I have stopped taking Danazol or Lagodal for good due to its side effects and shifted to the free depo provera shot which I had on February. I did not notice any significant side effects until after a month and 5 days after I had a salpingo oophorectomy of my right ovary and adhesiolysis wedge resection of my left ovary. My second shot was administered on the last week of April.

1. Bleeding.

The bleeding was awful its been like five months. I’ve had my happy days for two weeks after my second shot but it was not yet meant to be.  The bleeding came back. Sometimes, I have to wear sanitary napkins to contain the heavy flow. On some days, it is light but it still affects me very uncomfortably. I am now taking iron supplements and vitamin c to supply me with iron as the continuous bleeding can significantly erode the iron deposit on my body.

2. Ear Infection.

My left ear itches like a bitch.When I had it checked visually by my brother he said there was nothing wrong with it. It just itches and a little moist than my right ear. There is no other culprit but the depo provera. I have read that ear infection is just one among the side effects of the hormones.

3. Falling Hair

I have had a horrible case of falling hair on the 4th month. I blame both my stressful situation (a big big topic to be opened to the public in my other blog in the next few weeks) and depo provera. I have skipped wearing shampoo for a month and used only baking soda and vinegar and stopped combing my hair. Now, I’m back to wearing a little shampoo, “clear” which feels better on my scalp and alternate it with my organic concoction . My hair fall has subsided and I can comb too.

4. Depression

This was the bitch-est of them all. It started on the 4th month with my hairfall. Depression is one of the side effects of depo provera especially for some patients who are depressive. I am depressive which makes me an easy target of a hormone induced depression. I fell into a serious depression. My life was so dark. I was at my lowest.  It was like something so heavy, so troubling, and so un-understandably sad was pulling me down on an abyss. I knew that in those times I already  bordered on insanity or death. I was so close to going crazy and also very depressed.  While on the former, I could shift from a freaking laughter or sadness; on the latter I try to sleep without sleeping and cry either with a turbulence of tears or none at all. I knew that I needed so much help and none of it comes by so I pray to all the gods until I drift into sleep. While sober, I wanted to kill my self. Some patients have had completed suicide while on depo provera others although on a very rare case becomes psychiatric patients. I did not want to become one and decided to die but ultimately, life won me over.

5. Tiredness

While my depression was subsiding, I felt weaker. I have tried working against it through yoga starting from my second month which I slowly increased in intensity. Today, even with the bleeding I am doing the headstand and advance twists. My depression was gone but I feel easily tired and sluggish. I used to wake up at 5am now I wake up at 630 or 700 which is already very late.

6. Weight Gain

I gained weight in the first three months following my first shot. It was pleasant but not altogether a surprise as it was expected. I wanted to gain weight after I lost so much last January before the surgery. My weight however no longer increased significantly but my breasts and buttocks are heavier (which is awesome!). If only these are the only side effects.

Suggestion: Stop taking hormones go on an organic diet for Endometriosis

It is now my 6th month on depo provera. My second shot last April was the last. I swear I am not going to take any hormones and suffer the side effects which almost took my life. I’m planning to go on a diet for endometriosis patients. Right now, I am still enjoying eating like a truck driver while the hormones are around. When it wanes, like it does slowly I am going to follow a gradual diet to cure my endometriosis naturally.

In the next few months. I will go on another medical check-up to check the status of my remaining ovary and my uterus. I hope that they are doing pleasantly well.

I am my own photographer. I took this lying down while being punctured. Beat that!

Warning! Acupuncture can be highly addicting. My search for an alternative, traditional medicine without side effects has brought me to conclude that only acupuncture can ease out the pain I suffered from endometriosis. And I am right.

When I move back to Cagayan de Oro City it is where I have found what I’ve been looking for for years – acupuncture, but in an unlikely place.

Where to Find?

Acupuncture is available at the Archdiocese Health Ministry at the Ground Floor of Patrick Cronin Hall Building across St. Augustin Cathedral Church in Cagayan de Oro City. This health ministry is a joint project of the Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan and the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro City to make available alternative medicine to the public.

Schedule

It is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9am to 12noon and from 1pm to 5pm.  They have no telephone number so you can drop there at the designated schedule and make an appointment.

How much?

The first session costs 300 pesos excluding the needles which is 25 pesos each. The first session usually does not consume more than 20 needles especially for first timers so you do the math ‘coz I am lazy. The second and succeeding sessions are cheaper at 150 pesos  per session excluding the needles of course.

Does it hurt?

It does not hurt as much as an ant bite. Sometimes there is a slight tingling sensation which borders on the itchy. Sometimes,  a sudden jolt of electricity from the prick. These happen especially at points where the chi has stagnated. I like it better when it stings and the sensation radiates away from the needle because I am a masochist (for certain types of pain exclusive of endometrial pain attacks which is a different story) and besides it disappears in a little less than a few seconds or minutes. The hair-thin needles are left on the body for at least 20 minutes and that’s the time I sleep peacefully and satiatingly – like a baby.

What does the place look like?

