My battle

I am the breadwinner of a family of seven, a mother of five, an English teacher to foreign students.

Two years ago, I was diagnosed of having multiple gallstones and my doctor told me quite sternly that there was no other way for me to get well but to have surgery since my gallbladder was inflamed. I just told him that I would think about it ( so as not to annoy him) and asked him to prescribe some antibiotics for my inflamed gallbladder . The doctor's parting words were... " See you next week for your operation.", to which I replied frankly, " I might not come, doc. I will try herbal medications."

I was on the verge of hysteria, but I did not let it show to my family, not even to my husband. The last thing I wanted to do was worry them. I knew I could get on top of this by myself. I am known for my courage by people around me, but I must admit (hahaha! ) that going under the knife scares me to death let alone seeing syringe and blood from cuts and wounds. Funny, isn't it? Seriously, I could overcome such fear (why not?) had I wanted to, but I did not. WHY?

I teach at an English academy where there is this policy: "No work, no pay." You see what I mean? If I had undergone surgery, I would have had to quit work for a month or so, and with my little savings on hand, my family would have suffered, my kids would have gone to school penniless, our monthly bills would have been left unpaid, food might have been scarce on the table, my youngest son would have cried for milk all night... God only knew what else.

Another thing that worried me was that my foreign students on line might have got disappointed and cancelled their classes, which could have really taken its toll on our life if they did.

I work at the academy from 8 am to 3pm and rush back home (one and a half hours by bus and jeepney) only to have on line classes again from 5pm to 10 pm. At this point, you must have understood how stressed I am. Yes! Oh, yes I am, but I am left with only one decent choice: work, work, and work! Otherwise, we all end up starving and begging.

Anyway, I did not let gallstones get in my way.I surfed Google for home remedy to gallstones, came across the so - called "gallbladder cleanse", and gave it a try but to no avail. I knew I needed professional help. I had this strong conviction that I could combat gallstones without surgery. Such conviction led me to the doors of "Doc Samaritan", where I was instructed the Dos and Donts, and I was prescribed 4 kinds of capsules made from dried herbs and a diet that consisted of fresh vegetables and fruits, no animal meat and any cultured fish, no food seasonings, just a little salt. If I eat something fried, only virgin olive oil should be used. I should drink at least 2 glasses of warm water first thing in the morning and drink fresk apple juice or shake 30 minutes before meals. I did deep breathing 30 minutes before bedtime every night (unless I drifted to sleep earlier).

I must admit that my medicines and food were more costly than the surgery, but I knew I was feeling better each day. I was certain I was on the right track, grateful that I did things my way. I did all that the doctor told me except for one thing: cut down on my workload. I could not, I would not, never! I needed to work. There were times when I feared I might get worse due to my lack of rest, but I never gave in to such thoughts. Afterall, "It's mind over matter", right?

My last ultrasound result last year showed that my gallstones were just.0.5cm,o. 6 cm and 0.4cm. I do not feel any pain nor have any of the symptoms, so I know I am now safe. I am pretty much aware that there are many people out there who have gallstones but who have no symptoms, hence, there is nothing to worry. Nevertheless, I am always careful of what I take in.