Hello there! It's been a long time since I haven't written a post. After a long hiatus, I am finally back!!!
So many things had happened the past 1 1/2 yrs. I faced a life threatening condition in Dec. 2014 which caught me off guard and turned my world upside down. I spent 2015 recovering and getting back on track. It was a long recovery and I made it! Thanks be to God. I am so thankful to the Lord for my second life and for the gift of healing.
This was a life changing event for me. It made me realize that God can take you anytime or take everything away from you in an instant. Life is short. Do good and be kind always. Most importantly, take good care of your health. Health is wealth and without it, no amount of wealth matters. I have changed for the better. Now I have a 2nd birthday to celebrate and look forward to - Dec. 24th :), just 1 day apart with Jesus' birthday.
I'd like to end this post with one of my favorite bible quotes. I made this photo using bible app. Loving this app💙.
"Because You are with me, I will not be afraid." ~ Psalm 118:6
Two weeks have passed, I can still feel a little bit of numbness in my neck area, but I feel a lot better now. I still remember vividly everything that happened that day. I will never forget that day.
I couldn't sleep the night before. I was chatting with my youngest daughter, telling her how scared and nervous I am. I never have had surgery before. She told me to distract my thoughts and not to think about my surgery. We chatted about the new iPhone 6 plus, it's new features, and any topic that we could think of to distract my thoughts. We chatted until 2AM. I said goodnight (but it was morning already) and told her I will try to get a few hours of sleep. I prayed again. I prayed a lot. I did the self help JSJ (Jin Shin Jyutsu) finger holds, then I fell asleep. I woke up early at 5AM. I couldn't sleep anymore. I prayed again, did self help JSJ, while listening to Don Moen's inspirational songs on YouTube.
I was instructed not to eat and drink after 8:30AM (at least 6 hours before my surgery). My surgery was scheduled for 2:30PM and I was instructed to check-in at 11:30AM for all the preparation.
Reason why food and drinks are not allowed at least 6-8 hrs before surgery (I was told longer fasting time is required for major major surgeries) is to avoid complications during and after surgery. If you have food or fluid in your stomach during surgery, you could vomit while under anesthesia and the vomit can go into the lungs and can cause serious complications (scary!).
We arrived at the hospital at 11AM. Waiting time and registration took 45 minutes, then the concierge personnel escorted us to my room (5621). I told my hubby and sis-in-law they can go out for lunch, I'll be fine. A Filipina nurse came in and did the pre-surgery interview. Another Filipina nurse came in, she took my blood pressure. It was high (150/90) because I was so nervous. She told me not to worry because my doctor is an expert, then she told me to wait, because another nurse will come to prepare me for my surgery. Before she left my room, she told me I can use the waiting time to relax and pray. I was left alone so I prayed the holy rosary, then hubby and sis-in-law came back from lunch.
A Singaporean nurse came in after an hour and asked me to change into my hospital gown and get ready for my surgery.
The waiting time was so stressful. I was extremely nervous, my heart was beating so fast. I was scheduled for 2:30PM, still no one has come, maybe they are still waiting for Dr. Hong (very busy doctor). Finally, Doctor Hong's nurse came in at 3:45PM, with the Filipina nurse. Again, she told me not to worry, my doctor is an expert, everything will be fine. I was moved into another bed with the wheel. I made the sign of the cross, then they wheeled me into the OR. I was trying so hard to remain calm and I was praying while I was being wheeled into the OR.
They put me in the waiting area outside the Operating theater. 3 Nurses came, one at a time to double check that I am the right patient. They asked the same questions - name, birthday, and FIN#, asked if I have drug allergies and told me to wait. The never ending wait, I was getting more nervous, I could hear my heart pounding so hard. There's TV (but on mute) inside the cubicle (maybe to distract the patients before moving to the operating theater), but there is no clock. There were other patients for surgery in the other cubicles. The OR waiting area was so busy. All the nurses and assistants were busy doing their own job.
