Sunday, January 31, 2016

Fatal Mistake

WARNING: This is a long post and graphic (for Mona hahaha).

I made a fatal mistake that almost cost me my life!

And yes.... It is about food. Always about food! It is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing on my mind before I go to sleep.

I have been to my doctor recently and my test results revealed that I have kidney and liver problems due to high sugar.

So....when I got home, I did my research and consulted my personal doctor, Dr. Google!

One of the causes of Non alcoholic fatty liver diesease is the combination of sugar and starch.

Therefore, if I eliminate sugar and starch then I will get better test results!

See?! Just a few tapping on my ipad, I solved my problem.

Oh boy! Was I wrong!

I started the No Sugar No Starch diet last Saturday. I was doing well until Monday morning. I already felt lethargic but I had to cook and deliver a food order before lunch.

As soon as I got home at noon, I slept the day and night away. Waking up for a few minutes to eat something.

Tuesday, I was still so sleepy but could not hold anything down anymore, not even water. I would throw up everything except for the siomai I asked FGM Cindy to buy for me in Mongkok and the broth of the tinola.

I also took Plasil before eating the siomai so I thought I was ok already.

At that point, my limbs were so heavy I could barely lift my arms to shampoo my hair.

On Wednesday, I thought I would feel better. I asked my neighbor, Michelle, if she has a banana or an apple, hoping to be able to keep it down.

Nope, not the green tea, not the banana, not even water. My fear was that I am a diabetic, I cannot NOT eat.

I have a high tolerance for pain. I know my body and it was telling me to go to the ER already.

Of course, a ride to the ER would not have been as fun if I did not ride an ambulance!

I really wait for opportunities to ride the ambulance! Eversince I was a kid, I loved it! I used to accompany my grandmother then later on, my mom.

I texted Tricia if an ambulance was available. It is a free service of Barangay Bel-Air extended to their residents.

In 5 minutes, the ambulance arrived! I just had enough time to change my clothes and bring my charger and battery pack!

Wahhhhhh! I was not able to enjoy the ride because I was so dizzy already at that point.

Every time I try to peek, the medic would say, Ma'am! Close your eyes!

It was my lucky day. I think all my stars were aligned that day.

Corry rarely goes to Makati Med on a Wednesday but she was there! My endocrinologist was still in the hospital!

It was actually my Dad's birthday last January 27. I guess, my guardian angel was watching over me.

The doctor said I got in just in the nick of time!

If my blood sugar was 20 points higher than my current reading of 232, I would have gone straight to ICU! Corry even said, I would have been intubated!

A combination of high sugar and high ketone level is deadly.

If I just waited a few hours or probably the next day, there will probably no more Lia.

And the most embarrasing thing would be if someone asks for the cause of death.

It would have been: Extreme Starvation!

Imagine if they put my picture on top of my coffin??????? People will never believe it!

The doctor said, you know what happened to you? It was a case of extreme starvation!

FYI: I lost 12 lbs. in 3 days.

I asked him to explain it to me.

When there are no more carbohydrates to be utilized as fuel, the body will start using stored fat as fuel.

But isn't that wonderful?!?! I have lots and lots of stored fat!

Then the stored fats would turn into acid. Well, we all know what acid does to everything.

Ketoacidosis was the main reason I got sick. If the normal level is .6, mine was 4.3 when I was admitted.

And now, the fun and food adventure begins at Makati Med!k

Hahahahahaha Corry took my picture in the ER.

Me and my new best friend, the yellow suka bag!

My friends were telling me that I am the only patient they know of who looks quite happy in the hospital!

Most of you know me by now. I am a happy and positive person. Things happen, we learn from it. We move on. We make the most out of life.

Turn pain and misery into something to laugh about.

Like the part where they turned my arm into a pin cushion!

There are numerous needle marks underneath each cotton ball!

I hated the one on my wrist! When they say they need to do an ABG, Arterial Blood Gas, run for the hills!

Hahahahaha As if you can escape!

I really don't mind that they collect a sample but please....... Do it correctly the first time!

After that painful process, they apologized because it was the wrong vein!

They needed to collect from an artery!

Hihihihi. Mona hates this kind of stories:

The angle of entry was almost 45 degrees!

I gave you enough warning, Mona, before reading this post!

I swear, Makati Med has the best hospital food! Hahahahahaha! Who are you kidding, Lia?

They gave me a chicken sandwich in the ER!

It was soooooooo good! I loved it! Cross my heart!

I could only take baby bites at a time! It took me 12 hours to eat it. I did not even finish the entire sandwich but I am still dreaming about it.

Another lucky occurrence, my room was upgraded to a Large Private!

