Everyone’s looking forward to Summer, myself included. Though I dread the hayfever season I have been preparing mentally and physically for my perennial enemy.

Since the start of March I stayed away from dairy products and I also spent £350 for a batch of immunotheraphy jabs.

Breakspear is my last resort in battling my hayfever. The hayfever “package” included testing for the typical UK allergens and they pricked me with varying doses. The area with the least reaction has the least dose that my body can take. They then sent me home with frozen measured doses good for three (3) months.

body art

It took nine (9!!) jabs to determine the right shot for me. The worst reaction (the biggest of the lot) actually stayed with me for 5 itchy days. It also left a pock mark.

So I have been pricking myself here and there and everywhere for eight days now and so far so good. I have a daily reminder for my dose, now I know how diabetics feel with their daily regular insulin shots.

I hope and pray that this expensive treatment works. I hope I can enjoy my birthday in June without sneezing and wheezing. I hope I wake up in the July morning without feeling short of breath and tired. I hope I enjoy my August walks without itchy, watery eyes.

I hope, I hope! This is the end of my allergen curse.

Dear friend,

Nung weekend para kong may flu dahil sa severe symptoms ng hay fever. Di ako makakilos, even combing my hair was a huge effort as my scalp felt really tender. Then the limited breathing. Maaawa ka sa akin, I was breathing through my mouth for 2 days!!! There were times I really felt like dying. I felt guilty too that I couldn’t play with Kelvin properly. Talagang telly-time lang sya. Friday night I planned on taking him to the town fair and even to the cinema, I didn’t count on my “enemy” arriving on Saturday morning. KAINIS.

This morning when I was about to leave for work, Joel said Kelvin has temp last night. I felt my stomach lurch. If Kelvin is not better this evening that will mean one of us will have to take a leave of absence. And that thought made me feel worse because ideally when Kelvin has a temp, we let him stay at home for 2 days. But if we keep on doing that & he gets fever at least once a month, that would mean our work-attendance will be blatantly pockmarked.

Nakakaloka.

I really hope Kelvin recovers today. I blame the stupid weather… Come on sky, where’s our Summer sun & warmth?!

As for me, it looks like I will have to wait a little longer for the hay fever vaccine to become available in the UK. Crap.

So how was your weekend again?

Lovingly yours,
me

On our way to my son’s speech therapy a few weeks ago, we passed by a Chinese herbal/acupuncture shop. This is a common sight in London. You’re bound to see one in almost every town.

Anyway, knowing that I’m toying with the idea of trying acupuncture to cure or alleviate my hayfever, hubby suggested we enquire. The consultation was free, which was a bonus because the last time I asked a similar shop (in 2003) I was told I have to pay to consult. So a very Chinese (by this I mean, I can hardly understand her accent) lady with a sweet-smile welcomed me. She took my pulse looked at my tongue & asked about my symptoms. She even commented on my dry skin. She told me that “herbs” will do me good. But that if it doesn’t work, I should go for acupuncture.

We waited for 20 minutes(!) while the shop assistant measured the herbs. 7 days’ worth cost me £52. I nearly keeled over from shock, perhaps it registered on my face, too. When he talked about the acupuncture, he said we can do it in installment or get it “in bulk” to get one session free. A session is £25 and if I go for 5 sessions, I get an extra 6th session for free. Wow!

I took the woman’s name, whom the guy kept referring to as “Dr”, before I left. I contacted the British Medical Acupuncuture Society and found out that the woman is not registered. It doesn’t mean she’s a fake. It just means she’s not regulated. I will not go to her for acupuncture but I’ve been wanting to kick myself what I’m about to tell you next.

The herbs. The assistant said it will be “very bad tasting” & suggested I use some honey to make it more palatable. When I brewed my first cup, I was gagging from the smell coming from the pot! When I drank it, I was wishing it was boiled oregano instead. It was ssooooo baaaddd. Even now as I type this, I am cringing from the memorable aftertaste, so memorable I’d be gagging an hour after I sip it. I could almost feel my stomach churning (binabaligtad ang sikmura ko). I’d like to describe it further but my 3-year old summed it up when he smelt the steam and came away saying “smell yuckie! ” while waving his hand in front of his crumpled face.

Still I’m desperate & the herbalist said I will have immediate relief. I gulped & gulped. Using anything as chaser - water, grapes, cucumber, kornik, etc. After 4 days, I still feel the same, blocked nose & itchy eyes. I threw my £52 in the bin. What was I thinking?!

This is the shop & that’s hubby looking bored inside the shop

My “prescription”. Can you read chinese scripts?

Can you see the paper plates with many dried whatevers? Those are mine.

