In Love with an Allergologist

Once upon a time, Yakee's eyes were always watery and he always seemed to have a shiner around his eyes. Someone referred me to an allergologist at Chinese Gen. She took one look at Yakee and declared my son had asthma, and started giving us all these Cetaphil and Physiogel products to use (charged to us) and told us Yakee would need a skin test. And she uses the latest something that doesn't hurt which costs P25k.

Suffice it to say, we never went back to her. She did not even touch my son!

But for the past three weeks, we have been plagued by allergies. Well, two months, if you count Dr. Mantaring's discovery of exercise-induced asthma in Yakee and my angioedema episode over fried chicken (thank heavens it was a very sluggish allergy attack and it responded to two Benadryl caps because I didn't have any milk for Yamee then!).

At least, Yamee's rhinitis-like episodes are no more... he just gets blistery wounds when bitten by a bug.

But Yakee... haay. The hives annoy me like crazy! So I called our HMO (Intellicare) to ask if the PF of the allergologist at Healthway Robinsons Manila is covered, as well as the tests. We can reimburse up to P1k only for skin tests. Anyway, I decided to try this allergologist and thought that if she still wasn't ok, then we'd go to Dr. Alava at Manila Doctors (who was our main pedia's referral).

But oh, I fell in love with Dr. Arlene Sandejas! She made the trip to an allergologist just the way I want it to be. She asked questions and answered my questions. She was the first to offer a conservative approach to MY allergies and then gave me a list of house dust control measures after ascertaining that we live a generally allergy-free lifestyle (no pets, carpet, no smoking).

Being an allergic person and having written that article above, I like to think I am pretty knowledgeable about allergies. I mean, I know the basics. But Dr. Sandejas made me realize that I must also dust our books and not let them anywhere near the bed. She told me why allergic people sneeze in the morning (because the dust mites eat our dead skin cells at night, so we wake up irritated by them) and how baths usually resolve the issue. She told me about how long after a room is cleaned should kids stay away (3 hours, so dust has really settled! 1 hour for adults), that fabric conditioners are irritants and better avoided, and many other things. I learned more talaga!

Yes, she did tell me I must have my skin test repeated (as my last was 6 years ago, and I lost the list already, and it was done by Dr. Agbayani who has expired already!) but she assured me that she can give me time to save up for it, and that it can be done in batches so I can allot money for it. It's P6k for the 85-full panel test. And no, it's not administered generally to kids below 6 years old. And since I average a trip or two to the ER due to allergy episodes, I know the skin test can be an important tool to manage my allergies.

MABUSISI is the word I have been using to describe her. Thorough. Exhaustive. Without being unnecessary.

Now, for Yakee, she has prescribed Cetaphil lotion for the dryness, instructed me how to properly bath my son (less than 20 minutes, lukewarm water, no scrubbing to dry, just gentle pats, then lotion) and asked me to keep a food diary for him. We're not eliminating anything yet from our diets, just observing. And she also ordered a repeat CBC and urinalysis for Yakee (to which Yakee was so totally against, I cried a little asking him to give more blood) and also a stool exam (haven't yet done this!). She also asked to see Yakee's old X-ray, just to rule out whatever could be triggering my son's hives (infection? food? insect bites?).

And she offered me her cell number should I have questions. I didn't even have to ask (and I actually seldom do, although I know that's a standard for some people, because I also respect how some doctors do not like free consults over the phone, at two in the morning).

And she tells you what you should do, writes it down, and discusses it again with you so you really know what to do. Love it talaga!

So far, Yakee and I are fine and on meds. We're going back to her on the 19th and see where it leads us.

*~*

She is a doctor and a human being, I cannot guarantee she will be as thorough with each patient... she could get tired, after all. Plus, it may help that I came armed with a printed timeline of what happened to my son and when, as well as knowledge of our allergy histories and my son's health history. But I really feel good about her. It's seldom that I find a consultation... rewarding... enlightening. I think the euphoria is stemming from that inner sense of having found a perfect fit.

*~*

She does not accept health cards at Manila Doctors. And I don't have her clinic sked there so better call the hospital.

Healthway Medical Clinic-Robinson's Manila
Ground Floor, Padre Faura
Robinson's Place
Ermita, Manila
Tel. no. 528-4547
Schedule: Tuesday 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Saturday 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Ramos Medical Clinic
5696 Pagulayan Street cor. Ilaya Street
Poblacion Makati City
Tel.no. 890-1696
Schedule: Wednesday/Friday/Saturday 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

*~*

I Googled her name and believe she is also a pediatrician, she was also referred to as a pedia-allergo at Healthway. Blessing talaga for moms like me :)

Milk Mama Diaries - Blog Carnival for July

July is Nutrition Month! For this year, the National Nutrition Council - Department of Health has decided that the theme will be "Isulong ang Breastfeeding - Tama, Sapat at EKsklusibo!" (TSEk). The most nutritious thing for Nutrition Month, yes?

So, it is only appropriate to do our part and also take this up as our topic for July since we all know that breastfeeding benefits both moms and babies. Since breastfeeding has been receiving a lot of bad press lately (from torture to bad advice to wrong help from professionals), we really need to promote and spread the word about breastfeeding and its benefits.

For this month, please share your experiences on how you were able to promote breastfeeding or how you think breastfeeding should be promoted in this country to increase breastfeeding rates and encourage more moms to breastfeed.

Read my May Carnival post to get an idea on how a blog carnival post looks like. To join the carnival, please fill up this FORM. Please include this short blurb on the top of your post:

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (July). For this month, we join the National Nutrition Council - Department of Health in celebrating Nutrition Month with the theme "Isulong ang Breastfeeding - Tama, Sapat at EKsklusibo!" Participants will share their experiences in promoting breastfeeding or their tips on how breastfeeding should be promoted. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants."