I didn't know how many minutes have passed, maybe 30 minutes, then the Anesthesiologist came in. He introduced himself as Dr. Cheong and he asked "how are you?". I replied "I'm so nervous". He smiled and said don't worry. He has smiling face (the opposite of Dr. Hong who always looks serious). He checked my medical record and asked if I have drug allergies, my weight, and asked if I exercise regularly. He spoke to me about what was going to happen. Then, he asked how old I am. I told him my age and he said I'm very young, much younger than him. He's a funny doctor :). Finally, Dr. Hong arrived. He also explained what was going to happen and asked if I have questions. I was really really nervous, couldn't think of questions to ask. Then, he drew something on my neck (maybe a mark so he would know where to cut). Dr. Cheong came again and put a warm white blanket on top of my blanket. He said it's very cold at the Operating theater.
Another nurse came in and double checked again if I'm the right patient, then they wheeled me into the operating theater, where I had to slide over onto the operating table. I saw all bright lights and the surgery tools, I was so scared. Dr. Cheong was at the left side, he put the IV in my left hand. He said he will put the anesthesia through my IV. Dr. Hong was at my right side, I saw 2 nurses with him. The nurse attached the BP and heart beat monitor to my right hand. I told them I'm so nervous. Dr. Cheong smiled and told me that my heart is beating so fast. My BP was high before the operation. Then he put the mask (he told me it's an oxygen mask), and asked me to hold it. I loved my anesthesiologist :). I don't remember anything that happened after that.
I thought I was dreaming, I heard people calling "Gloria, Gloria!" They were waking me up. I opened my eyes and I saw Dr. Cheong, Dr. Hong, and the nurses. I felt like vomiting, I felt so weak and disoriented. They told me operation is finished. Dr. Cheong asked me to open my mouth and I did. Dr. Hong told me I did well. Thank God, surgery went well. I loved Dr. Hong :).
The nurse wheeled me into the recovery room and told me to sip a small amount of water from the medicine cup. I could feel pain and tightness in my neck, my throat was sore (due to the breathing tube that was placed into my windpipe to assist in breathing during the operation). A drain tube was attached to my neck (left side where my nodule was). I looked at the clock, it was 6:30PM. I stayed at the recovery room for only a few minutes. The nurse asked me again to sip a small amount of water, then I was wheeled back to my room. I tried to talk, my voice was hoarse, but I could talk. Thank God I didn't lose my voice.
I was instructed to keep my head raised (the nurse adjusted my bed to elevate my head), and not to get up until the anesthesia wears off (I was told it will take at least 6 hrs to wear off). The same Filipina nurse came in and asked if it's painful. She told me she will give me food to eat after one hour so I can take the pain meds, as I might vomit due to anesthesia. It was so difficult to drink and shallow, I had to use straw to sip water very slowly. I couldn't eat, but the nurse told me to eat a little before I take my pain meds and antibiotics. I ate 4 spoonfuls of congee, finished slowly the 1/4 cup of milo, I took my pain meds and antibiotics, then took a rest, but I couldn't sleep.
The nurses were regularly monitoring my BP, my temperature, and my drain tube (every hour), the whole night, I hardly slept.
I'm just so happy and thankful to God that everything is over now. I thank God for this miracle. I will be forever thankful.
Found this on YouTube. This is how the doctors administer anesthesia.
"Trust that everything happens for a reason, even when you're not wise enough to see it." ~ Oprah
Continued from my previous post ... I decided to seek a second opinion so I called Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre and requested for an appointment with a specialist.
Endo 1: Dr. Daniel Wai (#03-04 Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre)
The customer service agent booked me an appointment with Dr. Daniel Wai. Before I went to see Dr. Daniel Wai, I did a research to find out about him. I've read that he was awarded the "Service with Heart Award" by the Singapore General Hospital 3 times, in recognition of the excellent service he had given to his patients. Here's a link to his website. http://drdanielwai.com.sg/ 18th October I was scheduled for 9:30AM but I arrived early at 9:00. I didn't wait long because the first patient did not come on time, so his assistant told me I can come in.
He smiled and said hello, then he asked "Are you a Filipina?" Yes doc, I replied. I told him I wanted to consult the result of my thyroid FNA that was done at Alexandra hospital. I didn't have my blood test result and ultrasound so I only showed him my FNA result. "Next time you should get copy of your test results because you paid for those tests", he said.
