Yeah, I've been meaning to start writing about my Aunt's journey with Multiple Myeloma but I realized I still have not fully internalized the fact that she's no longer with us. Some days I expect her to enter our home and play a bit with my kids or maybe bring them a surprise like an injured bird or a wiggly worm.
Every time we pass by the hospital where she spent her last days, my younger daughter will encourage us all to say goodbye to Nana. We do miss her a lot. She's been a part of our lives for many, many years that her memory will always stay with us.
Bear with me my friends! I will soon have the drive to write about what she went through! God bless you all!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
For My Aunt!
My Aunt who suffered from Multiple Myeloma died on the last week of November 2008 at the age of 70 after being in the hospital for about 10 days. She would have wanted to live longer but her body just can't handle it anymore. We, her family, terribly miss her but we get comfort from the knowledge that she's no longer in pain.
As I put her things in order after her death, I came across some of the notes she had written about what she was going through especially during her chemotherapy. I just can't help but shed some tears as I read them. How I wish I was more patient with her. How I wish I did more for her.
But wishing will get me nowhere. I have decided to blog about my Aunt's journey with Multiple Myeloma instead. It is my hope that it will help others, especially those who has a loved one with the same condition.
As I put her things in order after her death, I came across some of the notes she had written about what she was going through especially during her chemotherapy. I just can't help but shed some tears as I read them. How I wish I was more patient with her. How I wish I did more for her.
But wishing will get me nowhere. I have decided to blog about my Aunt's journey with Multiple Myeloma instead. It is my hope that it will help others, especially those who has a loved one with the same condition.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Geographic Tongue Update
My daughter's GT has improved a lot. There are still occasional red patches on her tongue but they don't bother her much anymore. As a matter of fact, she now enjoys eating some spicy foods but keeps away from acidic fruits, especially pineapple. When I looked at her tongue today I only saw one red patch (Hooray!).
So what helped her? I really don't know! She takes Vitamin C occasionally, uses ordinary toothpaste, occasionally takes antihistamine (loratidine) for her allergies and stays away from acidic fruits. Nothing special at all. I completely forgot about it until I checked on my blog and realized that my post about Geographic Tongue got the most number of comments.
To help those who have GT or those who know somebody who's suffering from it I will list down comments from my readers who learned to cope with it. Read on...
stephsali said...
I also have geographic tongue. I seen a doctor for it when I was a teenager. He assured me that I was fine and that the cause was unknown. He told me taking a multivitamin daily would often put it into remission or at least help somewhat. It worked!! If i take my vitamin daily I rarely have an episode, and if I do it is very mild. If I stop the vitamins, my geographic tongue returns in just a few days. I hope this info helps, it sure helped me!
Alyson said...
I'm 32 now and have had this for almost 10 years (my 5 year old nephew has it as well).
Took me a long time to figure out that Oregano is the actual culprit in a lot of the foods that irritate my tongue.
Photoshop Diva said...
I've had GT for as long as I can remember, since preschool maybe? My mom & dad BOTH have it so I didn't stand a chance. I am now 28 and find my irritation 'spells' are more frequent. SImilar to others, I react to tomatoes, pineapple, walnuts, eggplant, most citrus/acidic foods and who knows what else.
I was just reading suggestions on another site that involve switching to non-tartar-control toothpastes, swishing with peroxide, and applying the contents of a broken Benadryl capsule directly to the patches.
Anonymous said...
I think I have a cure. It is working for me. First, I bought a natural toothpaste with NO SLS. Next I always swish hydrogen peroxide around in my mouth before I brush my teeth. I took the following supplements. You can get them at a health food store. L-Lysine- 1000 mg. 2 x a day. Super Quercetin 500 mg 2 x a day. Homeopathic Sulfur 12c as directed on bottle. You must take it regularly for at least 3 weeks. I took it for about 1 month. I have been free of pain and the markings for about 3 weeks. My doctor recommended the supplements.
Anonymous said...
Well, I was reading about this and realized that not too many people actually suffer from this. I found out what it was called when I went to a dentist checkup about 6 years ago. I knew it was worse when I ate things that were spicy or acidic. Also I noticed someone commented about it becoming worse when they drank and smoked. I quit smoking about 5 years ago because of it. It used to cause infections on my tongue. I definately don't recommend drinking or smoking if you suffer from this condition. You'd only be asking for problems.
Anonymous said...
I suffer too from geographic tongue and fissured tongue. I'm now 31, but I have had this condition since I was a child. Like many with GT, my mother was told not to worry about it.
At present, I now also deal with burning mouth syndrome (may or may not be related). I know that drinking orange juice caused me to get canker sores. I stopped drinking it because of that. I decided to recently start (again) Vitamin C supplements. Geographic and fissured tongue came back (it had been gone for a long while). So now I am going to test a 2 week no Vitamin C diet. To see if the tongue clears up entirely, and if the burning mouth calms down.
