253


is my new number, my new CD4.

December 2009 - 13
June 2010 - 85 (+72)
December 2010 - 169 (+84)
June 2011 - 218 (+49)
January 2012 - 253 (+35)

Not bad. Up by 35 points. And who's to blame but me. Haven't been sleeping that much. Working 12 hours a day. Sometimes, I work on weekends. No exercise at all (unless you count retail therapy).

I also gained weight, I'm now at 61kg, roughly 134lbs. But I'm having what they call, "muscle wasting" from my ARV medication - Stavudine. I talked to Ate E and she said I need to swap back to Zidovudine. Now I'm on 3 months clinical trial for Zidovudine, hoping that my RBC stays normal.

In the next few weeks, I'll be working harder than ever on a new project. After this, I'm taking a month long break. Some R&R. Relaxation and... Recollection. I need a new plan on how to get to 300+ CD4.

Or maybe, I need a less stressful work (as if it exists.. ha!).

Oh well, at least I had +35. I'm still doing good. And hanging on still.


Basement

Woke up really early this morning. Went to RITM aka the Basement (dahil lumipat na sila ng location). Doraemon was early, he already asked the staff to pull-out my records. Pagdating ko, kinausap ako ni Mara, mali daw ang PhilHealth record ko sa kanila. I looked at the database, iba yung pangalan ko, and I'm self employed. Di pa ganun kaayos ang database ng RITM, ganun na talaga kadami ang poz sa Pinas. It's more fun ba?

Buti na lang kilala ako sa Basement (the infamous Lucky13). Dahil na din siguro sa pa-merienda ko lagi when I visit them. Di ako (masyado) mayaman, pero I make it a fact that I bring something to the staff. FREE ang nakukuha kong services (kahit na minsan may kabagalan talaga). Sa akin lang, para mas ganahan sila, bigyan sila ng something something. Di ba? Kesa mag-inarte ka dun akala mo ikaw ang reyna ng RITM tapos ni lugaw teh di mo sila mapakain. Kaya sa lahat ng meron namang spare cash, bring something to your treatment hubs. Kahit papaano, mapapasaya mo sila.

So anyway, it was our anniv check-up. Hinanda ko ang ugat ko para sa anniv check-up dahil sa 4-5 vials ng dugo na kailangan i-extract for the annual check-up - CD4, CBC, etc. I also need to do that injection thingy for TB (PPD) and sputum din. Plus the urinalysis and fecalysis. And XRAY.

So I had my blood extracted. Josko, si Ateh, parang gusto ako patayin sa pagdrain ng dugo. Then sa XRAY. Naku, sa mga pupunta sa RITM, patience sa XRAY lab dahil yung staff dun, pati sya parang dapat i-XRAY. Then to the pharmacy to get PPD. Then lipad kay Ate Ellen para magpa-PPD. Yung for urinalysis nabigay ko, yung for fecalysis, wit, eh nag fasting ako, kaya walang laman ang tyan ko, walang lalabas! Sputum, will be back sa Thursday.

Then nagpaconsult ako for my ARV. It's been almost 2 years na naka Stavudine ako. Pwede akong bumalik sa Zidovudine. Ang effect kasi ng Stavudine is muscle wasting. Kaya ang legs ko, susme, pang Elite Model sa pagka skinny. Buti pinayagan ako, akala ko monthly pa ko babalik, pero binigyan na ako ng 3 bote.

Note: Sa RITM, wala kang dedicated doctor kasi every month nagrorotate ang doctors. Unlike sa PGH. Kaya dapat alam mo ang records mo at alam mo ang history mo. Kaya dapat kilala mo din ang staff sa RITM. Kaya yung mga nagmamaganda sa RITM, wag masyado (lalo na pag di ka naman kagandahan).

Natapos kami mga 11:30AM. Had lunch at Festi. Nag-ikot saglit then umuwi na. At eto, masama pakiramdam ko. Dahil nakauwi ako ng 2pm tapos may pasok ako sa gabi, di kinaya ang konting oras na tulog. Buti mabait si boss, pinayagan ako mag SL.

Anyway, back to the basement, dami bago. Isa lang kilala ko na parang part na ng staff ng OPD. The rest baguhan. Yung isa, mabango. Yung isa, parang di naligo. Yung isa todo shades si ate, ayaw makilala. As in parang incognito. Akala ko bago, pero nung pinapull-out nya records nya, 1997 pa pala sya. Ganda ni ateh. Meron pa isa, naka shades din.... Summer na siguro, dami naka fake na Rayban.

This year, dami ko na plans. Di nakasulat sa papel, puro mental note lang. Kailangan ko ibalik ang modelesque ko na figure. Kasi... vain ako, saka summer na. Haha. And switching to Zidovudine is just the first step. My skin is getting better and whiter. From my cheetah print skin last 2010, ngayon wala na. Sabi din ni Liz Uy, di na uso ang animal prints in 2012.

This year, kailangan ko ulit ma-promote. Hahaha. I already talked to my boss and she said that malaki yung possibility na ma-promote ako.

This year, more out of town trips.

This year, more time for my love ones.

This year, I will try to be less maldita and less mataray. Less lang. I can't do a complete 180.

Ayun, yun na muna. Mahirap mag plano at maglista tapos January mo lang tutuparin.

Meme na me. Will blog on Friday for my CD4 results. Ang layo na ng narating ko as a pozzie. From a CD4 of 13 in (December) 2009 to 218 in (June) 2011. From my anorexic figure to a semi-chub self. From unemployment to now getting on his 2nd promotion.

And yeah, this year, I'm turning 30. Bet!