AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance providers, offers important facts to know about leukemia:
Types of leukemia.
The types of leukemia are grouped according to how rapidly the disease develops (acute vs. chronic leukemia) and the type of blood cell involved (lymphocytic and myeloid leukemia).
With chronic leukemia, the cells can carry out some of their normal functions and the abnormal cells multiply at a slower rate.
Lymphocytic leukemia involves growth abnormalities in the lymphocytes while myeloid leukemia affects the myeloid cells.
Symptoms to watch out for.
Some of the warning signs include bleeding or bruising easily, weakness and fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, swollen or bleeding gums, bone or joint pain, anemia, and sweating especially at night.
Leukemia symptoms, image taken from everydayhealth.com
Avoiding or quitting smoking is the most significant avoidable risk factor. Aside from quitting smoking, other lifestyle adjustments that you can make include eating healthier and exercising moderately for 150 minutes every week. Also, it’s best to avoid overexposure to the sun, artificial tanning devices, x-rays, and benzene from gasoline fumes, and emissions from some factories that can cause cell damage that may lead to cancer.
Leukemia mortality can be reduced if diagnosed and treated early.
Diagnosis and treatment may come with a hefty price tag, as chemotherapy sessions alone average P120,000 per session.
To protect your health and finances, AXA Philippines offers Health Care Access, a comprehensive and affordable health care solution for hospitalization and other medical needs. Health Care Access comes with a Critical Illness Booster which provides additional cash benefit if one gets diagnosed with any of the 56 critical illness conditions including leukemia. When diagnosed, the additional cash benefit can be used for paying other medical expenses for treatment or income replacement. The policy also includes free access to 24/7 teleconsultation with a medical professional and a Longevity Health Fund that one can utilize for medical needs at age 76 onwards.
Health Care Access comes in two types: Health Care Access Prime and Health Care Access Lite.
Health Care Access Prime provides comprehensive coverage of up to P5,000,000 annually. It also offers inpatient and outpatient care, and emergency care treatment up to the Annual Benefit Limit (ABL). This also includes an Annual Physical Exam starting from seven basic tests. The Annual Physical Exam helps with early detection and prevention in case of the possible occurrence of any critical illnesses. Health Care Access Prime also offers life and accident insurance benefits of up to P500,000.
On the other hand, Health Care Access Lite caters to people with existing healthcare plans but need additional health protection. Health Care Access Lite also includes life and accident insurance up to P500,000, and it can be enhanced with outpatient care, optical care, or dental care benefit for a small additional premium.
Since Esther isn’t home, the resident isolationists had the run of the house. This meant we were able to step out of our nooks and enter the main chamber of the cave that’s called our house.
This also meant that we were able to harass the fearsome felines.
Arya and Yema both kept yelling at us. We have no idea exactly why, but we do know it’s partly to get some love. Arya just rolled over and helped herself to the nearest hand. Yema demanded to be carried…twice.
Pogi alternated between the thrones at my door and at Kimi’s door to get some of his favorite scritches. He even tolerated being carried by me (such a soft floof!) and by Kimi (lying down on her lap while getting a tummy scratch).
Bacon got what he wanted — a full-body scratchfest ending in him playing dead twisted on the floor (his favorite position).
Only Adele was wary. She kept running around and even had hissy fits against Arya and Yema. Aragon was safely tucked away in the dirty kitchen.
After all that, I had to catch my breath. The isolationist hoomans are both basically symptom-free except for the occasional shortness of breath and the need to clear our throats often. I felt my lymph nodes on the neck and they’re still palpable.
It seems that my appeal to be heard was heard but I didn’t quite get the results I needed. Well, you see, ayuda arrived in the form of meds, food, and face masks from local politicians. Thank po! (Special thanks to Lysette Guarte Caruz, I know this was partly you.)
Kelan po ako makakakuha ng swab test?
So while we were checking out the goods and taking the obligatory photo, the resident sentient clouds took advantage and zoomed into my room. The guilty party includes Pogi, Arya, and Yema. The only reason Bacon didn’t go was that he was deep in cat dreams. All three went straight under my bed.
I cannot emphasize enough how much more breath you lose when you are already short of breath and you have to stoop down on the cold floor to coax some curious felines.
Thankfully, the cats have a magic word in this house. The mere mention of the word “fish” sends them scampering towards the source of the magic word. This time, however, Ester had to say the magic word several times before it became effective. Could it be that the magic word is losing potency?
The first to succumb to the call of the magic word was Pogi, but he didn’t run out, he merely sauntered out, like he was so sure he’d get whatever the magic was offering. Next was Arya, but only after I trained the flashlight on her under the bed. She sprinted. Yema didn’t want to go out at first. I lit the flashlight on her and she just stared right back at me, probably wondering why I was out of breath. When I motioned to go to her, that was when she finally walked out. She just walked out. I think the fearsome felines here need retraining on the magic word.
While I know that the LGU is dealing with a surge, my efforts to get a swab since Sunday have been frustrating. I hope Pasig City Public Information Office will have an answer soon. I also reached out to Konsi Maro Martires – #KMM and even he is at the mercy of the response from CESU. Aabot pa kaya sa sakit ko ang swab? Mayor Vico Sotto baka naman po?
It’s day 7, and right now, there are barely any symptoms aside from the colds and occasional dry cough, punctuated by the bouts with asthma and some skirmishes down my throat — just itches, especially when it’s dry. I’m halfway through my quarantine period.
In the meantime, the resident sentient clouds are still on a vigil, but they are now torn between my cave of recuperation and Kimi’s hideout since we’re both under quarantine. Pogi tends to run towards the door when we open them. He goes on the stool and gets his scritches. Bacon saunters — he takes his sweet time on the approach but will take the chance to zoom in once he’s close enough. Yema takes advantage of the attention we give the other cats and tries to sneak in. Every now and then, Pogi swipes at her and she stops in her tracks. Arya walks closer and just starts screaming at us. Adele just stays in one of the boxes watching the rest try to breach the threshold. All in all, it’s a game of patintero with them.
Is it really a good morning when you wake up to the loud argument going on next door? She’s been at it for more than an hour, berating someone on the phone. As always, why can’t she do it away from the window?
Ate Gurl is speaking in quick Visaya so I can’t really catch why she is angry this time. It seems that someone has done something she considers stupid and should have done something else instead. Towards the end of her loooong call, she started laughing, so I guess their issue was resolved. Good for them.
In the meantime, it’s too late for me to go back to sleep.
Down my throat, the skirmishes have subsided (yey Difflam even if your strawberry flavor tastes awful). There are only a few acts of terror going on — a few itches every now and then. I’m also still coughing but no more phlegm. I hope my salabat honeymansi mix will do the trick. In the meantime, I’m croaking now instead of squeaking.
Now to deal with dysmenorrhea… #whenitrainsitpours
Right outside my door, the sentient clouds are still on vigil. Pogi asks for scritches to which I oblige because my fluffy sentinel is too cute and I need him to do his job keeping Yema from crossing the threshold. When his throne is occupied by my food tray, he stays on the small stool on the side. Today, he greeted me with meows and it seemed he had a lot to say.
The types of leukemia are grouped according to how rapidly the disease develops (acute vs. chronic leukemia) and the type of blood cell involved (lymphocytic and myeloid leukemia).
Down my throat, the skirmishes have subsided (yey Difflam even if your strawberry flavor tastes awful). There are only a few acts of terror going on — a few itches every now and then. I’m also still coughing but no more phlegm. I hope my salabat honeymansi mix will do the trick. In the meantime, I’m croaking now instead of squeaking.
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