It's worth a shot, but I am telling you folks, Vitamin C definitely has a drastic impact on my mouth.
renea said...
My 6 year old son has had this for years. He also has rally bad eczema and I was told that GT and eczma could be a milk allergy. So I took him off milk and with in a few days it was gone. He has never had any pain in his tongue with foods. And his fav food is pineapple.
Mike said...
I've had GT for over 5 years now and after going to several doctors, my dentist was very helpful as far as steering me in the right direction. Here's what I do: brush teeth and tongue (and scrape tongue with tongue scraper) twice a day and floss at night. I also use the prescription mouthwash Periogard which has a generic brand as well--this is the hard part because it tastes AWFUL, especially sitting in your mouth at night. My theory, at least in my case, is that my tongue is extra sensitive (allergic, really) to bacteria and over-reacts leading to GT.
I still get occasional flare-ups but only when I don't follow the regimen religiously. Getting back on the regimen gets rid of it quickly. It also has the benefit of impeccable oral hygiene! Anyway, this worked for me.
So what helped her? I really don't know! She takes Vitamin C occasionally, uses ordinary toothpaste, occasionally takes antihistamine (loratidine) for her allergies and stays away from acidic fruits. Nothing special at all. I completely forgot about it until I checked on my blog and realized that my post about Geographic Tongue got the most number of comments.
To help those who have GT or those who know somebody who's suffering from it I will list down comments from my readers who learned to cope with it. Read on...
stephsali said...
I also have geographic tongue. I seen a doctor for it when I was a teenager. He assured me that I was fine and that the cause was unknown. He told me taking a multivitamin daily would often put it into remission or at least help somewhat. It worked!! If i take my vitamin daily I rarely have an episode, and if I do it is very mild. If I stop the vitamins, my geographic tongue returns in just a few days. I hope this info helps, it sure helped me!
Alyson said...
I'm 32 now and have had this for almost 10 years (my 5 year old nephew has it as well).
Took me a long time to figure out that Oregano is the actual culprit in a lot of the foods that irritate my tongue.
Photoshop Diva said...
I've had GT for as long as I can remember, since preschool maybe? My mom & dad BOTH have it so I didn't stand a chance. I am now 28 and find my irritation 'spells' are more frequent. SImilar to others, I react to tomatoes, pineapple, walnuts, eggplant, most citrus/acidic foods and who knows what else.
I was just reading suggestions on another site that involve switching to non-tartar-control toothpastes, swishing with peroxide, and applying the contents of a broken Benadryl capsule directly to the patches.
Anonymous said...
I think I have a cure. It is working for me. First, I bought a natural toothpaste with NO SLS. Next I always swish hydrogen peroxide around in my mouth before I brush my teeth. I took the following supplements. You can get them at a health food store. L-Lysine- 1000 mg. 2 x a day. Super Quercetin 500 mg 2 x a day. Homeopathic Sulfur 12c as directed on bottle. You must take it regularly for at least 3 weeks. I took it for about 1 month. I have been free of pain and the markings for about 3 weeks. My doctor recommended the supplements.
Anonymous said...
Well, I was reading about this and realized that not too many people actually suffer from this. I found out what it was called when I went to a dentist checkup about 6 years ago. I knew it was worse when I ate things that were spicy or acidic. Also I noticed someone commented about it becoming worse when they drank and smoked. I quit smoking about 5 years ago because of it. It used to cause infections on my tongue. I definately don't recommend drinking or smoking if you suffer from this condition. You'd only be asking for problems.
Anonymous said...
I suffer too from geographic tongue and fissured tongue. I'm now 31, but I have had this condition since I was a child. Like many with GT, my mother was told not to worry about it.
At present, I now also deal with burning mouth syndrome (may or may not be related). I know that drinking orange juice caused me to get canker sores. I stopped drinking it because of that. I decided to recently start (again) Vitamin C supplements. Geographic and fissured tongue came back (it had been gone for a long while). So now I am going to test a 2 week no Vitamin C diet. To see if the tongue clears up entirely, and if the burning mouth calms down.
It's worth a shot, but I am telling you folks, Vitamin C definitely has a drastic impact on my mouth.
renea said...
My 6 year old son has had this for years. He also has rally bad eczema and I was told that GT and eczma could be a milk allergy. So I took him off milk and with in a few days it was gone. He has never had any pain in his tongue with foods. And his fav food is pineapple.
Mike said...
