My husband and I love playing Trivia games …educational and at the same time we want to test how well informed we are . That’s why he created a mobile application / game named pyTrivia that will run on Series 60 v3 mobile phones.

Unknown to many; Alvin is a wide reader, a photography enthusiast and computer games fanatic. He also loves his job, programming! He is a fast learner when it comes to any programming language… I remember back in college, I really hate Programming!

To test how well informed you are, you can download it at www.ilyk.net . Hope you’ll enjoy it!

Due to Alvin’s condition, he’s into liquid diet as advised by his doctor … His diet should comprise mainly of Ensure. 

I’m glad I brought the Food Exchange List for Meal Planning (given by his dietician in St. Luke’s ); it’s a list of foods which includes calories per serving size. Actually, I’m planning to use it for my own diet! …An ordinary person usually consumes 1200-1400 calories a day. But for him to gain more weight, his diet should be at least 1600cal + Ensure! But how if he’s on a liquid diet?!

Yesterday night I gave him soup from nilagang baka and 1 cup of apple and carrot juice. His breakfast, soya milk and 2pcs of crackers. His lunch, porridge which is more like of a soup (I pureed it) and a glass of apple and carrot juice! My poor baby, he’s starting to miss eating solid foods. For his snack, he tried eating Kit Kat chocolate wafer. He had two bars without having any stomach cramps. His dinner, 1 cup of apple and kiwi juice and one piece of chocolate cake roll. He’s starting to take solid foods again!

I don’t give him Ensure today because he’s having stomach cramps… Still, his calorie intake is less than required but we’ll take one step at a time…

Alvin is under house arrest! The doctor advised him to take a medical leave so he can rest… he’s on a liquid diet right now! My poor baby boy …  The only nutritional food that he’s taking is Ensure though he’s also experiencing stomach pains when having Ensure. He’s lactose intolerant! Enough of those heart breaking stories !

Alvin received a fruit&flower basket from his company. Thank you Sofgen Management and Staff for all the support and help you are extending to us!   

If I have one wish, I’d wish that Alvin will get better… Again, he’s having stomach cramps. We already consulted two Specialists, one from Raffles Hospital and the other one is from Gleneagles Hospital… He had series of tests; Endoscopy, CT Scan, Colonoscopy, Barium Meal and some blood tests . Nothing is left from our monthly allowance , but its okay as long as he’ll get better… but the saddest part is until now he’s experiencing those stomach pains!

It was of January last year when he had fever that lasted for a month… He was admitted to the hospital, twice! It was upon his second confinement that they (he had three doctors! One from Infectious Disease, One Surgeon and one Urologist.) discovered (through CT Scan) that he has a mass in his stomach. The final diagnosis is extra pulmonary disease… We are relieved knowing that this is just an extra pulmonary disease since it can be treated over a period of time with just some medications that are readily available… After three months, he had another CT Scan and it showed that the size of the stomach mass reduced by more than half . After another three months, the doctors discovered there was a fistulous communication between the ileum and the bladder and  surgery is the only option !

It’s almost ten months after that surgery and only now that he’s experiencing stomach pains again … Right now we are still waiting for his doctor’s medication. The doctor cannot give him any medications since his previous medical records suggest that it’s an extra pulmonary disease (before surgery) but the biopsy of his ileum suggested that it’s Chron’s disease (after surgery)… Doctors from Manila said that probably it’s not Chron’s since Chron’s is a very rare disease in Asia and it’s genetic. Chron’s and extra pulmonary disease mimic each other; they have the same symptoms and attack the same intestinal tract. But their medication / treatment are very different! Actually, there is no known medication for Chron’s… the medications used is to suppress the antibody that is causing the inflammation. And Chron’s medication will cause flare up in extra pulmonary disease! That’s why his doctor is very cautious…

Yesterday, I called Alvin’s doctor in Manila… asking her about some medical test (test that somehow proved that it’s really an extra pulmonary disease) that were not issued to us : Sensitivity to MTB and Culture Test for MTB. She told me that the culture test (42 days) is negative so there is no sensitivity test done… This will be another issue whether it’s Chron’s or extra pulmonary disease . From what the doctor told me, the mere fact that the mass reduced by more than half in a span of three months suggest that it is an extra pulmonary disease…

I really don’t know what to think… I am just praying that God will heal him very soon. I wish I could help my baby boy to lessen the pain that he’s going through …  

I got this from the Hospital while waiting for Alvin… I find this very uplifting…

Just lately I noticed that Tots’ is nagiging mapili na with food… Nagre-request na din ng mga food na gusto nya! One time nga nag-reklamo pa, lunch and dinner na daw namin ulam yung ginisang munggo tapos ipabaon ko pa daw sa kanya sa office. Sabi ko naman, yung partner naman iba-iba, yung isa fried chicken and yung isa is fried pork . He told me  kase before na kahit everyday daw before okay lang ang ginisang munggo dahil favorite nya yun! Naku, nagiging mapili na sya sa food! Ako yung mapili sa food, as in ayoko ng paulit ulit yung ulam and ayoko ng isa lang ang ulam . Nasanay kase kame sa bahay before na lagi partner ang ulam … Kaya naman yung asawa ko nagugulat sa aming pamilya before, ang dami daw naming ulam at ang lakas naming mag ulam (ang tataba tuloy namin!). Siya kase, sa rice malakas unlike kame na ulam ang mas marami… marami daw kasing bigas sa kanila. Ayaw din ng asawa ko ang masyado madaming sahog sa pagkain! He also likes taba ng pork! Sa bahay namin, walang kumakain nun as in yung Nanay ko pinapaalis pa nya sa palengke… Imagine me and Lolee na hinihimay ang longganisa before just to get rid of those fats. Now, I admit kumakain na din ako ng fats , nahawa na ako sa asawa ko… yung sa fried pork belly lang ha. Kaya siguro tumataba na din ako … though I’m still underweight (labo, hehe). 

Lately, he said sumasarap na daw ako magluto ! Pwede na daw pang fiesta, he’s referring sa luto ko na he requested na katulad daw sa handa sa fiesta sa baryo ! Hirap pala mag-asawa ng taga-baryo … Maybe it’s an acquired taste, imagine yung luto ko na lang yung natitikman nya dito ! Kaya no choice kung hindi ang makasanayan nya!

Last time, he requested for spaghetti… I only cook spaghetti for special occasion and since spaghetti is one of my favorite foods kaya I gave in to his request (may magagawa pa ba ako ). I can cook carbonara and spaghetti in red sauce (I don’t know how to call it, since it’s a combination of Italian and Filipino Spaghetti ). 

Lolee (my younger sister) and I want our spaghetti with lots of herbs and spices . Before, ayaw nya ng may mga herbs pero lately sya pa ang nagsasabi na dagdagan ko pa daw ng mga dahon… Spaghetti is one of our (just Lolee and I) comfort food sa bahay before and nag-alaga pa kame ng basil plant para fresh talaga . Too bad, namatay na ang basil dahil nalunod yata sa ihi ni Tay! (hinala namin ni Lolee, Hehe, so iwww).