He studied my FNA result, then he looked at me and said "You have follicular lesion". "Is it suspicious doc?", I asked. "Are you a nurse?", he asked. Haha, I said no. "Yes, it's suspicious. Do you have family history?" No history of thyroid cancer doc. He said that there's also a lot of blood in my nodule, which is not good. Therefore, a repeat FNA will not be helpful as it will most likely give the same result. The only way to find out if it's cancerous or not is to do surgery, so that biopsy can be done on the whole nodule. He also told me that even if my nodule is benign, surgery is still recommended because of the size (mine was > 4cm). He did physical exam and he found that my trachea was deviated to the right. He advised me to undergo surgery as soon as I can and not to waste time anymore. He told me not to worry because 80-95% of thyroid nodules are benign, but it was hard not to worry.
Dr. Daniel's reco: Surgery
Reco at Alexandra hospital: Repeat FNA after 3 months.
Dr. Daniel googled Alexandra hospital then he said he knows the head surgeon. He's an excellent surgeon but most likely he has long list of patients for surgery. He said he can also refer me to a private surgeon at Mount Elizabeth, but he said it's very expensive because Mt. E is a private hospital. I told him I still need to check my medical insurance benefit.
He didn't charge me the full amount for first time patient. It was my first visit but I saw repeat visit on my record. Naawa yata sa akin :). He's a nice doctor. Well deserved "Service with heart award" recognition.
"What seems to be a problem or block is often really a blessing in disguise." - Doreen Virtue
I called Alexandra hospital but I was told that Dr. Chitra is on leave and will only be back end Oct. I asked if I can directly book an appointment with the head surgeon, but I was told that referral should come from Dr. Chitra, so I need to wait for Dr. Chitra.
To wait or not to wait? This turned out into a blessing in disguise.
I talked to a friend and told her about my thyroid problem. She advised me to talk to one of our friends who had thyroid surgery several years ago. I didn't know it. I should have known this earlier. I came to know Dr. Loh Keh Chuan through her. She said Dr. Loh is an excellent doctor (her number 1 endo), so she advised me to go to Dr. Loh. I got Dr. Loh's clinic number and I immediately booked an appointment. Then everything happened so fast! First visit: October 24, 2014 His clinic was jam-packed. He must be really good. I waited for more than an hour (my appointment was 11:30 and I was already hungry). Finally, I heard Dr. Loh calling Gloria (yes, that's me). He shook hands with me and he introduced himself. I like Dr. Loh, he has smiling face :). I told him about my thyroid nodule that was discovered by Dr. Chitra at Alexandra Hospital. He said he knows Dr. Chitra. I found out later that Dr. Loh was a student of Dr. Chitra. Then I showed him my FNA result. He looked at the report but he didn't tell me if it's suspicious. I didn't ask. Then he did ultrasound. He explained to me that my nodule is huge (4.8cm based on his ultrasound), and maybe I have it for years already (this was not detected early in my previous annual health checks). I have follicular lesion, which can be adenoma (benign) and can also be carcinoma (cancer). However, this is difficult to classify on FNA, therefore, a repeat FNA will not be helpful. My only option is surgery so that they can send the whole nodule for biopsy to find out if it's cancerous or not. He asked if we have family history of thyroid cancer. I told him we don't have family history. "How about relatives?", I replied I don't know.
He also explained to me the procedure, i.e., hemithyroidectomy (remove my left thyroid lobe with the nodule), then frozen section biopsy will be done (quick test) during surgery. If there are no cancer cells, the surgeon will not remove the entire thyroid gland and will just do hemithyroidectomy. However, if final biopsy comes back positive for cancer, I have to go back for a second surgery for completion of thyroidectomy (removal of the entire thyroid gland).
OMG, 2 surgeries!
Dr. Loh might have noticed the anxiety written all over my face. So he said "Don't worry, 90% of thyroid nodules are benign, that is 9 out of 10. If it is cancer, it's curable. Thyroid cancer is very slow growing, it takes years to grow, so don't worry, okay?."
He asked where do I want to have my surgery done. I told him I prefer to have it done at Mount Elizabeth. "Okay", he said "I will refer you to a surgeon".
He wrote a recommendation letter to Dr. Hong Ga Sze (the surgeon) and asked me to bring the letter to Dr. Hong together with my test results in my next visit. All me pre-surgery tests were done on the same day.
Second visit: October 29, 2104
I came early at 8:30AM, full house again. Dr. Loh cleared me for surgery, but he prescribed Vit. D supplement to correct my Vit. D deficiency and changed my med for blood pressure, as my ECG showed fluctuating blood pressure. Then he sent me to Dr Hong Ga Sze.