I've had GT for over 5 years now and after going to several doctors, my dentist was very helpful as far as steering me in the right direction. Here's what I do: brush teeth and tongue (and scrape tongue with tongue scraper) twice a day and floss at night. I also use the prescription mouthwash Periogard which has a generic brand as well--this is the hard part because it tastes AWFUL, especially sitting in your mouth at night. My theory, at least in my case, is that my tongue is extra sensitive (allergic, really) to bacteria and over-reacts leading to GT.
I still get occasional flare-ups but only when I don't follow the regimen religiously. Getting back on the regimen gets rid of it quickly. It also has the benefit of impeccable oral hygiene! Anyway, this worked for me.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Backyardigans Fever
I really don't know why but my 7 year old got hooked with The Backyardigans once again. Her recent favorite is "Into the Deep" which has the Bollywood music style. It's amusing to see her dance and sing the song "Our Garden" with Tasha and Uniqua who are mermaids in the episode. It's not an easy song to sing (according to her daddy) but it's fun for her.
To help her out I searched for the lyrics of the song and for those who are also interested here it is:
Our Garden (by Tasha and Uniqua)
Uniqua: If you’re a fish that’s kinda fishy, or a thief out there in the reef
It’s time to turn and swim the other way!
Tasha: If you’re a coral that’s immoral, or a shark out in the dark
Goodbye and have a pleasant day!
Uniqua: To all you sketchy mollusks and you interloping clams
Tasha: You underhanded turtles with your underwater scams
Uniqua: To all you thieving catfish and dodgy lobsters, too
Tasha: Our garden’s not for you!
Uniqua: Hey, hey...
Tasha: We shout...
Uniqua: Go away...
Tasha: Keep out...
Uniqua: Excuse me, beg your pardon!
Tasha: Whoa, whoa...
Uniqua: We yell...
Tasha: Please go...
Uniqua: Farewell...
Both: It’s time to leave our garden!
Tasha: If you’re a bass that likes to trespass, or an eel that wants to steal
You’ve come to the wrong place!
Uniqua: If you’re a salmon who is scammin’, or a perch who likes to lurch
Then do an about-face!
Tasha: To all you shady tuna and misbehaving groupers
Uniqua: You murky deep sea robbers and underwater snoopers
Tasha: To all you shifty mackerel and creepy clownfish, too
Both: Our garden’s not for you!
Uniqua: Hey, hey...
Tasha: We shout...
Uniqua: Go away...
Tasha: Keep out...
Uniqua: Excuse me, beg your pardon!
Tasha: Whoa, whoa...
Uniqua: We yell...
Tasha: Please go...
Uniqua: Farewell...
Both: It’s time to leave our garden! Yes, it’s time to leave our garden!
To help her out I searched for the lyrics of the song and for those who are also interested here it is:
Our Garden (by Tasha and Uniqua)
Uniqua: If you’re a fish that’s kinda fishy, or a thief out there in the reef
It’s time to turn and swim the other way!
Tasha: If you’re a coral that’s immoral, or a shark out in the dark
Goodbye and have a pleasant day!
Uniqua: To all you sketchy mollusks and you interloping clams
Tasha: You underhanded turtles with your underwater scams
Uniqua: To all you thieving catfish and dodgy lobsters, too
Tasha: Our garden’s not for you!
Uniqua: Hey, hey...
Tasha: We shout...
Uniqua: Go away...
Tasha: Keep out...
Uniqua: Excuse me, beg your pardon!
Tasha: Whoa, whoa...
Uniqua: We yell...
Tasha: Please go...
Uniqua: Farewell...
Both: It’s time to leave our garden!
Tasha: If you’re a bass that likes to trespass, or an eel that wants to steal
You’ve come to the wrong place!
Uniqua: If you’re a salmon who is scammin’, or a perch who likes to lurch
Then do an about-face!
Tasha: To all you shady tuna and misbehaving groupers
Uniqua: You murky deep sea robbers and underwater snoopers
Tasha: To all you shifty mackerel and creepy clownfish, too
Both: Our garden’s not for you!
Uniqua: Hey, hey...
Tasha: We shout...
Uniqua: Go away...
Tasha: Keep out...
Uniqua: Excuse me, beg your pardon!
Tasha: Whoa, whoa...
Uniqua: We yell...
Tasha: Please go...
Uniqua: Farewell...
Both: It’s time to leave our garden! Yes, it’s time to leave our garden!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Successful Weaning!
I had blogged about weaning my younger daughter from breastfeeding here and I realized it's nearly a year since I first attempted to wean her. She's turning 4 years old next month and it's only been 5 days since I stopped breastfeeding her.
Yeah, yeah, it took a long time before she finally stopped but because she's the only baby and I'm a full time mom and housewife, I really did not feel the pressure to wean her until now. She still tries though, especially at night, to get me to give in to her but I have resolved not to. To make up for it, we supply her with her favorite yogurt drink as well as chocolate milk.
