Science and Technology-Based Farm

Into service with farmers is not at all boring, tiresome, but can be interesting sometimes. Lately, I was tasked to assist the implementation of Science and Technology-Based farm (STBF), as Farmers Information Technology Services (FITS) Manager, of our Magsasakang Siyentista (MS). This is a program of Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, & Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) that aims to hasten the transfer of technologies by tapping the expertise of farmers, identified as farmer-leader in the community, and given the title MS after some intense deliberations based on merits and qualifications set by PCARRD. The transfer of technology through the STBF is based on the commodity and practices of the MS, identifying the technology gap that needs to be addressed to improve productivity or enhance package of technology on post production.
On the stage of site evaluation for the implementation of our MS STBF, I went ahead of the group to pre-evaluate the site and familiarize the area for the convenience of the evaluating team on the schedule of visit. I thought the pumpboat ride to Magallanes cruising the Agusan River via Butuan City was the highlight of my trip. Arriving Magallanes, I was looking for a service motorcycle of our MS. He announced that we will be riding again another boat - smaller boat with 4 person capacity- going through the Agiasan River, one of the tributaries of the Agusan river. What? Looking through the murky river that was within my reach, I did not feel any fear or wild imaginings of water accident. But my excitement was lessened with the hot mid-noon sun. With my "sawwal", I wrapped it to cover my head and face and slipped on my jacket. And we were on our way.
On our way, breaking through waterlillies, I remembered the song 'Lusay", a cebuano song referring to sea weeds,. Though I am not so found of waterlilies because its like garbage on the water, I like to watch the blossoming flower in the middle of a bunch of waterlilies. What excited me most was the soothing coolness of trees touching each other from opposite banks and lots of nipa palm at the side of the river. While cruising the narrowing river, I can imagine myself boating along Nile or Amazon River.
We stopped in our destination through a small wooden platform at the bank of the river. From the boat we proceeded to the proposed site for the STBF. In my assessment, it wont pass the qualification for STBF because of the issue on accessibility. Though there is a wide road near the site if we will be passing by land through Cabadbaran, still, the path going to the site from there is yet to be established. One will pass through the ricefield connecting the site and the road. The road is not yet visible from the site. I requested Nong Moroy to look for another site.
One site I found more acceptable for evaluation. So we set the schedule to be pushed through on the following day.
During the evaluation of the site... Let the pictures tell more of the story.

Goodbye Rheann

October 4 was a good day as we are talking the improvement of my mother. Around 6:30 in the evening, Dr. Voltaire called up and informed me that Rheann was dead.
For a moment I was speechless, wondering if I heard it right. This cant be true. I cant move. I felt dizzy. Two days ago I even gave her a good bath using the new LORI shampoo. I chased her before that because she teasingly "common get me mode" while running outside the compound. There was no hint that something was wrong with her.

Lying on bed that night, I recalled how i brought Rheann to Agusan from Iloilo. Funny but true, I remembered how she fitted in to a small plastic basket, settling in the sense of defeat when she could not get out after some struggles. She was a cute curling brown fur inside a blue basket, quite smaller than her age of 2 months. She did not grow with her siblings together with their mother. She was nursed by my sister since birth after their mother was brought to the veterinary hospital for medication. The owner gave her to my sister since her mother cannot accommodate her litter.

I remembered how she left the bed, and went outside our tourist accommodation in the ship from Iloilo City to Cebu City, went to the comfort room alley to pee. I was sleeping soundly when I woke up and found she was no longer in the basket under my deck. Looking for her, I found her playfully cajouling with one passenger. On our way to Nasipit from Cebu City, I placed her at my foot part to sleep and she slept earlier than me. I bet, she loved the warmth of the bed cover. Again I woke up and found her playing with one passenger who carried also a bulldog pup. I was wondering then, was she a good bitch?

I left her for almost 6 months when I went back to UPLB for schooling. My young cousin taught her some tricks, though she learned fast, she did not have focus. On the other hand, my mother was already worried because she grew fast big and strong. She could barely restrain her when she was playing. My mother was already afraid for little children passing in our house, for she might be threatened and bit them. So I ordered a cage for her.