The Surgeon: Dr. Hong Ga Sze (#12-15 Mount Elizabeth Medical Center)
Before my surgery, I did a research about Dr. Hong Ga Sze to find out more about him. I've read that he is one of the top doctors in Singapore and he is a cancer surgeon. His expertise includes breast cancer, head and neck tumours, including thyroid tumours. He has more than 20 years of experience, so he must have done thousands of thyroid surgeries already. Excellent! http://www.honggasze.com/
I went to his clinic, full house also. His 3 assistants were all busy. I filled up the registration form and gave my test results and Dr. Loh's recommendation letter. I was told to wait. I was so nervous. I dreaded the thought of having surgery. I waited for about an hour, then finally the nurse called me in to see Dr. Hong. He was reading Dr. Loh's recommendation letter when I came in. The nurse told me to sit down. Dr. Hong looked at me, he said hello, then he asked "Are you a Filipina?" Yes doc. I told him the background of my thyroid problem, when and where it was discovered, and what tests were done, etc. "Okay, show me your FNA result", he said. He studied my FNA result, then he said in a very serious tone "It is suspicious of follicular carcinoma. Do you have family history?" "No family history on thyroid cancer doc", I replied. "How long have you been here in Singapore?", I replied, 10 months. He checked my neck and he also did ultrasound.
After that, he discussed the surgery procedure (same as what Dr. Loh had explained to me) and the risks associated with thyroid surgery (my mind went blank, I can only remember he said the risk is low at 1%).
"Do you have questions?" he asked. "I have hypertension doc, is it risky"? He told me not to worry about it, it's not risky. "You will be fine." he said. I asked if I can delay the surgery to January, but he advised me not to delay it. So I told him I will have it done in November so I have enough time to recover before the Christmas season (assuming that I will only have to undergo 1 surgery). I dreaded the thought of having 2 surgeries. I was thinking of having total thyroidectomy so that I don't have to go back for second surgery if my final biopsy is bad, but this will require thyroid hormone meds for life! I didn't bring this up. Doctors know best (they know what they are doing).
He told me to talk to his ladies outside so we can finalize the schedule of my surgery.
Fast forward, I had my surgery (hemithyroidectomy) on 18th Nov (3 weeks after my first visit with Dr. Loh, that was fast!). Dr. Hong told me I did well. My throat was sore, but I didn't lose my voice (thank God!). I was able to talk immediately after my surgery, but it was so difficult to drink and swallow. My voice was hoarse for the first 3 days and it was back to normal after 4 days. I stayed at the hospital for 2 nights and I was discharged on 20th Nov.
Post Op Visit and Final biopsy result: Nov. 24 (6 days after surgery)
Dr. Hong was so happy when he told me about the good result. Finally, I saw Dr. Hong Ga Sze smiled :))). He said it's follicular adenoma, it's benign! Thanks be to God. So happy and relieved! Praise God! Answered prayer. #foreverthankful
I received a call last week from Alexandra hospital, I was told that I was scheduled for repeat FNA 27th Nov. I said I already had my surgery :). Cheers,
"Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer." - Padre Pio It all started last April 17 when I went to Alexandra Hospital for check up and to get prescription for maintenance med for my hypertension. Alexandra hospital is the nearest hospital in our place, 10 min walk from our condo. I called the hospital for appointment. Dr. Chitra, a senior consultant at Alexandra hospital was assigned to be my doctor. Since it was my first check up with her, she asked a lot of questions about my medical history. I like Dr. Chitra. She is warm, friendly, and she spends time getting to know her patients. Then she asked me "Do you have goiter?". I replied I don't know. She said she noticed a lump on my neck. She thinks I have goiter so she sent me for thyroid blood test and advised me to come back for follow-up check up after three months. As soon as I got home, I looked at the mirror and checked my neck. That was the time that I noticed that I indeed have a lump on the left side. I had never noticed it before. I then checked my previous annual health check results from Kobe Kaisei Hospital Japan the past 3 yrs. There was no indication of lump or goiter in my 2011 and 2012 results. I wonder why the doctors at Kobe Kaisei Hospital did not detect it. Maybe it was not noticeable at that time so it was not detected. I found out it was detected in my last annual health check last Dec as suspected mild goiter. I overlooked it due to crazy sched last Dec, working on my relocation to Singapore on top of my crazy work load. Then we flew to Singapore on Dec. 30, 2013 and never had the chance to have follow up consultation at Kobe Kaisei hospital.
