My Turn To Vomit

It started with a nauseous feeling at about 4pm. I thought it was indigestion and tried to walk it off as I pushed YY around the floor. I returned to the room to rest and Yeeyee and Papa took over ferrying duties. 

Eventually I couldn't help it, I was feeling sicker and sicker so I darted for the toilet and gave one of the biggest puke I've ever given. Everything from yesterday's to today's lunch came out. I was pouring out mouth after mouth of food and water. It did feel much better after that.

When it was time for Papa and YeeYee to leave they offered several times to stay in case I didn't feel well but I sent them away. After they leave, all hell broke loose. I vomited 4 times in a span of an hour close to 8pm. It was mostly water and the pochiwan I took to help with the diarrhoea I was having as well. Simply put, I had most probably caught the same bug as YY.

Thankfully YY is asleep and that gave me a chance to go see the 24 hour clinic. The nurses had saw me pushing YY around with a pale face and arching my back while I walked earlier. So they offered to look after YY while I go see the doctor. The wait was an hour with about 8 pax in the queue before my turn. It seems that there are a lot of people falling sick too ... must be a serious bug going around. I got back to the room to rest and wait for the clinic to call my phone. I tested myself and I'm running a borderline fever at 37.5. While waiting I vomited twice and am starting to feel soft and weak.

When I finally got to see the doctor, his first recommendation is to ward me. "Sir, normally given your condition we would ward you. But because this is a children's hospital and you are watching over your child, I'm going to prescribe some anti vomit and anti diarrhoea medication to tie you through ... but if you continue to feel sick I strongly suggest you to ward into hospital so you can go on a drip."

Naturally I didn't and went right back to YY's room. He had just woke as I finish my medication and so I started to try and calm him by getting him into the stroller for a walk. That's when I can feel the weakness setting in. I didn't have the strength to carry him and was feeling light-headed and very sleepy. I knew I wasn't gonna last much longer and so sound the alarm on whatsapp "Sorry i very weak le cannot carry yy need help SOS".

I still shouldered on as I wait for Meimei to come to the hospital. Another vomit and all the medication came out. I was practically walking at a 90 degree arch along the hallway and ready to fall over anytime. The nurses at the ward counter saw it and took over the pushing.

The next bit was a blur as I was almost semi-conscious. I was back in the room and collapsed on the sofa bed. Meimei came by shortly after but I was slipped into sleep knowing help is here.

Portable Silent Nebuliser

YY is put on a strict 6 hourly nebuliser regime. So when it's night, the nurses will use a portable silent nebuliser so we don't wake him. YY is sensitive to sound and hates the normal nebuliser. So having a product like that would greatly help.

However after checking with the nurse we found out that it wasn't half as effective as the normal one. It doesn't mix with the air as much as so the lungs will not absorb as much of the medication. Hence it's only for night use. Plus at $200+ it's more expensive than a normal nebuliser.

Moving Around With The Drip

YY is very needy and refuses to lie quietly in bed even when I give him the TV or the iPad. So I have to carry him around on one shoulder and push the drip along on the other hand.

We would walk in circles around the same floor, going up and down to other floors and circling those too. At some point YY will fall asleep and back to the room to rest. Rinse and repeat. Tiring but glad that he looks to be better and getting the rest he sorely needs.

The Hospital Is Not Your Supper Gathering Place

The entire room was filled with nauseating smell of curry and spice. I loved having Indian food and its alluring aroma. But not when it filled the entire aircon room and chokes your every breath. Visiting hours were up to 8.30pm but the whole gang of family and friends were still here at 11pm. And judging by the conversation, they were not here for the child but rather taking the opportunity for a family gathering and supper session. 

Hey dumbasses! This is not a bloody hotel! This is a hospital with sick children who need their quiet and rest. Go to the damn coffeeshop across the road if you want to have your supper. Don't make others suffer through your blatant lack of social etiquette and human decency.

Even the nurses who came in to the room to check on YY were irritated by the smell. I had to stand in the hallway carrying YY on my shoulder because of the foul smell that overwhelmed the whole room. It doesn't help with his cough and breathing. An Indian nurse saw me carrying YY out in the hallway and went into request that they move their food away. It fell on deaf ears and they persist to keep the food in the room.

See, it's situations like this that makes folks irritated and have certain perceptions of some people. And they don't help themselves by persisting in doing so without regard for other people's well being.

YY's Constant Vomitting

YY has been having diarrhoea since coming back from the Bali trip a month ago. That's a long time to have water poop. We were worried and consulted Dr Ang several times. We didn't specifically bring him to see Dr but Dr's off the cuff 'diagnosis' was that YY may be suffering the same bug as OO, just that it went into his lower intestines instead, causing the diarrhoea.

It's finally taking it toll on YY and he started vomiting after the afternoon nap. I took time off and rushed back home. Unlike his usual happy cheerful self, YY was listless and quiet. The vomiting was reminiscence of OO's just a month ago and we knew we had to bring him to the hospital. We quickly packed and made our way to Dr Ang just in time before they close for the day.

As expected he has to be warded and put on a drip. Also a course of antibiotics and nebuliser to help with the coughing. We were assigned to a 2 bedder with a noisy family.

But YY was so tired and traumatised by the drip that he fell asleep almost immediately when we put him in bed and didn't wake up from all the ruckus the adults (i'm being nice, being an adult requires a level of social awareness) were making in the adjacent bed.

Bad Cut On Chin

OO had a bad cut on her chin in the common toilet while climbing the high stool today. The table was wet and her hands slipped. She let out a loud scream and followed by weak whimpering. I think she was speechless from the immense pain that followed the knock on the edge of the countertop. We knew something was wrong and rushed to her. It was a pretty deep gash on the bottom of her chin. We quickly patched her up with plaster.

