air there in Nibiru is toxic to humans?” Or how salty is salty? Or why is cancer called “cancer”? Can’t we call it “Scorpio” or “Capricorn”? Or how about “Taurus”? 😂
Most likely the doctor will red-tag me as the worst patient ever in human history. lol And the next time I consult with the doctor, he/she is going to tell me to stop pestering him/her with all this nonsense. But I already prepared an answer for that, too: “Oh I am terribly sorry, Doc. I thought you’re an AI Doctor.” 😆
Okay now, let’s skip the jokes lest the doctors who get to read this block me on the app forever. Going back to KonsultaMD, if you’re wondering how I got the free access, it’s included in the new Singlife health insurance I purchased through the GCash app. For the past weeks, I’ve been researching and comparing the differences between HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations), health insurance, and VUL (Variable Universal Life) insurance. We all know that getting sick can be quite expensive, and we don’t want to spend all our life savings on hospital bills and medications.
I was doing my research on insurance the past weeks, thus, the WordPress hibernation. Another reason for my absence is that I have to limit my digital footprint as part of my preparations for yet another task. So this means I’ll be setting the visibility of this blog to “private” after a few weeks. But I’ll change it to “public” again when the time is right (because I just love my WordPress community). I was also busy “scrounging” the internet for any free medical services that I could find so I can share them with the breast cancer support groups on Facebook.
The number of breast cancer warriors who do not have the means to get their medical checkups is still increasing. My heart bleeds for these women. Sometimes I can’t help but cry because some of them are too sick and have been suffering from severe pain for a long time already because they don’t even have enough money for their basic needs.
But how do I help them? I feel like I only have 5 barley loaves and fishes and there are thousands to feed (Matthew 14:17-19). Day and night, every time I see a post asking for help where to get free medical consultations, lab tests, medicines, etc., I would pray to God to give me the resources to help them.
And God answered – I came across these free events and lectures (thanks, Doc Emmeline!) on social media. I am also praying for opportunities to accompany some of the women in the group especially those who are alone, are too weak to go to nearby hospitals, are too scared, are at a total loss for what to do and where to start, or don’t have enough money to pay for transportation expenses.
Unfortunately, this will have to wait because I’m currently busy helping my husband prepare for his exam this coming Monday. I am praying he will pass the exam so he can achieve his dream of working abroad. I am so happy to see how God is working in my husband’s life right now. It also motivates me to trust God even more. After sending him off, I hope I can devote some of my time doing volunteer work for breast cancer warriors back home.
Why Singlife?
I discovered Singlife through Globe’s GCash app back in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic started. I wasn’t able to activate the free health insurance though which covered illnesses like Covid-19 and dengue because I didn’t need it at that time. But after what happened to Mom, I thought that now was the perfect time to explore what Singlife has to offer.
I chose Singlife because it’s a low-risk investment, and yet offers higher coverage compared to HMOs (up to 100-120k only). But it is best to use the HMOs during medical emergencies. A lot of my friends tried to convince me to get a Sun Life insurance a few years ago (and until now), but I told them I’ll hold off getting one for now.
I guess these are the advantages of delayed gratification – you get to wait for a service or product to improve after some time, maximize the benefits later on, and get your money’s worth because there are now better options. My other reason for not getting Sun Life insurance is that my husband and I do not have kids. We don’t have beneficiaries in other words.
I am also apprehensive about getting one after what happened to previous insurance companies that went bankrupt, and policyholders weren’t able to get their invested funds back. Now that the US is heading toward another economic recession, I am unsure how these insurance companies will protect their policyholders’ funds that were invested in stocks and other volatile investments given the global economic outlook in the coming years.
Sun Life’s VUL insurances are a bit of a high-risk investment for me. Though I am considering getting their Business Owner Insurance Package later on God willing. I’m assuming this is one of their new insurance plans so this means conducting due diligence on my end and assessing how our family’s business could benefit from this insurance package. I’m considering it as another option that will add an extra layer of protection (buffer funds) to help sustain the business and recover in case of an economic collapse. Agripreneurs, by the way, can insure their businesses through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation under the Department of Agriculture.
As for Singlife, it offers more flexibility when it comes to monthly premiums. I tried the 100-in-1 Medical Plan, and I am looking into buying another plan (Cash for Medical Costs), which offers a higher monthly premium to increase my insurance coverage. But I’ll wait until the free KonsultaMD subscription of my first Singlife plan ends so it won’t overlap with the new plan.