Lesson learned: Don't take for granted your annual health check. This is very important !! Fast forward, I had my follow up check up with Dr. Chitra on the 31st of July. She told me that my blood test result came back normal, so it's not goiter. I asked what it is if it's not goiter. She said I need to have an ultrasound to find out. She sent me for ultrasound and told me to come back for the result after 2 weeks. I knew they saw something in my ultrasound based on the reaction of the one who did my ultrasound. My heart was beating so fast when I walked to Dr. Chitra's office on the 28th of Aug. As I anticipated, Dr. Chitra told me that a large 4cm solid nodule was found in my thyroid gland occupying the left lobe. She was surprised why it was not detected in my previous annual health checks. She said my nodule is large and maybe it has been there for years already. Since she is not an expert on thyroid issues, she consulted her Endo friend by phone on what to do next. The Endo recommended to do FNAC to rule out cancer. I'm loving Dr. Chitra, she really cares for her patients.
According to Wiki* Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB, FNA or NAB), or fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), is a diagnostic procedure used to investigate superficial (just under the skin) lumps or masses. In this technique, a thin, hollow needle is inserted into the mass for sampling of cells that, after being stained, will be examined under a microscope.
Before my FNA, I made a mistake of watching on YouTube how the FNA procedure is done. Big mistake! I was freaking out when I went for FNA on the 4th of Sept. I knew my blood pressure was also high. The nurse told me to relax. She said it's just FNA, not surgery. I did deep breathing and I managed to relax after a few minutes (Now I know that deep breathing is also JSJ - Jin Shin Jyutsu). Then Dr. Lim Choo and the Pathologist proceeded with the FNA procedure guided by ultrasound. I was told to hold my breath and not to swallow while they were taking samples from my nodule. I was praying so hard that I wouldn't feel so much pain. My neck was poked 4 times. It felt like I was bitten by a big mosquito 4 times. I was so relieved when they told me it's finished. It was not as painful as I imagined, but it was uncomfortable.
I called the hospital 2 weeks later but I was told that the result is not yet in and it usually takes 2-3 weeks to get the final report. That was so frustrating! It would have been faster if I had my FNA done at a private hospital.
When I called again, they scheduled me to see Dr. Chitra on the 6th of Oct (a month after my FNA). It was so stressful waiting for the result. I prayed so hard that God will give me the strength to deal with this trial. I asked my family, brothers, and sis-in-law to pray for me. I also prepared myself for the worst. I was so ready when I went to see Dr. Chitra, only to find out that my FNA result was inconclusive :(. She was not able to explain to me the result well because this is not her expertise (she's an internist).
Diagnosis: FNA Atypical; Follicular lesion of undetermined significance.
Comments: A definitive cytological diagnosis is difficult on this sample. Follow-up and a repeat FNA after 2 months may be helpful.
She referred me to an endocrinologist who would be able to explain to me my FNA result. I was supposed to go to the endo on the 4th of Nov. but I decided to cancel my appointment. I didn't want to wait for another 2 months to have repeat FNA, then wait again for another month to get the result.
I prayed so hard for God's guidance to lead me to the right direction. I came up with the decision to consult a specialist at the Mt Elizabeth Medical Centre. Too bad I wasn't able to get a copy of my blood test and ultrasound, but I managed to take a photo of my FNA result using my phone.
After 4 months of staying in temporary apartment, 2 months in Entente Kobe Japan before moving to Singapore, then another 2 months in Fraser Suites in River Valley Singapore, we have finally settled in our new home in Singapore. I still can't help but miss the beautiful country of Japan especially the Spring season, but I am slowly adjusting now. After all, life is all about moving on ...
This is our new home in Singapore at the The Interlace Condominium, such a beautiful place! Our good friends Ron and Wash paid us a visit in our new home one Saturday afternoon, sort of housewarming :).
