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Dear One and All:

Being here in the States, I contacted the phone numbers that THE DUDE posted and spoke briefly with Philip's Father.

THANK-YOU DUDE!

His Father said Philip's Mother is on-the-ground and is located somewhere near the Hospital.

Contact has been made with the VA (Manila) and with the US Embassy - details I do not know (NOMB) - but contact has been made by the family.

Two of Philip's friends from Washington State (US) are there as well as another family member.

Father reported that contact was made to them late Friday night (their time).

Father stated that Philip may be in coma for another 2-3 weeks - I did not press for details (NOMB).

On behalf of this website, I said all the expats here were pulling for his Son to recover.

Father sounded mentally/emotionally grounded - did not sound like he was falling apart - but could hear the worry in his voice.

I sent Father the very best from all the expats here, for which he seemed appreciative.

Thank-you DUDE for posting - you just never know - and I am glad to have heard his family got notified quickly and are actively on-the-ground near Phillip.

Father mentioned Phillip is involved in Journalism at the school.

V/R,
nwlivewire

 

There are medications for anxiety - a host of them from benzodiazepams (e.g. Valium) to certain anti-depressants to beta-blockers. It is a worldwide problem and suffered by BILLIONS.

There are also cognitive behavioural therapy (GBT) techniques, which many doctors prefer. It is a form of 'talking' treatment - changing how the mind thinks.

PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIEND: Panic attacks are VERY common (he/she is NOT alone) and are a 'learning' condition - they do NOT alter the brain physically. Just as the body learns to panic, it can learn NOT to panic. It is part of a natural human process in the 'fight or flight' mechanism (very useful when human predators were a big threat) and involves the body making a hormone called adrenaline. It is the adrenaline in his/her body which makes him/her feel those symptoms (sweating, breathing issues, dizziness) and the body gradually destroys the adrenaline. The condition is NOT a 'craziness'.

Having experienced this myself, the best advice I can give is:

1. See a doctor. Most of the medications are prescription only and it would be dangerous to buy them illicitly and self medicate.
2. Try to ACCEPT how you feel at the time, because every single panic attack always ends. ACCEPTANCE is the key.
3. Try to stay where you are when having a panic attack. If you leave the place (e.g. a store) then your brain will start to associate the place with the panic (will start to think 'I panicked because I was in the store but felt better when I left') and make the person become more and more reluctant to go to the store again (this can end up with the person not wanting to go into any store or any place and end up with agoraphobia and just staying at home).

From my own experience, I found reading about the subject of great use plus using medication - BUT, I used it only when necessary. I am not keen on the idea of waking up in the morning and starting to take medication 'just in case'. If the person can hold on for a short period when experiencing a panic attack then the need for the medication often disappears. If it becomes too unpleasant for the person (and every individual has their own level of toleration for panic and everything else in life) then the person can take the medication (in recommended dosage) and help 'break' the cycle (worrying about the panic can create more panic and the medication can stop that escalation).

I could do more to help if I was there but am not in Negros currently. If your friend wants to read about the subject, may I suggest you are there to help read the material as initially it can seem over-whelming and should be read in small stages. But if you don't understand the condition it is possible you can say the wrong things (like using words and phrases such as 'crazy', 'pull yourself together', 'it's only in your mind') so concentrate on helping your friend understand it is COMMON but CONTROLLABLE. It is not always the case that it is entirely removeable as it is part of our defence mechanism to protect us from danger (so why would we eliminate that???) but can be controlled. I know personally that some of the most upsetting aspects of the condition can be extinguished in time.

 

They stopped asking for passes at the markets too.

This strikes a good balance between the need to implement controls and the freedom of the people.

So far the local community leaders have accomplished training everyone for strict procedures in case there is community spread. Passes, etc. (It took two attempts to get the passes figured out.) In the meantime there is no community spread so the local leadership pulls back on enforcement. The local leadership does not have the authority to change the quarantine level so they just relax enforcement.

This way if covid begins to spread they can deploy the road blocks, enforce the passes and get everyone to follow the procedures more strictly in a very short period of time.

 

well i eagerly went back to the net to find information to support my case and did not find it! you are correct and i am incorrect. the web site for the Pew Research Center had a very good and detailed projection by country of muslim population growth in europe under three senarios of no more immigration of muslims, medium levels of immigration and high levels. i recently read the book, "eurabia" which paints a much more grim picture and my belief probably stemmed from that. act in haste, repent at leisure. thanks for the correction!

 

Nineteen years ago I met my true love, No internet for us, Pen to paper is all we had, Not even a cell phone.
Her family have never asked for any money. I met her via her sister in the Nederlands and she recommenced me to my now wife.
So if there are bad Filipinos out there and I guess there are. Be sensible.