P.S. I followed Belle’s suggestion and I’m currently trying Noni Juice, too. More about it next time.

Ewan ko ba kung bakit maraming snob sa tube. Common naman ang hayfever dito at siguradong once a day makaka-encounter ka ng sufferer. Pero madalas malapit na kong mapaaway at kadalasan mga babae talaga ang maaarte, kung may lalaki man na kunwa e disgusted, mga DOM.

Hayfever can make you sneeze - a lot, but that’s the “harmless” bit. For those extreme sufferers like myself, hayfever can clog your nasal passages so bad you cannot breathe thru your nose, but at the same time have colds streaming out of your nostrils. Gross man pero aaminin ko minsan di ko pa nararamdaman dahil masyado nang maga ang mukha ko sa hirap.

Anyway, imagine yourself stuck in the train after a long-day at work and you’re already bogged down with this irritant. You’re constantly sniffling and blowing your nose which is already tender. Then the person next to you starts giving you “the look”. What look? It varies from person to person, but disgust is a common denominator. Sometimes the person makes a big show of moving away from you eventhough he/she is trapped in the cramped seat! Those who are most annoying even declare to whoever they’re talking to that they hope they don’t catch anything on the train.

It makes my blood boil most of the time. Sometimes I just ignore them especially if I’m already lightheaded from lack of Oxygen. But other times, I hit back. Fake a sneeze in their direction or let out a tremendously disgusting belching sound as if I’m going to keel over. If I’m really in the mood for a fight, I manage an elbow or a toe-stepping incident. Kainis e.

Nung isang linggo nga may katabi ko na tumingin sa akin ng masama (at matagal pa) nung suminga ako. I sat up & stared back at her. Then proceeded to cough & sneeze in her direction, of course I was saying “excuse me” all the time. She stood up & someone else happily grabbed her seat. What do you know my sneezing & coughing stopped, she looked really miffed, I wonder why?

You don’t ‘catch’ hayfever. It is obvious I have hayfever, my eyes are puffy, bloodshot & watery. Even if someone is really sick & potentially contagious, why be a jerk about it?

Minsan talaga feeling ko magkakaroon na ko nang “public transport rage”.

I did nothing but review & comment on documents since Monday! I barely managed to work on my actual deliverable (a traceability matrix). True the files I’m reading are not even thick but I find it really hard to “read & understand” because my sinuses are so blocked, I feel so lightheaded. Sometimes I feel like passing out. It’s taking me twice as long to get anything done, except for blogging.

I hope this doesn’t continue for too long. I need my wits in order to function properly. I’m sorely tempted to take my work home just to get moving as I know I’ll be swamped soon.

I took Pining’s advice to heart & have started on a no dairy diet. I now drink my tea black, no milk, no sugar. Sugar is not dairy I know but it’s less calorie intake as I plan to copy Melissa’s South Beach Diet. I also checked the net for more food related allergies & found that I should stay clear of food additives, too, as they inhibit the anti-histamines from working. It looks like I’m going to work harder to beat this Hay Fever season (2007 is set to be the worse on record).

Just as well I follow the above list, I’ll end up healthier & fit enough to run for a bus without wheezing. The thing is hubby bought some freshly-made siopao last night & I gave in & ate one for breakfast this morning. South Beach says no carbs for 2-weeks. I told myself it’s my last f*ck before the final goodbye. I plan on disposing of the sweets & other tempting goodies by giving them away to neighbourhood kids. Then hubby reminded me that I should not stop baking & cooking for them. Ah the horrors. I need He-Man strength & resolved.

Even with my happiness during my son’s 3rd birthday last Sunday, my itchy eyes and semi-blocked sinus were signalling that my annual burden is here. It’s still early days as I can still use my eyes as normal, but my rest in the last two nights have been interrupted because of my dry throat and parched lips. It affects me during my entire working hours because I’m sluggish, at sana lang I am finding it hard to concentrate due to Sunday’s fatigue and not due to hayfever itself.

Pati pag-gayak kinatatakutan ko because my entire face feels numbed, bloated na nga wala pa kong maramdaman. Parang nawala energy ko to even make the effort to put on make-up, I look sick.

I’m determined that this year it will be different, even if my hayfever attacks me from now ’til September. I am going to continue with my taebo once I see my RSI consultant next week & hopefully the exercise will give me the boost I need to shake off the lethargy.

But I’m always praying that modern science finds a definitive cure for this ailment. It’s debilitating.

January, February… Uh-huh, the hayfever season is here again. I’m not hypochondriac, nor obsessing about it - I’m just aware and perhaps most sufferers are. This year I’ve even started taking my antihistamines early. I began my reminder on the 1^st of February. That’s a common advice given by doctors, start taking your pills before you need it as a pre-emptive strike to those pollens come Spring.

