Random Thoughts on Health and Travel

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It has been 2 years since my brother graduated Bachelor of Science in Nursing. When Mom and I attended his graduation, it was like being in an ocean full of Patrick Dempsey's in beautiful nursing scrubs right there. Lol! But just like other nurses here in the country, my brother also wished to work abroad. And just like many fresh graduates then, finding a way out of the country has never been an easy task.


Just a few months after he passed the Nursing Board Exam and proudly writes the initials RN after his name, my dad underwent major surgery. The surgery went well. For weeks my brother goes with my dad on long-distance travels. There's something great about having immediate family members working in the medical field. My uncle for instance is a doctor and owns shares of stocks in some hospitals down south. So when I travel to Mindanao, I simply go to him and take a couple of medical tests - from ultrasound to blood test (for free!) Once, I spent a day with him and his assistants who were so close to me, we were like hopping from one hospital to another, crazy day! Recently, he purchase a very high-tech ultrasound machine from France called elastograph that can detect early signs of breast cancer. As far as I know, he's the first private doctor in the Philippines who acquired such sophisticated technology - talking about medical tourism here! This amazing machine is available at Koronadal Diagnostic Center.

During my recent travel to Mindanao, I got hospitalized - my first ever confinement! That hospitalization paved way for me to start thinking seriously about my health and be conscious about the food I eat when I travel and I have been extra careful with the water I drink. I make sure I bring with me a small bottle of hand sanitizer and avoid heavy luggage I need to carry for long periods of time since I tend to get awful backaches. 

Heads up to the people wearing nursing uniforms dedicating their lives to delivering quality healthcare. To the people in Allah Valley Medical Center, I couldn't express how much grateful I am when you all took care of me when I was confined.

My brother will be celebrating his birthday this coming summer and I'm considering gifting him with a uniform he can use for his everyday duties in the hospitals. In the coming years, another brother will be wearing those uniforms too!

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