The Joy of Being a Child

If there's one thing I can boast about, that's a well spent childhood years. It was more than just happiness thinking nothing at that time but play with friends, fight with them and be friends again. With all the games I enjoyed so much like chinese garter, varieties of playing methods with marbles and rubber bands, hide and seek and many more, it just made my days full of excitement. No worries to think about and no stress after spending one whole day running here and there. Oh God, how grateful I am now for having no tv, cellphones, facebook, and jollibee among others at those times. It brought me nothing but pure joy that maybe only a few of young ones today have the chance to savor it. The bonding moments within families, friends, relatives and neighbors were strong as steel. There was fighting at times but it only kept the relationships stronger than ever. Living in its simplest way was all there for me to see, experience and cherish. Simple enough that happiness came from small things like sharing one candy among a group of five, swimming in the river with a carabao soaking just a few meters ahead of us, waking up early so I could accompany my father and siblings picking fallen ripe mangoes including those of bird's night left over so we could have what we called then a bountiful meal. With so much innocence as a child, thinking of asking for more took in no place. I could say nothing of today's ways of enjoyment can surpass the all time goodness we had the chance to take on. Hey! I'm not saying, you, little ones of today don't have much fun with your life now. I just figured out that as youngsters, maximum level of enjoyment was present during our time. Oh see, how proud I am? Sorry for touching your ego younger ones. I am just saying what I believed in my heart a bold truth. Don't worry I won't end this simple piece of writing with frowns on your faces. I'll make it up with you on the later part since I still have few things to talk about, things that you barely see these days especially for those who are living within the city, a place where mostly parents have tough careers to attend to leaving their children with nannies to look after their safety and computers or tabs to surf and play with. Oops, with due respect I have high regards with women who embraced the role of a mother while fulfilling at the same time whatever responsibilities her career demands. If only my path traversed a likeable way, I would be in the same place where these women shared their laughter, knowledge and flaring angers. Sounds a bit stressful, isn't it? That anger thing? Yeah, and too timely leaving all those stress behind but with prices being paid and that's being penniless, the feeling of being helpless and maybe almost all words that precede with being and end with less. Heheheh. :) See, how I still manage to smile? Being unemployed after all is not a total misery. There hides an inner joy you should try jobless people unveiling it yourselves. Haist, it looks like I'm getting off the topic. 

Let's get straight then... It was a blessing to spend the first ten years of my life in a beautiful island of Bantayan, ten years in the hilly part of Bohol and another ten more years and counting here in Cebu. Obviously the places where I spent most of my childhood years were Bantayan Island and Bohol, the lovely places where my mother and father came from respectively. Experiences such as swimming all day with cousins and friends without caring a bit if our skins will get dry and dark, catching octopus at August nights without fear, and drying fishes with a little amount of compensation right after, maybe not enough for a man to feel contentment but more than enough for young hearts to feel extreme happiness. We just spent it anyway buying pinyato, mamon, marbles, rubber bands and or any other small things our own hearts desired. These were just some of my unforgettable memories in Bantayan. On the year 1990, my father decided to move the whole family to Bohol; I was about ten years old at that time but still had fun playing those games I mentioned earlier with kids mostly of years younger than I was. Such a late bloomer but blame me not, I enjoyed it that much. Other girls of my age had fun playing volleyball but had no chance to join them simply because I was weak for that kind of physical activity. I can't remember acting like a lady. I never was until a man came who at one time made me feel like one and continuously doing so. Luckily, he's my other half now. Oh, sorry for sharing you a slight detail of my love story. I'll just go back to my nearly teenage years in Bohol. After school, we spent time playing while fetching water, waiting for each other's turn to pump. Yes, manual water pump and amazingly it supplied the whole sitio. Imagine how long the line was. Better not. So the waiting time was absolutely the playing time. On Saturdays, everyone, mostly the whole family spent time cleaning laundries on the brook located in the next barangay. It was a 30-minute walking distance from home so an early riser was a must. With packed lunch and transistor radio, it made the task so light and enjoyable. I'd like to mention too that some of teen's favorite pastimes before were listening to fm radio or drama series and reading tagalog novels with "precious hearts romances" as the most-liked.

