Life's Lessons

Obviously, I did not learn from the lessons my life had given me in the past. I was sick the first week of 2018. All the bad effects of acid reflux tormented me. Too much caffeine. Back in July of 2014 I already wrote a blog on the painful results of having too much coffee and soda. I should have learned that. But no - the second half of 2017, I was drinking coffee 3 times a day and coke at least once.

This year began miserably for me. So I decided to immediately stop my caffeine intake. But that resulted in withdrawal symptoms - anxiety, cold sweat, uneasiness, etc. To alleviate that I had to have a caffeinated drink - just enough to remove all that excruciating feelings. I also decided to consult our doctor who recommended I go through some clinical tests.

The echo cardiogram went smoothly. However, the abdominal ultrasound was a bit problematic. It appeared that the technician was having trouble analyzing the results. So I was asked to return to the clinic. It was the chief radiologist himself who did the ultrasound. He, too, was puzzled. There seemed to be a  non-solid "mass" in my abdomen. He told me not to worry about it inasmuch as it was asymptomatic anyway. When I told him I was diagnosed with bladder diverticulitis back in 2013 he said it still shows in the ultrasound and that it probably was the cause of the "mass".

I once again consulted my regular doctor and showed her the results of my clinical tests. After reviewing them, she recommended a CTscan to determine whether the "mass" in my abdomen would cause me some problems or not. She also mentioned the possibility of a surgery (should the "mass" be detrimental to my health) and to fix my enlarged prostate, and remove the tiny stones in my gall bladder. Most of which are due to old age, she said.

That got me a bit worried. However, as we were ending our session, she said something that gave me hope and peace of mind. She said in so many words, "I noticed that you are sad but know that you don't own your body. God does. He is in control of your life. Your body is like God's house - it is up to Him if He wants to renovate it, clean it or fix it. He will take care of you." Those words really pierced my soul because at the start of the year, I have already resolved to put my complete faith and trust in God. To be the kind of person that he wants me to be. My life is indeed in His hands.

Oh Caffeine, My Caffeine

For five agonizing days I suffered. I had a relapse of some sort from the very same thing that caused me to be hospitalized last November. Intermittent stomach pains and extreme difficulty in peeing every single day. Thinking on what could possibly have caused this misery of mine, I came to a conclusion: caffeine! And meat. Both where responsible for my troubles eight months ago. My doctor told me that. However since the side effect of those killer food have already been surgically removed, I thought I could go back to my gastronomical inclinations. Big mistake!

I believe it started around May when I started drinking coffee in the mornings again. Then an occasional Coke every now and then. Add to that, the liempos and the steaks and their ilk that had become an almost daily fare on our table (and when eating out). That had been the routine, so to speak, until that fateful Monday morning when I woke up with stomach pain that had me doubling up. A trip to the toilet even aggravated it. I discussed the situation with my wife and we both agreed that its time to revert to the good ol' meatless/caffeine-less diet. Coincidentally, we are going to have our church's mid-year prayer and fasting beginning that Tuesday. Since we always participated in that, I prepared myself mentally, physically and spiritually.

The pain and urinating difficulties caused by the diverticulitis of my urinary bladder remained during those three days of fasting. When I woke up early on Saturday I was surprised by the lack of pain and even my peeing was a bit easier. Although we are back to the three meals a day routine, I made a firm resolution not to have any caffeine and to minimize my consumption of meat. By Sunday, our friends noticed how I have already lost some weight. Nevertheless I felt fine. No more stomach pains. I feel better and I pee better.