May 5 - 11, 2019

I and the kids went to a botanical garden where there are plants and fruits from other countries. The children found the plants fascinating because it is their first time to see those. One of the children called me and he said “teacher, there some really serious problem!” And It was just funny that the Japanese name of lychee is close to my Japanese name. Lychee = レイシ and Lacey = レイシー. 

We were supposed to go to Nara park today. But since it is still a golden week (a long holiday here in Japan), the park will be crowded as expected. And since the time was also not enough, we ended up going to a dumpling/gyoza fair held at Osaka Castle. The weather was so hot and we have to walk around. It was hard for me. Mama doctor said that as much as possible I have to avoid the sun’s UV rays. I can notice that my skin was really red. 

I am trying to get a Japanese Driver’s License ( I’m planning to write another blog about it).As a part of the requirements for converting my driver's license to a Japanese Driver’s License, I went to the city hall to get a residence certificate. It really took time for me to get this because it was just the 2nd day of office after the 10 day holiday and it was crowded. 

I am very busy. I went to the Japanese Automobile Federation JAF office to get a translation of my Driver’s License. I went there early in the morning and I didn’t imagined that I have to walk for about 30 minutes from the train station to the JAF office considering also that there were overpasses. Walking for 30 minutes was very tough for me and I was starting to have leg cramps. 

It’s my rest day at work and it is Friday so I decided to go to the Licensing office. I got there early and I submitted my application. I thought I prepared everything as stated in the requirement list, but the officer told me to submit another document which will be coming from the Philippines. I was so irritated and angry because the officer cannot explain well why I have to present that document. I can’t argue with him because he was just saying that I have to present the document so I can move on to the next step. It was like he was saying that my current license is fake. I got so mad that I lost my appetite to eat. 

I told to my boss what happen and he was kind enough to go with me to the embassy to ask about what can I do about the needed red ribboned document. But the embassy just told me that I have to make a Special Power of Attorney and send it to the Philippines so that my representative can process the papers.

I was really angry that I got tired. I ate chicken nanba for late lunch. And that night, I don’t know why I vomited many times and my stomach and back hurt. Maybe because of the oil in the chicken and also the stress. I don’t know. The next day I was really feeling tired. 

My medicine dosage:

🌅Morning: 10mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, pain killer + intestinal medicine, furosemide (to make urination easier) and additional medicine for infection every Monday only. 

☀ Noon: furosemide (to make urination easier)

🌃Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2.5 capsules of Prograf , 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, f 1 tablet of a blood pressure medicine, pain killer + intestinal medicine, and sleeping pills #1 & #2.

April 28 – May 4, 2019

I am feeling good and I decided to go on grocery shopping and I found this mango drink. Yes, it is from the Philipines. I tried it, it was delicious, but my Japanese friend said that the taste was a little blunt, he was expecting more mango taste. Well, I guess it can`t be helped since it was processed into juice and water was added.

I got a letter of invitation to attend a seminar about insurance coverage and computation. My boss applied me to this seminar. I am nervous about this because the lecture will be Japanese and there are a lot of special terms to be used. I am afraid that I might not understand all, but I will try my best since mathematics is not bound by language.

A new emperor has taken over the position, the Heisei Era here in Japan has already ended, and it is the start of the Reiwa Era. The very first 10-day holiday here in Japan has started.

Even though it is a holiday, since the children in our day service have no classes in school, they come to us. That means I have work and in seasons like this, we tend to go outside for walks or other activities.

We went to what they called athletics. This is an obstacle course located in the mountain woods. There are 30 obstacle courses for each round. It is really exciting and a great experience for the children because it can help them improve physically, the way they think about how to get through the obstacles and also improve their social skills. Though it was tiring for me because I wasn’t in the half of the course and I felt shaking on my knees already and I was very tired. I also slipped and tumbled many times because the mountain path was rough. Since I have to guide the children and I have to carry some of their stuff it was very hard for me to finish the course. At night when I got home, I feel feverish and my body hurt all over as if I can't move. Even though I took pain relievers, it was like it was not working and I had a hard time sleeping. I guess this exercise like hiking it too extreme for me.

We went to the national museum of arts, the theme of the displayed arts was about life and death. It was deep, some of the children we were taking care of doesn’t appreciate the items and they wanted to go out immediately, they think it is boring. 





So we went to the Osaka Science Museum, which is just across the art museum. There are interesting pieces of stuff, it has been a while since I went to a museum. I felt really amazed. I think the children enjoyed their time here.

I got a day off and I went out with my friend. We went to a garden above a water recycling plant that is near my place. I was so amazed that there is a facility like this and the rooftop was converted into a park and pond. It was very beautiful. 