My only prayer now is to find a way to share these unlimited consultations with some of the women in the BC support groups. How I wish I was allowed to schedule a doctor’s appointment on their behalf using my account. So my next task is to explore these opportunities and continue to look for more of them. As they say, when a door won’t open after you knocked, break it down. I’m kidding. We just keep on looking for more doors to open.
I am planning to share all about Singlife on social media because I believe this will help reduce the number of patients trying to avail the free medical services offered by public hospitals. Those who can afford to pay the monthly premiums offered by Singlife can choose a plan that fits their budget. The benefit of having one is that policyholders get to skip long lines and long waiting times to schedule laboratory tests and initial medical consultations (thru KonsultaMD) aside from the cash benefit that they can claim upon diagnosis of an illness and during hospitalization.
I am praying though that more doctors will sign up at KonsultaMD. We can expect more inquiries coming in and possibly more health insurance applications and medical consultations once I share this on social media. I also noticed there is 0-1 doctor only listed under some specializations. I hope there are still more doctors who can accommodate consultations via KonsultaMD in their schedules. Don’t worry Docs, we will try to ask (nonsensical) questions sparingly. ✌️
When it comes to the KonsultaMD app’s overall interface, it is very user-friendly. It is also easy to access and switch from one app feature to the other. And I love the portion of the app where they have a list of comprehensive medical checkup packages (prices included) classified according to gender, age, and illness. I find this very helpful because I plan to have my executive checkup soon though I am feeling well right now, and it’s next on my to-do list after I send off ze hubby. In summary, our best option to safeguard our assets, investments, and life savings when we get sick is to maximize what we can benefit from our HMO, health insurance, and PhilHealth.
And yes, we also never stop looking for opportunities to offer help in any way we can, especially to those who are in dire need of medical assistance. I agree with Prof. Samar Aoun, one of the speakers at the recently held webinar hosted by the European Association for Palliative Care, when she emphasized the need for reflective practice by addressing social needs (identifying the circumstances surrounding the need) and not just look into the pathological lens when it comes to understanding and dealing with patients.
To end this article, here’s my favorite quotation by Edward Everett Hale that hopefully will encourage us all to keep on doing what is good and what is best for everyone:
“I am only one, but I am one; I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do I ought to do, and what I ought to do, by God’s grace, I will do.”
P.S. God’s surprises never end here. Stay tuned for my next post. 🙂
I often wondered what is it with death that we are so afraid of. Maybe we’re not really afraid about dying per se, but more of how we are going to die. The topic of death has always been considered morbid and taboo. And yet all the more that we should talk about it because acceptance is always the pathway to peace.
When God placed a desire in my heart about hospices after my Mom passed away last year due to stage 4 breast cancer and the possibility of providing hospice care on our farm in the future, I asked Him to give me the means to make it happen. And it looks like I got my confirmation because He sent me a whole lot of resources and instructions to prepare for it. Or maybe this was the work of Facebook’s algorithm since I’ve been doing research on hospice care which is why I was getting similar recommendations on my newsfeed. 😀
By the way, I don’t have a personal Facebook account because I deactivated it. I have 1 dummy account though where I only have 1 friend and she’s my spiritual Mom/coach/mentor. I mainly use Facebook to stay updated with news and current events.
Here are some of the organizations I found if you need information on hospice care:
I also chanced upon the website of the National Institute on Aging, which is one of the institutes of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. It’s a privilege to be able to subscribe to their weekly newsletters and receive free caregiving tips and resources, which are all very informative.
I cannot tell though if the fulfillment of these plans will happen in my lifetime, but this might inspire others to follow suit if they also receive the same calling. But first, let’s define hospice care.
What Is Hospice Care?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined it as “a program designed to provide palliative care and emotional support to the terminally ill in a home or homelike setting so that quality of life is maintained and family members may be active participants in care. It is also a facility that provides such a program.”
The hospiceproject proposal and draft for another project are currently at 30% and 20% progress rates, respectively. I still have a lot of work to do. But, all in God’s perfect time. And I cannot work on a project without listening to worship songs. It’s a must. 😉
What To Do During The Terminal Stage Of An Illness?
It is part of my preparations to always assume the worst-case scenario. This helps me prepare holistically. However, I would suggest limiting these worst-case assumptions to a minimum because they can trigger anxiety, and we don’t want that. So let’s say I am diagnosed with a terminal illness, how am I going to take it?
1. Seek For Expert OpinionRe Treatments
I’ll ask my doctor how long I have like if I opt to go through all the treatments, will I have a couple of years and if I don’t, do I have a couple of months only to live? I will also ask what is my quality of life after receiving the treatments. Will I be able to live a normal life again?