Five years ago, it wasn’t so bad. Then I got pregnant and I thought I was scot-free, or rhinitis-problem-free. But then I gave birth & the onslaught was really bad. Two years ago, I get pitying looks from my former colleagues. One year and one company after, I was told by the CTO to “get healthy” as my number 1 priority. Come on, it’s not like I can inject myself with steroids and forget I ever had hayfever! Oh wait! That is one treatment that is not recommended in the UK anymore.

There is another treatment that none of my doctors would recommend – desensitization. My GP even said it’s a waste of money & far too risky. Basically you check in to a hospital, they expose you to all sorts of allergens until your body has had enough & get acclimatized. At least that’s the general idea.

I’ve been prescribed all types of antihistamines and according to experts I have been taking the most powerful formula currently available – desloratadine. And yet none of them ever worked for me. I have gone for alternative medicines too, most are garlic based. Many toothbrushes later, still no effect.

So this year, I am hoping that by religiously waking up to my “take your medicine” alert & downing my pills for more than half-of-the-year, my hayfever will not be as bad. I really don’t want to post “IM NOT CONTAGIOUS” on my forehead.

Finally had my submucosal diathermy, SMD for short, on Tuesday afternoon. It was my first NHS treatment, not counting my numerous GP consultations. I arrived 30mins before my appointment. Got a bed 30mins after my appointment & actually walked into the theater 2 hours after my appointment. Everyone can’t wait to wheel me in & knock me unconscious because I was asking too many questions.

I wanted to ask the anaesthesiologist why she was wearing three (3) necklaces in the Operating Room when it clearly says on the sign “No jewelry/watches in Theatre”. But I don’t want to tempt fate.

I mentioned it to my husband after the 20minute procedure (yup I waited for 3hours for something that takes 15-20mins). He said the “lax” attitude was probably due to the fact mine was a minor operation… But come on, would they really have people believe they bother removing & putting their costume jewelry between patients depending on which ones were minor & which ones were major surgeries?

In the recovery room, I was nugded back to reality when I felt pulling & tagging from my throat which made me gag. I managed to open my eyes & moan, the nurse on attendance said they were taking out my tube. It hurt like hell. It was a deepthroat nightmare! She asked me how I was feeling & for some reason my eyes were really itchy. She chose to ignore that when she wrote down what my present condition & handed me back to Ward 12 of Harold Wood NHS Hospital.

I waited another 2 hours before I received my take-home meds. The totally made-up sister of Ward 12 couldn’t wait to get rid of me. She says they’re closing at 630pm (it was 5pm) & can I move to the waiting area, sit on the chairs instead of the bed, while we wait for my meds. The meds arrived half past 5 & she said just to read the instructions & I can go. Thankfully my husband’s an NHS nurse & is used to mistakes on TTA instructions. Sure enough, there was no indication of up to when I should take all three meds, one of the bottles even said throw away a week after opening. Sister make-up was visibly irritated when hubby pointed out those mistakes. She nearly jumped. According to my husband it’s a major cause for headache if the mistake wasn’t as simple. They’d have to track down the consultant who is probably in his private practice by then & won’t be contactable. Thankfully it was just a typo from the Pharmacy.

So now I have a week off & recovering… If only it’s not winter cold this first week of spring, I would have enjoyed this thoroughly. One thing’s for sure though, we’d have to amass a great fortune to retire & get treated in Pinas next time. NHS suck but going private will cost me an arm & a leg here in England.

Habang nanunuyo ang labi ko at di makahinga sa sipon, eto ako at nagkukunwaring nagtatrabaho. Gusto ko ng umuwi pero di naman pwede. Siempre I’m paid to turn up at work. So tuloy ang pretense.

I’ve been sat here for nearly 4 days(!) doing mostly nothing. I’ve been driven to drinking coffee at least twice a day to stay awake. This is significant because it’s boiling hot in this non-airconditioned office in London.

It’s not my fault I’m idle. More than one week na kong nag-a-antay sa dev manager namin na tapusin yung test driver ko! Since he’s resigned and just counting the days ’til the leaving-do, eto kulang na lang e hagupitin ko ng latigo.

Alin ba ang mas mahirap, walang magawa o sobrang dami ng ginagawa?

Look I’ve no plans to blog, no plans to write, pero eto sumusulat ako dahil wala nga akong magawa. I keep wishing my home’s next door so I can nip out and do the washing, cook a meal, etc etc. But hey baka magalit si Lord I keep ranting when I should be thankful I have a job.

Okay shutting up now.