Then we went to the riverside park. As expected since it is the Golden week, there were many people doing barbeque in the park, it was so lively. Then we went to a nearby mall and we ate ice cream! Perfect for the hot weather!

Overall it was a tiring but very amazing week. Being with the children makes me learn new about them every day and what they interest them. I need to build up my stamina to keep up with their pace. It was a good thing that the weather is getting warmer and my leg muscles are improving. And I just had my monthly charge of Benlysta ( the medicine for lupus), so I am feeling recharged. It is just that when I walked too much my edema worsens especially at night. I have to sleep with my feet elevated on the cushion and pain killers are my best friend.

My medicine dosage:

🌅Morning: 10mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, pain killer + intestinal medicine, furosemide (to make urination easier) and additional medicine for infection every Monday only. 

Noon: furosemide (to make urination easier).
x

☀ 

🌃Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2.5 capsules of Prograf , 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, f 1 tablet of a blood pressure medicine, pain killer + intestinal medicine, and sleeping pills #1 & #2.

April 21-27, 2019

I am feeling really heavy and I think I have a fever. I don’t know, but today’s work was not tiring. I got my back massaged and after that my nose got runny.    I am relieved and I slept really well. The next day, I woke up feeling really good. I followed the advice of a friend and I started to do morning stretching exercises. 

I received this 3 piece towel set from a friend. It is my favorite rilakuma character and I am so happy. These will be very useful since it is getting warmer and I am starting to sweat especially in the afternoon.

My hemorrhages keep getting better and it is starting to fade! But there are spider veins / varicose veins. I think it is scary to see, but it doesn`t hurt. The doctors told me that it is the side effect of the steroids that causes my skin to be weak, and as for women who use steroids, these varicose veins are easy to be developed in the lower extremities.

I had my regular monthly checkup. My statistics are not improving nor getting bad, it was almost the same as last month. But the DNA that indicated the activity of the lupus is somewhat getting higher and it is not good, but still manageable. I got my monthly IV of Benlysta (medication for lupus) and bonviva (to prevent osteoporosis). I complained to mama doctor that my edema is not getting better and there was a week that I couldn`t fit my feet in my shoes. I had to use slippers and it was hard for me to walk because the bottom of my toes was swelling. Mama doctor was thinking about what medicine to adjust. Thinking about the side effects, she is afraid to increase the dosage of the main lupus medicines ( Cellcept and Prograf) or to increase steroids. She decided to increase another 2.5mg of steroids and additional furosemide (to make urination easier) to make the edema go away.

I got this gift card from the hospital as a thank you gift for participating in a survey application for medicine. I took the trial 3 months and at the end, they asked me to answer an evaluation sheet.

I wasn`t able to pay my hospital bills and my medicines because I have to make a correction on my insurance since I got company insurance last February. So I just signed a promissory note in the hospital stating that I will pay my bills in the event that my new insurance papers arrive. I went to the City hall to file for the amendments it was quick and they also reimbursed me for the overpayment I made since February. It was very quick and the staffs are very nice.

On my way home, I went to buy this bread. It was famous and the customers who line up to buy this bread was long. The store has a set time for the selling of the brad. They sell it hot and fresh from the oven. The price is 3 times than normal bread. But it was worth it because it is very delicious and it is good for the body because of the ingredients that they use.

The next day I woke up, I noticed a hemorrhage from the IV that I received. Well, no wonder. At the last 15 minutes of my IV, it was hurting, I just tolerated the pain, because I don`t want the IV to be reattached. I think this will took weeks to fade.

My new medicine dosage is:

🌅Morning: 10mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, pain killer + intestinal medicine, furosemide (to make urination easier) and additional medicine for infection every Monday only. 

 

Noon: furosemide (to make urination easier).
x

☀ 

🌃Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Prograf  + 0.5 capsule and 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, f 1 tablet of a blood pressure medicine, pain killer + intestinal medicine, and sleeping pills #1 & #2.

April 14-20,2019

April 18, in line of work, I and my colleagues went to an exhibit. It features products and services used for caregiving. I found some stuff that is useful for me, like lotion that is good for moisturizing and also eases the itching. Recently, the swelling in my body is getting bigger than my skin is stretching and drying that is why it is itching. 

I was trying to cook. When I was cutting the carrots, due to my hands are swollen, I cannot put any strength and I dropped the knife then it fell to my right toe and I got a cut. It bled for about 30 minutes. 

