Lost Week

My world was spinning on Monday morning - can't sit up, can't even open my eyes. Not good! My whole body goes slightly numb and I felt as if something drained out my energy. I start to break out in cold sweat now. Sue gets Sherry to come over and between them they decided to call the cavalry, err I mean the ambulance. Heck, that thing's meant for people who are seriously ill, not me. Too late, may as well 'enjoy' the ride. Sue rode on the 'car' with me and poor Nic was very disappointed she was not allowed to and had to tail us in Aunt Sherry's car.

 But hey, that's in the past. Tonight we feast - no telling what is gonna happen tomorrow eh!

 Sarah saying Grace way before the food is served. Famished!

 Ah, little Shannon (R) has gotten used to the noisy clan and is quite a character. She's adept with facial expressions. Darling!

Some tomfoolery between cousins!

Toothache

Nic started crying in the middle of sleep (4am) as her tooth hurt. Turns out the same molar she had her first filling (on August 10) done was causing her grief.

Went to dentist and Dr. Mak confirmed the filling had broken. He suggested extraction as another filling may not last again. Nic was very brave. I told her to shut her eyes and relax but he had to sneak a peek at the needle. The extraction was completed and she did well - no crying or yelling. She was very confused with the numbness in her mouth and I don't blame her. Well no pics to share and Nic did not want to keep the tooth as a souvenir either.

Dental Appointment

Nic had been complaining of a toothache for two weeks and finally got the courage to let the dentist check it out. The problem was due to a lower left molar that had a cavity. Dr Mak was wonderful in building trust with her and in just a few minutes the drilling was completed. The nurse then prepared the dental cement thingy and it was all good. First filling done.

Wrestle-mania @ Sunway Med

Pics: before and after

Nic was very calm, even excited when she was wheeled into the prep area. Hospital rules only allowed one parent to accompany her into the OT and Nic chose mom. The action started as soon as the anestheticwas being administered. That's when she pulled the mask off. The technician had to call for back-up and eventually it took 2 men and three women to subdue her. The first guy said she is very strong. Yes I can attest to that as she was also very violent at age two. Read older post!

You see she uses any and every part (hands, elbow, legs) when she gets into her 'fighting" mode. Wish I was there to witness it! Mom saw it and as soon as Nic was knocked off mom had to leave the room.

Minor Surgery

Mom took Nic to see an eye specialist at Sunway Medical today as the swell under her right eye (pic; nasty) has not cleared after a month. Verdict is the condition is called chalazion -  a lump of the eyelid that is caused by obstruction of the drainage duct of an oil gland within the upper or lower eyelid. Nic is scheduled for surgery next Saturday.

The doc also confirmed that Nic has astigmatism in her left eye. We were not surprised as we notice she rubs her eyes a lot but when questioned about it she insisted her eyes felt tired. She will need a pair of prescription glasses to remedy this.

 

It's Been a Tough Week

It began with Nic finally seeing her upper front teeth (incisors) falling off. Her permanent teeth is barely showing. Kinda funny seeing her without her two front teeth. Next she had four ulcers on her tongue and it made eating and drinking painful. The ulcers subsided on Thursday and she is able to eat easier since. The last concern is she has not moved her bowels for 6 days! And it was a major relief for us when she managed to go at noon time today. Phew!

Taekwondo lesson in the morning (left) and meeting her class mate Chen Ter at the Seaview coffeeshop in Paramount Garden during lunch. His mom (background) operates a 'Bak Chang' stall there.

As Christmas Draws Near ...

Susan got the entire week off as I got admitted into hospital (viral fever) on Monday night. I stayed three days and hardly got any sleep at all. I was discharged yesterday and had a wonderful sleep last night. Meanwhile Nic spent two nights with Sammie and she had a great time, shopping, eating, watched a movie (Narnia), shopping and shopping. Thanks for the help Sam!

Mum Recuperating at Home

Mum underwent an sinusitis op last Thursday. She had two tubes sticking out her nostrils . . . and could not speak.

Mum's in Hospital

Mum has not been feeling well for a while now and today she checked into Sunway Medical as her condition has not improved. The doc will do a few tests on her to determine the cause of her ailment. She thinks it's her sinusitis but the first test was a blood test to rule out dengue fever.

I brought Nicole to visit mummy at around 8.30pm and she was alright until it was time to leave. She bawled uncontrollably for over ten minutes - even when we got into the car. I must say it is quite unexpected even for her.

Post-Immunization Fever

It has been 48 hours since Nicole's jabs but she has not developed any fever. I guess she is not getting a reaction to the jabs then. We have allowed her to skip two days of day care so she is going back tomorrow.

Good News!

We bumped into an old friend at the hospital, Lionel. We were neighbors at the SS6 apartments in the 90s. Turns out that he was diagnosed with colon cancer recently and was there for his follow-up examination.