When she was on her second "in heat", I brought her to Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte to 'Rocky d Pogi', but oh our Rheann was not a bitch. She was quite a Gabriela Silang. Poor Rocky, he did not score on her. For her 3 days stay with Rocky, she went home still intact. She was been paired and introduced to other two stud, yet, she maintained her being pure and bliss.
Her death though hurts was not as painful as the death of Russel - her supposedly lover. It was the lack of time and our failure to meet her needs especially on that fateful day. Two weeks ago, I went home and found her like a typical Somalian animal affected with famine. Ribs poking out, big eyes bulging out, with tightening hips - obese ladies would really envy the slim waist of Rheann that time. Yet, after I told the one who fed her to increase her intake. Last two days ago, she was returning back to normal.
Her death presumably was due to heat stroke. That day the temperature was high and it was really hot, accordingly. Before, she showed typical symptoms of tendency to be suffering for heat stroke during hot days. Once, my sister found Rheann to be convulsing and salivating, led Rheann out from her cage and brought under fruit trees, and became well some time. My mother also noticed that she panted and salivating vigorously. She gave her ice to lick and placed ice on her water. And also wet her cage by drenching with water. These all in one way or another improved her situation and Rheann returned to normal.
October 4, a month away on her 3rd year birthday, Rheann bade us goodbye. She was buried without us seeing her body for the last time. I dont know how I slept that night. All i noticed was the sun was shining brightly passing through the curtains by the window.

Nurse... nurses

Overheard from the conversation of nursing interns:

Intern 1: How would this hospital be functional if there will be no interns?

My comment: How would you learn if not because of this hospital? Because it is a government hospital, you can try to poke and prick someone’s arm to insert an IV? Without much concern of being sued especially if you are dealing with patients in the ward. Ive been here for almost two months’ weekends and Ive seen how many times interns tried to successfully hit a vein for an IV. Can you do it in a private hospital? No. Right? It would even be better if there will be no intern so the government will be forced to hire for competent nurses and staff and not just interns and so the patient can receive what are entitled for them.

Doctor... Doctors....

You know when you are in the hospital; you can really see different faces of doctors. Il show you some of those faces:

1. Inside the ENT room:

Doctor: Listen to me (in a demanding voice). Will you listen to me? (more forceful voice)

As he was talking to an elderly woman who accompanied her grandson who accordingly did not bring the CT scan result because she thought that the doctors comment and referral was enough for the procedure to be done to her grandson.

Woman: I never though that it will be important. I thought that paper is enough. Said it in a low voice and coyly.

Doctor: Madam, I don’t care about that paper. You know what is CT scan? That is the map of your grandson brain. You know that? So, you better get it.

Why cant you not just say it in a nice manner? I thought you are different from the other doctor inside the clinic. He has also his bad side, hehe.

2. Inside the ENT room:

While my mother was secreting phlegm on her tracheo, she had difficulty in breathing because her last suction was still in the morning before we went to the hospital.

Doctor: remove the cannula. (ordering us)

My sister: How is it done doc?

Doctor: What? You were already discharged and about to remove the tracheo yet you do not know to remove the cannula?

Walking past us and twist the supposedly cannula from my mother's tracheo tube and took it off.

Doc, we did not know about it, and most probably you wont know it if you are also not an ENT doctor. Only doctors clean her tracheo tube and never had they instructed us how to do it. You cannot blame us. How dare you! (*nicely said).

In fairness to doctors, Ive seen the most compassionate doctor in the face of one of my mother's attending physicians. Everytime we asked her on the situation and prognosis of my mother, she explained to us everything and she will provide us with options. She even cared why she saw only several faces attending my mother and our expenses that might be incurred when she learned that only two of us are supporting my mother's medication. She had that compassion in the eyes attending my mother.
When we were in the OPD for the removal of NGT and tracheo tube of my mother, she met my sister in the lobby and asked how was our mother. She told my sister that she went back to the room where my mother was in but we left already that day. She just extended her warm regards to her. Thank you Doctor Narisma!

The day i said goodbye

September 22 was the day i said goodbye to NGT and tracheo tubes of my mother.

It was a beautiful day but it brought fear and apprehension to me and my sister, maybe my mother felt more than we did. It was the day that her NGT and tracheo tubes will be removed. In the morning, everything was in a rush – falling in line, looking and remembering hows that thing looks like, where is that yellow card?, dismissal slip, paying, and bringing the patient to designated clinic of the OPD (out-patient department). At the designated department time moves very slowly, the ticking of the clock seemed to drag for a lifetime. And so my mother was already tired after an hour. She wanted to lie down. We look for a stretcher because she cannot sit for long on a wheel chair. Fortunately there was one available at the hospital.

