Gullain-Barre Syndrome and your role as parents

And the blogging backlog continues! :P

I was all set on writing an entry about all things mushy about our recent ordeal six months ago but I realized that it aint gonna help anybody but myself. Writing about mushy things would help me vent out the emotional pain I experienced while Reese was in a hospital. Meanwhile, writing about our experience on the actual disease could and might help others, so here I am, telling you about it.

I wouldn't go all technical about the disease because you can read that elsewhere from people who are more qualified to tell you about it but here are our personal notes about things that we(hubby and I) think might have played a part or symptoms regarding his disease.

1. Medical staff just refuse to give babies vaccines when they are sick but they fail to highlight that vaccines can actual make them prone to be sick.

GBS usually stems from cough and in Reese's case, we believe he had a cough because he had immunization two days before we went swimming, and the combination of the two contributed to him being sick. Sure, you can say that the fault remains with us in allowing him to swim (which we believe caused his cough) but still, I think the vaccine made his immune system weaker. So the questions linger in my mind: What if we waited in giving him the vaccine? What if we didnt let him swim too long? For now these are all what ifs, but to those of you who are only about to have their children's immunization, it can spell a world of difference.

2. Doctors are brilliant people but they are people nonetheless, so they can make mistakes and their mistakes can be graver given the nature of their work.

Reese's pedia diagnosed him to be dehydrated and we couldn't blame him- his lips were dry and chapped, he didnt have energy, his face was drooping. He recommended for Reese to do oral rehydration without requesting for a test confirming his electrolyte level. We followed his recommendation for three days and when Reese didnt improve, we were advised to go to a different hospital. Nonetheless, always be vigilant about the doctor's course of action and dont hesitate to ask if you feel like something is not right.

3. Do not second guess your instinct as a parent. Do what you feel is best for your child.
From the time that Reese's symptoms started to get worse, Arnold and I couldnt decide on what to do-whether to bring him to the doctor immediately, to wait out a few days, to self medicate and so on. After that, we promised to each other that we would never second guess again and bring him to the hospital once symptoms to any sort of disease become evident. Their symptoms worsen very quickly but in the same they also recover very fast so the best way is to diagnose diseases early so they can be addressed as soon as possible.

Like I have said time and again, Reese having had GBS was the hardest ordeal we had to go through and we wish that in as much as we can(given our limited resources), we can share our experience to ensure that fewer and fewer people will deal with this disease. We are happy to say that Reese has surpassed the doctor's projections that he will be able to walk again within 6 months-1 year after his hospitalization, because he was able to do it in four months. 

He lost a lot of weight then but he is literally back on his feet and bubblier than ever :)

I hope these bits of info help you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have concerns/questions.. God Bless us all!

Modern Day Gift Giving: Deal Grocer Vouchers

Since 2013, I've developed a liking for websites that offer discounts to services, numerous products and dining experiences. Dealgrocer, Metrodeal, Groupon and Ensogo are my favorites to name a few but among them, Dealgrocer is my fave. I noticed that their deals are usually a notch higher and usually exclusive. Hence, since I havent had time to do shopping, I decided to check out their current deals and I was able to tick off two people off my shopping list. yey! Here's a few things that I liked about these vouchers from Dealgrocer which made me decide to buy:

1.Before you purchase, you can actually indicate the name of the person you're giving it to which not only gives it a personal touch but also ensures added security that it cannot be easily used by anyone else.

2. The validity periods are just right. Since I will be giving them on Christmas, validity had to be after christmas so the recipients will have plenty of time to decide when to use them.

3. Savings! 50% off! Some vouchers only give you 30-40 off and the greater the savings, the merrier! Also, there were vouchers that were below 300 which were real steals and I just couldnt pass the opportunity :)

I hope there will be other deals that will come out because I still have other family members I need to go shopping for. How bout you? How's your christmas shopping? Till the next post! :)

Tips and notes to make the most of your Bacolod vacation

Just came back (This is five months blogging backlog from June)
We absolutely enjoyed our three day vacation in Bacolod. Of course, we did make an IT but as you know, schedules can only go as far as give you a background and everything changes when you actually do things. So here's a rundown of things we did and things (I think) can be of great help to you.

1.Tourist Spots

The Ruins
*This place is close to the airport and to Silay City so visit it together with the ancestral houses of Silay or before you head to the airport/straight ahead from your flight. Also, it is more beautiful in the afternoon before sunset. Lastly, note that this place can be booked as a wedding venue and become exclusive so they cannot accommodate guests on those days. We wanted to see the place on a friday afternoon but it was booked for a wedding, so I imagine Saturdays can be fully booked on particular months, especially wedding season. Do bring water, umbrellas and fans because the place is very exposed so it can be very humid.

Team Lagrimas for the win! :D

Mambukal
*I didnt enjoy our stay here as much as I hoped because of three reasons

1: We reserved a room since I wanted a secure place for our belongings since I was hoping to look around the facilities. However, it was only when we got there that I found out that rooms can only be used after checking in at 2pm, similar to most hotels. It was a waste for us since we were just on a daytrip and would leave the resort before 4pm. I also didnt know that cottages can be reserved as well so when we got there, there were no available cottages and we were basically palaboy.

2: I didnt expect the place to be so huge and for the walking paths to be so hot. I thought the facilities would be compressed in one area but we had to walk 3-5 minutes between areas, which was a waste of time and quite tedious with our bags(since we didnt have a cottage) and two kids that had to be carried.

Daytrips to waterfalls where you are only allowed to take pictures after trekking for a few minutes carrying a toddler and a preschooler aint fun Mambukal, It ain't fun :(

3: They were strict with the swimwear in the pool so we had no choice but to "reveal" our bodies sans the cover ups. I'm overweight so no questions asked, it was dead embarrassing, but equally as hard for my bffs who were conscious of their body post-pregnancy.

2. Making the most of the sweets that this city has to offer

You get what you pay for when it comes to pasalubong.
They're all butterscotch, Piaya and biscocho, but some brands are better than others. So far, the best Napoleones I've had are from Pendy's and the best Biscocho is indeed from Biscocho house. I'm torn about who has the best butterscotch and I don't like Piaya(so I'm not the one to ask), but I think Virgie's products are more expensive but more delicious; compared to the cheaper brands Margie's, Bongbongs and Merci.

Always leave room for dessert.
The people of Bacolod do loooooooooooooove their sweets and most of them are the best(I believe) in their range. Hence, it would be a huge loss on your part if you would only be able to try a few. Therefore, I suggest that you make it a part of your plan not to stuff yourself too much with meals(which was something since they were equally delicious) so that you can still indulge on that Calea cake or what have you.

I lost count of all the cakes we ate and ordered, but these were some that I had pictures of :)

If it's that big of a deal, prioritize your pasalubong.
We were familiar with Pendy's napoleones but didnt realize that it would be a big deal so we went there on our last afternoon in Bacolod- only to find out that stocks usually run out before lunch time so we were not able to buy. My heart "ached" (yup, the sweet tooth needs to be pleased and settled for a different brand which was okay but not spectacular.

I never know when we will visit again the city of smiles but I will surely take note of these things when the opportunity comes along. Ciao!