I am under Maxicare and my plan is only semi-private. That means, you get your own room but common bathroom. So I told the admitting department, I wanted to upgrade to a small private room but was given a large instead.

I am blessed with caring and loving family and friends! They all came to visit me! I am also so blessed to have Hermie in my life.

I think all my group of friends were well represented!

Junkies

Tricia and Cat visited me the first night. Shey, the next.

Batgirls! Jing and Mona.

My bff again, the yellow bag. Jing asked Cristina to take this shot for Tita Jit.

Ka Escapades were in full force!

FGM Cindy!

Tita Coret from my senior group of friends!

Matess, representative of my ASB group.

I feel so loved! Thank you!

I "had" to eat my food or else the doctor said I will not get well.

Lia???? Is that you?????

I really was so afraid of eating carbs, especially white rice and white bread.

But...... A girl has to do what a girl has to do.

Beef stew for breakfast?!?

I think I only ate a piece and a forkful of rice.

Lunch was a bit better! I forgot to take a picture because it looked so unappetizing! But surprisingly, it tasted ok. It took me forever to eat it, a few bites at a time but still, did not finish it.

The best sandwich for me!!!! I had to call dietary to ask what it was and how they cooked it.

Grilled Pork Sandwich with Lettuce, tomato and cucumber!

My goal is to experiment until I can replicate this sandwich. Little bites again but never mind, I loved it. Took me about 6 hours to eat the entire sandwich.

Sad dinner. Ground pork???? Ughhhh!

Chicken Ala Pobre for breakfast!!

Pork Mami for am snack!

Lumpiang Ubod for pm snack! Hahahaha Not exciting.

Then my sugar shot up to 297! I told my doctor, Hey! I am already eating "your" food! Why did my sugar go up?!? I could have eaten at a buffet and get the same reading! I told him they are giving me too much carbs!

Thank goodness he instructed his team to reduce my carbs.

Doctor also said I had to attend the Diabetes Diet Management Seminar. I told him, I've already attended several times.

If I could have captured the expression on his face, as if to say, "Anyare????". I told him obviously it didn't work!

Lunch was Roast Beef. I do not like to eat beef that much.

The merienda was Tuna sandwich.

Before attending the diabetes seminar, I felt as though I had resident aliens living on my hair!

Had to go to David's for shampoo and drying services.

There! I felt more human afterwards!

When you are alone in a room with 4 walls, you learn the art of selfie!

I stopped watching TV a couple of years ago because I get dizzy. My TV set is just for videoke with Mona!

Fish Kare Kare for dinner.

Pork steak for breakfast.

Lemongrass Chicken Cake with Pineapple Salsa for lunch!

I loved the salsa! Cucumber, onions and chopped fresh pineapple.

And then...... TADA!

I was released because all my blood test results were normal.

Ketones were back to normal at .3!

Ohhhh before I went home, I waited for the pm snack. Booooring! Tuna sandwich again. I thought it would be grilled pork or chicken sandwich.

What did I learn from this experience?

Do NOT trust Dr. Google!

Everybody is blaming Dr. Davis. I did not do Wheat Belly this time around!

I will defend him with my life. He is the best thing that ever happend to my diabetic life.

What I did was No Sugar No Starch diet, all my crazy idea.

For the record, I did not remove carbs from my diet, just starch.

I am following a new diet designed for me by the nutritionist. I will give this a try for 3 months. Let the numbers speak. After my blood test, I will decide what to do again.

I do not believe in trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

And lastly, God still has plans for me. I have things to do for him. It was not yet my time.

But it could have been because of my fatal mistake.

PS.

Ohhhhh! My Mom visited me yesterday morning in the hospital! I recently read an article that if you dream of your loved one, it means they are present with you at that time.

She and I were in Boracay in the most beautiful beach house overlooking the ocean and we were so happy! I did not want to wake up from the dream.

Maybe she was picking me up already!

PPS

I wanted to eat the Lumpiang Shanghai at David's Teahouse in Greenbelt. Kuya said, let's go tomorrow lunch!

"Kuya! How could I? I'm in the hospital!"

He said we will escape and let Mona lie down on my bed while I was away. He said to tell Mona we will buy pasalubong for her!

PPS

I deleted my No Sugar No Starch posts. Someone might follow my crazy diet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, January 22, 2016

Biggest Lie Ever...

Jing posted this in FB today!

So apt for what I am about to commit tomorrow!

Hahahahahaha OK ... I won't lie. I will start my No Sugar and Starch diet tomorrow.

But...... Not before indulging in all the sugar and starch I could get my hands on!

I love the corn casserole I baked last night. Tricia L. taught me how to cook it.

