Day 12 - I Hate the Comfort Room
So here I am in Cabanauan City, in the province of Nueva Ecija, some 100km northeast of MNL. This is the home province of my mom and I have tons of family here. My cousin JoJo and his son Lucky picked me up yesterday for the three hour drive up to CC.
Its only 10am and I am drenched in sweat. The humidity is heavy and oppressive. It wraps you like a towel sopping wet with hot water. Thank God for fans. I've parked myself in the sitting room in front of an industrial-sized floor fan.
There is a lot of hustle and bustle going on in preparation for Lola's 96th birthday. I bid her a "magandang umaga, po" (good morning - in proper form) when I cut through her room to use her bathroom for a shower.
The kitchen is packed with various aunts and cousins who I barely recognize. (Come to think of it, I am the only male in the household at the moment.) They are all cooking tons and tons of yummy filipino food for today's festivities. At the moment it feels like steambath in there. I dart quickly in and out to fill my water bottle. Today's celebration is going to be an all-afternoon fiesta with loads of people stopping by to pay their hommage to the matriarch. As one aunt put it, "they are coming from the barrio...." Not sure what that means, but I think that its in reference to our farms out in the country.
My Auntie Margie is here from Canada for the month. Auntie Adel is the full-time head of household. She's always been my favorite aunt; she bought me my first world globe when I was 8 years old. From there I became a geography and travel freak. She also runs our family bookstore. We sell textbooks for the local colleges, stationary, and school supplies.
My first night I was kind of freaked out because I had to use the "comfort room" to pee.
I don't like the comfort room. Its hardly comforting.
Imagine a tiled room, probably 4d'x5w'x10' h. In the center is a toilet with no lid on it. Next to it is a bucket and a small pail. There is a sink with one tap, but it is currently occupied with a large flower pot with a massive candle. To the left of the toilet is a shower head and a spigot. No hot water. When you flip the wall switch, a fluorescent light intermittently goes on/off, as if its on its last legs. Occasionally you will catch site of a salamander on the wall or ceiling. Sometimes you will see a monsterously large cockroach. You learn to just go with it.
Anyways, once you do your "number 1" you fill up the bucket with water from the spigot, and pour it into the bowl to flush it. I refuse to do a "number 2" in there. As I'veh been drinking loads of water, I find myself going to the CR quite often.
This morning when it came to shower time, I asked my aunt where I could shower (praying that I could use my Lola's bathroom which is what we would perceive as a normal bathroom with a bathtub, shower, proper toilet (with toilet paper), and a vanity with sink.) Of course, I could use Lola's bathroom.
Whew.
I think that there is some unsaid class distinction when it comes to who-uses-what bathroom. The WC is for the help. "First family" members use Lola's bathroom.
I've had some good talks with my aunts about my mom; provided them with an update of her status. The risperidol long-lasting injection can take anywhere between 4-8 treatments for it to "kick-in." Mom is currently on number 3. I think that I want to keep her in the hospital until she's 1) titrated off of her old meds, and 2) shows a positive response to the risperidol. This could mean another couple of months in the hospital. I tossed this idea past my aunts... they seemed to receive the idea, but didn't really respond to me or provide feedback.
I think that I will see if Dr.Ranoa (mom's psychiatrist) can recommend a local psychiatrist in Cabanatuan. Ideally, she will respond well to the current new treatment. The local psychiatrist or doctor can provide the bi-weekly injections. It may be easier for her to remain compliant with her treatment if all treatment was kept locally instead of having to hike it down to MNL each time. If you think about it, its akin to travelling from Fairfax to Philly every other week for an injection.
More later... Ed
Its only 10am and I am drenched in sweat. The humidity is heavy and oppressive. It wraps you like a towel sopping wet with hot water. Thank God for fans. I've parked myself in the sitting room in front of an industrial-sized floor fan.
There is a lot of hustle and bustle going on in preparation for Lola's 96th birthday. I bid her a "magandang umaga, po" (good morning - in proper form) when I cut through her room to use her bathroom for a shower.
The kitchen is packed with various aunts and cousins who I barely recognize. (Come to think of it, I am the only male in the household at the moment.) They are all cooking tons and tons of yummy filipino food for today's festivities. At the moment it feels like steambath in there. I dart quickly in and out to fill my water bottle. Today's celebration is going to be an all-afternoon fiesta with loads of people stopping by to pay their hommage to the matriarch. As one aunt put it, "they are coming from the barrio...." Not sure what that means, but I think that its in reference to our farms out in the country.
My Auntie Margie is here from Canada for the month. Auntie Adel is the full-time head of household. She's always been my favorite aunt; she bought me my first world globe when I was 8 years old. From there I became a geography and travel freak. She also runs our family bookstore. We sell textbooks for the local colleges, stationary, and school supplies.
My first night I was kind of freaked out because I had to use the "comfort room" to pee.
I don't like the comfort room. Its hardly comforting.
Imagine a tiled room, probably 4d'x5w'x10' h. In the center is a toilet with no lid on it. Next to it is a bucket and a small pail. There is a sink with one tap, but it is currently occupied with a large flower pot with a massive candle. To the left of the toilet is a shower head and a spigot. No hot water. When you flip the wall switch, a fluorescent light intermittently goes on/off, as if its on its last legs. Occasionally you will catch site of a salamander on the wall or ceiling. Sometimes you will see a monsterously large cockroach. You learn to just go with it.
Anyways, once you do your "number 1" you fill up the bucket with water from the spigot, and pour it into the bowl to flush it. I refuse to do a "number 2" in there. As I'veh been drinking loads of water, I find myself going to the CR quite often.
This morning when it came to shower time, I asked my aunt where I could shower (praying that I could use my Lola's bathroom which is what we would perceive as a normal bathroom with a bathtub, shower, proper toilet (with toilet paper), and a vanity with sink.) Of course, I could use Lola's bathroom.
Whew.
I think that there is some unsaid class distinction when it comes to who-uses-what bathroom. The WC is for the help. "First family" members use Lola's bathroom.
I've had some good talks with my aunts about my mom; provided them with an update of her status. The risperidol long-lasting injection can take anywhere between 4-8 treatments for it to "kick-in." Mom is currently on number 3. I think that I want to keep her in the hospital until she's 1) titrated off of her old meds, and 2) shows a positive response to the risperidol. This could mean another couple of months in the hospital. I tossed this idea past my aunts... they seemed to receive the idea, but didn't really respond to me or provide feedback.
I think that I will see if Dr.Ranoa (mom's psychiatrist) can recommend a local psychiatrist in Cabanatuan. Ideally, she will respond well to the current new treatment. The local psychiatrist or doctor can provide the bi-weekly injections. It may be easier for her to remain compliant with her treatment if all treatment was kept locally instead of having to hike it down to MNL each time. If you think about it, its akin to travelling from Fairfax to Philly every other week for an injection.
More later... Ed
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6:00 AM
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