Reply 1997

Since I am currently on house arrest, I am mostly in bed, watching TV or on my phone. I downloaded  Netflix and have actually finished The Crown,  Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories and all the seasons of Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl. A few days back, I started watching Reply 1997, a Korean drama about 6 high school friends. The stories whip back between the present 2012 and when they were in high school in 1997. It is mostly about the travails of first love, with some teen issues like fangirling over celebrities and issues with parents and siblings interpersed between.

I am not an avid watcher of K-dramas, I mean, I have no problem watching them but I don't go to great lengths to watch them. But why is it that Japanese/Korean/Taiwanese dramas are more nakakakilig? Though set in a Korean high school, I was transported back to my own high school years, especially since I was a high school senior in 1997. I guess high school issues are universal.

I finished the last episode a couple of nights ago and I was silently squealing as P was sleeping beside me. I re-watched it last night and I was still giddy. Then I started watching Reply 1994 which is set im college but I can already tell halfway the first episode that I will always prefer Reply 1997. For one thing, the leads are better looking in Reply 1997, especially Seo In-Guk! :)

Forced Weaning

P is currently 30 months old and I've been thinking of weaning him after he turned two years old. He only latches before sleeping and when he's fussy in the car. Every time I tell him he can't latch, he kicks up a fuss so I end up feeding him.

When my operation was scheduled, I once again tried to wean him but I could not bear his crying. Besides, he became extra clingy after my ovarian cyst was discovered, as if he knew that something was wrong. I was not about to push him away then, figuratively speaking.

So we ended up forced weaning cold turkey. I spent 2 nights in the hospital. My sister was the one who slept beside him and she said ge tried to pull up her shirt while half-asleep. Hahaha. When I got home, he tried to come near me for me to carry him and I would show him my bandages. He'd say, "Funny, Mommy." At night, we kept pillows between us especially on my stomach area, and he'd try to cuddle. However, he never specifically asked for "dede mommy".

I guess that's that, we're weaned. Now I have to wean him from the bottle and maybe potty train him.

Ovarian Cyst/New Growth: Part II

My OB recommended to remove the cyst via laparoscopy as it was minimally invasive. However, the amount she quoted was quite high and besides, she was not accredited by my office's health card. While I wanted to be operated on by her, we resolved to search for an OB who performs laparoscopy.

During the long week-end, I searched websites for doctors and cross-referenced them with Kaiser over the phone. I gave the names to my OB and she recommended Dr. Elizabeth Ocampo of St. Luke's. At first we went to her QC clinic but she was doing an operation so we went to her Global City clinic.

After going through my records, she said an operation was in order. Thanks to my original OB, I've already finished most of the labs required - CBC, FBS, ECG and chest x-ray. The operation was set on July 10 when hopefully, my period was already ending.

Friday before the operation, I was already on soft diet. However, my period has not arrived. I told Dr. Ocampo and she made me go to her clinic. She said we can still proceed with the operation but she won't be able to check my fallopian tubes.

On Sunday, July 9, H and I went to St. Luke's Global City at around 6:30PM. As I was filling out the paperwork, I realized I failed to get a signed CF1 form from the office and my operation was the next day (mommy brain!). Thank God for helpful office mates and Grab Express, they sent the form the next day. Anyhoo, the nurse gave me this solution to wash with to prep for surgery. At around 10PM, my dextrose was put in. They tried my left hand but the vein popped so they tried my right hand. Huhu. I was no longer allowed water and soft food by 11PM and since I was on soft diet since Friday, I was a tad cranky. I fell asleep at around 12MN.

I woke up at around 4AM to pee and prepare. I was wheeled down at 545AM and lost track of time. H said I was operated on at 7:50AM. I woke up around lunch in the recovery room. The OB said the cyst was benign so she was able to save the ovary. But we had to observe it. I was in my room at 2PM but was not allowed to eat or drink until 6PM. So every time a nurse checked on my pain, I'd reply that I was more hungry than in pain. Alas, I was only allowed soft food until I passed stool. 

I was discharged the next day and it kinda felt like I gave birth. But the harder part was my baby seeing me and demanding to be carried but I can not do so. :(( Worse, I contracted cough and cold so the stitches hurt when I sneeze or cough. Sigh.

Ovarian Cyst/New Growth: Part I

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it here but years ago, I was diagnosed with PCOS - polycystic ovarian syndrome, which made it difficult for us to conceive. I was put on metformin and folic acid and underwent work-up. We finally conceived while we were on a break from work-up.

I admit I was delinquent with going to my OB after giving birth. I guess as a mom you're more concerned with your baby's health. Apart from my 6-month post partum check up and Pap smear, I did not return to my OB.

Recently, H and I were talking about baby # 2. I started taking folic acid on my own and charting my period again. Early June, my period was late but the pregnancy tests turned up negative. Then, my period came on June 3 and lasted only 2 days. Since I remembered that an ultrasound was better on days 4-7 of the period, I went to a new OB recommended by my office mate. I went before going to the office, thinking that the ultrasound would be quick and I'd be put on metformin again.

The OB had her own ultrasound machine. She took her time then directed me a nearby lab with a bigger machine because my left ovary had a fairly large cyst. I went, waited for hours and missed lunch. When I went back to the OB, here's the kicker - I needed an operation to remove the cyst and possibly my left ovary. Worse, she recommended that I undergo a tumor markers blood test which I later Google-d meant to check for cancer! I said I will get a second opinion and ended up crying outside as I called H. I ended up not going to ths office anymore and filed a sick leave.

Days after, I went back to my original OB and she ordered another ultrasound. She said that the cyst still needs to be removed as it was fairly big. We also had to wait for the result of the blood test whicj took a week! Thankfully, it was negative. But my OB said it had to be determined during the operation if my ovary has to be removed or not. 

On Planners

I can't believe it's already July! Half of the year is over. By the way, Happy Fourth of July!

Have you noticed the influx of creative planners lately? Heard of bullet journaling? End of last year, I wanted to jump into the planner frenzy. I wanted to get a kikki.K or a Midori or a Filofax, fill it with stickers and accessorize with washi tapes and clips and charms. As usual, I tend to overthink these things and the cost (this stuff is pricey once you add them up!), so I ended up getting none of the above. I just bought a small Belle Du Jour planner that I can carry to the office and a slightly larger Typo one for more thoughts. 

The initial plan was to jot bullet points in my Belle Du Jour planner during the day then take a few minutes at night reflecting on my Typo planner. Ha! For most days, I manage to write bullet points but it'd take days before I started writing on my Typo one. Lately, I've been unable to write on both real-time, so I had to consult my phone photos what happened on that day, hahaha. (Funnily, I'm shocked that I eat at Ramen Nagi with my office mates that much!!!)

Last night, I was updating my Typo planner and I was amazed that I managed to write until July. Pre-baby, my planner writing tends to taper off before mid-year. It made me think tuloy if my life was really boring back then. Ironically, I had more of a social life back then. I guess being a first-time mommy to a kulit toddler and having househelp provide more fodder for my planner, haha.