It's been more than 3 months since my last blog post. Life had been so busy in the past 3 months, preparing for my relocation to Singapore and at the same time so busy with work. I've never been so busy in my life like this. Moving from Japan to Singapore was so stressful. It wasn't like this when our family moved from Philippines to Japan in 2007. Thank God , everything went well.
Our family flew from Japan to Singapore on the 31st of December. We spent New Year in Singapore watching fireworks from our temporary apartment (Fraser Suites River Valley Rd). New year, new life in Singapore. I've been here Singapore for a month now. How fast time flies. I'm still adjusting with the new culture which is very different from Japan. I really miss Japan. I wanna go back to Japan some day.
I took this photo using my iPhone when our family had dinner at Orgo Bar in Esplanade Mall. Night shot of the famous Marina Bay.
I only have 2 months left to enjoy Japan. How fast time flies. I feel sad :(((. I will really really miss Japan, my second home for 6 1/2 years. Time to let go and move on.
The next 1-2 months will be very busy for me. I have to take care of relocation matters on top of my busy schedule at work. So many things to do yet so little time.
I got this article from my good friend Dan. He shared this article via email. This is worth sharing so I'm reposting it here. There are many reasons why we should exercise. I exercise regularly, not to lose weight, but to maintain my weight because of my slow metabolism. If you want to know more about the benefits of exercise, read on...
Muscles
The body calls on glucose, sugar the body has stored away from the foods we eat in the form of glycogen, for the energy required to contract muscles and spur movement.
It also uses adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, but the body only has small stores of both glucose and ATP. After quickly using up these supplies, the body requires extra oxygen to create more ATP. More blood is pumped to the exercising muscles to deliver that additional O2. Without enough oxygen, lactic acid will form instead. Lactic acid is typically flushed from the body within 30 to 60 minutes after finishing up a workout.
Tiny tears form in the muscles that help them grow bigger and stronger as they heal. Soreness only means there are changes occurring in those muscles, says Boone, and typically lasts a couple of days.
Like any muscle, the diaphragm can grow tired with all that heavy breathing. Some argue that as the diaphragm fatigues, it can spasm, causing a dreaded side stitch. (Others argue a side stitch is due to spasms of the ligaments around the diaphragm instead, while others believe the spasms to originate in the nerves that run from the upper back to the abdomen and arecaused by poor posture!) Deep breathing and stretching can alleviate the discomfort in the middle of a workout, and preemptive strengthening in the gym can ward off future issues.
Heart
When you exercise, heart rate increases to circulate more oxygen (via the blood) at a quicker pace. The more you exercise, the more efficient the heart becomes at this process, so you can work out harder and longer. Eventually, this lowers resting heart rate in fit people.
Exercise also stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, causing blood pressure to decrease in fit people.
Stomach & Intestines
Because the body is pumping more blood to the muscles, it takes some away from the systems and functions that aren't top priority at the moment, like digestion. That can result in tummy troubles.Movement, absorption and secretion in the stomach and intestines can all be affected.
Brain
Increased blood flow also benefits the brain. Immediately, the brain cells will start functioning at a higher level, says Cameron, making you feel more alert and awake during exercise and more focused afterward.
When you work out regularly, the brain gets used to this frequent surge of blood and adapts by turning certain genes on or off. Many of these changes boost brain cell function and protect from diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or even stroke, and ward off age-related decline, she says.
Exercise also triggers a surge of chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters, which include endorphins, often cited as the cause of the mythical "runner's high."
The brain releases dopamine and glutamate, too, to get those arms and legs moving, as well as gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, a prohibitive neurotransmitter that actually slows things down, to keep you moving in a smooth and controlled manner.
You'll also likely feel better thanks to a bump in serotonin, a neurotransmitter well known for its role in mood and depression.
Hippocampus
This part of the brain is highly involved in learning and memory, and it's one of the only sections of the brain that can make new brain cells. Exercise facilitates this, thanks to the extra oxygen in the brain.
Even when you stop exercising, those new brain cells survive, whereas many other changes in the brain during exercise eventually return to their normal state should you become less active.
This control center in the brain alerts the adrenal glands to pump out the hormones necessary for movement. It also releases growth hormones. As the body searches for more fuel to burn after using up your glycogen stores, it will turn to either muscle or fat, says Cameron. Human growth hormone acts as a security guard for muscle, she says, telling the body to burn fat for energy instead.
