No Magic Pill

photo from Pinterest

I'm frankly alarmed by the growing number of people dying from taking diet pills, the fastest and dangerous resort to losing weight.

Let me tell you my story. This happened wayback 2011.

I must admit that back then, during the peak of my career, I was also conned into taking diet pills because I was too lazy to work out since I found it exhausting and I cannot control my relationship with food. Those were the days when people started worrying about looking good and fit, build those muscles, tone those abs and lose the flabs. Guilty as charged I also took numerous dietary supplements such as FitShape, Fitrum, down to the most deadly ones Brazilian diet coffee, slimming tea and last but not least this slimming orange juice called Curvy which made me lose one pound a day which, as expected, made me lose weight tremendously that everyone else already began to notice. I did get nice comments when I started losing weight back then and those that made me worried as well. Some people at work said I should stop whatever I'm doing to lose weight because I may have gone too far. For the rest, they even asked me what the hell I was taking thus made me lost so much weight in a snap. I then gladly shared.

photo from google images

I was so happy at first when I started taking Curvy Slimming Juice because the outcome is so fast like magic. But then, when I started experiencing insomnia, heart race, shortness of breath and felt disoriented to the point of almost passing out whilst commuting on my way home I decided to stop taking Curvy. I thought I was dying when I felt those symptoms. I got really scared. That never happened to me before until I started taking that darn orange juice. I wasn't obese back then just a little chubby I should say which made me conscious and avoided wearing body hugging clothes that's why I resorted to fast dieting through slimming juice and pills. Stubborn as I am, I tried this Brazillian coffee after Curvy which eventually led to another scary experience although just a little milder than that of Curvy. Nevertheless, I also had insomnia and the same shortness of breath. Then, I finally stopped taking any of those stuff you buy online with Chinese labels on them.

Prior to Curvy I took FitShape which did not really work for me that much. I lost quite a few pounds but not as fast as that of those Chinese and Brazillian slimming stuff. FitShape is a safe way though to lose weight but you have to of course incorporate proper diet to it, same applies with Fitrum. So, my point is, anything that's not over the counter is not deemed safe, please bear that in mind because It only means that BFAD (Bureau of Food and Drugs) did not allow them to be sold/circulated on local drugstores simply because they contain ingredients which may be harmful (if not deadly) to one's health.

Please be also wary on the authenticity of every dietary product you buy on local outlets or online stores because not all of them are authentic. On the other hand, let me also remind you that not all over the counter slimming products are safe until you consult a physician such as Xenical for instance. I also took it (yes I did), this is one of those extreme measures I tried because of my desperate attempt to lose weight in the past considering I'm below 130lbs. I pooped oil, lost some weight but felt dehydrated as hell. I stopped taking Xenical after roughly two weeks. Same goes by the way with slimming teas such Kankunis etcetera, they will eventually leave you dehydrated and dying if not kept yourself hydrated. Ask a specialist first if you even need to take any of these.

After all the dieting troubles I've been, I finally resorted to the safest and healthiest way to lose those flabs which is working out. Along with it, I started boxing back then and ate healthy. I've been watching my diet even up to now and It is indeed true that once you started eating ang living healthy, you don't ever wanna go back to eating junk and earn back those weight you difficulty shed.

I also just want to share that taking those slimming stuff such as Curvy had also taken a toll on me, a side effect which I will be enduring for the rest of my life, my Hypothyroidism. It was an effect of my thyroid ablation (RAI) due to Hyperthyroidism, this is when your thyroid starts producing too much hormone more than what your body requires triggered by some sort of drug possibly as It hastens your metabolism.

Slimming products attacks the thyroid gland which is responsible for your metabolism--how fast the food you take is burned by your body, how come you don't get hungry or what have you. Imagine, I only took Curvy for less than five days and look what I got months after. It took me over a year before my Hyperthyroidism symptoms manifested actually which I obviously knew where It came from as it is a condition that's metabolism related. I extremely lost weight so suddenly to the point that my eyes bulged (a.k.a Grave's Disease), heart raced, hand tremors, feeling extremely hot even if I live in a place with such a cold climate, difficulty sleeping which is reminiscent to insomnia, always weary probably caused by my always fast heart beat, loose bowel movements (which I thought was normal at first until I noticed that I go to the bathroom almost every single time I eat something), the worst--extremely itchy rashes on my fingers and leg weakness to the point that I could no longer climb stairs without looking like I lost a limb or something.

Hyperthyroidism

I went to an Ortho at first thinking my leg weakness has something to do with muscle and bone problems such as low calclium level or something to that extent. It didn't take long for the Ortho to figure that I might be Hyperthyroid because my sister who went with me to the hospital mentioned that I lost weight so suddenly and my eyes don't look normal anymore.

