Sick, for the longest time

I fell sick after CNY holiday.

It all started with a weekend with fever. On Friday, I thought I felt feverish, no fever yet but I thought I'll be fine so I continued to stay at work until 4pm. When I finally got home, I was having fever already. Continuing that weekend, I had runny nose and cough.

I thought with enough rest I'll be all fine. But no, on the next Wednesday, my voice decided to went out totally with sore throat. I was given two days MC but it wasn't sufficient to bring back my voice. I went to work on Friday, without voice.

Then, it went on to another weekend, I was still pretty much hoarse voice. I forgot when was the second time I went to see the doctor, but second time I was given a stronger medicine. It got improved, but not a lot.

You can imagine during these times, I was eating and drinking almost everything that people can suggest to me, that is good for the throat. Honey lemon, vitamin C, herbal tea, the egg with rock sugar tea etc. Plus, avoiding everything "dangerous" too, like coffee and tea.

It didn't work very well. I improved, but not a lot. So I went for the third consultant, by this time I was given a referral letter to specialist. My appointment was last Saturday. After a scan, (that costs me a bomb!), the specialist told me it's acid reflux!

So! No wonder I've not been recovering because I was treating the wrong symptoms. Why was it wrong? I wasn't supposed to take Vitamin C, lemon, and tomato, because all these food cause acid reflux. And i wasn't supposed to take water before sleep. Because, it causes acid reflux too!

I guessed it did start with throat inflammation. But as I kept doing the wrong steps, it slowly causes acid reflux and worsen the throat condition.

Sigh.

This is the first time I learn that what happened in my stomach could cause me a loss of voice. That's why I am sharing it here. You may have already know about it, but I didn't, at least before the visit to specialist.

So now, I'm doing everything I can. Take ginger tea, take honey (no more lemon!), sleep early, no eating or drinking 3 hours before sleep, sleep elevated, take medicine accordingly, and massage my 照海穴as per instructed by my sister.

The heartburn is reduced now. So I believe my voice will get better in no time! IT HAS TO BE! I'm going for a trip next Monday!

Believe, and it will happen :)

Trying to Cultivate a Good Habit

I've been trying to cultivate good habits in myself, well, for a lot of things. Unfortunately I'm never persistent enough to cultivate them as a long term habit. Now, I'm trying even harder.

Before my Chinese New Year home trip, I bought a book by Deepak Chopra at the airport, titled "Grow Younger Live Longer". Ya, who doesn't wanna look younger? I want, I admit! I'm stepping into 30 this year,  and I'm not going to deny it, 30 sounds kinda scary to me.

But reading this book is not about just how you look, is how your body feels. How to cultivate good habits in your life, some very simple habits, may just take 15 minutes of your daily life. It says, it takes 10 weeks of practice to have a habit cultivated! I'm in two weeks now. Eight more weeks to go!

What have I been trying:

1. Wake up earlier to practice sun salutations and short meditation. Before this, I wake up at 7.45am-ish, rushed to brush my teeth and shower. Change in a hurry and go to work. Results, sometimes I doze off in my shuttle bus, which results in even more tiredness at work in the morning. Now, I wake up earlier, 7.15am-ish for sun salutation and short meditation. If I'm early enough, I even get to eat a bowl of cereal before going to work. I'm more refreshed, I read on the train (when it's not too crowded) and I don't doze off in the bus anymore. In fact, I practice breathing on shuttle bus to office. Some day I wake up before the alarm. But confession here, I missed the routine for two Sundays! Once was when I was in KL with the Man. Second time was yesterday, I was wide awake up too engrossed with researching Amsterdam for my coming trip.

2. Yogurt facial. The books recommends go natural and organic for everything. As much as I like to follow this, I have to find a balance of what I can afford to go organic. Facial with yogurt, honey, and lemon is an easy way out for me. I've been doing this, alternate or once in 3 days. Face is less oily recently. But as indicated by the sharing on FB, about yogurt reducing blackheads, I have to tell you, it's not true. I still got blackheads when I peel with the Biore blackheads peeler.

3. Stretch before sleep and do massage on the reflection points that my sister taught me. Especially 三阴交for my period problem. It works for me, for two months now. Period comes more on time, and no more cramps. 

4. Eat more vegetables. Confession I have made on my photoblog, I didn't have enough intake on fibers. The book promotes take in all the six taste: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. I have to admit I don't follow all of them, but I commit to eat more vegetables!

• Sweet: Favor whole grains, breads, fruits, starchy vegetables, low-fat organic diary; Reduce: refined sugar, animal fat
• Sour: Favor citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes; Reduce: pickled and fermented food, alcohol
• Salty: Reduce highly salted food like chips, pretzels, processed tomato juice
• Pungent: Favor all spicy food in small amount-ginger, pepper, onions, peppermint, cinnamon
• Bitter: Favor all green and yellow vegetables
• Astringent: Favor: beans, peas, lentils, apples, berries, figs, green tea; Reduce: excessive coffee

These are what I commit to myself to cultivate in myself. Please remind me if you found I'm not doing any of them.