Homeless Man vs Homesless Kid - A social experiment by MoeAndET

I watched this video on Facebook in front of my boyfriend the other day... I was preparing myself to control my tears as I know it will soon fall midway through the video. I usually fake a yawn or cover my face but then this time he caught me and ask why I am crying. In an "I am making fun of you" way.

I find it really sad for a very rich, first world country to have homeless people, sadder is that most of them are veterans, who fought for this country's freedom, or made sure that wars don't reach its shores.

It's just sad... ;(

See the video, and you will know what I am talking about.

***Disclaimer***
I am not posting this for likes, adds or ads. Nor to gain subscribers.
I did not purposely intend to make copyright infringement if I did.

This video belongs to MoeAndEt, and you can visit their Youtube page by clicking the link below, or by copying their page address on your address bar if clicking doesn't work.
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOckShow

And here is the video...

https://youtu.be/NvoWBbYxdwc

If you can't see it you could always click the link, or copy it to you address bar.

It is about time to talk about homelessness.

References:

MoeAndET Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOckShow

Video of MoeAndET's social experiment: https://youtu.be/NvoWBbYxdwc

Back to Blogging II

Recap: Hospital admission, Paracentesis, and Lupus Positive Diagnosis

After I was discharged from the hospital comes a lot of almost bi-monthly visit to the Rheumatology doctor, new other symptoms and other kinds of diseases accompanied my Lupus. Medicines to take care of the symptoms; medicines to take care of the side effect of the main medicine used for my symptoms.

Well, I can't really do anything about it really, just need to swallow the pills, drink my water and move on with life, anticipating the next time I need to drink medicine. Which is usually after 8 or 12 hours.

Life with lupus can be tiresome, devastating to some, but it is definitely life changing to all inflicted by it. It is hard at first, you go through all the stages of grief.

Grief doesn't only imply to the loss of a loved one, in my case, it is a loss of good health. We must recognize that we all are grieving, once recognized, I know we will all be level-headed, and will move on in bettering ourselves. 

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or SLE is the most common lupus. The type that affects every single organ of the body.

I had the textbook SLE, Lupus, from the very beginning. I had the malar rash or butterfly rash to some. And the accompanying joint pains that is experienced by more than half of the people with lupus. I actually have a tell-tale spot, that when it hurts, it means I need to increase Prednisone just for that one day, or at the minimum, drink a pain reliever. When my right heel hurts, I am about to have a flare. That is my tell-tale spot.

I think people with lupus should listen more to their body, and notice the differences that happen before a flare up. I have one, my right heel pain, maybe you have one too!

I am actually really lucky to have the most common symptoms of Lupus. They were able to diagnose me easy, and not like other people who had to wait and some wait for months or even years just to find out they have lupus and not some other disease their doctor was treating them for before. Even with this, it is still not easy to deal with lupus. The most annoying part with Lupus, in my case, is when one thing is better, another messes up. This is the summation of my 4 years diagnosed with lupus. 

SLE positive diagnosis -- labs are good -- lab found protein in urine -- c4 almost at normal, kidneys not so much -- admitted to hospital for feeling sick -- kidney biopsy -- LUPUS NEPHRITIS 5 -- kidney doing good -- PULMONARY EMBOLISM (1 day before my birthday on 2013) -- Kidney doing better -- managed kidney a lot better -- DIABETES (because of weight gain and being on prednisone for years) 

Awesome right, something positive happens, something bad happens next. It feels that I can't get a break. Seriously!! :(


References:
Definition of SLE: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000435.htm
Definition of Malar rash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malar_rash
Malar Rash photo: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/what-your-looks-say-about-your-health/10/
Definition of Lupus Nephritis: http://www.webmd.com/lupus/lupus-nephritis
Definition of Pulmonary Embolism: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-embolism/basics/definition/con-20022849
Definition of Diabetes: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/basics/definition/con-20031902

On The Brink

I am not really in a good feeling right now. I just do not know what else I need to do to get better...

I am on the brink of depression. I look at all my pills and I am thinking, what did I do wrong? All I did was to make sure that everything I do or did was suppose to make me better. I am in an age where I wanted to have my own family, but I have to put it on hold because of all the things that are happening to me right now. I wanted to have one, even just one for me.