Another scenario, I went to a Dermatologist regarding the itchy rashes on my fingers and I was advised that It might be Dermatitis or the rashes might've been triggered because of a thyroid problem. That's it, I then went to an Endocrinologist and through blood test it was confirmed that I was indeed Hyperthyroid. I did not mention I took slimming products in the past because my siblings already suspected that so the Endoc thought it might've been hereditary. I later on found out that it might've been partially hereditary because my cousins (mother's side) did have thyroid disorders. On the other hand, I also thought that I was healthy before and my unhealthy and dangerous way of losing weight in the past must've triggered it.

My sudden weight lost might've also caused sudden formation of gall stone in my gall bladder which I have endured painful attacks for about a year ago until I decided to have my gall bladder removed. Thank God for Laparoscopic Cholesystectomy that I recovered in just a couple of weeks with just a couple of less than an inch incisions. Mind you, once you developed a gall stone, there's no other way but have your gall bladder removed unlike kidney stones which can still be dissolved through shock way and stuff.

Hypothyroidism

To date, I am enduring my Hypothyroidism (opposite of Hyperthyroidism: difficulty losing weight, very slow metabolism) condition for life and no GB (gall bladder), all because of improper eating and dieting measures. It's payback time. I am now on lifetime intake of hormone replacement medication called Levothyroxine (Euthyrox) because, since after my thyroid ablation, my thyroid gland can no longer produce hormones on its own. When I get depressed that means I am lacking on hormone meds so I may have to adjust my intake of Levothyroxine. My mood now is affected by the adequacy of hormones I get from medication. I stopped and went tired of taking Levothyroxine at one point but I felt like dying because I gained weight tremendously again, went on puffy face and experienced painful muscle twitches so I took it again and accepted the fact that my bodily functions will never be the same again.

As an end note, think before you take those slimming pills or any dietary products per se as there's no short cut to getting fit and healthy but exercise and proper diet. You eat more, you gain more especially if you're not getting any younger, your metabolism slows down thus your body can no longer break down those fat the way it used to when you were younger. I am proud to say that even if I am Hypothyroid, through controlled eating, I don't gain much like I thought I would since after my radioactive iodine treatment. I am also considering hitting the boxing gym again once everything in my life has already fallen into place. Right now, being busy with moving has made me move around a lot more packing, lifting things. Being stagnant leads to weight gain so make it a point that you move a lot, climb up stairs, get busy with a lot of stuff. I am not writing this blog to blaspheme these products I've mentioned here but to share my experiences being a first hand user. I used these prodcuts out of my own free will without any aid or advise from physicians.

I am also writing this bloggie right now to advise readers out there to think twice (or more). If you're looking to lose weight, do it the legal and healthy way. Losing weight through slimming pills is cheating and may lead to life threatening side effects if ever you still get to this point. If you have been watching or reading the news feeds on TV, facebook or any social media platforms lately, I think you may have come across the news regarding this beauty queen who recently died due to slimming pill overdose. This is what I'm talking about, slimming pills is even more deadly than crash diet because it amages vital organs. Nevertheless, they are on the same neighborhood. Please consult a specialist prior to taking any dietary product because the dosage is never the same for everyone. You only take certain number of pills depending on how much your body is able to contain. A 200lbs person is definitely not expected to take 1-2 slimming pills a day compared to a less than a hundred pound person. I hope this news will serve as a warning to people desperately yearning to lose weight. Lose weight fast and endure its effects later or lose weight the hard way and ot feel guilty about it and live a long and healthy life?

I hope you make the right choice after reading this bloggie. Your life, you choose.

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Health is Wealth

hospital food; taken yesterday via instagram

 I am currently recuperating from my surgery (Laparoscopic Cholesystectomy)  which rid off my gall bladder permanently due to a 1.5cm gall stone. My surgery took place last Sunday and thank God I am able to walk and go to the restroom inch by inch without an aid from anyone except close supervision in case I need help. 

Lap Chole is a surgical way to permanently remove the gall bladder due to gall stone/s the not so invasive way as you only have 3 small incisions: your navel, in the mid portion beneath the breast and another less than an inch incision about 5 inches away from your navel. 

For a start I spoke with my surgeon a week ago regarding the procedure, got all my LOA (leave of absence) forms signed (i opted for 3 week vacay), Medical certificate from my Doctor, i picked a hospital and there ya go he called the hospital to schedule me for Lap Chole. I was a little scared at first because I never had any operation in my entire life except RAI (radioactive Iodine) to cure my Hyperthyroidism before.