It was indeed fortunate enough because I and my sister did not think that we will be second to the last patient to leave the ENT clinic in the afternoon. In the morning we were at the Internal Medicine (IM) department after which we were referred to the ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) department. In the IM Department, the doctor tried if she can already drink water. She did. So her NGT was removed. Next, she tried to cover the connector opening of the tracheo tube, if she can breathe. She seemed. She told us that he will refer us to the ENT Department. We were still hesitant to allow the removal of her tracheo. What if she cannot make it to remove both NGT and tracheo tube at the same time? Let us affirm this to the doctor. That was already past 12 noon.

When it was already about 5pm, my mother was already hysterical but she could not send out a voice so she just ended up crying and pounding her fist on her other palm. We pitied her for her situation. I am not sure if that was because she was tired of the day’s waiting or of prolonging the agonizing fear how this removal of tracheo would end up. Even when we entered the clinic, she continued crying covering her face with her palms. I just wiped off her watery nose and tears while giving her encouragement and assurance that it won’t be long and she'll be fine. We waited still for almost 45 minutes inside the clinic before we were entertained.

On the operating table, first the doctor tried to pull the connector holding the neck plate but it seemed that the other side of the tube was already adhering to her flesh. After some try it was successfully removed and an OS (I don’t know if I heard it right, but it’s only a sterilized gauze) was covered to her throat while an assisting intern was suctioning her mouth for saliva and secretions so not to drown her, as they said. While the doctor covered her throat she was moved to sit and she send out a grueling, terrifying growl as she tried to run after her breath and expressing her difficulty in breathing. She sounded like a slaughtered pig that is on its last breaths. After some time of that panicking moment on our part, the doctor removed the OS to be replaced with new one because blood and some phlegm or secretions dripped out from the gauze. After the blood and secretion flood out from her throat, everything, in just a click-second, a moment of stillness showed a success.

Inside of me, during the removal of the operation, I was also battling the feeling of fainting. The time I saw the blood and secretions flood out from her throat and the opening on her throat due to the tracheo tube, my visions got blurred and I felt I will be shutting out. I moved away from the table. The attending head nurse told me to keep the tubes, so I moved to collect those and got out from the room and ask for water from our helper who was waiting outside. The time I entered the room, I was already fine.

I learned that it is not good to lengthen the time of keeping the patient with tracheo tubes. It will cause a possibility that the patient will have tracheo tube for a lifetime. Maybe that can be explained by the adhering flesh to the tube when it was removed. My mother had that accessory on her throat for 2 months exactly. Her NGT was attached to her for 2 months and 1 day. Goodbye NGT and tracheo, then.

out... out.. and away

My mother was out from the hospital yesterday. Yet, she will be returning to the hospital for the removal of tube in her throat next week. Ang her NGT where she take in food will be replaced every two weeks. She is not yet advised to eat solid foods but only shakes and in liquid form. She has a diet containing 16 boiled egg white in addition to her everyday menu preparation. My sister told me that her kitchen is like a fast food stall when time after time they are preparing food for my mother.
Since my mother cannot stay with them becasue of small space, we rented a house where she can stay while waiting for the removal of her tracheo tube and her stability before we will decide that we will send her home in the province. The place is walking distance away from the place of my sister.
Yesterday, they were busy purchasing basic necessities for their stay in the house like bed, foam, cover sheet, blanket, etc.

discharged

My sister informed me just now that Nanay may be out of hospital this Monday. I was happy but I was in deep worry too because I do not know where to get money for the release of Nanay from the hospital. I am thinking where to borrow money. I can live with just a small amount out of my salary, anyway I am still single if I have to borrow again money from someone. I am looking for another P50,000 in addition to previously borrowed P100,000.

It is just disappointing to think that when you lent money to someone and now you wanted it back, they cannot give you despite they know that you badly needed money. They do not consider that they already enjoying the grace period because their debt are already due years ago, in addition to no interest at all just for them to have easy payment.

I dont think that I am abused but that surfs up sometimes in my mind. How many times I have said to myself Ive learned my lesson but evrytime people come to me and ask for help, I cannot say no to them as long as I have something.

uhh, what now? No time to regret. Look forward what will be the possible solution to that financial problem I am facing.