It is not a commercial wellness center so you don’t expect to be pampered with an air-conditioned room, soft and subdued lights, zen music and the smell of potpourri. The health ministry is manned by well-trained health workers/volunteers who keep the area tidy and fresh. There are bed compartments separated with curtains for privacy of the clients. There is no need for air conditioner because the place is generally well ventilated with a cool breeze at any time of the day.

Its a breezy wellness clinic. Noticed the curtains dancing with the breeze.

Other Services Available

In addition to acupuncture, the wellness center offers foot reflex and foot massage, full body massage, tuina, moxibustion and ventosa. I have not tried the last three though. They also sell buyo ointment, ginger liniment, salubo oil, acupuncture needles, moxisticks and lagundi syrup.

Are there side effects?

There is none. Some feels energized after the acupuncture session. In my case, I feel a heightened state of relaxation and bliss everytime. The sleeping like a baby during the 20-minute or more acupuncture session is followed by a state of relaxation, an urge to urinate, drink water and a state of sedation – much like floating on air. It is recommended that you take a warm bath after two hours to cleanse the toxins that are removed from the body.

I love the feeling of being light and floating on air. I love the warm bath after and I love the peaceful sleep that follows the night after the acupuncture session. And most importantly, I managed to cope up with the pain brought about by my disease.  Now that’s my fix.

 Myth #1. American Idol is a Talent Show

It is not! American Idol is a popularity show. If talent were the criterion for picking the winner, then maybe Haley Rheinhart, Pia Toscano, James Durbin or Casey Abrams might have won. The last two finalists, Lauren Alaina and Scotty Mc Creery were lightweights compared to those who were eliminated. In AI you don’t need talent to win, you need sheer luck and pimping from the judges and producers. And of course you need to be cute and non-threatening to get the girls’ vote.

Myth#2. AI judges are fair and impartial.

They are not! It was clear from the very start how they were rooting for both Scotty Mc Creery and Lauren Alaina. Both Scotty and Lauren have made it in fact to the top 10 very surprisingly, robbing real and better talents like namesake Lauren Turner, Brett Lowenstein and others. While the judges pick on better talents to criticized, Lauren and Scotty’s obviously mediocre performance were unreasonably well-praised. The judges, JLo and Randy turn deaf and blind everytime their favorites perform. Some people just don’t care to lose their basic sense of hearing and vision for money.

Myth #3. Americans have the best music.

American Idol proves that America is a one-trick country singing pony. Why do I say that? Because we have two country singers battling it out during the finale in a snooze-inducing affair. Where is jazz, where is R&B, where is pop, where is rock and roll and the combination of all these? They were all voted off. So we were left with an awkward singer who mistakes his microphone as a flute, who twitches his eyebrows ridiculously and sings at a very limited range like a moo-ing cow. The results may also reflect a younger population’s (who were to blame of the “rigged” voting) declining musical taste and preferences. Is that to blame on technology or food or culture? America should be scared.

Myth #4. The winners have the most number of voters.

The winners do not necessarily have the most number of voters. This issue came out when Pia Toscano was shockingly eliminated. A voter can obsessively vote a hundred and more times for a favorite. They alleged that the tween voting public was to blame for the rise to fame of the two young and uninitiated finalists. So it does not necessarily mean that more Americans voted for them, it only means that some Americans have voted for them with greater frequency than the rest.

Myth #5. America is a liberated country.

It is not a liberated country. It is a “fake-conservative”. Mothers and grandmothers who voted for the final two thinks that sans talent the final two are wholesome American Idols. These are the same mothers and grandmothers who shirked at Lady Gaga’s ‘obnoxious’ style. These are the same people who could have kissed the crossed after an hour of closed door meeting with Gaga ‘The Witch’. They are scared of her because she reminds them of the natural monsters lurking in their subconscious.

Until then, I admit I was hooked with American Idol and I was deluded into thinking it is real. It started out as real but now it turned out to be a big farce. This is definitely the end of American Idol.

I am outraged but on second thought I should feel light about it.

Haley Rheinhart the last of the most talented top 13 in American Idol Season 10 is eliminated leaving two average singers Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina for the finale.

It is such a shame. Watching Lauren and Scotty bat against each other in the finals is not just boring as most would say but it is an insult to one’s musical ability. Any musician and singer and artist know the limitation of both. And any objective viewer with a musical ear can attest the two cannot hold the line against the ones who were previously eliminated.

So I guess it is true that American Idol’s tradition of picking out the least strongest singers has triumphed over excellence. So it is official American Idol is now called, American Teen Country Idol.  Lame show!

This season’s AI started with a pack of talented contestants. But each one of them were eliminated one by one very unpredictably. Let’s start with Pia Toscano, then Casey Abrams then James Durbin and now Haley Rheinhart. And I am not even saying that Naima, Stefano, Paul and Jacob and Thia are not. Now we are left with two contestants who would not have even made the top 12. There were so many talents robbed, Brett Lowenstein, Clint Jun Gamboa, Kendra Chantelle and namesake of the chosen one, Lauren Turner.

