Thank you for the prayers

This is for all my friends and relatives who prayed with and for me before, during, and after my hospitalization at NKTI last week.

I know who you all of you are, and you know who you are.

I also thank my doc, Dr. Benita Santos Padilla, her partner in the procedure, Dr. Morabe and Benita's doc friends, her discussants (discussing my case)

My most heartfelt thank yous to all of you.

weekend of 3-5 August 2012

i had labs last Saturday, and everytime i have labs, i slightly go .... i was going to say panicky, but that isnt the right word.

i just have to have to have my labs early.  I go to NKTI before 6, or go exactly at 6.  this sat i got there at exactly 0600H, and i was number 9 in the queue.  by 7, that is, an HOUR LATER, i still had not been called.  wow, i thought that was a bit much. then my alarm for my meds rang!  this alarm is for me to take my prograf (tacro), a pharmaceutical drug i must take at a regular time.  So i had to talk to the technician, she told me i could take that (i knew that) but i told her that i had not brought my medication since i thought i would be home by that time. so she took my blood and i appreciate that. like the other kidney transplants, i do not like being late for this particular medication.

NKTI labs is really very good at skeds.  however, some patients are taking advantage of the policy of the NKTI lab by arriving late and expecting to be served ahead of everybody else (except for those people who will have tacro just the same).  i dont approve.  when i needed to have my tacro graph test, i arrived early.

i think the NKTI  lab head would have to not put everybody ahead, what happens is that everybody who does not require the tacro graph get relegated to the end of the tacro graph line.  i think this is BS.  i think they should also move the regular line!!!

the results of my labs arent very hot, so i need to eat more veggies!! and a tad more fruit.  apples, pineapples, and papaya are on my list to eat.  i have to eat more fruit and less carbs.

*******

on a lighter note, i found 3 elephants at home, all of them the central decor of bags.  also, i got a comic called power pachyderms #1 and the X-Men.  Havent really opened it yet because i cleaned some more.  i am looking forward to the day when i have cleaned everything and all i would have to do on the weekend is read - i want to finish reading my complete Calvin and Hobbes, do my paints, and do a little poetry, and talk to my friends across the oceans.  i have a few pieces of canvas i want to fill.....

in the home improvement section -

i also need to improve the mural designed by some of our "boys", i got to inherit the "office" mural but i need to "fix" it because the roof leaked on it. then i need to have the narra cabinets fixed. i have had the dining and kitchen ceiling fixed, so they just need to be painted.  maybe by next week.

but the beds look great and my study is shaping up very nicely.  and my clothes have been undergoing some weeding and fixing.  i should start wearing some of those "gowns" at home...... i will see.  i did buy them to be used at home, when i want to feel glam.  i think every woman should have nights/days like that.

plans

i like it when a plan comes together.  so Sunday was cool.  things went according to plan.

that is always a good thing.

Looking backward to look forward

Last February 6 2008, Ash Wednesday - I had life-changing surgery.  i had a kidney transplant at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.

It will be my two year anniversary this Saturday. And today, as Saturday approaches, i think about yesterday and look at tomorrow, to see what i should implement today.

Life goes on, sometimes so fast. We must never forget to stop, take a breath, and look at where we are, what we have done, and what we have yet to do, and most especially, to always count our blessings.

Amihan, Alice, Benita, Dr. J

Robert A, Amihan, Alice, Benita, Dr. J

In December 2008, we had the first of Arts n Friends art sale. We were at Rafa's.

By the way, watch out for the Arts n Friends gallery at multiply. http://artsnfriends.multiply.com/

Black Soup Owner, me, Alice, Rafa owners, Benita, Manny

Last 30 January 2010, we had the second Arts n Friends art sale at the Black Soup at Maginhawa Street. We had lots of fun, even if we were so very tired at the end of the day.











One of the main beneficiaries of Arts n Friends is the NGO Kidney Friends. Their website is at http://kidney_friends.livejournal.com/