STROKE : AFTERMATH

My sincere apologies for not updating this blog. Anyway's, fast forward after booking a flight from Davao going home to Manila, it was the wisest decision of our lives. Philippine Airlines staff from Davao and Manila • well ( whom my husband and I are beyond grateful for all the caring we received from them ) and Manila helped us secure a ticket, St. Luke's Medical Center QC sent an ambulance to have us transported from the airport of Manila all the way to their hospital. We are thanking u guys from the bottom of our hearts.

I'm going to tell you that in Davao my husband had post-craniotomy, placing of ventricular peritoneal shunting due to hydrocephalus • a stroke side effect, while on and off suffering from a series of infection brought by tracheostomy via mechanical ventilator which delay our goal to go home. Plus a series of not-so-nice Doctors that I had to fire for purposely delaying our stay in Davao resulting to more set backs which St. Luke's Medical Center in QC found out three days after our confinement at their hospital... will go thru that later on.

Yes, my husband neurologically speaking survived all that however, complications arise - on the 3rd day upon confinement here in Manila he developed a fever. Fever is a red flag on a critical care, it is a sign of infection. An infection of the V/P shunting from the abdomen all the way to the brain. Streptococcus Faecalis one deadly form of bacteria from fecal matter, caused a part of his intestines to rot, appendix rupture and Cerebro Spinal Fluids to go grainy with bacteria. It was a fight for his life. V/P shunting had to be removed, his brain needs to be washed (lavage), an ommaya reservoir was placed and ileostomy had to be done. Almost two months in the Neuro Critical Care Unit...his quality of life is uncertain.

My physician since I was a kid, Doctor Joven Cuanang headed one team of Doctors to care for my husband. He headed everything and told me, "Brain cancer nga lumalaban tayu on a 60 year old, he is so young dito pa kaya ?". However, this is a very long and expensive treatment. He wasn't wrong.

We are only 40 years old, this is not happening... it can't. Right ? I was wrong, we were wrong.  I cannot even begin to imagine how I stand up at that moment when right in my very eyes I'm watching my husband fight for his very life and to even begin to write all these that's why it took me long. Gathering up the courage to recall everything that went on, no matter how I would like to share  it's to painful to remember.

( In the photo : Thanks to my two nurses and one Doctor on board PAL flight DVO-MNL, Thank you PAL and staff, Thank you St. Luke's Medical Center and Dra. Bernadette Manalo-Arcena )