Weaning my daughter has given me a bit of freedom. Not much really, but just enough for me to have continuous sleep at night. There are times though when I miss the closeness that we had when I was still nursing her. But then again, our kids have to grow and slowly learn to be independent and this is one step my daughter (as well as her Mommy) has to go through.
The transition went well and I'm pretty sure we'll both have our weak moments but I will make certain we will not give in and stray.
Kudos to us mommies who are for breastfeeding. We know and offer the very best for our little ones!
Yeah, yeah, it took a long time before she finally stopped but because she's the only baby and I'm a full time mom and housewife, I really did not feel the pressure to wean her until now. She still tries though, especially at night, to get me to give in to her but I have resolved not to. To make up for it, we supply her with her favorite yogurt drink as well as chocolate milk.
Weaning my daughter has given me a bit of freedom. Not much really, but just enough for me to have continuous sleep at night. There are times though when I miss the closeness that we had when I was still nursing her. But then again, our kids have to grow and slowly learn to be independent and this is one step my daughter (as well as her Mommy) has to go through.
The transition went well and I'm pretty sure we'll both have our weak moments but I will make certain we will not give in and stray.
Kudos to us mommies who are for breastfeeding. We know and offer the very best for our little ones!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I Need a Break!
Last night I remembered about my blog. It's been more than 2 months since I updated it. I thought about the reasons why I haven't been blogging -- I have lots to blog about but I just don't have the time.
Lately I have been getting less than 7 hours of sleep everyday. I wake up early to prepare my older child for school and I sleep late because of the oh-so-many things I need to do with the added responsibility of taking care of my Aunt who has Multiple Myeloma and is on chemo.
My Aunt lives alone next door. She has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma 5 years ago. Lately, it's more difficult for her to move around and so she's always in bed. We have been on the lookout for somebody to take care of her needs but with my Aunt's "micromanaging" it's hard to find someone who has the patience to be with her. So, until we do find somebody, the responsibility to take care of her falls on me.
I love my Aunt and I don't mind taking care of her, however, the added responsibility has robbed me of my "life" as well as that of my family. We can no longer go out whenever or wherever we want like we used to. We've been eating canned goods lately because we don't have time to go to the market. It's been really a stressful situation for all of us these past 6 weeks. I feel like a prisoner in my own home.
I need a break and I'm really hoping we'll be able to hire somebody to be with my Aunt soon. That does not mean I no longer have a part in taking care of her -- I will continue to have a part in providing for her everyday needs but I will sleep better knowing somebody is with her especially at night.
Lately I have been getting less than 7 hours of sleep everyday. I wake up early to prepare my older child for school and I sleep late because of the oh-so-many things I need to do with the added responsibility of taking care of my Aunt who has Multiple Myeloma and is on chemo.
My Aunt lives alone next door. She has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma 5 years ago. Lately, it's more difficult for her to move around and so she's always in bed. We have been on the lookout for somebody to take care of her needs but with my Aunt's "micromanaging" it's hard to find someone who has the patience to be with her. So, until we do find somebody, the responsibility to take care of her falls on me.
I love my Aunt and I don't mind taking care of her, however, the added responsibility has robbed me of my "life" as well as that of my family. We can no longer go out whenever or wherever we want like we used to. We've been eating canned goods lately because we don't have time to go to the market. It's been really a stressful situation for all of us these past 6 weeks. I feel like a prisoner in my own home.
I need a break and I'm really hoping we'll be able to hire somebody to be with my Aunt soon. That does not mean I no longer have a part in taking care of her -- I will continue to have a part in providing for her everyday needs but I will sleep better knowing somebody is with her especially at night.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Extra Cash For Moms
For Stay at Home Moms like me, earning something extra for our family is a big thing. With soaring fuel prices, everything goes up as well. I therefore find it a blessing when I get to join sites where I can earn extra cash to help pay the bills.
If you're like me and you'd like to earn something while taking care of your family then SWATcash is for you. It's actually an enjoyable way to earn extra cash. Truth is, it is a pleasant diversion for me especially when I get too stressed out with the kids.
So far I've been paid more than $200 by SWATcash and I'm expecting a bigger paycheck this month.
It's free and fun, more so if you're a Mom. Join now!
Here's proof of payment I received from SWATcash.
If you're like me and you'd like to earn something while taking care of your family then SWATcash is for you. It's actually an enjoyable way to earn extra cash. Truth is, it is a pleasant diversion for me especially when I get too stressed out with the kids.
So far I've been paid more than $200 by SWATcash and I'm expecting a bigger paycheck this month.
It's free and fun, more so if you're a Mom. Join now!
Here's proof of payment I received from SWATcash.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