Mama doctor said that if it season gets warmer maybe I will feel better. But I don’t think that is the case. Maybe now the season is changing that my nose is running and I feel that I have a fever at night. But when I wake up, I can feel that I sweated so I think that my fever (if ever there was) was healed.

I also noticed recently that whenever the 4-hour effect of the sleeping pills has worn off, I wake up to go to the toilet every after an hour until I fully wake up at around 7 am. Compared from months before, even though the sleeping pills were still in effect I am waking up to go to the toilet. I think it is getting better. 

My medicine is still at:

🌅Morning: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, pain killer + intestinal medicine and additional medicine for infection every Monday only. Additional furosemide (to make urination easier).

🌃Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Prograf  + 0.5 capsule and 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, f 1 tablet of a blood pressure medicine, pain killer + intestinal medicine, and sleeping pills #1 & #2.

April 7-13,2019

My friend told me to try some other milk that can’t make my stomach hurt. I think she is referring to lactose-free milk. I searched over the internet, I found one brand, but the shipping was high. Luckily I found that milk in a supermarket in my area. The supermarket is not quite near my house but I can go there by bicycle.

The price was a bit high. I tried it and it tasted good! The next day I didn’t have loose bowel movements. I am happy because I am able to drink milk again.

I and my Indian friend went to the nearby spa. But since she is a vegetarian, she made dinner for us. It was stir-fried spinach with mushrooms and flat fried rice. It was my first time to eat flat rice, she said that it was from India.

I thought my edema will get better if I soak my body in hot water. It did get better and hemorrhages are vanishing. My fingers are also starting to swell, and my feet too, especially my right foot’s thumb. 

I noticed that on my left foot, there is a wound like something and I think there is puz that is accumulating. I think I stepped on to something in the spa, or maybe the floor was dirty and I got some bacteria.

The next day I feel that I caught a cold.

My medicine is still at:

🌅Morning: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, pain killer + intestinal medicine and additional medicine for infection every Monday only. Additional furosemide (to make urination easier).

x

🌃Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Prograf  + 0.5 capsule and 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, f 1 tablet of a blood pressure medicine, pain killer + intestinal medicine, and sleeping pills #1 & #2.

March 31 – April 6, 2019

It really feels like spring now. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom. As a part of my job, we need to take the children out for walks. So we decided to go to the parks for 花見「はなみ」.

And if it is hanami, it is like a picnic, and it is a must to eat だんご　dango. It is made from glutinous rice then covered with crush dried soybeans.

I am so happy, I got the chocolates I ordered online. It is bite-sized chocolate with different flavors. I can eat these since I have no problem with my blood sugar level.

This week I am feeling good even if there is edema in my feet. It is still manageable and I can still walk. Maybe because the weather is getting hot, I can`t feel so much muscle pain.

My medicine is still at:

🌅Morning: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, pain killer + intestinal medicine and additional medicine for infection every Monday only. Additional furosemide (to make urination easier).

x
x

🌃Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Prograf  + 0.5 capsule and 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, f 1 tablet of a blood pressure medicine, pain killer + intestinal medicine, and sleeping pills #1 & #2.

March 24-30, 2019

I got a gift from my co-worker; she said that it is a post-white day gift. She said it was late because she only got her day off and she went home to her parent’s house in Kobe so she bought me these almond chocolates.

It was the last day of a child that we are taking care off. He graduated junior high school and he will enter high school. Since his new school is far, he cannot go to our day service anymore, so as his last day, I and my Indian co-worker baked these mini cupcakes and throw a party for him.

While having a party for him, I stepped on the cushion and fell. I broke my lips. It hurt. It was a good thing that my co-worker who is a nurse was also on shift with me and she checked my body. She said it was okay., but she was worried about any broken bone. Due to steroids, my bones are weak and prone to breaking. But my body landed on the cushion so I think it will be okay.

March 29, I and my boss went to the immigration office for my visa extension. Since my visa is valid up to this May 18 only, we filed for the extension. I only submitted the visa extension application form and my passport. And the immigration officer told me that if ever there will be any documents needed they will contact me through postcard (hagaki). So I have to wait, I think there will be plenty of time. But I am just worried since Japan will open hiring for foreign workers, the visa might take a while.

This week, I have edema on my feet. I noticed a sudden increase in my weight. But I think it is manageable since I can urinate well.

My medicine is still at:

🌅Morning: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, pain killer + intestinal medicine and additional medicine for infection every Monday only. Additional furosemide (to make urination easier).
x

🌜Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Prograf  + 0.5 capsule and 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, f 1 tablet of a blood pressure medicine, pain killer + intestinal medicine, and sleeping pills #1 & #2.