‘I can only imagine how much harder it will become’: Kris Aquino gives health update

MANILA, Philippines – Actress Kris Aquino took to social media to share updates regarding treatment for her five autoimmune diseases, and to disclose that her son Bimby has been infected with pneumonia. 

On Monday, July 17, the former TV show host posted the update on Instagram, where she shared photos of her receiving treatment as well as photos of her rashes and swelling. 

“The allergens in my blood have gone down and my total allergen count, my IgE (immunoglobulin E), has never reached this low level. Mataas pa rin (It’s still high) compared to a normal healthy person but for someone coming from the thousands, to finally be below 500 is something to be grateful for,” she wrote. 

Kris said that the side effects of the treatment included higher blood pressure and “deep bone pain.”

“Some of you may wonder bakit hindi siya uminom ng pain reliever (Why won’t she take pain relievers)? Unfortunately I’m allergic to paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin, mefenamic acid, etoricoxib – to simplify, all NSAIDS,” she explained.

Despite the positive effects of the treatment, the media personality also lamented the long process of her recovery: “I’ve been here for more than a year and yet nothing has really happened.”

She shared that she will have a series of tests in the coming days, the results of which will determine if her current dosages should be raised.

“The dosage I’m on right now causes me to be so exhausted, feeling like I have the flu, and struggling to get out of bed. I can only imagine how much harder it will become,” she said, adding that she’ll also start having limited contact outside. 

In the Instagram post’s captions, Kris also shared that Bimby had contracted pneumonia, revealing that it’s her son’s third bout with the illness. She added that she was upset over not being able to take care of him due to her own difficult condition. 

“It was the worst feeling in the world as most parents would agree, when your family doctor says you aren’t allowed to go near your son and help take care of him because you’re undergoing immunosuppressant therapy using chemotherapy medication. Thank God Bimb’s kuya [elder brother] Josh stubbornly refused to leave the connecting room where Bimb had to stay.” 

The actress then said that Bimby finished his prescription medication on Saturday, July 15, and that “he’s 90% recovered.”

She ended the post saying, “One thing is very clear to me – buhay ako ngayon dahil hindi kayo nagsasawang isama ako sa prayers ninyo (I’m alive today because you have constantly kept me in your prayers) even though most of you have never even met me in person. And that’s why I owe you only the truth.”

In June 2022, Kris announced that she and her sons Josh and Bimby were leaving for the US in order for her to receive treatment for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA), which she was diagnosed with in April 2022, along with autoimmune thyroiditis and vasculitis. 

Josh and Bimby then returned to the Philippines, but went to the US again earlier in July to be with their mother.

In May, Kris shared that she had started taking new medications after it was confirmed that she is now battling five autoimmune diseases, with a possibility of a sixth. – with additional reports from Pie Gonzaga/Rappler.com

Pie Gonzaga is a Rappler intern.