Bali, Indonesia

From dialysis to dialysis. It was my first ever international travel since I started my dialysis treatments. My schedule is Tuesdays and Fridays. We're at the dialysis center before 5 a.m. and my session usually ends by 10:30 a.m. Thus I have three days off until the next session after Friday's treatment.

We were blessed to find a tour package that fit my dialysis schedule. So after my Friday session, we proceeded to the airport for our 6:45 p.m. flight to Bali, Indonesia on January 6, 2023.

On the first day, we were surprised to know that ours was just like a private tour. Bobby and I were the only passengers together with our car driver. Wow! We had been used to joining other people on bus tours. We visited the arts, cultural (centers of gold and silver works, woodcarvings, and Balinese paintings), and religious sites. 

The second day was a visit to the famous Bali swing. I am not a fan of swings due to my motion sickness so it was Bobby who got to enjoy the tallest swing and I just joined to try the other swings, minus the actual swinging but just for photo ops. Then we proceeded to a famous temple by the sea but we did not get to enter it because of the high tide. Besides the weather was too hot then.

After resting in the hotel in the afternoon, we walked a few blocks to a public beach. Plastic wrappers, used plastic cups, and empty water bottles scattered on the beachfront disappointed us. 

The morning of our last day was a visit to Tanjung Benoa Beach for some water recreational guides. Bobby got to experience the banana boat, flying fish, and jet ski. I forfeited my vouchers because I did not want to force my right arm where my fistula for dialysis is located.

Then it was time to proceed to Denpasar airport for our return flight before midnight to Manila. We got out of the airport at past 4 a.m. and I was able to sleep at home for an hour before heading to the dialysis center for my treatment.

Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to travel, your guidance, and protection.

Thankful for 2022

As I bid goodbye to 2022, I'm deeply grateful to God for His blessings. Let me count my blessings and name them one by one:

- I survived Covid-19 for the second time even when I was already undergoing hemodialysis.

- I was able to avail of special dialysis in the same center I go to for regular treatment because of my COVID-19 disease.

- Bobby and Cyd manifested symptoms of the disease but theirs was a mild case and they recovered fast.

- I was able to join our high school batch reunion and as their speaker, I had the chance to share with them my faith journey and led them to accept the Lord as their personal Savior and Lord.

- Amyel was granted a teaching assistantship supporting one year of her Ph.D. study.

- Cyril finished his work contract and learned new knowledge and skills.

- Bobby and I retired from CvSU after 37 years and 35 years of service, respectively.

- Bobby and I had a reunion with family in Gingoog City.

- My donor and I started our workups at NKTI.

- The family continued to serve the Lord through the church in our respective ways.

- The Lord never failed to provide for our daily needs and we had been channels of His blessings to relatives and others.

- I am deeply touched by the concern of family, friends, and brethren who keep checking on me and praying for and with me.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Thank you, Lord! I need not fear what the future holds because You hold the future.

Last Day of Work

Hey, I'm back and today is extra special.

August 15, 2022, is our last official work day at CvSU. It has been more than 35 years since I started my journey here. On this day, I have mixed emotions and I would like to share the top three in my mind:

First, we make plans but the Lord directs our paths. I did not dream of becoming a teacher but the Lord brought me here. I did not aspire to be an administrator but designations came, from the department level to top management. "Kaya pala" as long as we have full support from all concerned. We originally planned to retire when I reached the age of 60 years old but retirement came earlier for me to have less work-related stress and focus on my health condition.

Second, there are always challenges along the way which are surmountable. Stress can make or break us. We must always keep our priorities in check. In the end, it's all about our choices and their consequences.

Last but not least, I am deeply grateful to Cavite State University for the opportunities given to me, to the top management for their trust and confidence in me, to my mentors for their unselfishness in honing my knowledge and skills, to my peers for the support and cheers, and to my students for giving me a chance to mentor them. Of course, I am forever grateful to the wind beneath my wings - my family and friends. Thank you very much!

I may be retired but not tired, just re-tired! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Going Through Hemodialysis

Since my AV fistula surgery in November 2020, I had monthly labs and consultations with my nephrologist. She would often ask me if I was ready for hemodialysis (HD) to which I replied "Not yet". I looked stable but this time, the symptoms were more evident. I continued to lose my appetite, even experienced vomiting sometimes, found it hard to sleep at night, and easily got tired because I had become anemic.

My creatinine and BUN kept on increasing. When I asked my doctor at what crea level should I start my HD, she said that it would depend on the patient. She had one with a creatinine of 10+ and still appeared stable. My crea then was at 7.3, the upper limit is 1.7 mg/dL. My AV fistula was very much ready (9 months before it was used).

On August 6, 2021, my crea hit 10.3 and my BUN was 267, the upper limit is 45 mg/dL. Toxins had been accumulating in my body and the symptoms kept manifesting. I knew I would be the one to suffer so I finally decided to start my HD.

On August 30, 2021, after my usual labs, x-ray,  and hepatitis screening, I started my HD. I underwent HD for three consecutive days at short periods for the first week and for the succeeding weeks, I had the 4-hour sessions twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday. From the arterial point of my AV fistula, an average of 2.8 liters of blood was pumped into the dialysis machine and the filtered (clean) blood was returned to my body through the venous point of my fistula. With the removal of toxins and excess water in my body, I felt good after every HD session.

My CKD Story

January 2017

On Monday morning after the flag-raising ceremony at our university, my close friend told me that I lost weight and I should see my doctor. I promised to do so once we were done with our out-of-town workshop which I managed as the director for planning.

I had my regular blood tests and when my cardiologist saw the results, he advised me to see a nephrologist because my creatinine was above the normal range and there was protein (++++) in my urine.

February 2017

My new doctor requested a kidney and urinary bladder (KUB) ultrasound. The test revealed smaller than average-sized kidneys with diffuse parenchymal disease. Also, my creatinine, BUN, and uric acid values were all high. I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease secondary to hypertension and nephrosclerosis, and advised to observe a low-protein, -salt, and -fat diet and refrain from engaging in strenuous exercises.

Why CKD? I had been hypertensive for the past 10 years and though I was careful with what I ate and my lifestyle, I was poor when it came to water intake. Since then, my crea and BUN kept slowly increasing and my labs and follow-up checkups became more frequent.

First Quarter 2020

It was sometime in this period when I noticed the "CKD secondary to hypertension Stage 4" indicated in my lab request form. I couldn't believe it because my nephrologist had never mentioned it to me.

Third Quarter of 2020

From Stage 4, it progressed to Stage 5. There was no turning back. It means the end stage of my CKD and I became a candidate for dialysis. My doctor advised me to have my arteriovenous (AV) fistula (a surgical connection made between an artery and a vein) ready.

November 26, 2020

I didn't want to undergo emergency dialysis by IJ catheter so I had my AV fistula prepared by a vascular surgeon at the Tagaytay Medical Center. It would take at least one and a half months before it could be used for hemodialysis.