Welcome to Celina's Blog

One of the topics I yearn to write about as an Expatriate in my company is about my bonding /integration with my staff. There are so many experiences I had and continue to have making my life so enriched. Some serious, some funny, some life-threatening ( yes I had it !!) , all in a span of more than twelve years and still counting ( God Permit!) Anyone can just imagine how varied and colorful these experiences are. Sure does light my spirits as after office hours and non-busy weekends I'm almost always home alone with housemaid ( even had a succession of 5 maids over the years);my family and friends coming only to visit me during summers.


Well one of the ways me and my staff stays together is by playing and having fun together ; not just work!! We contribute funds, with me of course giving the lion share to hold our Family Days - going picnics,recreation, fun!! My rank and file staff ( 60 + if the two factory sites join together or 30 + if by factory site ) together with their families . Oh I can tell you , its really fun!! Imagine from the beginning 1997 to be exact, some of them are still singles, some with one kid or two and as time goes on we grow older - families grow and some people come and go . But still our tradition of annual Family Day survive the test of time ( even economic hardship should I say, SO the babies then are SMP's and SMA's now (junior and senior highschool) .They call me Mommy , and Grannie (ouch!!)

Nasal Polyps? Something of an outgrowh from the sinus glands blocking my right nose fully and my left nose partially. Had it for 4-5 years before finally got it removed last month, April 18 to be exact at St. Luke"s Medical Center in Manila, Philippines.

Familiar with early morning sneezes, 6-10 consecutive sneezes at a time after waking up, ughh that,s my pre-breakfast routine. According to my doctor it was an indication of Allergic Rhinitis.
Most of us have allergies , for some manifestations on itchiness, redness and swelling like for those allergic to seafoods, et.al. For me, the sensitive body part happen to be my nostrils. Imagine, Im working in a 3D industry ( means Dusty, Dangerous and Difficult) being exposed to dusts, heat of the kilns, heavy equipment factory areas with moving conveyor parts the factories, and frits and chemicals and clays , powders , in the working areas of the laboratory)

Got my daily bread in this industry, got too my nasal polyps.

Well, I dont get too much attacks of flu and colds, when it does, takes long time to heal.

My doctor told me that for some reason or another,instead of being fluids and taken out of the nose by colds , seems that my sinus got blockage and misfunction causing my sometimes severe head aches. In the end I got polyps growing further complicating my breathing . Cannot breath full in the right nostril, Means less oxygen coming in. THanks God, my left nostril amd mouth breathing enough to give my brain and body cells enough oxygen.

One instance, I got a very bad cold, my Indonesian Lady ENT Doctor, got me to see via the endoscope attached to a Computer Monitor , how my Nasal Passage looks like.

Oh my Gosh, seeing thru that picture, I pity my right nostril being blocked by this soft grapelike thing called polyp. How could I breathe and get fresh air for my lungs with that thing on.
That was sometime like yr 2008.

Of course she suggested it removed . But meantime I was given nasal spray that somehow relieved my condition. Since Im working overseas, Indonesia, while my family is in the Philippines and I was thinking its still ok, not life threatening, blah, blah, blah.. so I hold on.

Wah, last January 5 , on my flight back to Indonesia, with the airplane descending, I experienced such a pain on my ear due to the heavy pressure.

Normally after the plane has landed, the pain subsides but this time oh no!! For the next succeeding weeks, neither the pain been gone but sometimes my ear especially the right has swollen. Been to another doctor and for the first doctor , the diagnosis is the same. THe pain in the ear is caused by my polyps, which already has grown bigger to effect my ear channels.
The second doctor even had me x-rayed , with focus on the ear and nasal part. So there it is;
the diagnosis; get rid of the polyps, I have nurtured it long enough>>

So I finally got the will ( sometimes we humans are really afraid of the scalpel , preferring to suffer in vain rather than have it done long ago)... I decided to have it done in the PHilippines so my finally can take care of me while I'm sick / recovering.

The flight home was the most terrible journey I have ever experienced. Had the feeling of diving underwater and the pressure is too much on the ear that you feel it near to burst,??

God , I had that, I wanted to scream, But of course in the plane I had to do that...suffer in pain, in silent...

Well I got thru it ( almost 30 minutes) while the plane is descending.. finally landed.

And Im home , in Philippine soil...

Next event-- looking for a Doctor to verify my Indonesin doctor diagnosis and to do the job of
removing this polyp....

Well.. this is part one.... I will post the next chapter soonest...