If the answer will depend on how my body will respond to the treatments, then it’s a “go.” If my body won’t be able to survive the treatments, then I’m choosing palliative care and pain management instead.
2. Plan My Next Move
I did ask God what more can I do if I only had a couple of months or years to live. Because I felt like I could only do so much in just a short span of time. And yet God’s answer was that what we might consider as small efforts now may actually have a lasting and significant impact later on.
One example is meeting another patient who is already on the verge of ending his/her life, but by talking to him/her, hope in God is restored and this person is now helping others as a result. Or it could be a student who will be inspired by my testimony, and decades from now, that kid will become the President of this country who fears God and will genuinely serve his people. It’s like God was saying that there are plenty of opportunities to touch other people’s lives that don’t really require that much effort and too much time.
3. Prepare For The Actual Battle
We never go to a battle unprepared. And we don’t prepare ourselves only, but those around us, too. It is also important to be surrounded by people who can pray for you and encourage you to keep on fighting. The church is the right community for this.
Equipping warriors with the Armor of God in every battle (Ephesians 6:11-13). JEHOVAH NISSI. 🗡️🛡️
Breast cancer support groups, in a way, provide emotional and psychological help and other information based on every patient’s journey. But, we can’t totally rely on them because most of the people in these groups are going through treatments or have a family member who is ill. When one member dies, it can pull the morale of the rest of the members down.
Because when this happens, I know the next questions that will pop into their minds are these, “Lord, am I next? When will my time come?” Questions like these, if they are what occupy the patient’s mind often, will result in depression. And in the webinars I attended, when depression hits, it affects every treatment plan, especially if the patient doesn’t want to eat and take their medications or continue the treatments.
So I actually came up with this mantra to combat depression – we do not mourn the living, we mourn the dead. We can’t be sad all the time and cry over how difficult life is as a sick person. We don’t lose heart, but we keep moving forward. As long as we still breathe, we move forward. We call this in UP as “Padayon.” ✊
4. Pray And Let God Take Control
Once I start with my treatments, I will leave the results to God. Whether I get healed or my condition worsens, I will accept what God’s will is for me. If ever I decide to push through with palliative care, then I will let nature run its own course just like the stance of Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist, to refuse all treatments after the age of 75. You may read more about it in the following articles:
I once asked my second sister who works as a nurse in a nursing home in Norway how she ever got used to seeing patients die. How do you care for someone without getting emotionally attached and not be sad when he/she passes away?
My sister answered that you will never get used to it. You somehow just learn to accept it. I guess we can learn from doctors, too, and how they approach every patient’s case objectively. However, this isn’t always the case like what our pastor shared in church about how one doctor cried because the patient, a member of the congregation, was all good to undergo surgery but suddenly died the next day. And they weren’t expecting it at all.
This is why I have so much respect for doctors. What they do is really not easy. Also, not all patients are the same. There are those who will use 15 minutes of the doctor’s time venting out his/her sob story but still fail to answer directly the doctor’s question of what their concern is. 😁✌️ Then there are those who are sometimes too stubborn to obey doctor’s orders (is that you, Christine? lol). And there are those who blame the doctors when results turn out differently than what they’re expecting (this is definitely not me). But, we all love and care for these patients just the same.
That is why I keep on praying to God that doctors will be given the best support system that they could ever have may it be in the form of trusted friends, a spiritual family, loving parents and siblings, a supportive partner, or awesome kids (even if they can get too rowdy sometimes). And this is also what I was hoping the hospice facility would be able to provide – whatever the dying patient wishes, it will be granted (as long as it is reasonable).
Look To Jesus For Salvation Amid Suffering
Each one of us will go through different ways of dying. Each of these deaths will have its own struggles and pain – except for those who died instantly. We will all go through these struggles before our last breath. And yet we should not be afraid.
Instead, we look up to Jesus and how He conquered death. And yet even His death did not happen in His own timeline. Only God knows when we leave this world. What really matters is what we do with this one life that we have here on Earth.
