ALDUB's first date!

And so it happened.  Millions, actually proven by 10 million tweets, witnessed the first date of the sensational amazing phenomenal love team, ALDUB.  The excitement was felt all over the world.  Although in Dubai we had a hard time with live streaming, it did not stop us to watch it live simultaneously with our loved ones in the Philippines.  It was like watching while sitting with your family.  We tweet together and watch at the same time.  It was another bonding moment with our families back home.  It was indeed a record breaking event.  Last night before I slept, it was already one million tweets, maybe around 11:45 p.m. Dubai time.  At 11:00 a.m. Dubai time, the tweets reached 7 million.  Joey de leon, one of the hosts of Eat Bulaga, said that he is happy even with 8  million tweets but the audience shouted and gestured 10 million! Indeed, we have reached 10 million and counting.

10 million tweets for #ALDUBMostAwaitedDate

What can we learn from this first date?

• No touch and other oldies rules.  Lola Nidora, the grandmother of Yaya Dub laid down rules for the first date, which Yaya Dub and Alden obediently followed today.

• Respect the girl's parents by asking permission.  

Alden kissing the hands of Yaya Dub's parents

• Stick to the rules.  Although the ALDUB love team almost wanted to  break the rule, they controlled themselves and remembered lola's rules.

Almost, but oooppsss. ...remember the rules

• Do not pretend.  Be who you are.  They were both actually  not acting.  They were who they are and that made people love them.

Beautiful couple...uuuy couple

• Do not bare your skin, especially for girls.  Alam namin maputi na mga kilikili nyo.  (we know you have white armpits) ha ha ha.  Look at Yaya Dub.  She wore the most elegant and most respectful dress for a first date.  If you want respect, respect yourself first.

Respect yourself if you want respect from others

• Family First.  Though the two were enjoying the date, when the medication alarm clock rang, Yaya Dub came running out so she will be able to give the medication of her grandmother, lola Nidora.

• Lastly, Be compatible.  There were 10 questions of compatibility from which the two answered 7, getting the questions maliwanag o madilim (light or darkness) and sweet or spicy wrong.

I still cannot get over the event.  Thank you Eat Bulaga, my endorphins are high.  It helps me recuperate and somehow forget that I am sick.  To Aldubnation, it's the lesson, not the number of tweets! Move forward for more happy moments.

Thanks to ALDUB, i forgot i'm sick :)

Aldub is the accidental love team of Maine Mendoza (the Philippines' dub smash queen) and Alden Richards, a boy next door actor and host of Eat Bulaga.  Eat Bulaga is the longest running noontime show in the Philippines.  I have grown up with Eat Bulaga.  This noontime show has been my family's entertainment from then until now even if most of us have gone abroad.  Alden on the other hand has been my favorite since his love team with Louise de los reyes who is another dramatic actress.  I even joked my son, Gorby, in 2011 when he was being bullied at school for having no parents present, that he can choose from Piolo, Aljur or Alden as a replacement father.  Yes, I am a single mom but a happy and contented one.  Anyway, back to Aldub phenomena.  Yes, its been a phenomena since it has been the TTP (top trending post) in twitter almost every single day.  The highest of which is more than 6 million tweets.  I am proud to be part of that twitter party from team Dubai.  I remember the first time i watched them two months ago.  I posted it on my Facebook page on 17 July 2015 as i only watch through the FB page of Eat Bulaga.  Their love team really started on the 16th of September 2015 at 1:47 p.m. (Philippine time).

16 July when accidental love team ALDUB started

And the rest was history...

Reasons why i love ALDUB from the start:

• Very natural.  Nothing like an unscripted love team.  Accidental but real.
• Lesson.  There is always a lesson in every episode and in every moment they are (maybe) acting or not.
• Virtues.  It brings back virtues that most of us forgot when we have grown.  
• Patience.  It teaches patience as the grand mother, Lola Nidora, would always say "sa tamang panahon" (at the right time).
• Love. The root of all happiness.

One thing I admired about Alden is his being a faithful Catholic

#desperatemove ha ha edited one of his pictures

Thank you Aldub for raising our endorphins (happy hormones) everyday.  This truly is God's miracle because LOVE is the connection.  Thanks to ALDUB I forgot I'm sick.  Need I say more?

I stand for Ahmed

Remember Ahmed? He is the child in Texas who was arrested because he is so brilliant that he invented something like a clock?  The teacher thought maybe because he is Muslim, he I just made a bomb (oh i just hate this word).  Well, I am a Christian but I am standing up for this brilliant boy!  Ahmed, I salute you and pray that you continue to be an inventor for the good of all man kind.  As you have said, "Do not let people change who you are!" Go Ahmed!

Please watch the video here:

I stand for Ahmed

Ahmed Mohamed

How to encourage cancer patients?

Ever since the "bomb" was dropped on me, I have been receiving tons and tons of love and encouragement from bff (best friends forever), CF (close friends, not so close friends, colleagues, regular friends, boss and my sisters in the community where i belong, the Couples for Christ Handmaids of the Lord.

