My name is TC. I just graduated from college. Skip was such a nice older fellow. He was my friend… we used to e-mail back and forth about Bruce Lee (my childhood hero), politics, and his beautiful family, and my future plans of becoming a medical physician. I had a tough last couple of years and totally lost base with a lot of people, including Skip–and with great sadness, I just discovered that he passed away and I didn’t even know or get to go to the funeral. May his memory live on. Someday I hope to do something special for his family.

With much love and respect,
Theresa

Take care. Like the blog!

Ken White

The Philippines has several species of mosquitoes, but only one that caries the virus that causes dengue fever. As I understand it, that mosquito only bites in the morning hours, and it always attacks your feet because it is a naturally low-flying mosquito. I’ve been bitten by them and those bites HURT. That’s mostly why I bought my electric fan — to put under the table while I’m drinking my coffee in the morning (http://www.stevewhite.net/2008/08/31/specialist-mosquitoes/). It has virtually eliminated the problem.

Why am I not afraid of dengue? It’s an exceedingly rare disease, even tho it is a problem here in the Philippines. I’ve never met anyone with dengue, nor have I heard of anyone nearby getting it. Compare that to my (former) home in Seattle, WA… Mudslides are common and I personally know people who have lost homes to mudslides. Everywhere you go there is something to worry about, and it’s your choice about what you want to worry about.

As for pain medications, I learned after writing that article (http://www.stevewhite.net/2008/07/24/things-to-bring-with-you-to-the-philippines/) that stronger pain medications are available, they are just hard to get. A regular MD doctor can’t prescribe the good stuff, and a regular pharmacy can’t carry it. You have to go to a SURGEON instead, and it has to be one with a special license to prescribe the good stuff. So my advice would be to come for a month and bring lots of your meds with you. Then go to a proper hospital and try to find someone high up enough to prescribe your stuff. It would probably be helpful to bring your medical file with you to show that the docs in America already tried the wimpy stuff and it didn’t work.

Best of luck to you and the Missus!

I’m also married recently to a filipina, and to me she is the most amazing woman. I stumbled across your blog by accident and had a few questions if you were not too busy to answer. I’m going to be going back again (I haven’t spent more than 1 month at a time while I had been there) for the marriage ect. however I have a really bad phobia that’s been preventing me from making my stay much longer and I wish I could get some real information rather than statistics and whatnot. My phobia is Mosquitos and Dengue, Dengue Hemmoragic, and Dengue Shock Syndrome. I am absolutely terrified of dying from a simple mosquito bite, however, I noticed you had written in one of your entries that you’d been getting eaten alive by mosquitos there (forgive me if I’m wrong or it was during a time when you were in the US) but I’m absolutely baffled how you don’t even have a concern about those pesky yet potentially deadly little things.

Any information from someone who’s experienced this or knows first hand (like yourself) would absolutely help me tremendously.

Secondly, I hate to take up all this time and barrage you with a tonne of questions that are probably agitating you, but I have another dilemna, I know my wife said this won’t be a problem, but I’d like to hear it from you… I think you understand that for a filipino to understand how things work in the west as opposed to us there is a bit of a… well it’s frusterating and there’s a lack of.. I dunno, anyhow here’s my question and final concern for the greatest move I’ll ever make in my life; I suffer chronic severe pain from a serious accident back in 2003, I’ve been on strong medications and have been getting nerve block injections (prendizone) (cortizone) and have had a few surguries and the concern is I highly depend on my pain medications that I’ve been on for 5 years to control the pain (I’m one miserable bastard without them and to be honest I’d probably not even want to live the pain is so bad) I just can’t seem to find any valid websites to find out if there are the same medications and if they are reasonably priced, and if they are even available, as well as the fact you mentioned that they are virtually non-existent there in another one of your posts. I’m seriously dying to make the move there as I love it there and have been there 3 times and in fact I was there for typhoon fhengsten myself (I was in Makati and it was interesting to see the streets flood and the kids just running around in it) Wow I’m awfully sorry for so much blabbering, but it’s really cool to see someone who also made the decision to marry the most compassionate, loving, loyal, wonderful, simple, beautiful type of woman in the world (filipina) and also made the decision to move to the philippines as well (as I am dying to do without the phobia and the medication dilemna) If these two things could be sorted or answered from someone like you I would be forever in your debt, and I do most sincerely mean that.

I wish you and your wife the best, and if you ever want to see a picture or any pictures of me and my wife, dont’ hesitate to ask!

Best Regards,

Jake (in canada)

PS- I’ve tried to live without any pain medications; I’ve tried tylenol (paracetamol) there, and to no avail; paralyzed with pain and cannot even move or sleep for days on end. When I say “severe pain” I mean it absolutely 100% to whereas most would probably be exaggerating, I just need you to know this is a serious matter for me and holding me back from reuniting with my wife and growing some roots there. (I have an extensive medical chart if that is what the doctors there need in order to get my meds) but I guess all I really need is some sort of perspective from a real person there, rather than “Yahoo Answers” which I’ve tried but got every answer angle thinkable in which left me exactly where I started. Same thing goes with Dengue and mosquitos. I’ve been told it takes one bite in some cases and you’re a goner… so ya, not too comforting, and all I want to do is finally get there once and for all for more than just one month at a time.

I’m really really sorry for the huge and incredibly long message or comment but I’m getting desperate for (like I said) real experienced answers. (if you don’t respond I’ll understand) if you do respond, you are the man! ingat ka ha and God Bless you always.

Yep, your brother was a great friend of Skip’s. Skip even named a room after your brother (The Doxtater Room) and it is still in use to this day in Skip’s big house. Thanks for passing on the word to him.

-Steve

Tim Doxtater