The judges who were obviously rooting for the two from the very start robbed the talents who would have stayed in the finale. The judges would later in the long-run be faulted for giving the two kids, Scotty and Lauren bloated egos and unwarranted self-confidence out of their over appreciation of their mediocre performances. And it came out, those who were eliminated should be thankful because they were bigger than a rigged show and cheap judging of judges who cannot even sing better than the contestants.

So Haley, the jazz pianist, song writer and versatile singer is huge, so is metal rock star James Durbin, musical genius Casey Abrams, diva Pia Toscano, singer/songwriter Paul Mc Donald and bring in singer/pianist/songwriter Stefano Langone, then Naima and Thia and the rest of those who never made it to top 13.

These guys are sure to perform on the finale and I would watch them while I doze off like I do everytime the “chosen ones’ in the name of S and L sing in their average and unphenomenal performances. Did they even get any standing Os?

Yawn! Screw  you AI.

Country singers Scotty and Lauren never need to work hard because even if their performance are mediocre they get the praise of the judges who don’t really judge at all and who play favorites. In their eyes they can do no wrong! Only one real talent is left – Haley Rheinhart – the most improved contestant – who worked her ass off the top 3 because that’s just the right thing to do and the fact that she is hated by the two judges for everything and nothing, leaves her nothing but to please herself and the audience.

With James out, American Idol is getting very boring. And I cannot stand listening to country songs by boring Scotty and Lauren’s lack of passion, artistry and emotional maturity. I swear Lauren is gonna crack under pressure this time. Remember how she messed up during last week’s elimination? Would you want an emotional mess for a winner? A boring country singer? Or an entertaining blues crooner? Oh dear, America, you have to vote wisely!

It is obvious that Lauren cannot take the pressure of American Idol in as much as she cannot take criticism constructive or otherwise. There was one Thursday elimination several weeks ago, if you remember, when a very emotional Lauren was sent by Ryan Seacrest back to the couch even before the host finished his verdict on Lauren Alaina. So that’s it. Her being in Idol should have helped her ideally as an artist but it looks like it is putting more pressure on her emotionally and psychologically more than it is helping her. If she is eliminated next week which is very possible, I’m afraid she’s going to lose it. So somebody’s got to help! Bring mammy and daddy!

By the way I wonder how she got into the top 10 anyway. Tsk tsk tsk. And didn’t you notice her mom – she looks like a … barbie doll (wink!).

Now we are down to magic four and it is getting more exciting than ever because my bets James Durbin and Haley Rheinhart are assured in the top. After Haley Rheinhart got the judegs standing ovation by piping the, “House of the Rising Sun” my hopes are up. And I think my father is wrong after all about the American voting public. They are getting smarter. Because along with Jacob Lusk in the bottom is Lauren Alaina. Both dished out bad performances. Jacob made very poor song choices (Hello! is “No Air” even a song?!). Lauren even ruined an all-time favorite song, “Unchained Melody” to the dismay of my mother, my father and I. The next one to go will definitely be Lauren, that is if America gets smarter again next week. I maintain that American Idol should be a talent show not a popular show and the voting public should at least recognize what talent is and is not.

Now!

Take a deep breath.

and

Scroll Down!

This picture is Not about the shades baby. It’s the neck. You know what to do. Yummmmmy!

Forget the neck this time and look lower. Suit yourself.

He must be drunk or ‘just woke up’ but he looks hotter thousand times over. Why can’t he look like this on tv? His voice and this, are  surely priceless gifts.

• Her Royal Highness, Princess Katherine was wearing a simple understated gown which did not come as a ‘wow’ to me. She would have chosen something a little bit flamboyant, something that is appropriate to a princess. But maybe its not her taste or perhaps she’s just being prudent.
• His Royal Highness Prince William wore a Colonel of the Irish Guards Uniform, which was red and for the first time I saw a groom wear the bold color on his wedding and it appeals to me very positively. But the back of his head is conspicuously balding and it distracts me.
• Prince Harry on the other hand is not balding, he still has a complete head of messed-up hair, his Captain of the House Cavalry Uniform looks a little tighter for his broad shoulders. But still he is hunky and I’m sold. Meanwhile, browsing the OMG fashion report, his ex-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, look disheveled like she had not slept overnight.
• Princess Eugene and Beatrice look like an ostrich and an octopus respectively. The feathers on the former’s hat look like an ostrich’s stump and the latter donned a hat that was supposed to be a ribbon but looks like an octopus. Hideous! But they gave a comic relief for the all-too formal occasion.
• The Choir of Westminster Abbey was amazing. In fact amazing is an understatement. They sound so good that they choke me in tears. It seemed to me that the boys were the big stars of the show rather than the bride and the groom that I temporarily forgot American Idol.
• Britain are crazy-obsessed royal fanatics. To one fan the moment is a gift to just “let them be” and be just “British” for a day. So I say, okay.

I am just glad it is over. The media will not tire over them but at least the next news which may be’ Kate Pregnant!’ and ‘Kate with a Child!’ or some  ‘Will-Kate Gate/Scandal,’ will not attract a groundswell of fanatics and a frenzy of media exposure like the wedding; and that means I will still have my regular tv viewing and I don’t get to cook dinner and eat dinner alone by myself.