Friday, December 19, 2008

Collateral Damage

(It’s pretty obvious that my blogs now usually start with a briefer, a short intro. It’s becoming my style of writing. Maybe I would give it some serious thoughts of letting it that way, if only to gain the interest of my readers.)

Well, it’s almost twelve midnight and I am now like a bat, turning nights into day. Ha ha ha. Spare me, but I don’t suck blood.

When you’re 40 years old and above, it seems that doctors enjoy imposing as many diet restrictions as they wish to, much to your own disappointments. The do’s and don’ts in eating preferences. The what to, the what maybe and the what not to eat.

Lately, I was forced to visit my doctor though against my will. The culprit? I am suffering from swollen joints on my left hand caused by arthritis. This illness has been with me for three straight weeks now and I am starting to panic so there’s no reason I should not be going to the doctor already. Though I don’t want to spend a dime or two on medicines especially so when I would think of the side effects of taking them like steroids. I learned that steroids would give you a fake weight gained. You looked fat when the truth is, there was too much water retained in your body as caused by steroids intake.

With a firm resolve, after the consultation, I told my doctor with a deceptive smile, if only to consider my request that “Doc, please, no steroids ha!?” “It will be alright, I’ll let you take it for three days only and I assure you that you’ll not gain unnecessary weight”, he assured me. But his assurance didn’t melt my firm resolve. I went home with just the antibiotics he gave me.

After two days, and with a guilt feeling, coupled with embarrassment, I went back to him. With a humble heart, I told him bravely, “Doc, just give me anything, just so my hand will be eased of the swelling and the pain”. He smiled kindly and reassuringly and directed his assistants to get my record and give me the medicines he initially told me to have.

I had been afflicted with this illness for a couple of years now. During its first few attacks, I’d immediately run to the doctor and have injections after injections until it subsides. His first diagnosis though was cellulitis infection. An infection caused by a bacterium that happens to invade my body by entering through a wound. I usually suffer from mouth blisters because it runs in the family according to my late father. That might be the point of entry of said bacterium.

But during its last attack, I observed that it’s in the food that I eat which caused it to swell and be painful. When I eat foods with high uric acid contents such as sardines, “laman-loob” internal organs, sea foods like shrimps, lobsters, crabs, leguminous crops and poultry products, then just a few hours after eating, it will already start to swell and throb painfully.

The doctor now surmised that it’s hand arthritis. He gave me a list of foods which I am allowed to eat and choose from, the list of food I should eat in moderation and the list which I should not eat anymore.

Evaluating the lists, it seems that the delicious and tempting ones are those that would give me great collateral damage. I want to protest, but it would be a vain effort. I must keep in mind that the collateral damage it will give me weighs heavier than any delicious food I can gobble. It’s best to heed to the doctors advice for a longer life.

I still want to have a longer life. I still want to have a fruitful life ahead. I feel that I am just beginning to enjoy my life. Life begins at 40, so they say. That’s true because I am now enjoying great parenting to my three kids, to my two adopted daughters and to my three pretty and precocious little angels that I usually borrow from my neighbors.

I am starting to enjoy my life because I learned to love writing. I never thought I have this gift until somebody cared to recognize it and effortlessly encouraged me to continue perfecting my craft. That gave me an immeasurable adrenalin rush to write. So whatever is my position in writing now, let me tell you I look like a bat suspended in my bed and just enough to reach the keyboard of my laptop. The better and the best blogs are yet to come.




1 comment:

  1. hmmm,..glad I'm turn back 2 years ago of your blogs Amity,.or else I didn't know what is steroid that Mayweather Sr. acused to Manny Paquiao of being a users..yes your very true, life begins at 40,..I felt it before and until now..well I'm still on the way tilling your great blogs you made before,..I enjoy reading it.

    ReplyDelete