Susan's lump is benign and she will need to visit the doc again in six months. That's a load off our minds. We had to con Nicole to think that the doc was just going to check her eyes, nose and such. After a couple of minutes she knew there would be an injection I mean injections but being the strong-willed child that she is - she put on a brave face and went for it! No problemo as she took two jabs (right and left arm) and did not flinch.

What A Shock - Paediatrician Dr Foo Ong Pin Died Last Year

As Susan has to see her doc on Monday I suggested she call to set an appointment for Nicole to get her immunization jabs due between age 5 - 6. We were shocked to hear that Nic's doctor Dr. Foo passed away on June 30, 2008. Our last visit was on February 3, 2007 when Nic got her Hepatits A booster jab.

He was the most amazing doctor I have ever met. He used to call Nicole, Snow White (she was much fairer then) and he had a great way with children and a warmth that you could tell was sincere. He definitely loved his job and I know his patients loved him too. If there were more people like Dr. Foo this world would be a better place. Rest in peace kind soul!

I Googled and came across a post by his schoolmate and old friend Stanley Cheong .

Discharge From Hospital

The hospital was very efficient unlike the previous discharges we encountered. Susan phoned me at ten plus in the morning to say that her bill is ready. I reached the hospital just after noon time and we checked out (after getting the meds from pharmacy) within thirty minutes. That is quick! I guess business is so good they need to get the ward ready for the next patient.

Mom Admitted Into Hospital

Susan had the lump in her breast removed today. We checked into Subang Jaya Medical Centre at 10.00 am and Haniza, Nee Geok and Pek Ai dropped by to entertain her. It was so sweet of them to find time to come keep her spirits up.

Susan was wheeled into the OT a few minutes before 2.00 pm and she exited at around 3.30 pm. I headed over to pick Nicole up from day care and she was very eager to visit mommy. We got to the ward at 8.00 pm and soon after Sherina and Farm arrived. Last but not least was Susan's boss Paul Tan who had just come back from Singapore.

Susan is resting well and is bothered slightly by the occasional pain (which I suppose is normal). Many thanks for your prayers, well wishes, gifts and presence. God bless!

Nicole Skipped Class to see Doc

Nicole has a habit of rubbing her nose very hard when it gets blocked. I had a scare when I woke her up for class this morning to see it all bloodied. It shook her up a bit too.

Nic before I cleaned her up

We took her to Sunway Medical to let Dr Gan have a look at her. I was hoping that the doc can talk some sense into her as she would not listen to us telling her not to rub her nose so hard. It did not work as she was amusing herself swiveling on the examination chair, arrrgh!

Anyway the doc said that young kids and the elderly are prone to such nose bleeds as the capillaries burst

easily upon constant rubbing. For the record, doc said there are hundreds of capillaries in our nostril. Doc prescribed Aerius syrup and Iliadin nose drops for the next two weeks.

Back to Kindy Soon

All the chicken pox crusts except one stubborn one on her big toe has fallen off. The faint marks are still visible so I am guessing she should be back to kindy next week.

Cooking

Not since I was down with the pox myself about fourteen years ago have I been stuck indoors for so many days. And I have never had to cook for so many consecutive days in my life. Cooking has always been a chore for me. The prep work, the actual cooking and the cleaning up after. I have to say it has been almost automatic for me now.

Nic has been coping rather well and her imagination has kept her busy for ten days now. She must be missing wearing nice clothes so here she is all dressed up with nowhere to go.

2nd Wave

Friday saw a major "wave" of the rash appearing. It is all over Nic's face and upper body now. It itches naturally and she is coping very well. She definitely has a high tolerance for pain and discomfort. She still dislikes coconut water and it takes up to an hour for her to drink just a 200 ml.

Mum asked Nic, "Other kids love coconut water so why do you not like it? You are so strange".

Nic replied in a flash, "My brain is different".

Oh man!

PS. No pics to share as she would not allow me to take her pic!

Quarantine - Day Two

Nicole had a higher fever last night. Not surprising as more more blisters are surfacing. She is still quite active and takes her medication gladly. The only issue is she refuses to drink coconut water saying it tastes and smells bad! And this after mum came home with seven twelve coconuts!

Today I had to play the "beauty" card! I said the coconut water will prevent her from getting those ghastly scars like Denis (sorry) has and that Ju Li had over 20 coconuts when she had the pox! Lies! Lies! Lies! It worked like a charm as she just finished a whole coconut albeit with some struggle.

Quarantine

It is day one of possibly 10 to 14 days until Nic is free of the virus. Last night went very well as Nic did toss and turn a bit and I gave her some paracetamol at 2am as her temperature went up a bit. I also stuck a Kool-Fever stick on plaster onto her forehead. First ever time she allowed me to do this as she used to peel it off and toss it.

We went out to see the doctor for some meds (paracetamol, anti-itch syrup and calamine) and porridge. She took the medication at 2pm and is still wide awake. The stuff is supposed to make her drowsy!!! She has been watching the TVIQ channel all afternoon.