I didn't think to bring her to the doctors but since we were at Dr Ang with YY for his checkup, Meimei asked Dr a casual question on the cut. Dr Ang immediately threw a series of questions about the cut and asked that we bring her in.

Thank goodness Meimei asked. The cut was very deep and most likely would be infected. So Dr Ang patched OO up with surgical glue to save OO from another round of stitching pain and send us home with antibiotics to keep the infection at bay.

Poor girlgirl ... She's been through so much the last month with the Bali sickness lingering till the past few days. And now this .... haiz. Hopefully she doesn't get another bout of fever or cough or cold. Her little body can only take so much pounding and medication.

Telling You She's Happy

OO: "I'm so happy today!" 

OO: "Because mummy do a lot of new things with me today"

Meimei: "Like?"

OO: "Like make Playdoh for me"

OO: "You give me colourful cornflakes"

Kids just need the simple things. They crave most for loving attention and care. Not all the toys in the world money can buy. Not the trips to amusement parks or fancy holiday trips. That's why I try to find time to bring them to the playgrounds near our home. They seem to have more fun that way then any toy we can buy them. The company helps too I guess since I give them full attention (in case they hurt themselves) when I'm at the playground with them. The only time I take out the phone is to snap a couple of pictures.

"Some people want diamond rings, some just want everything, But everything means nothing, If I ain't got you yeah ~" Alicia Keys - If I Ani't Got You.

Escaping The Pen

It's finally happen. YY's figured how to escape the fence in the bedroom. He probably learned it from his sister but I suppose we should give him bravery (or foolish) points for attempting the escape.

We're remove the barrier. It's more dangerous to have him climbing out at this height than to worry about containing him in the room.

Going Home Sick

OO's still having a slight fever and feeling nauseous. But she's finished her course of antibiotics in the morning and there is nothing else Dr Ang nor the nurse can do for her. So we brought her home yesterday afternoon and continued with the anti-vomit and paracetamol.

She had a rough night and was crying constantly. Poor Meimei had to care and coax her throughout the night. Thankfully in the morning she seems better. She's not out of the woods yet and its definitely the medication that's helping to keep all the nasties at bay. But she does seem a whole lot more cheerful now she is back at home. Nothing beats home ground, for both kids and parents.

I'm Gonna Fail Business Forecasting

Oh crap.

I'm gonna flunk today's exam. I had only a few hours to revise last night before coming for the exam. But that's not just it. This module is extremely dry and I couldn't related any of it with daily activities or work.

I had forgotten many of the formulas and dumped nonsense in my answers. Arrgghhh! And to make matters worse, this module is only offered every Jan semester so I would have to wait another year before I can retake the exams.

Dammit! Sigh I guess that's life. Watching OO was more important than anything. She deserves the care and attention more than any exam.

OO's Constant Vomitting

OO is vomiting very badly since Saturday morning. It looks like a lingering bug from the Bali trip. We have been giving her anti-vomit medication but anything we feed her comes out. She's a big girl now so she knows to carry a bucket around and vomit into it. We tried to ride it through but her fever went up to 39.7 at midnight. We fed Ibufen but it came out in 5-10 minutes. So off to the hospital we go.

We knew she has to ward so we were packed and prepared to stay through the night. The hospital was packed and we took the last bed at the 4 bedder. It was right by the entrance and very noisy. But OO was so tired and listless from the fever and vomiting that she slept through to the morning.

In the morning Dr Ang arrived and immediately ordered for a blood test and put her on a drip. Thankfully Meimei arrived and convinced OO that the Bunny-Band was magical and make it not so painful to poke the hand. OO didn't scream and cry like before ... phew. 

She's gonna be warded for a few more days. I have exams on Tuesday and Wednesday so Meimei's prepped to take over on those 2 days. Hopefully I get some time to revise for the papers.

Ransacking Nyama's Bag

I think it's a rite of passage for every kids to rampage through bags. So it didn't surprised me when I find YY going through Nyama's beauty bag. It's the first time I've seen him unzipping a bag so I was kinda excited that he has unlocked a skillset. Well, we probably have to be more careful with our bags going forward haha.

YY @15 Months - Angry = Rolling On The Floor

YY is different from OO. Very different sort of temperament and actions. When OO is angry she will scream and become stiff and rifled up. YY will still show some displeasure on his face but chooses to lie down on the floor as a form of protest. Which is pretty cute I must say hahah not sure if he understands that it's not working as intended?

Just home from playground and refusing to take off shoes

Refusing to go bath in the morning

Refusing to go wash poopoo

Apart from this quirk, he is pretty happy go lucky guy. He loves playing with his older sis and they quarrel over toys as all siblings do. 

La La Land ... Frustrated and Sad

I seldom write about a movie but I really need to gripe about this.

There is a good reason most if not all romantic movies end with the male and female leads coming together. It's a tried and tested formula. It gives the audience that feel good factor and go away happy that they were a 'part' of the joyous finale.

But when you deviate from it ... it kills something in your audience. It builds up frustration, a sense of loss and incompleteness ... Arrrgghhhh!! So I just spent close to 2 hours watching a show to end with utter disappointment??!!

Screw artistic direction, give me popular ending anytime.

Standing At Work

I raised a request for a standing table a couple of weeks ago and it arrived while I was away in Bali. I thought it would help a lot with my constant indigestion and burping. It had to be termed as a 'trial' so facilities can control the interest in the table.

I figure many folks are going to ask for it but I suspect they just want it for the 'cool' factor. I doubt many would be like me and stand the whole time in the office. It's rare to have a standing table in a factory but if you were in any other corporate office, these are pretty common.