How are you all? I hope you enjoyed reading episode 1 and episode 2 about Mental Health Awareness specifically for women. Today, I would love you to meet my good friend and my classmate when we were in College. She's about to share her ups and downs in dealing with a long-distance relationship and her journey of becoming a mother.
I chose her because I have the great feeling that she can be one of the keys to help women when it comes to their health issues. Jha and I have the same situation about having PCOS. I am grateful and happy how she made it successfully. I love learning from her because I can relate and I am sure there are lots of women out there who lose hope to have a child but this time let's break it together. Let's turn our worries into possibilities.
Jha is 27 years old, and she will be turning 28 this October 1st. She is a graduate with a degree in Education major in English from the University of Cebu-Main. She also has acquired units in Master’s Degree in English Language Teaching from Cebu Technological University-Main Campus. She is a person who is outgoing and loves watching K-dramas and anime.
HOW DOES SHE HANDLED A LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP?
When she first found out that her boyfriend (who is her husband now) was accepted into a job in Taiwan, She felt sad, worried, and lonely. She was used to his presence and she has never imagined herself being far from him. But regardless of that, he would reassure her that he would always call her and talk to her and that he would never let distance be a hindrance to him showing his affection to her. True to his words, he all did those things while they were in a long-distance relationship. He would even surprise her during anniversaries or on her birthday with the help of their friends. Jha held on to his promise that he will marry her after his contract ends in Taiwan. She believes that it made her trust him even more.
"Three years of being in a long-distance relationship were not that bad at all, maybe because I had faith in our relationship and I would even pray for his safety and welfare in Taiwan. I would ask God to be the center of our relationship and I would ask Him to keep my boyfriend firm in facing difficult situations there. Keeping faith and trusting God that He would guide us both in our relationship was one of the reasons, I believe, that helped us win through the challenges that long-distance relationship has."Jha said.
LET US HEAR HOW SHE CAN GIVE KNOWLEDGE TO ALL WOMEN ABOUT PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects a woman’s hormone levels and is believed to be one of the causes of infertility among women. So yes, for her, PCOS is a serious matter and should not be ignored.
Last 2016, She was diagnosed with PCOS, not only with one ovary but with both left and right ovaries. She felt terrified because she had it in both ovaries. She was afraid that she might not get pregnant, or if it would get worse, it might end up being cancerous. She had a lot going on in her mind when she found out about it since she was told that it may cause a lot of health problems or complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, endometrial cancer, depression, and etc. However, her doctor reassured her that it will not worsen as long as she will be taking the prescribed medications and also advised her that pregnancy is possible even if she has PCOS. This gave her a little bit of hope.
HEALTHY TIPS TO FIGHT PCOS
Her PCOS got worse last 2019. She took the prescribed medications for it but they really cost a lot, aside from that, it also caused a lot of side effects and was also accompanied by severe acid reflux so she needed to stop taking it. She no longer wanted to take another synthetic medication so she decided to change her lifestyle a little bit. She started drinking GINGER tea (salabat) every morning on an empty stomach, and drink another cup before she goes to sleep. She notices that it helped her with losing some excess weight and it even helped her reduce her bowels easily. She also came across some information about how helpful Barley juice is towards stomach acids and PCOS so she also bought some Barley juice powder and drink it every afternoon. She hasn’t changed her eating habits that much; She didn’t even go on a diet. She just added ginger tea and barley juice to her daily routine and eventually, it helped
She also gave her best to get good sleep every night. Sleeping is very important so she made it her goal to at least sleep 7 hours a day. Not only that also made sure that she would manage her stress levels because stress is one of the factors that can worsen existing health issues. Since being a teacher really is stressful, She would make it her goal to smile and laugh a lot every day and she would also make conversations with her colleagues and students to ease her worries or anxieties due to her job. It is also helpful that she has her own support group. Aside from her mom, dad, and boyfriend (who is now my husband), She has a support group who would really encourage her to keep fighting every day. Since she is a volunteer in their church, She belongs to a support group, they call it “life group” in church.
During their weekly meeting, they only not just study about God’s word but also share their problems and pray about them. Making conversations or talking to others really helped her remove negativities out from her system, praying to God helped her to be encouraged and motivated every time she faced challenging situations. Speaking about the power of “prayer”, nothing really is impossible with God, so just keep on praying. Why? Just when she was about to accept that it may be hard for her to bear a child, the last year 2020, God has answered their prayer with a bang! She became pregnant last 2020, and just this March 12, 2021, she gave birth to their answered prayer, their little angel, their baby boy. "So, for those who have PCOS, just keep up the faith and you will be rewarded greatly. I believe that these are just a few of the things that helped me with my fight against PCOS. I hope that maybe some people may find these tips useful on their journey towards healing."Jha added.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT HER MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY?
It really affects her greatly since PCOS causes the reproductive hormones to be out of balance, so she suffered both physically and emotionally. PCOS has caused her a lot of inflamed acne, hair loss, and irregular (and sometimes painful) periods. It also caused her sudden mood change, so she easily gets angry or sad.
FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO JHA?
Since she is now a mother and a wife, she sees herself becoming more focused, not only on improving her professional life but also on raising her child. She doesn’t particularly see herself becoming a teacher in a public school, She may or may have not changed her career, but one thing is for sure, She will remain to be a teacher to her own son. She doesn’t also see herself having another child since giving birth is risky for her especially she's about to be in her 30’s. She just sees her husband and her slowly achieving their plans they have for their family, one of them is starting our own general merchandise store.
By telling her story, it moved me. Jha became my inspiration and I will always hold up with her experiences and motivations that there is still HOPE for everything we've been through. To all ladies out there, I hope this will be your eye opener to take serious your health and conquer it with confidence and faith.
Reminder
Jha agreed to a written interview and accepted my offer to let her part of the blog.
She authorized me to select photos on her social media account.