Most of my friends cried with me.  How sweet...ayyyyy.  This means that they are emphatic more than having sympathy on me.  Some started crying before me ha ha ha.  I received lots of hugs and encouraging messages.  I also received a lot of flowers and food.  Yes, food.  They all want me to regain back the strength to be ready for the next surgery and for the radioactive treatment.  

JUST BEING THERE!  You do not need to say something.  I do not expect you to cry.  I do not want yo to be stressed.  Just be there for me.  Touch me, yes touch me because I need all the warmth at this time of my life.  Hug me, that is better because i need all the comfort in this time of  uncertainty.  Remind me, yes remind me to be strong but do not show me you are weak for i might also get weaker.  Accompany me as i might not really want to be alone at this time.  Give me space also to be alone that i may rethink and talk to my God, but never ever make me feel that I am alone.  I am so blessed to have friends and people who are very encouraging and very loving.

those eyes ha! ha! ha!

FLOWERS.  Oh i love the colors of  flowers.  I love it when they give me flowers.   It warms my heart and i feel so special (because I'm sick, ha ha ha).

From my Medical Records family

CARDS, TEXT, CHAT or any MESSAGES that could uplift a sick person.  Today, i received a card from my colleagues and a text message from my boss saying:

Dear Lorelie, no sickness can keep you down with our prayers.  I always have been taught to rise after every fall, hence now it is time for you to rise out of your sickness and fly high.  Warmest wishes.  Get well soon.

PRAYERS.  And the most important of all is prayer.  I think i gained my courage to fight against thyroid cancer is the prayers of those people who care for me.  These prayers are like wings that lift me up from being down.  Prayers as we believe can move mountains.  Have faith and believe in miracles.

Indeed!

What is papillary thyroid carcinoma?

My histopatholoy read:  Well-differentiated pattern lesion with papillary cytology.  Part B shows papillary carcinoma.....

When the "bomb" was thrown to me three days ago, i read and re-read the test results, the laboratory tests, medical reports and operative report.  It says carcinoma...papillary thyroid carcinoma.  What in the world is papillary thyroid carcinoma?

 the final pathology report

According to Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Association, 

• Papillary and follicular thyroid cancers are referred to as differentiated thyroid cancer, which means that the cancer cells look and act in some respects like normal thyroid cells.
• Papillary and follicular thyroid cancers account for more than 90% of all thyroid cancers. They tend to grow very slowly.
• Their variants include columnar, diffuse sclerosing, follicular variant of papillary, Hürthle cell, and tall cell. Two other variants (insular andsolid/trabecular) are considered to be intermediate between differentiated thyroid cancer and poorly differentiated thyroid cancer. The variants tend to grow and spread more than typical papillary cancer.
• If detected early, most papillary and follicular thyroid cancers can be treated successfully. Their treatment and management are similar and are based on staging and individual risk levels.
• Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common type of thyroid cancer. It accounts for about 80% of all thyroid cancers. Papillary thyroid cancer generally grows very slowly, but can often spread to lymph nodes in the neck. It also can spread elsewhere in the body.
• The most common variant of papillary is the follicular variant (not to be confused with follicular thyroid cancer). It also usually grows very slowly. Other variants of papillary thyroid cancer (columnar, diffuse sclerosing, and tall cell) are not as common and tend to grow and spread more quickly.
• Follicular thyroid cancer accounts for about 10-15% of all thyroid cancers. Treatment will be discussed later in this booklet. Hürthle cell thyroid cancer is a variant of follicular.
• Follicular thyroid cancers usually do not spread to the lymph nodes, but in some cases can spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or bones.
• Treatment for follicular thyroid cancer is similar to treatment for papillary. Hürthle cell cancer (also known as oncocytic or oxyphilic) is less likely than other differentiated thyroid cancer to absorb radioactive iodine, which is often used for the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer.
• A protein called thyroglobulin (abbreviated Tg) is used as a marker for whether all of the differentiated thyroid cancer has been successfully removed. Determining the Tg level in your blood by periodic testing will help your doctors determine how well you are doing with your treatment. Some patients produce anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), which are not harmful but which mask the reliability of the Tg value.

Cancer of any type is still cancer - scary and dreadful.  A lot of doctors say, even my doctor, that thyroid carcinoma is the simpliest and the easiest to treat.  Well, it is still cancer, right?

It's cancer!!

The doctor asked me, "You want the good news or the bad news first?"  Being a strong-willed woman myself, i boldly told him, "bad news!".  The doctor then said unfortunately the result of your biopsy is not good.  It shows papillary thyroid carcinoma.  The good news is that this type of cancer is easy to treat.  He further said, God forbids if he asks me what type of cancer I want, I will say thyroid cancer.  Cases of thyroid cancer have been increasing worldwide.  The cause is believed to be from radiation, like if you have lived in Japan during the Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion or in Russia in Chernobyl.

What?  I was not even born during the Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion and not in my life have i travelled to Russia.  Where could have i gotten this when in fact cancer is not in my family history?  I had a lot of questions in mind but since i just got operated on my right thyroid, i still have hoarse and low voice, i did not have the energy to say something.