Corn Casserole

1/2 K. Boiled white corn, shredded

1 Can Cream Style Corn

1/2 C. Magnolia Butter, salted

1/2 bar Che-Vital Quickmelt cheese, grated.

4 rashers of bacon, cooked until crisp

Mix all the ingredients in a casserole dish except the bacon.

Bake at 350F until it is bubbly.

Stir the corn casserole.

Make sure you stir it well until it is creamy.

Top with crispy bacon.

I got a small plateful.

I could not stop eating!

Then I realized, I ate almost half!

I could have eaten it all!

My neighbors, FGM and Vinnie, Mona and I had lunch at Spatzle, Shangrila East Wing, yesterday.

I loved the Poutine Fries!

We ordered the Bacon wrapped Mozzarella sticks.

Fried Chicken with toasted banana bread, paprika chips and fries.

Roast Chicken stuffed with sausage...

One with a side order of mashed potato.

The other one with spatzle.

Today.....

Jing, Sherman, Adiel and Cecille had lunch at The Batcave!

I told them I will start my diet already tomorrow and if we can please... Please.. Please... Eat the spaghetti from Ambers!

Adiel ordered the spaghetti!

Cecille got us Ambers Bbq.

Jing brought a big box of cheese pizza!

My contribution was Arce Coffee Crumble ice cream!

I thought very well what my "last meal" would be tonight.

Healthy Shabu Shabu!

I can't eat it anymore because of all the starch from the balls and kani sticks.

I saw my neighbors in Rockwell! FGM, Tricia and Shey!

Tricia and Shey had a light snack at Healthy Shabu Shabu, fried Dumplings. FGM had to go home.

Dessert was at Dean and Deluca's!

I ordered my favorite Coffee Crumble Cake!

Tricia had the Creme Brulee Crepe Cake.

Bea tried the Oreo Cheesecake. She joined us for dessert.

It was Shey's lucky night! I shared with her 1 forkful of my cake. Hahahahahaha!

Tricia gave her a bigger portion of her dessert.

Earlier in the afternoon, I had 3 chocolate bars!

Maybe I can still squeeze in a snack before midnight!

I think I will be OK. I have eaten most of my cravings.

I am actually excited to start the No Sugar and Starch lifestyle change because it will be a challenge to think of what to cook.

Watch out for the meals I will be posting and the progress of my sugar readings!

 

 

 

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Before I Say Goodbye To Sugar And Starch

Good news! The GI doctor said that the CT scan results were ok! Nothing to worry about. He said the abdominal pain was probably due to indigestion or a combination of ingredients that did not sit well with my intestines.

But!!!!! If you ask my friends, they will say, it was because of overeating!

I also have non-alcoholic fatty liver.

OK. I bet you are all thinking that fatty liver is because of all my fat intake, huh?!?!

Am I right?

I did my research and the culprits are sugar and starch!

My endocrinologist gave me food guidelines but in this case, I will follow my "online" doctor, Dr. William Davis.

I have this question that I ask doctors all the time.

"What do you think about bone marrow (bulalo)?"

If they say it is bad, then I should not follow their advice.

Again, bone marrow is mono unsaturated fat. Just like olive oil.

You don't have to argue with me. I am not pushing my belief down anybody's throat.

It's just my personal belief backed by extensive reading.

So....l before I say goodbye to sugar and starch and other food...... I better eat everything that I will not be able to eat anymore!

I have to eat all my chocolates before Saturday!

I don't plan to give them all away well except if you are an indigent child.

But if not, don't even think of asking chocolates from me.

Maybe I will share my KitKat with my family this weekend.

Little by little, I am consuming all my stash even if it makes me cough and cough!

Pizza and Pasta!

FGM invited me for merienda at CPK the other day.

Pizza

Pasta

My all time favorite pizza! Lotsa Pizza!

Hahahahaha My taste is so "pedestrian"! In other words, jejemon!

I will also stop eating food with preservatives.

Bacon! So bad because of nitrates!

But so good because of the fat!

I bought the Purefoods Bacon roll. Streaky rashers compared to its vacuum sealed counterpart which is so lean.

I just realized, Purefoods bacon is very salty.

Tapa from Farmer's!

I know there are no preservatives in Gil's tapa but the amount of rice I ate with it today was a bit too much! About 2 cups!

I'm all lomi-ed out!

I cooked several variations of lomi in 1 week.

My aim is to start wheat/grain free lifestyle on Saturday. That means no sugar and starch!

Here I am again, asking my friends to just support me.

No comments, no bad influences, no unsolicited advice.

Just let me do this. Don't feel bad or sad that I am on diet.

I'm praying that the lifestyle change works this time.

Even if I fall from the bike all the time, I always get up and ride my bike again.

Hahahahaha FYI, I don't know how to ride a bike.