Kidneys
The rate at which the kidneys filter blood can change depending on your level of exertion. After intense exercise, the kidneys allow greater levels of protein to be filtered into the urine. They also trigger better water reabsorption, resulting in less urine, in what is likely an attempt to help keep you as hydrated as possible.
Adrenal Glands
A number of the so-called "stress" hormones released here are actually crucial to exercise. Cortisol, for example, helps the body mobilize its energy stores into fuel. And adrenaline helps the heart beat faster so it can more quickly deliver blood around the body.
Skin
As you pick up the pace, the body, like any engine, produces heat -- and needs to cool off. The blood vessels in the skin dilate, increasing blood flow to the skin. The heat then dissipates through the skin into the air.
Eccrine Glands
At the hypothalamus's signal, one of two types of sweat glands, the eccrine glands, get to work. These sweat glands produce odorless perspiration, a mixture of water, salt and small amounts of other electrolytes, directly onto the skin's surface. When this sweat evaporates into the air, your body temp drops.
Apocrine Glands This second type of sweat gland is found predominantly in hair-covered areas, like the scalp, armpits and groin. These sweat glands produce a fattier sweat, typically in response to emotional stress, that can result in odor when bacteria on the skin begin to break it down, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Exercising puts extra weight on the joints, sometimes up to five or six times more than your bodyweight, says Laskowski.
Ankles, knees, hips, elbows and shoulders all have very different functions, but operate in similar ways. Each joint is lined with cushioning tissue at the ends of the bones called cartilage, as well as soft tissue and lubricating fluid, to help promote smooth and easy motion. Ligaments and tendons provide stability.
Over time, the cushioning around the joints can begin to wear away or degenerate, as happens in people with osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis.
It's Sunday, now I can sit down and post something in my blog. Writing is not my passion, but I still want to blog if I have time. I have not been blogging and face booking recently. It's because I'm hooked on Instagram :). My daughters introduced me to Instagram and I'm loving it.
I found my passion and this is where I am spending most of my free time. Since I can only manage one social networking site because of busy sched, I decided to choose Instagram over FB (sorry FB friends). This is where I belong :). I am not leaving facebook. My account is still active but I am no longer active on FB as before. I am on twitter and I do still tweet. You can find my updates on twitter @itsmeglo_gee, but you need to follow me on twitter because my account is private.
Why do I love Instagram? Instagram is the best social networking site for photo enthusiasts like me, the best social networking site to meet new friends from all over the world. I found new friends on Instagram. I enjoy interacting with them because we share the same passion and we speak the same IG language. It's really fun, enjoyable, and addictive... my stress reliever :). I now have 1000 plus followers. I started with less than 20 followers last March 2013. More than 200 of my photos have been featured since I started joining feature pages and photo challenges last April. I'm so overwhelmed :))).
I just want to share my photo entry for the 'happiness' photo challenge by @jj_captureinspiration. It was just a one day challenge. I was too lazy to look for photos in my files so I decided to try something different. I created this photo using my smiley refrigerator magnets that I bought at 100 yen shop. I assembled the magnets, took a pic, and put the word 'happiness'. Good thing I have enough smiley magnets. This photo was featured twice, first by @jj_captureinspiration and the second was by @jj_editor_simirani for jj forum 'yellow and white' theme.
If you want to see more of my pics, follow me on Instagram @glo_gee.
"Smile every chance you get. Not because life has been easy, perfect, or exactly as you had anticipated, but because you choose to be happy and grateful for all the good things you do have and all the problems you know you don't have. " (www.marcandangel.com)
I have installed the blogger app to my iPad mini and now I'm writing this post using my iPad mini :). It's already August, only 3 months left in our apartment in East Court 10 before we move to our temporary house in Entente. We will stay in the tempo house for 2 months since we need to pack all our belongings to be shipped to Singapore, then we will move to Singapore end December. I don't have the exact date yet, but most likely Dec. 30. Thinking about this makes me feel sad :(. Kobe Japan has been my second home for almost 7 years. I love everything about Japan, the country, culture, people, and everything. I will definitely miss Japan. I'm so thankful to God for giving me and my family the opportunity to experience a blessed and wonderful life here in Japan.