That was September 14, 2015.

My ENT surgeon removing the drain a day after right hemithyroidectomy

My initial reaction:

The doctor told me that the other half of my thyroid needs to be removed, which means another dreaded trip to the operating room.  After six weeks of healing, then i will undergo radioactive iodine therapy.  The first thing i said was, "When?".  He said, that is a good question.  Then, he wrote on the consent and all the needed documents for me to sign and for insurance to approve.  I needed to get the other half removed as soon as possible.  I did not cry in front of the doctor.  My friend, Yolly, was with me who have been comforting me since the day before.  Apparently, she and other two of my friends have known the results before me.  Now i know why they have been delaying and why they have been hiding from me.  Anyway, after i left the doctor's office, i sat down at the patient's waiting area where my tears started to fall.  Then, i suddenly felt like urinating, so i told Yolly, "Naiihi ako (i want to urinate)."  I went to the public toilet outside the clinic without even waiting for Yolly.  She found me crying inside one of the cubicles.  All i asked her was, how can i get this?  I have never been to Russia or Japan.

The day before:

The day before my checkup, on 13 September, I asked my friend Yolly who is a nurse in our hospital to check on my results because I am also a patient in their clinic.  Before asking Yolly, I asked Harold, another friend of mine who works with me in the Medical Records.  I told him that i have signed a consent and if he can email me the results.  It was taking him a long time to get back to me, so i asked another friend to remind him.  To make the story short, the three of them tried to avoid me.  I became suspicious.  I became nervous that something was wrong with my biopsy.

Harold and Nova

Two of my friends who wouldn't pass for an acting job!!

 The best actress award goes to, Yolly!

The night before the checkup, i was feeling weird of these friends of mine who kept on ignoring me.  So, i told Yolly to check with Harold in Medical Records.  Unknowingly, Nova was sent by Yolly to follow up with Harold.  The next thing, Harold went up to the clinic and showed Yolly the result of the biopsy.   Apparently, they cried.  What Yolly just told me was the results cannot be discussed by a nurse because the doctor won't allow it.  She told me to just wait for tomorrow, anyway it is just few hours away.  Apparently, the three of them had a pact not to  tell me the result until i see my doctor.

The "bomb" day:

My appointment was at 3:00 p.m.   As early as 9:00 a.m., Yolly messaged me that she wanted to go with me in the clinic during my checkup.  I told her i can manage as i am feeling well now but she insisted and she said that she is my mother here in Dubai as i leave far from them.  This is very unusual for her.  I know she tried to hide what she knows and feels but then again as i have told her, she cannot be an actress.  At the same time, Nova also told me that she will go to the clinic when i come because she can just come and go in that clinic.  I also remember Tintin, our coordinator volunteered to accompany me during the checkup but told he i can manage.  This made me really suspicious.

I was prescribed B complex for my hoarse voice hoping that it will normalize soon.  After buying the medicine from Pharmacy, Yolly fetched me and brought me to her office.  When i sat, she told me, okay now, cry!  Tell me what you really feel.  Tell me what is on your mind.  I cried.  I cried big time.

Yolly called Tita Lydia to bring me home.  I was crying inside the car but it was so sweet of Tita Lydia  to sit beside me at the back and left her husband, Tito Phil drive.  It made me feel good that they are here for me and to comfort me.

I had headache because of too much crying.  I cried the whole afternoon.  I cried, in my mind saying I have cancer I want my mother!

How to survive hemithyroidectomy - Week One

Today marks the first week of my right hemithyroidectomy.  I have been confined to my room the whole week.  I tried to walk a little further away from the entrance door or our building to the nearest grocery store in the same building but i was lightheaded and felt dizzy, so I went back to my flat immediately fearing that i might fall.  I have now less choking with clear fluids but still have some few incidences of choking.  It is hard when i cough or sneeze.  I still have hoarse voice.  But with all of these, I am optimistic that i am on my way to healing.

my patient ID during the surgery and confinement

How to survive the first week of post hemithyroidectomy:

1.  Relax.  All wounds heal in time.

2.  Take the time to totally rest.  Do not force yourself to do certain activities that can cause dizziness.  This is the first week.  Activity is as tolerated only.

3.  Take pain medications as necessary.  I took only take pain medication at night so i can have a good night sleep.

4.  Spray lavender mist, so you can have a good night's sleep.

5.  Sleep as long as you can to get back your lost energy.

6.  Change position slowly.  One time when i was kneeling while praying, i suddenly stood up but my knees and legs won't let me as if i am paralyzed.  Good thing somebody was at my back to support.  So, i knelt back and slowly stood up while holding on to something.

7.  Eat really nutritious foods for healing especially avocado.  Avocado gives extra energy. 

8.  Adult coloring book.  Colors helped me relax and felt the pain less.

9. Drink lots of water to help heal the hoarseness of voice.

10.  Pray.  As you stay confined, do not stop praying but keep on talking and listening to God.

Onwards to healing!  Tomorrow is my first follow-up checkup.  Claiming for negative biopsy result.