Mʏ Tᴏɴsɪʟʟᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ Exᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ

Back in 2010 I was confined at the hospital for three days due to chronic tonsillitis and by then I was already advised by my doctor to have my tonsils removed since it often swells and it might create a more serious problem but i just didn't really take that advise seriously since after that "confinement" incident it kind'a rested as well but in 2011 I had the same problem while travelling in Manila with my husband and I've gone through the same hell of a pain.  My husband urged me to have the operation asap and I told him i'll do it in Cebu.  I got busy with work and started doing my language studies so I forgot about it until the "illness" itself reminded me of its existence.  Like what my doctor said it'll keep on coming back until they're removed so I wasn't surprised but it made me decide to really do the operation.

On the 25th of January I admitted myself at the Cebu Doctor's University Hospital as advised by my doctor for the tonsillectomy scheduled early morning the next day.  The operation was done at 07:00 and it lasted about an hour.  I stayed at the recovery room for two hours without any grave pain but first thing I did when I gained consciousness was "coughing" and it alarmed the nurses at the recovery room coz I might bleed.  Coughing is a common after-effect of the operation since while on the process the throat created a lot of mucus.  I was able to stop my coughing quickly when the nurses warned me about the bleeding.  I got back in my room at about 10:30 and I felt so hungry so I asked Mama to get me some ice cream.  I tried to eat but it made me want to throw-up so I stopped, stayed calm and just tried to relax.  My throat felt so dry, Mama couldn't find any "cold" water so i tried to drink a bottled water with normal temp and God if felt like hundreds of needles were scratching my wounds!  

On the first day I couldn't talk, I was afraid to but the pain wasn't really very important yet since the anesthetics were still in effect but the next day when I woke up I started to feel miserable.  I couldn't eat anything other than ice cream, yogurt and jelly and this lasted for about three to four days.  Everything I take-in must be really cold otherwise it'll be very painful.  In other countries after a tonsillectomy procedure the patient goes home right away but here in the Philippines the patient stays in the hospital for about three to four days but in my case I stayed for six f****ng days coz I had to wait for some papers from my job as required by "Intellicare" my HMO, otherwise I'm gonna have to pay some ₱10,000+ which of course I'm not willing to pay since I got full coverage of my insurance, so I just waited though I felt like I was in prison.

Oh thank God for family and good friends!!  I'm an attention seeker when I'm sick, I've always been like that since I was little.  I want to be pampered, to be taken-care-of and to be looked-after when i'm not feeling well.  If we're close and I don't get your attention when I'm not feeling well then I'd be upset, some would say it's immature but it's just really me...i'm just really like that.  All my loved ones know that and they've never failed to support me.  On my recovery days I was often short of patience, so irritable coz i couldn't explain the pain and thankfully everyone had been so understanding.  

I've never spent a penny for the operation but I've spent a lot for my food.  There must be ice cream everyday.  Here are the foods that helped me get through it:  Vanilla flavored ice cream, Yogurt, Jelly, Food supplement (Ensure - vanilla flavored too), Porridge and Choco Frappe.  Then when I was already able take some a bit harder food I started it with pasta: spaghetti, macaroni, pancit-canton and lomi.  My brother also bought me some fruits, I was able to take mango and water melon, both refrigerated.  

Everyday of the healing process had been a challenge.  At one moment I got so afraid to eat, I wasn't able to eat enough food to support my medication and I ended up vomiting which caused me to bleed.  My coughing was also a constant issue, on the 11th day of my recovery I wasn't able to hold my cough and I bled even more than the first bleeding incident which got me a bit scared.  The next day I went to see my doctor and he asked me to take my pain relievers again and another medicine to help me soften the scar so the healing will be smoother as well.  If eating is a struggle so is sleeping, the pain really wakes me up in the middle of the night up to the 12th or 13th day of the recovery period.  On the first week after the operation the smell of my breath was not nice, it smelt like medicines and my taste was just awful.  I was eating ice cream everyday but it didn't really taste like ice cream at all.  Another thing is that a few days after the operation there were some sore gums near the wounds and on each side of my tongue which made it even harder for me to eat.

Apparently my recovery isn't as fast as expected according to my doctor so I'm not able to get back to work immediately.  Since I bled on the 11th day of my recovery, he had to extend my medical leave for a couple more days.  Thankfully I'm already at the end part of my recovery.  Today is my 14th day and I still have a little pain, still couldn't talk "straight" because I feel like something is holding my tongue and there's still a few left of the sore gums.

If it wasn't necessary I really wouldn't have done it.  It's like a torture everyday but it'll be worth it.  At least I won't have to worry about having tonsillitis ever again and I'm able to avoid buying and taking the strong antibiotics which might even damage my kidneys and liver.  

A day after the operation.

