False alarm!

Yesterday I went back to RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) for a follow-up consultation on two cases: first is for the shingles I contracted 2 weeks ago, and second is for my anemia. I arrived there at around 8:30AM, early because if I were to consult the dermatologist in the afternoon, I need to finish the CBC and HIV doctor consultation in the morning. That was the plan.

However, there was no dermatologist available yesterday, because all of them were in Boracay attending a conference. (These doctors sure know how to mix business with pleasure! :)

So I was left with consulting the doctor for my anemia. I had my blood taken at around 9am and I had to wait for a while before I could get the result. I saw the doctor at 10am and after showing her the already dried up blisters, she advised me to take vitamin B complex to help repair damaged nerve cells. She couldn't help me with my anemia until the lab results were in, so it meant that I had to see her again after lunch.

While waiting for the results, a good friend and fellow patient arrived. Let's call him S. S was confined in RITM for 7 days the week before, also for anemia. I was supposed to give him a visit the last time I was there, but since I had herpes zoster at that time, I couldn't.

He was there to complete some paper works related to his confinement, as well as to get a copy of his medical records. He will be seeing a hematologist at a different hospital to consult if there is an underlying condition that causes his hemoglobin count to continously drop: even after changing meds from zidovudine to stavudine to tenofivir, and after 20 bags of blood transfusion. I was listening to his story intently, because if worse came to worst, I might be in the same shoes as he is.

S is a very cheerful guy. I admire how he is able to keep a strong and positive disposition despite the uncertainty surrounding his condition. He's such an adorable guy!

Around lunch time, we got the result of my CBC. My hemoglobin count is 74. My previous count was 86. Two months ago, it was 130. How can this be? I was feeling a lot better now than I did the week before, it's been more than a week since I stopped taking zidovudine, and I've been resting the entire week. Why is my hemoglobin count still dropping?

Ate Ellen, the senior nurse at RITM ARG, suggested that I might need to get a blood transfusion asap. I panicked. My family doesn't know about my status. I left the house for a casual checkup, how would they react if I tell them I'm getting a blood transfusion all of a sudden?

A huge dilemma is in front of me: is it time to disclose to my family?

S knew what was running through my mind. During lunch, he told me I needed someone to look after me while I was getting the blood transfusion. For that reason I have to contact my family. But, he told me that there is no need to disclose my status to my family. He told me that RITM staff respect their patient's privacy, and they do not disclose their patient's status to anyone, not even to relatives. During the time he was confined there, his family knows that he was receiving treatment for anemia, and nothing more.

This encouraged me to call my family and tell them I might be getting a blood transfusion. But I told them prematurely. They were already preparing to go to RITM to bring my things, when the doctor came in after the lunch break. He told me that if I was feeling better, and I had no signs of anemia (such as shortness of breath, exhaustion, etc.), then I don't need a blood transfusion. Yet. He told me that I need to do another CBC for the next week and see if my hemoglobin count has improved or not.

So it was a false alarm after all! Of course I was happy, and S and the rest of the RITM staff were happy. But I feel bad for having given my family something to worry about. In the first place, that's the reason why I've kept my condition a secret from them all along: I don't want them to worry about me.

So I called my family and told them not to go to RITM anymore. My mom told me she will put ampalaya and chicken liver in the menu. It seems to me they're relieved that I'm not getting a blood transfusion anymore.

So I went home like nothing happened. Today, I had adobong atay ng manok with kamote sprouts for lunch, and had ginisang ampalaya for dinner.

Tingling shingles.

So I was at RITM yesterday, and it's confirmed that I have Herpes Zoster or 'Shingles'.

Herpes Zoster is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox. After talking to doctors and doing my own research, I learned that after chicken pox is healed, the virus is never fully eliminated from the body. It hides in nerve cells and enters a latent state, and only reactivates when the person is immunocompromised, such as when taking immune suppressants, going through psychological stress, or when having immune system disorders like HIV.

Since the virus is the same as chicken pox, it is contagious to those who never had chicken pox before, or to those whose immune systems are compromised (if you have shingles, stay away from children, pregnant women, elderly persons, or any persons with weak immune system.) Shingles cannot be transferred to persons with a healthy immune sytem who already have had chicken pox before.

According to doctors, it takes 2-3 weeks for shingle blisters to heal. But the pain could remain for up to six months.

Wikipedia - Herpes Zoster