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Category: health/wellness

cold sores galore.

I’ve been having back to back cold sore attacks since April 17. That’s more than a month now. I have no idea what keeps on triggering the attack because I am trying my best to avoid chocolates (sigh !), nuts, sun exposure, extreme cold temperature, stress (!!) etc. I have been religiously popping multivitamins, vitamin B & C tablets, and making sure I don’t skip meals.

How can I not be stressed when I have these ugly sores on my lips that people keep staring at and asking me about, and I haven’t been able to kiss my daughter for so long ! Self esteem = ZERO.

Either there’s a trigger factor that I have been missing out on, or that my immune system has gone haywire. My boss (a doctor) told me that it could be due to the fact that my body is under a lot of physical stress because I haven’t been getting enough rest/sleep, have a baby to take care of and have to travel quite a distance to work every day.

SIGH !

For those of you who don’t know what cold sores are, Google can help.

In a gist, cold sores (herpes labialis) are small, painful, fluid-filled blisters or sores that appear on the lips, mouth, or nose that are caused by the herpes simplex virus. It is transmitted through oral secretions or sores on the skin.Unlike most viral infections, this virus is not completely eliminated as they reside quietly in a dormant/latent stage in nerve sheaths until something triggers its active stage which causes blisters on the lips known as cold sores. There is no cure !
Cold sore attacks can be brought on by the following conditions:

  • General illness or changes in the immune system (from mild illnesses to serious conditions)
  • Ultraviolet radiation 
  • Fatigue
  • Physical or emotional stress
  • Immunosuppression due to AIDS or such medications as chemotherapy or steroids
  • Trauma to the affected area – my first attack this year (in February) was because Khayla bumped her head on my lips !
  • Menstruation (hormonal changes)

Cold sores are actually very common. About six in ten people in the UK carry the virus, no data for Malaysia though. However, not all of them have outbreaks. So far I have only seen one UiTM student with cold sores, and when she came to the pharmacy to get her medications, I felt like giving her a hug. Drama, much ?

Annisa and I with my cold sores on my lips. :'(

I don’t remember exactly when I had my first cold sore attack, but I know it was years ago, while I was doing my degree. My first outbreak was terrible because the doctor I went to see thought it was a bacterial infection and kept peeling my scab off, only to make it spread even worse ! After that, I have had one to three recurrences a year, but nothing like what I am experiencing now. :'(

Abu Hurairah R.A narrates Rasulullulah PBUH said,

“For every misfortune, illness, anxiety, grief, or hurt that afflicts a Muslim -even the hurt caused by the pricking of a thorn – Allah removes some of his sins.”

and

“There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment.”

So many people out there are suffering from far worse, so I need to stay positive !
I can do this.

xoxo

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khayla meets harith.

Oh my, it’s already the last day of January !

I am just recovering from a day of slight fever, cough, runny nose and vomiting yesterday. My throat’s still sore but I am so much better today, Alhamdulillah.

Alhamdulillah, Mr. Sunshine has been posted to Petaling Jaya since last Thursday.
He is planning to ride his bike to and fro work, something which we don’t see eye to eye about – due to safety reasons – but he insists that he can cut costs if he does so.We went to visit my best friend, Diana last Saturday and when we found out that her husband rides a bike to work too, I knew it was no use disagreeing with him anymore. 🙁
But it’s such a blessing that he’s here, Alhamdulillah. 🙂

Diana’s baby boy, Harith is soooo adorable ! Always with a smile on his face, he was so active rolling around the living room.
He and Khayla were born a month apart. To have my best friend also have a baby the same age as mine is awesome ! We frequently exchange stories about how our little ones are doing. 🙂

Wheee ! Khayla clearly wasn’t in the mood for a photo, unlike Harith. 🙂

Khayla & Harith – holding hands on their first date, haha.

We were back in Batu Pahat during the long Chinese New Year weekend. One of my sister in-law got engaged, yayyyy !! Alhamdulillah. 🙂

Her nikah is planned for March next year, InshaAllah. Khayla took quite a long time (3 days to be exact) to warm up to my in-laws ! She would cry (read: scream) whenever any of them held her, and would only calm down if I hold her.

I have been losing so much hair recently, and along with the fact that Khayla loves to tug at my hair, I finally decided to cut it short while we were in Batu Pahat. It has been years since I had real short hair. So now I would love to think I look like this..

..but instead I think I look like Peter Pan.

Well actually Lene has been calling me that ever since I chopped off my hair. Haha..

Work has been good, Alhamdulillah. The traveling can get pretty exhausting but it’s still manageable lah.

People (including mum in-law) have been asking whether Mr. Sunshine and I are planning to get a house nearer to our my workplace but we have decided to stay in Gombak for a couple of years first or until we’re really ready to settle down elsewhere.

xoxo

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the chronicles of my weight (gain).

Khayla has been asleep since 1300 hours just now.
I have managed to freshen up, express milk, have lunch, perform my Zuhur prayers and tidy up the house a little. I’ve tried going back to bed but my eyes just won’t shut.
Since I have nothing better to do, I thought I’d put up a post on my pre and post pregnancy weight fluctuations. Narcissistic, much ?

I am gonna file this post under my ‘notes to self’ label to remind me that I still have a few kilos to shed and not to overeat like tak sedar diri. 🙂

Before I got hitched, my weight was around 54 to 55 kgs, which was considered normal for my height. I’ve always been curvy, blessed with (huge) boobs and (huge) hips. My other body parts are considerably smaller, which is why I think a number of people wouldn’t believe me when I told them I weighed 54kgs. There were even some who thought I weighed 10 kgs lighter !
But as Oprah puts it, it’s not about the number on the scale, ……okay so I forgot the rest of the quote but you get the picture, don’t you ? Haha.

Moving on !

1. I got married in January 2010 and I lost 2kgs for my wedding.

January 2010 – 52 kgs

2. By November 2010, I gained back the 2kgs I lost. Hehe.

November 2010 – 54 kgs

3. In March 2011, and at 16 weeks pregnant, I had already gained 3kgs.

March 2011, 16 weeks pregnant – 57 kgs

4. The weight was steadily piling on as the weeks progressed.

April 2011, 20 weeks pregnant – 59.5 kgs

5. May 2011 – There was just no stopping me at that time. I was happily putting on 5 kgs within a month ! The nurses at my antenatal clinic weren’t so pleased. Hehe.

May 2011, 24 weeks pregnant – 64.5 kgs

6. In June 2011, my weight skyrocketed, again !

June 2011, 28 weeks pregnant – 68 kgs

7. July 2011 – I just couldn’t stop getting fatter. Haha. But by this time, the weight increment was slower than the previous two months. Phew !

July 2011, 32 weeks – 69.5 kgs

8. In August 2011, it dawned on me that I had gained about 16 kgs throughout my pregnancy ! Woahhhh !

August 2011, 32 weeks – 70.5 kgs

9. About a month after I delivered my precious baby Dian Khayla, I only managed to shed about 7 kgs off ! *nangis*

September 2011, 3 weeks post-partum – 63 kgs

10. To date, I have lost a total of 10kgs, and I still need to lose another 6 kgs to get to my pre-pregnancy weight.

October 2011, 2 months post-partum – 59 kgs

I’ve got around 2 inches to lose around my hips in order for me to fit into most of my old baju kurungs a.k.a my work clothes. If I don’t lose ’em, looks like Mr. Sunshine’s gotta take me on a shopping spree ! Hehe.

I’m lucky I can still squeeze myself into a couple of baju kurungs, because I had a wedding to attend yesterday.
Here’s to hoping I get to say goodbye to my extra kilos, soon !

xoxo

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