Black &White photography has become so popular on Instagram lately. I was not a fan of B&W photography before, but now I decided to join the band wagon :). I started posting B&W photos about 2 weeks ago in my Instagram and most of my B&W photos got featured, yay! One thing I learned about posting B&W photos is that the photo should be simple (less is more), must have a story behind it, and most of all, it must be creative. B&W photography requires a lot of creativity. There are a lot of professional photographers on Instagram, it's hard to compete with them. I am not a professional photographer. I'm just another amateur photographer who enjoys taking photos and I'm doing this for fun. I don't get monetary reward here, only sense of accomplishment :).
Here are my B&W photos that were featured on Instagram. The first 6 are solo features.
This is the famous Kintai bridge in Hiroshima Japan. We passed by this bridge on our way to Hiroshima. This bridge was featured five times.
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This is my favorite photo, with my daughter as the subject. This photo was taken in Boracay last December.
Here's another favorite of mine, my lovely flowers in black and white.
Here's a happy pictorial of a lovely couple :).
These are my non-solo features, sharing the square with other featured artists.
I realized that I have not posted in my blog for a month now. I got addicted to Instagram lately, joining different photo challenges :). IG is addicting and I'm really having fun on Instagram. I am not active on Facebook lately. I am enjoying Instagram more than Facebook now. I have more interactions with my IG friends than on FB.
I love taking pictures and I find fulfillment every time I win a photo challenge. Photography is my passion and Instagram is the best social networking site for photo lovers like me. Hooray to Instagram!!!
This blogger application on iPhone is really cool and I'm loving it. I don't have to log on to my computer to update my blog. I can now blog using my phone.
I'm so happy to share my featured photos on Instagram for the month of May. My IG friends have labeled me "the feature queen" :). So flattered!!!
Here are my featured photos for the month of May. I didn't expect that I will be getting more after my first feature last April.
My yellow tulips (BL) was featured by Igersworlwide.
My silhouette photo that I took using my iPhone in Boracay (TL) was featured by dailythemes.
My purple lotus was featured by rawmothernature.
My first time to try macro and my droplets on flowers shot (TR) was included in this feature by macroflowerpassion. I still need more practice though on macro :).
My orange tulips was chosen as one of the finalists for instaphilippines_mayflowers.
My yellow tulips photo was featured by loving yellow.
My pink tulips shot in was featured by igpinay.
My pink lotus flower was featured by fabphotos.
This was my entry for Mother's Day special and I won this challenge. The topic was "Why I love my mum." I miss my mum who passed away 20 yrs. ago.
So many photo entries for flowerstalking purple flower challenge and my lotus flower photo was featured as the winner. Well I guess it's true that lotus is really lucky :)).
I was invited by a friend to join this 50shadesoforange 4grid challenge. My photo was one of the favorites :).
This photo was featured by flowerstarz.
I love Mount Fuji. So happy and lucky to see Mt. Fuji so I posted this and my photo was featured by mylove4nature.
This colorful elevator ceiling photo was feature twice - by fabphotos and igpinay.
My orange roses (BR) was featured by photogram_naturepics.
My yellow rose (BL) was featured by flower_daily.
My pink lotus flower (TL) was featured by ig_4every1.
My yellow flower (BL) was featured by mydailycapture.
My infiorata (dried flower petals) photo was featured by ig_4every1.
My purple flower (BR) was featured by fabphotos.
My pink lotus flower (BL) was featured by pict_lovers.
My yellow rose was featured by flowerstalking.
My purple tulips photo (TR) was chosen as one of the winners for the purple challenge along with these purple photos.
Testing the blogger app on my phone while having coffee break at work :).
What's up with me? Everything is back to normal. The girls are back in Manila. It's sad to see them leave again for the start of school year in Manila. I will miss them again, huhuhu. But I'm happy too because we had the chance to be together again for a month and spent a few days in Tokyo last week. We were so lucky the weather cooperated with us. We had a lot of fun in Tokyo, the best family bonding. The highlight of our trip was our Mount Fuji-Hakone tour.
Well, I have to go back to work now. I will write a separate post about our Tokyo trip with pictures. Promise !
It's been one year since I started blogging and I've written more than a hundred posts and got more than 8,000 views. Wow, I can't believe I've gone this far :). I don't get to write more often lately but I plan to write 1-2 posts every month to keep my blog going. Happy Monday!