I think I already narrated a lot of my own; it's time for me to disclose what I have seen with most of the children these days. Needless to say, the fun is brought by latest technology. I'm not a very keen observer but I oftentimes see children spending much time on televisions and computers and teens holding cellphones for almost 24/7. Don't hesitate to tell me if I'm missin' any. Evidently, the physical games are clearly deteriorating. It saddened me knowing how fun it was for a child to experience those activities. Hey, don't feel the way I am right now. Let me remind you that you won't feel the loss if you haven't tried anyway. Okay, here's some for you to cheer up. There are advantages, actually countless ones having these new generation's devices. With televisions, everyone is updated of latest news, events and fashion may it be local, national or international. Having cellphones, it's quite convenient and cost savvy keeping in touch with people you love unlike before it would take quite a while before the message is finally communicated. Internet, tabs, facebook, cameras, oh my! There's a bunch to tell but I don't think there's still a need to unveil. The way I see it, you've got what it takes to be happy only that I just got a little idea of its true level. Mind sharing anyone? Anyway what I have in mind is that it made your school life easier as almost everything is very much accessible. You can pose here and there without thinking much of the cost. If you're going to ask me one thing I should have had before, my answer would be camera. Pictures are precious as time is. It is quite a treasure catching someone's expression at one moment in time. Sad to say I don't have much of it. See you've got what we scarcely had or even hadn't for the few unfortunate ones. With all honesty, I too have my own share of total pleasure with facebook around. It keeps me connected with anyone, loved or not loved. Also, I got the chance to unearth I have passion in writing. Not even in my wildest imagination that I can do so, knowing me being so lame when it comes to almost everything and too shy I couldn't express how I truly feel. 

Anyway, evolution occurred but one thing for sure fun exists but somehow its level varies as time passes. We may live in different generations having different ways of spending leisure but keep in mind to enjoy everything God has widely offered. Do whatever your heart pleases as long as not bring into damage other people's right of privilege. Savor the taste and have fun. The gift of youth comes into being at once thus take the ride to maximum satisfaction. Even if it means getting yourselves physically dirty, go! 

Acupuncture Makes a Difference

Awareness is the only thing I had in mind as I decided to post this. Let it be known that all women, may it be young or old are likely to experience same thing I've had for about seven years now and I hope you can find answers too as I am on my way to finally get mine.

Year 2007 I was diagnosed with adenomyosis and endometriosis. Please try to search these two in google so you'll have an idea. As for me I felt severe pain during menstruation, more likely a knife stabbing pain plus heavy bleeding. Before the diagnosis I normally took a pill or two to relieve myself from pain but not until vomiting came too. Dehydration then was another problem that I could no longer take oral medications so I ended up at the hospital almost every month taking high dosage of pain relievers through IV or IM injections depending on the level of dehydration. With the condition, I confess that I've lost the normal life I once had. It felt like every joyful moment was taken from me and it pained me more seeing how members of my family were greatly affected. My cry was their cry. Even my mother once told me if she could only take the pain and carried it all by herself, surely she would. Their prayers, love and support were the reasons I strongly hold on to the hope that if not soon, someday I'll be healed. Aside from my family, my job was also affected. The sole reason of giving it up was again the worsening condition I terribly felt. It was not a high-paying job though if I may say but I loved it and enjoyed the people around. My colleagues even learned to track my menstrual cycle because I took absences every time I had it. I mean every month they knew as to when I'd be out of the office since I always had a regular period and hadn't experience amenorrhea even at the time I had my GNRH shots. I once wished it's just a nightmare and everything will be okay anytime I wake myself up. 

