On a vlog post dated November 18, Angelica Panganiban admitted to suffering from a painful bone disease called Avascular necrosis. The celebrity mom reveals that she has been battling the said disease for almost a year, which began with a hip pain during her sixth month of pregnancy in 2022.
“May mga iniinda akong sakit sa hips. Well, nagsimula ito noong nabuntis ako. Siguro mga six months into pregnancy, mayroon akong mga nararamdamang sakit on my hips. Hindi ko actually ma-pinpoint noon kung sa hips, sa leg, sa likod, or sa puwitan. Yun yung mga struggles ko noon.”
Angelica admits that she initially thought the pain was due to her pregnancy and says that she even forgot about it, saying “Like, nawala siya sa isip ko. Siguro parang part na rin nung wow, ang sarap ng may baby, o wala na rin akong time na pansinin kung ano ba talaga yung masakit sa katawan ko.”
However, she realized that the pain still persisted when she tried to go back to yoga and working out. “So may sumakit na naman sa left part ng hips ko. So akala ko, pinch-nerve lang siya. So tinuloy ko iyung yoga. Kasi syempre, kapag may naiipit, more and more na stretching iyung kailangan natin.”
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She then revealed that in the Palawan trip she took with her family, Gregg Homan and Amila Sabine, and friends Glaiza de Castro and Ketchup Eusebio, she could not walk, swim, or workout at all. This prompted her and Gregg to have herself checked out in the hospital, “Nagpatingin na ako, so na-ultrasound ako. May nakita silang liquid doon sa may bandang singit ko. So na-advise ako na mag-therapy because hindi na option pag-inom ng gamot dahil I’m breastfeeding.”
Angelica underwent therapy for two months, which helped ease her pain. However, the pain still came back a week after her last session.
“Hanggang sa nagkaroon ng isang time na talagang hindi na ako makalakad again. Sobra akong in pain. Iyak ako nang iyak.”
This time, Angelica was injected with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a remedy. She shared, “Iyung blood na kinukuha sa atin… Ilalagay siya sa machine, tapos nagiging, kung hindi ako nagkakamali, stem cell na siya. Tapos, ito iyung ginawang gamot. Dinirekta siya sa mga nerves ko, dito sa hips.”
After this, Angelica thought that she was getting better and went back to her usual routine, “Inalagaan ko ulit iyung bata, nag-buhat-buhat ulit ako, kilos-kilos sa bahay.”
“Pinipilit ko pa din mag-workout. Hindi ko tinigil iyung pilates, iyung mga yoga. Para bang sa isip-isip ko, iyung every time nakikita ko sarili ko sa salamin, mapapanood sarili ko sa mga vlogs, makikita sarili ko sa pictures, parang hindi ako ito. Hindi ito iyung katawan na gusto ko. I want to go back to my healthy self, ganyan. Ang akala ko talaga iyung mga strengthening na ginagawa ko, eh makakatulong sa akin.”
“But no. So finally, tinuloy-tuloy ko iyung workout everyday. Pasakit lang siya nang pasakit, hanggang sa hindi na ako nakakalakad again. So nagpa-MRI ako. And lumabas results ko, na meron pala akong avascular necrosis.”
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What is avascular necrosis?
Angelica explains, “Avascular necrosis is bone death. Namatay na iyung mga bones ko sa aking balakang. Kaya pala, hirap na ako maglakad, talagang affected iyung mobility ko. Hindi na masolusyonan, kahit pa anong gawin kong strengthening.”
Avascular necrosis is a disease that results from the temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bone. When the blood supply is cut off, the bone tissue dies and the bone collapses. If it happens near a joint, the joint surface may collapse. The condition can affect any bone and can commonly happen in long bones.
Avascular necrosis in the hip can occur when trauma interrupts blood flow to the femoral head. It may develop after a hip fracture, dislocation, or previous hip surgery. It is also associated with long-term use of high-dose steroid medications and too much alcohol, and can affect people between the ages of 30 and 50.
Early stage treatment of the disease can involve therapy to preserve the native joint. However, as the disease progresses, treatment involves surgical options such as a joint-preserving procedure or joint replacement.
Angelica admits that joint replacement was presented to her as an option, but she said, “nakakatakot pakinggan. So naghanap pa ako ng doctor na magkakaroon ng conservative approach. So bumalik kami sa pagsaksak ng PRP sa hips ko.”
“This time, nag-drill sila ng hole. Ini-inject nila iyung PRP directly doon sa dead bone ko. Masakit ba iyung procedure? Hindi ko inakalang masakit siya. Tulo nang tulo iyung luha ko na para bang kahit papaano, nakaramdam ako ng awa sa sarili ko na bakit ako nagkakaganito? Bakit sa akin nangyari ito?”
Angelica further said that she does not know what caused her avascular necrosis as she never took steroids.
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Remaining positive
In spite of it all, Angelica tries to remain positive as much as she can, saying, “Sabi nila mas malakas daw maka-heal ang mind. So iniisip ko na magaling na ako. Iniisip ko na ito na iyun.”
“There was something dead inside me. I’m hoping mabilis din iyung recovery ko. Hopefully, makapag-trabaho na ulit ako next year. I’ll keep you posted.”
Angelica also gave a message to her viewers who might be feeling unwell, saying “Sa lahat ng nakakaramdam diyan ng physical pain na tinatamaan din kayo somehow mentally, sana kayanin niyo.”
“We have to be strong para sa mga taong umaasa sa atin. We have to be strong for ourselves para mabilis tayong makarecover at magawa na ulit natin iyung mga ginagawa natin noon. Na hindi tayo dapat hino-hold back ng mga sakit natin. So ayun, let’s all be strong, at i-inspire ulit natin ang isa’t isa.”
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