†нαт Ш@ṧ Åη Ѧωεṧøμε Уℯαґ

 

I have so much gratefulness in my heart.  A lot of important and great things happened to me in the year that just passed.  If I may recount the most important ones I'd start with the beginning of the year when I had the opportunity to be with the love of my life for fifty-two days.  We shared so many memories and important moments in that span of time.  We've seen the 8th wonder of the world (Rice Terraces in Banaue, Ifugao), the mystical island of Siquijor and well, the buzzing Metro Manila.  We've had so many adventures in these places.  We've discovered the places and each other better and there's no perfect word to totally describe the feeling of being in the arms of the one you love most wherever you are.  →The next thing would still be related to the aforementioned fifty-two day vacation with my love which also made me totally QUIT my ugly habit of SMOKING.  It's a pretty long story but thanking the man of my life would tell it all.  Merci beaucoup mon amour!  →Then I was on a special trip with Mama and my brother.  →Then I joined a new company which had been really, totally, awesomely great!!!  →Then I got re-united with the love of my life again for another thirty-nine days of bliss and →we tied the knots, YES, WE DID after a long, tedious process but it's all worth it....we had the most beautiful wedding, just simple yet so meaningful!!!  Oh God! I am so proud of my man for everything that he did for us, the word BEST doesn't even describe him enough :)  Je t'aime passionement mon amour♥♥♥

I have learned more about patience, determination, hard-work and gratitude day by day.  For me, the past year is about spending time with the family and dearest friends.  I've rekindled some relationships that had its downfalls, within the family (to be particular).  Up to the last minute of 2011 a thought about "forgiving" had been echoing in my head.  

That year was very colorful to me, so much drama, laughter, blessings, tears of joy and of sorrow...it was so flavorful!  

I've seen a lot of my friends and acquaintances either got married or had their first baby or had another baby in their family...I saw a lot of changes not just in my life but in other people's lives as well.  We've all moved forward like what Dexter Morgan said on that year's season (if you're familiar with him and he's awesome by the way).  

The last part of the year was so filled with sorrow when the CDO-Iligan tragedy happened.  Most of us in the family got so affected we couldn't help but cry while watching the very sad news on TV which lasted about a week and we did what we could to give at least a little help.  My heart still bleeds whenever I think about it but it's the life, tragedies happen.

In 2011 things just simply fall into the right places plus a little bit of luck maybe, no I don't call it luck, I call it blessing!  Now comes 2012 and I'm keeping my positivity alive....let's rock on \m/

Mme. S. Cadic

Lɪᴠʀᴇᴛ Dᴇ Fᴀᴍɪʟʟᴇ

After the wedding we were advised by the consular representative to compile our requirements for the Livret de Famille (Booklet of Family or Family Booklet) and to submit all the necessary documents as soon as possible to make the Visa process sooner as well. This is a French legal document which somehow is the same as our Marriage Certificate in the Philippines.  We were told that it's gonna take about two to three months for the transcription to be done and here are the requirements:
Original Marriage Certificate issued by the NSO and duly authenticated by the DFA (Red Ribbon)
Photocopy of Marriage Certificate issued by the City Hall or City Registrar

Note:  This list of requirement will be handed to you together with your Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry and consular representative will actually advise you what to do next.


Since we had our wedding done at the City Hall which was celebrated by the Mayor we had to be the one to submit our papers (Marriage Certificates) to the city registrar.  So, about six days after the wedding we forwarded our documents to the city registrar.  It's important to do it as soon as possible because there's actually an "expiration date" for these documents to be forwarded to the city registrar which is about 10 to 15 days from the celebration of the wedding.

When we forwarded the documents to the city registrar we were advised to come back three days later to get our copy and also to submit a request for the NSO electronic endorsement of our marriage certificate so we can get a copy of it faster than usual. Indeed, after three days we received our personal copy of the MC from the city registrar and then we submitted a request for the NSO electronic endorsement and we had to pay ₱200.00 for it and again we were asked to come back after ten days to submit another request, this time, for the actual NSO authenticated copy.

As advised, I came back after ten days (had to do it alone coz my husband already had to go back to French West Indies to work) and then I had to pay ₱190.00 per NSO copy of our MC and I decided to request for three copies since I know I will need this document a lot for my passport, the embassy etc..  After I paid the ₱190.00 per copy i was advised to come back within five business days for the releasing of the document..at last!

The moment I received the NSO copy of our Marriage Certificate I went directly to a travel agency where I could pay for DFA authentication assistance or better known as "red ribbon" and I paid ₱2,500.00 for the service and again was told to wait about twelve business days but thankfully there were no delays and I actually got it within just eight business days.

So, at last our requirements for the Livret de Famille is already complete I'm just waiting on the date to forward it to the French embassy in Makati which will actually be soon.

The MC from the city registrar should look like this.

NSO Authenticated Marriage License should look like this.

DFA Authenticated Documents should look like these.

Note: The compiling of documents for le livret de famille should only take about a month and a half if you process everything right away.