Year 2009 I got married. Yes, I'm not that physically beautiful though but still got into it. After all, I felt so blessed. God graced me with a loving and responsible husband. He had full knowledge of my condition before marriage but still he pursued. He took the risk. Right there and then I realized true love really do exists. Unexpectedly he stood by me and never failed to lighten me up despite all the burdens I carried all along. I oftentimes told him that I may not be abundant in my health aspect but blessed enough to have him. For almost five years of being together, I only had one confirmed pregnancy. That was six months after the wedding but it ended up into miscarriage. It was another shattering experience for both of us but we kept in mind that God has other plans.

Year 2012 I underwent surgical operation because as months came by the pain was getting worst. For long we hold on to the chance of getting me pregnant because of the possibility that everything will turn back to normal after conception. My ob-gyne prescribed me with fertility meds but it just didn't work until such time my stomach became bigger. It was as if I was bearing a three-month old fetus inside. She referred me to a laparoscopic surgeon and to make it short the operation procedures (pelvic laparotomy, myomectomy and left oophorocystectomy) were succeeded. After the operation regular monthly cycle resumed and the pain subsided but it's still there. Good thing I was not hospitalized anymore for over a year now for the same reason. I learned to manage the pain by taking oral medications and just stayed in bed feeling drained. Though I was admitted in the hospital once after surgery but it was for another medical problem. Yes, another one and it happened about four months after the said operation. Diagnosis was gastroesophagal reflux disease. It was like a panic disorder. It may sounds not too complicated but what I felt were hyperventilation, chest pain, heartburn, trouble swallowing/breathing, insomnia, anxiety and burping countless times in a day. Haist! If something is wrong, everything will just go wrong. Thank God I still have that sanity in me. A year after surgery, November 2013, everything was back, the pains, heavy bleeding and vomiting. I thought everything will fall into place but everything failed. It's really frustrating to think that it didn't come out well. I felt like losing a battle. Despite all these, I continuously asked God to send instruments for my healing. This is where latest technology played a big role and it made me thanked Him it exists nowadays. Not too long I liked an FB page, Adenomyosis Advice Association, there I find group of women with same condition as mine. It's good to feel I'm not alone. It caught my attention when some of the followers talked about acupuncture as their way to manage pain. Curiosity then arises. I researched thoroughly through internet about it and the eagerness to try came to my senses. Finally I got my first session right after my cycle at Point of Care Acupuncture Clinic last November 29 with Dr. Jefferson Ong as the certified medical acupuncturist. Every Friday of the following weeks I went there for a thirty-minute relaxation while fine needles were inserted into my skins. After three sessions, my December cycle came and to my surprise I could tell that my body got a positive response. The pains on both pelvic and lower abdomen parts were mild. I observed too that blood clots and heavy bleeding which I usually had since diagnosis were lessen. I remembered how terrible the previous cycle was that I thought I would end up in hospital bed. I was really down then. I endured pain for almost eight hours, throwing up seven times and couldn't eat anything. I took medicines but only few were successfully digested. I knew from the start it would only take a miracle to make myself free of this horrible world of pain. When would that be; only God knows. The existence of acupuncture and the good result I felt after three succeeding sessions somehow gave me little shed of light on the darkness where I'd been staying. Yet, I can't say now it's one hundred percent guaranteed because I only had six sessions in a row. As per Dr. Ong, significant effect will be felt after three or four cycles so I still have to undergo few more sessions.

I did quite enough research as to the cause for these conditions, unfortunately for adenomyosis, it discloses none. I even personally asked my doctor but she too couldn't tell. When I had my acupuncture visit, I came across a health magazine and able to read an article about endometriosis and it says that it is common to women who are tall, thin and with low body mass index (BMI). Poor me, I got those three. If only I've known it earlier I could have done something to avoid such. So now girls, if you look like having these three, try to eat a lot so you can gain more weights and increase your BMI. Please allow me to add these... live a stress-free life, try to have good eating habits, make an effort to do daily exercises and ignore people with ugly hearts. 

 Life exists on purpose and so pain is. You know why? For me, God doesn't want us to go astray. He wants to keep us in His loving embrace. For a man who has everything the world can offer might be trapped to earthly sins and it would be impossible to join Him in heaven.