~Surgery/Admission Day~

I presented this hand written instruction from my surgeon to the Hospital's ER. Prior to surgery, it is a must to to disclose whatever medical condition you have or had in the past because it might affect how your body will react to the procedure. It's their standard measure for the doctors to know about your previous ailments to avoid complications during surgery so I told them about my previous health condition and the hospital contacted my Endocrinologist to make sure my thyroid is ok and the good news was I am now thyroxine free. My Endoc prescribed a hormone replacement medication called Levothyroxine™ (Euthyrox).

A medication was injected through my IV so my stomach won't be too acidic since you have to undergo fasting from morning until surgery time, a patched test for the anti-biotic which thank God I wasn't allergic to and more other anti-biotic i think. Going back, 30 minutes prior to my surgery, it was mandatory to prep up, stripped off all my clothes and undergarments and was just left with a  surgical gown no matter how I hate this part but i want to be well and just get this surgery done and over with. I kept my calm because I know the surgery too will pass. I asked God for his guidance and I wasn't even advised that the anaesthesia has been injected to my IV. I was groggy in a second like falling into the void and then hours later I woke up, no pain but a li'l uncomfortable on the part where the gall bladder used to stay. The pain killers given helped me tremendously endure the pain there was after surgery except that I was kinda groggy for 24 hours, puked a bit after drinking cold water which I wasn't supposed to except no one told my me nor my hospital care taker. My stomach badly reacted after drinking cold water thus explained why I vomit kinda, like an aftershock. 

~Fourth day post surgery.

In my opinion, I believe that Lap Chole is the a good way to remove gallstones using tubes as it won't leave big scars which would enable the patient to clean their wound themselves and just use a regular band-aid to keep it protected. Constipation and bloatness often happens after solid food intake that's why soft diet helps during the first week post surgery. As i am writing this blog I have all my medications sitting beside me, I have tons of anti-biotic, pain killer etcetera. Thank God as well for my health insurance because i did not cash out anything except for the band aids and of course medicines which I have to take once I'm back home to recuperate.  So, if you've been feeling a lot of discomfort because of gallstones, don't endure it because in my case it was not a pre-existing condition thus my insurance covered the whole procedure alongside PhilHealth.

My surgery could've cost 112K but because I have PhilHealth it covered 31K for the Doctors professional fees and when i say 'fees' i had 4 Doctors: a couple of surgeons, one Anaesthesiologist and of course my Endoc who constantly visited me to check my thyroid level. My total bill just boiled down to 85k and stayed 48hours at the hospital. Never mind the not so pretty hospital room as there's a certain limit to room coverage and if you're finicky go pay extra. In my case, as long as my insurance is able to cover the costly part then i'm ok with just a basic hospital room equipped with tv at least, heater and a fridge then i'm good to go. 

Make it a point to read your insurance guidebook btw because it should tell you everything you need to know before heading off to the hospital and decide undergoing any medical procedure. Make sure you're with the company/job for over a year (in my case 2 years and 3 months) because according to my surgeon, the HMO coverage varies depending on the employees tenure with the company. Which means, if you're six months or less, you have to shell out cash and yeah Lap Chole isn't cheap. Whilst at the hospital, someone from my HMO spoke to me to let me know up to how much they're able to cover (110K and up to my health card's maximum limit).

Please be also mindful of the term pre-existing condition as there's just a certain limit to same illness coverage wise and I read for Laparoscopic it's 30k if I'm not mistaken so that means that your insurance won't shoulder the full cost anymore in the event you undergo another Lap Chole. It won't hurt as well to email your insurance company when in doubt as it will help ease your mind from worrying about financial matters. In my case, PhilHealth covered 31K the most (Doctor's professional fee). So do the math, the actual cost of the procedure less 31K for PhilHeath and you'll get the approximate cost more or less. 

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nothing is constant...

my elder sister who's now 32 will undergo her first major operation to rid off her now enlarged gall bladder. upon research i found that, the gall bladder is an organ the human body can live without because it's role is to merely digest fats. any operation concerns me because anything could go wrong. my sister is someone who's very sensitive to pain, she even hates to be tickled. she's been the sickly type since childhood and she had two typhoid fevers when she was a child, an ulcer, ear problem, to name a few. i'm just upset because the doctors who diagnosed her failed short hadn't for the last one who suggested she go for an ultrasound. my sister's been enduring excruciating abdominal pains, hard core pain relievers were prescribed but to no avail until the recent ultrasound showed  the need for an urgent operation due to her now inflamed gall bladder. her gall bladder is now double the size of a normal gall bladder thus must be operated a.s.a.p.
the operation was scheduled tomorrow at 8am and i'm crossing my fingers, hopefully all goes well because it'll be an open cholecystectomy.

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