If we’ve been born again, then we only have one purpose and that is to use our lives for God’s plans and His glory. We are a living testimony of God’s grace through every pain, every sorrow, and every suffering that we encounter in this life. The book of Revelation already gave us a glimpse of what those who endured suffering will get in the end – the promise of eternal life. This is a wonderful place to look forward to because in it there will be no more pain, no more sickness, and no more death. ❤️
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:26
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” – Revelation 21:1-4
P.S. Here are some videos that I felt like God wanted me to watch as part of our preparation for the hospice project. Again, providing hospice care may or may not materialize in our lifetime, but maybe those who get to read this article might benefit from watching these videos. These videos can be emotionally heavy for some so I suggest being ready with your comfort food, favorite hobby, or a trip someplace else after watching these videos to release all the negative emotions. And don’t forget your rolls of tissue. *sniff*
“5 Things You Should Know When Someone Is Actively Dying”
Oh Manila, must you be so hostile to me? I never said I hated you. I only said we’re not compatible. lol Must you punish me for telling the truth? 😅
I’ve been here in Manila for only a week and here I am paying a visit to the clinic because of my skin rashes that do not subside and swollen lymph nodes. This is actually my body’s way of telling me that it’s fighting some sort of infection.
Doctors Are Out, The Boy Is In
Unfortunately, Gen med doctors aren’t available, booking a Grab to get to the nearest clinic is taking so long, and it’s already 2 PM, so I decided to go home. While contemplating on whether to commute via Grab, taxi, or public transportation, I decided to sit on a bench. Then a little boy sat beside me. I noticed from my peripheral vision that he can’t sit still so I thought he might have mild ADHD.
But then I also observed that it looked like he wanted to talk to me but was hesitating maybe because his parents warned him to never talk to strangers. lol So I looked at him and he smiled his sweetest smile at me and said “Hi.” I smiled my sweetest back at him too and I couldn’t help but laugh silently.
This handsome boy is quite a natural charmer. lol And he’s only about 6 or 7 years old. 😄 From my experience as a former grade school SpEd teacher, children don’t normally approach strangers and say “Hi” to them. So maybe I reminded him of his Mom.
Then his grandmother called him, and I also decided to go home via public transportation and took a jeepney. Because the traffic is worse going to my sister’s condo, I just decided to get off halfway through the trip and walked the remaining 1.9 km.
Physical Activity For A Better Body
It’s a good thing I did that because my body seemed to be craving for it. I felt a lot better and the symptoms subsided and I couldn’t explain how it happened (what the what? 😀). I love walking, by the way. Maybe because I was used to doing it back in UP Diliman when I was a college student. I remember walking more than 2 kilometers just to get to my next class when jeepneys were taking too long to arrive.
Back in my hometown, I am always going around doing something. Roaming around the farm is also similar to doing a 1-day hike. And at home, I do a lot of household chores because our house help is currently unable to work due to health concerns. I pray she’ll be able to come back next year because a big house is really hard to maintain. I just don’t know how Mom managed everything perfectly at home. (Oh, Mom. I missed you terribly.)
Anyway, it was a good thing I was wearing comfy gym clothes, so I was able to enjoy brisk walking going to the condo. And I can’t help but smile again. God surely knows how to cheer me up because though I wasn’t able to accomplish what I needed to do for the day, a handsome little boy put a smile back on my face.
A Trip To The Vet Clinic
It’s as if God was reminding me to never be anxious about everything. Just a couple of weeks ago, I got extremely worried when Peekah, our orange cat, couldn’t close her mouth, and she was drooling nonstop.
I thought she was going through some sort of paralysis. So I urged my sister that we bring her to the vet ASAP. Peekah seemed to have sensed my anxiety, she hid under my bed and only came out when I offered her cat treats.
When we reached the vet clinic, Doc JM checked her mouth and almost laughingly told us that it was only because of a loose tooth, and it was about to come off. lol Oh, you tooth. I almost had a heart attack because of you. 😅 I was so worried that I might also lose Peekah this year.
I was like, Lord, not now, please. I already lost so much. And yet not my will but Your will be done even if it is too painful. Doc JM told me that he can ease Peekah’s discomfort by extracting her tooth but she has to be sedated. The thing is, she’s already a senior cat – I got her in 2013. So he advised that we monitor her condition first and if the problem persisted, we bring her to the clinic again. Thankfully, Peekah was back to her normal self the next day as if nothing happened. And I don’t know how she got her tooth out. 😅
Peekah, btw, is an adopted stray cat from the streets of Cubao when we were still renting an apartment there in 2013. She was a tiny kitten back then when I adopted her and her sister. Unfortunately, her sister died unexpectedly a year later. I was glad though I brought them to my hometown because they got to explore the outdoors more often.
To wrap this up, everything ends well when we trust God to move on our behalf. As for that handsome little prince charming, I hope to see him again one day. Because I wanted to tell him this, “You melted my heart with your cute smile and sweet “Hi” and turned my bad day into a happy one – I’ll never forget you and that day.” ❤️
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
The Journeyman's Moments 