I went to my doctor appointment right now and was told that if I ever have a "baby accident" I might need to terminate it because of all the medicines that I am taking. Do you know how hard that is to swallow, to think that I would be a mother and have a baby, but I can't keep it because it will for sure have complications.

So, as any normal person would do, I put on my brave face and say yes to everything they told me to do. It took a while obviously, to sink in my little coconut. I am not getting younger and I am really really wanting to have a little one of my own. I planned to have one when I was 25, but I lost my job, and the economy was on a really low point that not much people were hiring. From all the stress, I developed lupus and now, here I am, 31 turning 32 in January and still waiting for the right time to have my magical moment of having a little one of my own. It doesn't help having friends having babies for the second time or popping them like popcorns.

I am just on a really low part of my life at the moment. Sorry, I just need to vent.

I guess I'm back to blogging... Again... :)

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's been a while... :) But there are things in life that I need to think and do first, that is more important than blogging.

So... where should I start?

How about let us begin from the very beginning. 

I have Lupus. I found out I have Lupus basically around May 2011, but the doctor I went to first told me that he can't help and I need to go to some other doctor. My complaints at that moment were joint pains, and I have a rash on my face. Yes, I have the malar rash and joint pains. I'm a textbook Lupus patient, right? Unfortunately, I am not aware of what lupus is during that time, and I thought maybe, it is not his specialty, and that I should see a dermatologist instead. Looking back, I wish it was that easy.

I saw another kind of doctor that week, I was jobless, no insurance and sick. I went to a doctor that is same day and walk-ins are acceptable, and you will be seen for $50! That is how Los Angeles was, and that is how I think, everything is still. he gave me a prescription, I do not even know what it was, I know one is a pain reliever, and the other one is probably steroids because I got better after a few weeks,

As fall of 2011 approached, my bad joints came back, and I just decided that maybe it was because of the weather. September 2011, I was popping Aleve like crazy. I need my joint pains gone. But after some time I felt nauseous and started vomiting. I went to the Emergency Room after some time because I can't eat, and every time I put something in my mouth, wait for a few minutes and I started vomiting. Five different times I went to the emergency room and no conclusive cause or reason was given to. Most of the time I was only given something to help with the pain, or make me eat for a few minutes or most a day.

When they can't do anything about it anymore, I was told to just better go to the County Hospital, as they have the best doctor and staff, by reputation. But coming from the Philippines, who also have best doctors in Public hospital, there is something about going to a public hospital that doesn't go down with me. In the Philippines, it usually means crowded, dirty and patients in gurneys in the hallway kind of hospital. But then again, how and why do I even try to compare a third world county hospital to a rich if not the richest country's county hospital.

I was in there and was taken into a bed as soon as 30 mins. This hospital can make you wait for as long as twenty-four hours if they think that your emergency is not really an emergency. I didn't know that then, but I know that now.

I was checked. I was poked and prodded. But what can I do? It was a teaching hospital, so there are a lot of residents that needs to see what patients they might have at their private practice. It was not a good experience, but at least they found out why I kept on puking. I was admitted few minutes after being checked. I was in a room within 2 hours of entering the E.R.

I developed Ascites. It is when the liver leaks liquid to the abdominal or stomach cavity. I did this to myself by taking pain relievers my liver can't handle. And the only thing that could be done to relieve it is a very painful process called paracentesis. Paracentesis is when they drain the stomach cavity of liquid by actually poking it and vacuuming the liquid out. The doctor was very accommodating. Telling me how the procedure will be done and assuring me that it won't be that painful. But of course, he lied. 

The process consists of 3 parts, one is local anesthesia, where they put a numbing agent on the part where they will poke you. The second part is when they inject you, like in the dentist office, anesthesia, to numb the inner muscles in preparation of the needle that will vacuum the water. Third is the actual injecting of the needle that will drain the water from the stomach cavity. And, like in the dentist, it still does hurt.

For those who are more visual, you could actually see the process of paracentesis here. I was only drained 2 liters, which is not that much. Thies pretty much the same thing they did to me, including the ultrasound part of it.

I think I will end this for the moment, check my next blog for what follows after. Thank you!!

Sources/Links:

Please check this website to learn more about Lupus, and help us find a cure - http://www.lupus.org/

Lupus definition: http://www.lupus.org/answers/entry/what-is-lupus

Ascites definition: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000286.htm

Paracentesis definition: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003896.htm

Paracentesis video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d-L6Hni6A4&feature=youtu.be