Mission Returns!

I am browsing the internet when my phone rang and I wasn’t able to answer it right away.

Is ate malou calling? I missed the first call so I texted her eagerly! “Ate malou, tumatawag ka po? Hindi ko po nasagot, di ko p o napansin” hehe, using my younger sister’s phone number. A minute passed, another ring tone heard from my phone, she was calling again. I press the answer button immediately, went up to terrace quickly and “waaaaaaaa hahahhhahhahahah… isang wagas na pagtawa ang aking narinig, miss na miss ko siya pero mas miss niya ako, dama ko dahil napapatili pa siya over the phone.” To make story short, we just ended the call with this “so my medical mission tomorrow?” I said. “oo, si Irene palang nagcoconfirm eh” she uttered, “ahh, pwede ako bukas kaya lang till 12 lang, ok lang po ba yun? “Naku, opo, salamat po tlaga sD” she happily answer. “just send me all the details for tomorrow’s medical mission event and I’ll be there” I happily replied. Blah blah blah Goodnight :D

At exactly 5:15 in the morning I woke up together with my sisters whom one was preparing for school, other one for work. I ate my breakfast “scrumbled egg and rice with catsup plus3 teaspoon of coffee with milk”. Walanghiya, naadik ako sa café na yun kaya naman habang nagaantay ako sa kapatid ko na matapos maligo. I saw my nephew’s feeding bottle which about 6 inches height, I also saw my fourth year high school sister’s bag sat on the floral red sofa. And my funny and bad idea ako, gusto kong humalakhak kahit hindi ko pa nagagawa, sobrang nastimulate na ang endorphine ko sa pagpipigil sa pagtawa. Well, I just put the feeding bottle inside her bag. Hahhahahahahha, boom! I shouted and laughing very hard, maaga pa, pag nagingay ako ng sobra magaglit neighborhood, when I heard her saying “anu ba yan, bakit nandito yung dede ni tyffhany? Rising intonation. Tawanan nalang kami dun hahha, if she didn’t inspect her bag before she leave out for school, ewan ko nalang hahhahahah..

LPA often makes me feel lazy, I was watching the rain while tipping down outside the door and wait for it to seize so I can go out for the meeting place at North Edsa. 7:15 I leave the house when the rain was pouring not so hard, as usual I don’t have umbrella. Never mind the umbrella, immune na ako jan, nakasanayan na eh. I’m dashing through the rain. It started from blue upper scrub suit the rain drops down to my lower scrub, few rain drops turned enormously, I run, run, run, mukhang tanga lang, hahaha until I reach at the waiting shed wet and frown. MCU, my destination so I could board on to a bus routed to MRT north station.in the monumeto circle.

At North – Edsa, together with my 8kilos weighted bag. I saw a blue green van have been waited for me for 20 minutes. Knock on the tinted window 3x, the door open! “sorry po”. An unfamiliar doctor beside me came earlier than me, nakakahiya! Oops, there was another healthcare provider not yet in the van. Another 20 minutes rested inside the van, it was still raining that may probably caused of their delay. 

8:23am sharp. The van started to activate engine and move out from parking area. While in the middle of “viaje” the driver addressed his question to the Doctor beside me. “Is lung transplant already practice in the Philippines?” “ Actually, it happened in some but most of the result was unsuccessful due to body rejection to the foreign lung transplanted in one person, but indeed, many successful transplantation reported in America, they have great advancement”. The doctor politely answers the question. The driver added, “I have undergone a lung surgery (lobectomy of (L) lung.” “buti nasurvive mo po, dahil po ba ngkaron kau ng TB?” he asked. “yes, It happened to surgery because of resistance from medication, thank God I survived it and aside from that I also have a heart surgery before the lung durgery, tinanggalan ako ng balot sa puso” he confessed. Well, deep inside me, Grabe! Sana healthy ako all throughout my life, pero ang bait talaga ni God sakanya kc aside from he survived all his major surgeries, he was also blessed to settle all his account from hospital bills with the help of government, his father was a veteran! Further, he then plus his martial law experience. The story goes like this, he was walking in the pavement when he was caught by the military officer due to his long hair ( wow, new generation nga talaga ako kc hindi ko alam na noon bawal pala ang mahabang buhok, eh ngaun kahit san ka lumingon hindi lang babae mahaba buhok eh, haist, innovative world!, If I were in under martial law, I wouldn’t know my life, maybe I’m too much careful in everything.) As punishment, dahil paulit – ulit akong nahuhuli, paulit ulit ko din nililinis ang kalsada ng quezon noon. He was scoffing at his answers.

1.5 hours due to heavy traffic. sigh

Finally, here at Rosario, Pasig.

10 in the morning, we were drop off at Rosario, Pasig

Setting up PT modalities and other PT stuffs.

 (black box, electrodes, velcro straps)

This is my Doctron 3002 unit, electrode pads with wet cottons

DB (dumbbell), AW (ankle weight)

 OOoops... Physical Therapist usually wear scrub suit in partner with rubber shoes for easy and loose movement and stabilized lower extremities especially when assisting patient in ambulation exercises.

testing the integrity of the modalities before use.

PTs in action.

actual CKC (closed kinematic chain) exercise for lower extremities (squat) with bobath technique incorporated on upper extremities)

5 neurological cases rendered the PT service. Patients were all seen and treated without any adverse effects noted all throughout the session. Vital signs were within normal limits. Everyone was given home instruction program.

At exactly 2:00pm. We decided to go. We, the three of us, 2 PT, 1PTA were packing things up when a TV newscaster and videographer of a TV network entered in our room and asked every one of us for an interview. Whattttttt??? Yet, I’m not prepared, I don’t even know what to say, in fact, I haven’t seen this in my life before, nagtuturuan nalang kami but the staff were insisting and we were really undecided. After 30 minutes that we still don’t know what to say with the simple question: What can you say about this event? What do you feel whenever you’re doing this? What can you say about the organizers of the good deed? Whoa! Sigh, sigh sigh! I can’t imagine myself in front of the camera, and then after 30 minutes plus 15, we were moved to do it. Haist, the feeling is different when you are talking in front of audience, but I can say, I must practice facing cameras. Hahahahaha, ISA PA!

Jaywalker, wag tularan hahaha

We, then, officially board on to a bus routed to quiapo. We’re on our way home, thanks for using us, for utilizing our skills and knowledge and become a small part instrument of this big accomplishment of the people behind this event. Worth-fulfilling is the feeling I can’t exchange for anything. Emancipation from being imprisoned by the stresses and odds is another heart-warming experience I felt after helping our patients. Another proud experience energizes my function in life.

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It’s been a year and seven months since the last medical mission I attended. And it is nice to be back… it’s even nicer to return with lots of mission coming in the entire year and so forth hopefully.