If you don't have a blog but would like to join, please email me or Jenny so we can arrange to have you hosted as a guest blogger. Submissions are due by 19 July 2011 and the carnival will go live on 22 July 2011.

*~*

Aside: Isn't it absolutely wonderful that the government is really advocating breastfeeding now?

*~*

I will be handling the BENEFITS part of the Best Beginnings in Breastfeeding workshop at the Medical City this Saturday, 9:00 - 12:00. Please come if you're pregnant and want to breastfeed. This is for free and everyone's welcome. bring your main support person.

Money and Credit Savvy from RD

I have been a loyal subscriber to Readers Digest Asia for years now. One of the features that I like there is the one where money, savings and credit advice is dispensed by a certain Gabriel Yap.

It's from him that I learned how to take advantage of debt optimization offered by credit companies. I also learned that investing in the Chinese Yuan, Singapore and Australian dollar could be worthier investments over a regular dollar account. I still don't quite get all the advice on equities and mutual funds but it's still great to be learning something new monthly about money and investments.

This is particularly crucial now since hubby and I have two kids to provide for. I dare not even contemplate just how costly it would be to send them to college someday (but maybe with K-12, they don't need to go? haha) especially in these times when there are so many options for self-realization for them.

All the advice was especially relevant when we ran into debt last month, because our disposable cash is currently tied up with an investment and we suddenly decided to enrol our child somewhere. Talk about not having any disposable income. It was jarring to feel that limited in your purchasing power, even if only for a time. It was a wake-up call that got hubby and me to revisit our income sources and spending habits. And now, it's time to make some of the changes.

Good thing though that I have developed the habit of not bringing my credit card with me all the time. Sure, it has been a source of stress realizing I didn't have enough cash on me too and returning all the lovely things I already have in my basket (this has happened twice already!) but it's still better than developing a habit of reaching for the plastic whenever I find something nice.

Hopefully, we get to raise money-savvy kiddos as well.

Gadgets Limited

Hubs and I have been learning where to toe the line on gadgets use for Yakee. I got really annoyed when he let our son play Angry Birds one time with only "Sunday mornings" as condition because I felt it took away from actual bonding time for them and can prove too long as that would be till 11:59 AM. Good thing he was quick enough to adopt my idea of "long drives" instead to keep Yakee off his back while driving and we'd have relative peace in the car. The price of this, however, is that our son now is usually bent on the touch-screen phone instead of watching out for backhoes or flyovers with us. There goes opportunities for getting kisses.

Now, reading off the tablet PC is allowed only when it's weekend mornings or at bedtimes away from home, when we don't have books on hand. Hubs has also tasked me to come up with a playlist for our son already to listen to on long drives, so he'd get more familiarized with lyrics and songs. Soon enough, I just know it, we may be arguing Ipod accessories and requests for own tablets. Sigh.

My only rule is... gadgets shouldn't take away from actual interaction. So, when I let Yakee 'paint' at the Jackson Pollock site, I make sure I am there to still talk him through what he's doing. It's just so easy to lose them in a virtual world... I have to be vigilant.

Sick Kids = Sick Mom

It started with Yakee getting hives, getting better, then getting hives more aggressively which resulted in a trip to the ER, and a follow up with his main pedia.

Then, getting colds and starting to cough, and now with hives again. And the hives appeared after we were at the HMO pedia for his colds/cough. Stress!

And then Yamee exhibiting what seemed to be allergic rhinitis last Saturday. He is getting better and can eat and feed now but upon consultation with the HMO pedia, we found out phlegm in his lungs. So, now, it's antibiotics time (which, weirdly enough, he likes. But most vitamins, he hates).

But all these has cost me stress and sleepless nights... and maybe, a cookie binge. And I also had to go to the ENT in case what I have isn't allergy and is actually a virius. But alas, I lost him at 'breastfeeding.' You can actually see him want to get rid of me asap. He never discouraged me from breastfeeding, more like, he acted as if he couldn't do more than double my decongestant dosage because I was breastfeeding.

Ah well.

This too shall pass.

Ready for Trick or Treating

This is a long overdue post on cuteness.





Sophia's party is the only party, so far, that Yakee truly enjoyed. He joined the games and sat along with the other kids in front to watch the show. And he was game enough to come in costume! Two costumes, even! Haha.

I just hope Yakee won't outgrow these costumes so he can go around Alabang with his cousins as a tiger. The lion costume is just so hot, you see, even if they're only dishing out halloween party favors to trick or treaters from my BIL's garage.

A Boob Job Present for a Birthday Gift

I will not include a link here to the news site but just feel free to Google or Bing "Sarah Burge, Human Barbie, gifted her daughter with a boob job voucher for 7th birthday" and you're sure to get many hits.

My initial reaction was "Ewww." and my friend's, "Disgusting." And I guess we're both referring to both the Human Barbie's face (who looks soooo unnatural) and the implication of the gift. And I don't really care if the mother says that she's just giving her daughter the option, should she someday want her boobs fixed, enlarged, changed, etc., because it still screams inappropriate to me.

Heck... heels for little girls are inappropriate, this is verging on perverted and abuse. After all, why would a 7-year old scream with delight over a future boob job if she's not being raised with the notion that she's need or want one?

Now, i'll just get back to searching appareils photo numériques and silently thank my happy problem of not having their money, which seems to be tied to their poor self-image as well. And I soooo won't ever take pictures of that scary-looking Sarah Burge.