Begin with the End. A story of Noel.
The choice is always ours. If we want to be happy, then choose to be happy. If we want a healthy lifestyle then make it a habit to eat the right and healthy food. And if we don’t want to get sick, let us make it a habit to check our lifestyle and our history, it says that prevention is better than cure, though sickness and other diseases and viruses are not in our hands to control. Tuberculosis (TB) as discussed by so many medical practitioners are curable, but if we will just ignore it then, prepare for the not so good life that we are about to see and life that we don’t want to happen.
We are now on the last part of our story, with Noel, a TB carrier, in the midst of pandemic crisis. We’ve read how, when and why he acquired it, his painful experiences, how he handle the situation on the 14 days quarantine, his treatment until this day, and how his family embraced him and his sickness with all their hearts. So today, we will know his status, and updates on his recovery and all.
Noel is set to have a 6 months treatment/curing of his Tuberculosis, since he started this June, he is now on his 2nd month and 23rd days of treatment. His medicines are quadmax, 4 tabs a day, which is composed of Rifampicin, Ethambutol, Isoniazid Pyrazinamide. Imagine how hard it is also to take those meds everyday, but he needs to do it, for his recovery and cure. “Sa ngayon tapos na ako sa 2 months intensive phase na TB Meds, iniinom ko na ngayon is Duomax, 4 tabs a day na pinagsamang Rifampicin Isoniazid ” .
As for him, his first two weeks of treatment gave him an unbearable feeling. “Grabe” is the term as he described the side effects that it brings to him. Skin palpitation uric acid (Gout) and anxiety. It gave him a hard time to stand up and walk. “Minsan binubuhat ako ng asawa ko para makatayo at alalayan papuntang C.R., hindi ako makahakbang kung hindi ko gamit ang tungkod”
And as of this moment, Noel said, “Sa ngayon ok na ang pakiramdam ko meron lang konting joint and nerve pain pero kayang kaya ko na siya i-handle”. What a relief, to know those words from Noel. Such a brave and strong man, fighting the odds against TB. Coming also some words from his wife, Noel can now fetch her from work with the help of their motorcycle, provided that his uric acid is not that high. Sometimes, there are nights that she needs to massage his shoulder because of some reasons that he can’t move it right there and then, maybe because of the side effects of the medicines he’s taking. But thank God, he is much better now even if it’s just months away of treatment, they can see a bigger chance of recovery.
Before I end up this story article about Noel, I asked him few questions. During this pandemic and that he is on quarantine and on the process of treatment, he once said that he is looking for somebody to talk to about TB, about why is this happening to him, and I said, did he ever asked God for help? And what if he will be given a chance to to talk to him face to face what will it be? Here goes his piece of thought:
“Yes kinausap ko sya ng maraming tanong kung bakit ako nagkasakit ng ganito. Hanggang sa nakausap ko si Ma’am Louie ng TB Dots, yung panahong gulong gulo ako, at maraming katanungan si Ma’am Louie na nagpamulat sakin at tanggapin ang aking sakit at maging positive at sinabi nya din sa akin na may mas malala pa sa sakit na ito. Kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa mga taong nakapaligid sa akin at nag aasikaso. Salamat Lord at sana patuloy mo pa akong palakasin at pagalingin.”
Lord, patawarin nyo po ako sa aking mga kasalanan. Naway bigyan nyo pa ako ng isang pagkakataon na ayusin ang pagkakamali. Salamat Lord dahil binigyan nyo ako ng simple at masayang pamilya na nakakaintindi sa aking sitwasyon. At sana Lord matapos na ang pandemic na ito at gumaling na lahat ang maysakit.”
The story of Noel maybe an ordinary one, with a man suffering from TB, but his willingness and acceptance to this kind of sickness is such an extraordinary, for so many people around the world failed to embrace it. Trusting and believing God will truly give him the complete healing and recovery from Tuberculosis.
“For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,” says the Lord.” – Jeremiah 30:17
