Pacemaker NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 06/04/2010

Pacemaker

NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 06/04/2010 And one is inside me now, put in by doctors the day after the nth fainting spell that saw me rushed Friday morning from the 365 Club at the Hotel InterCon to the Makati Medical Center. I had been bothered by dizziness and bouts of general weaknesses for years now, and the possibility of a pacemaker had already been discussed with me by my doctors. True to my obstinate nature, I kept putting the matter off, using as excuse the regular monthly work for Aawitan Kita sa Makati, establishing Aawitan Kita Foundation, upgrading computer systems at home, trips to here and there abroad, the recent presidential campaign, the Sunday lunches with Erap, and heck, even the bi-weekly writing of this column I used as alibi, just to stall off the procedure. But last I was bundled into my car, through the kindness of hotel nurse Josie Tan and hotel security officer Lorenz Lozada who brought me to the hospital emergency room, I realized just how tiresome my condition had gotten to be.   In New York City, where I used to traipse for blocks and blocks on end, walking three street blocks now tire me for the day, as does an hour’s shopping. In Bangkok last December, looking for clothing material, I blacked out in a store. In many a gathering for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, companions tell me how often I’d fall asleep — in the middle of a sentence. At home, where I enjoy going around and looking for rooms to clean, closets to put in order, I had so easily be sleepy or unbearably tired, in the middle of chores, ayusin nga lang ang tokador ko, napapagod na ako. Here I am. Parang bagong tao, as they say. While it’s too early to say I’m back to my old form, so far, so very good; I feel energetic and recharged. The Sunday I was discharged, my daughter-in-law found me cleaning my dresser. About to chide me, she remembered how only a week ago she caught me napping there, so she woke me up, went out, then came back to catch me sleeping again. Seeing me on my feet was better, she said. What is a pacemaker? Quite literally, it sets the pace, monitors and controls your heartbeat. Imagine your heart as a cell phone gone low-batt, unable to perform well enough, send and receive calls and text messages. A pacemaker restores your heart’s battery to normal, you don’t anymore alternate between slow and fast rhythms. Newer model pacemakers also “adjust your heart rate to changes in your activity,” according to MedicineNet.com, meaning you can now carry out more strenuous action or movement.... MORE     Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100604com4.html

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