‘Sadly it’s goodbye, time is now my enemy’ – Kris

Matapos kumalat sa ilang chat group na diumano’y na-intubate si Kris Aquino, naglabas siya ng mahabang paliwanag ng doctor tungkol sa totoo niyang kalagayan.

Mahaba at animo’y napakahirap ng kanyang pinagdaraanan.

At nakaka-shock dahil ilang taon na lang daw ay ‘goodbye’ na siya.

Nakakagulat din na isa lang sa isang mil­yong tao ang nagkakaroon ng ganitong sakit tuwing isang taon.

Sa kanyang caption ay nagpapasalamat siya sa mga nagdarasal para siya ay guma­ling at sinabi niyang oras na ang kanyang kalaban.

“Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng nagdasal for my recovery. Here’s the TRUTH as explained by my attending physician Dr. Niño Gavino, an exceptional Filipino American doctor based in Houston who successfully diagnosed what’s really wrong with my health.

“i’ll miss you –  my friends & followers very much. Time is now my enemy, nag­hahabol kami hoping na wala pang permanent damage to the blood vessels leading to my heart.

“So many people to thank but I choose to do that privately. #grateful

“For now and the next few years – sadly, it’s goodbye. Praying na kayanin ng katawan ko itong matinding pagsubok.

“Kahit 17 hours away na kami nila kuya josh & bimb to fly to & the Pacific Ocean separates the from, i’d still like to end this with #lovelovelove,” ang nakakalungkot caption ni Kris sa kanyang video habang may sinasagawa sa kanyang test.

At kalakip ng nasabing video ang artcard ng paliwanag ng kanyang doctor tungkol sa sakit niya.

“I met Ms. Aquino through my colleague and classmate from UP College of Medicine, Dr. Katrina Canlas-Estrella. Dr. Estrella reached out to me in March 2022 to assist in Ms. Aquino’s medical care.

“We reviewed all her medical history and records from the Philippines and Singapore and made a primary working diagnosis of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA, formerly known as Churg-Strauss Syndrome), based on her adult-onset asthma, high count of eosinophils (more than 10%), paranasal sinusitis, transient pulmonary infiltrates.

“EGPA could also explain weight loss, gastrointestinal intolerances, and fluctuating blood pressure (which has been the main reason of her travel postponements). Her last skin biopsy was on April 23. Confirmatory reports of EGPA came out late evening of April 28, which showed leukocytoclastic vasculitis with extravasated eosinophils,” ang unang bahagi ng art card.

“Ms. Aquino was given a steroid drug challenge on May 6, 2022. She was very reluctant, but we tried our best to convince her because this was part of the first line of defense to fight her fast-progressing EGPA.

“Two hours after finishing the drug challenge, Ms. Aquino had severe adverse reactions which almost incapacitated her body. These reactions were completely the opposite of what steroids should have done. She is also allergic to a multitude of medications; hence we could not administer any oral or injectable anti-inflammatory medications to alleviate the symptoms she had after the drug challenge,” paliwanag pa ng doktor.

Pagpapatuloy niya : “Because of her reaction to corticosteroids, we are unable to treat her with it, hence we reinforced our recommendation for her to go to the United States to undergo treatment with Nucala (Mepolizumab), a non-steroid, FDA-approved treatment for EGPA. Nucala is only available in the United States, and is not yet FDA-approved nor available in the Philippines and Singapore.”

Nabanggit din ng doctor na : “We also plan to rule out other underlying autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE, or Lupus), for which she has also exhibited symptoms for (butterfly rash, joint pains, and swelling).

“Upon her arrival here in Houston, we will start our comprehensive blood testing to re-evaluate her autoimmune markers and status of her internal organs (EGPA can cause permanent damage to the heart, lungs, and kidneys), imaging studies, allergy tests, and genetic tests for mast cell and eosinophilic disorders.

“Thereafter, we will start treatment with Nucala, beginning with a drug challenge of 100 mg then advancing to 300 mg as she tolerates. After 2 doses of Nucala 300 mg every 4 weeks, we will determine, through her clinical response and blood tests, if disease remission has been achieved, and if not, we will add Rituxan (Rituximab) to the regimen.

“Rituxan may also address other autoimmune symptoms that may be related to SLE. Should this fail after an additional 3-6 months, we will consider methotrexate, azathioprine, or mycophenolate as alternatives to induce remission.

“The subsequent 9-12 months will be crucial for us to see if she can achieve remission and continue the regimen further because to survive, Ms. Aquino will have to make whichever combination works, her lifetime maintenance medicine. With no medical intervention overall, the life expectancy of those with EGPA is at about 25%. With the proper treatment 5-year survival rate is at 62%. Only 1 in every 1 million people get this form of vasculitis per year. That is how rare and hard to treat Ms. Aquino’s case is.

“As a doctor, we need to treat our patients in a holistic manner. She is very much aware of the tests, treatments, and obstacles ahead of her. we didn’t sugarcoat anything because she has always asked for straightforward, honest, and direct answers.

“Ms. Aquino asked how long before we definitely know if her treatments worked and her condition/conditions are in remission and I truthfully answered barring any other complications, “at least a minimum of 18-24 months.”

Pulos panalangin ang comment sa nasabing post ni Kris na mas pumayat pa nga ang hitsura.