A Year of Pain and Surprises

When I left for Manila in January of this year to go back to the fast-paced and hectic life I've been living even since I graduated from college in 2002, I kissed my aunt goodbye. She hugged me and asked when I was coming back. I said I'll be back in June for my niece's 4th birthday. Four months later I returned home one month earlier than planned to attend to my aunt's wake and funeral. She died because of complications from diabetes. Barely three months after her death I still feel teary-eyed when I thought of her, of knowing that in death she wasn't able to live a comfortable life that I so hoped for her.

Three weeks after her funeral, I flew home again. This time it was for my brother's wedding. I remember my flight got cancelled twice because of the typhoon Frank and I was only able to fly hoome 2 days after my original schedule. My parents and my niece came to fetch me. Then came the bad news. My brother was in the hospital because of severe stomach pains. We learned later on that it was due to gall stones and could be removed through medicines. He was discharged from the hospital two days later. The wedding pushed through.

It's now the middle of August. Two weeks ago my father complained of severe stomach pains. Laboratory tests revealed that he too have stones in his gall bladder. Yesterday, he had a three-hour operation to have the stones removed. The surgeon who operated on him had to remove his gall bladder. My mother and my brother, through calls and text messages, assured me that my father is well now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

An hour ago my mother texted me that my father's hmo will foot only a third of the amount that they promised they would cover. It came as a shock since we only had a specific cash in hand for his operation assured that half of the bill would covered by his hmo. A day after his surgery, his bill is hovering in the 6-digit amount. Wtf! If I was in my hometown, I would have stormed the hmo office and demanded an explanation. Incompetent people.

COmbining my resources and my mother's we think we now have the money that would foot all of my father's hospital bills. My family is now officially broke but then again pera lang naman yan.

These events in my 2008 has led me to conclude that we are a gall bladder-less and appendix-less family, particularly on my father's side. My father, aunt (papa's sister) and a second cousin (daughter of papa's first cousin) had their gall bladders removed. Me and 2 other cousins had appendicitis. My paternal grandfather, who died in the 60s, was said to have died due to a ruptured appendics.

I now plan to have myself checked of any stones forming in my organs. I don't want to be the next victim of the family curse if I could call it that.

I also say we should be in some medical journal. Any takers?