H F M D

Yup, both my boys got it. Bryant had a mild fever last Monday, followed by Joshua on Tuesday. I thought it was just the usual Upper Respiratory Tract Infection. Actually I brought Bryant to see the paed on Monday. I was told that his throat was red, but as it was still very early, no ulcer had surfaced yet. I only suspected HFMD after checking Joshua's throat on Thursday night after he complained of sore throat the whole day. I saw ulcers in his throat and upon checking his body, found some spots on his inner thighs. The next day, he had a red spot on his wrist. 

As for Bryant, I only managed to check him on Friday morning. No chance of checking his throat so I focused on his body and limbs. Found a blister on his big toe. So off we went to the paed who confirmed that both boys have HFMD and are to be quarantined till Tuesday. I felt really guilty as Josh had been going to school. He only had a mild fever on Tuesday afternoon and was all good after that. Thus, I packed him off to school on Wednesday. Being responsible, I informed the school and apologised for not suspecting anything earlier. Thank God there were no further cases of HFMD in school.....or else I'd feel even worse. 

Blister on the big toe. 

Unfortunately for me, my dear hubby was down with a high fever, body aches and sore throat on Friday and Saturday. And my maid had similar symptoms to my hubby on Saturday. Did they contract HFMD from the boys? I have no idea. They had no blisters on their bodies. My maid saw a doctor who said it was tonsilities though........ But seems such a coincidence that all of them are down with different viruses at the same time. Thank God I was spared. 

Generally my boys coped very well. Perhaps it was because theirs was a mild strain. Their only discomfort was being quarantined. It was easier for Josh than for Bryant. At least he could entertain himself with toys and tv. On the other hand, Bryant kept wanting to go out. He kept bringing his shoes to the door and cried when we carried him away. So I had to rack my brains and think of ways to entertain him. For eg, playing under the covers. That kept them happy and occupied for quite a long time. Hehe.

And some artwork on the face......hehe.

Both boys were all good by the end of their quarantined period. Blisters dried up. I even checked Joshua's throat again and was relieved to see no more ulcer. =)

We were all grinning from ear to ear when the boys finally stepped out of the house.........Freedom, yay!!!

Joshie's first surgery

Our dear Joshie had his first surgery on 8 August 2012. It was a minor procedure, according to the ENT surgeon, but he had to be under GA as he had to be very still. Three main things were done during the surgery; i) adenoidectomy - removal of adenoids, ii) tonsillectomy - removal of tonsils and iii) insertion of grommets (ear tubes). We were told that this is quite a common surgery among kids and it is relatively safe. However, as parents, we had our own worries and doubts as well. 

It all started with an ear infection that would not clear, even with 3 doses of antibiotics, and various cough and flu medication. I was just so tired and scared of feeding him medication. He had a URTI in late May and that was when his paed found out, through an ear check that he has an ear infection. A 7-days dose of Augmentin antibiotics still did not solve the problem, so he was given another dose a week later and told to see an ENT for a more thorough check-up. So in late June, we visited the ENT who said that his middle ear still looks opaque (it's supposed to be clear, transparent). The ENT surgeon said that it probably would clear very soon but if it didn't, he'd need surgery to clear the mucus that was trapped in the middle ear. Otherwise, this could lead to other problems, such as hearing loss. 

To cut the long story short, he caught another URTI, possibly from school, so his ear never got a chance to heal. He had frequent fevers, and his cough/runny nose just wouldn't go away. It was a constant battle for us; fighting against the infection. He lost weight, didn't sleep well and I was seriously beginning to consider surgery. So we had a discussion with the ENT, talked to friends who had gone through this and of course consulted our Mr Google. The ENT suggested adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy as well as he said that when he checked Joshie's throat, his tonsils were really large and swollen. He reckons the same with the adenoids too. So a date was booked. And here are some pictures of our Joshie on that day.

I prepped him about the surgery but only casually mentioned the post-surgery discomfort as I did not want him to go into OT crying and screaming away. Here he is in the taxi, still in his pyjamas, at 7am in the morning. He had to fast from the night before. Thank God he didn't fuss about not being able to eat/drink. He is hugging his new Angry Bird soft toy, given by Uncle Gideon who visited him and prayed for him just the night before the op. Thanks so much Gideon. 

Hubby accompanied him till about 9ish am as I had to feed Bryant and put him down for his morning nap before I left house. I felt so torn, wanting to be with my big boy but at the same time, I knew B needed me too. 

Got there early, changed into the OT gown.
Still oblivious and in a really happy mood. Seems so 'new and exciting' to him.

Looks like a big, brave boy, surrounded by all the medical equipment.

And finally he was out at 9am, earlier than I expected. Look at my poor boy. He was feeling the after effects of the GA. Of course he cried and all I could do was to soothe him and tell him that this discomfort is temporary. He didn't really feel the pain and soreness in his throat yet due to medication. He only felt it a couple of hours later.

After about an hour or so, the GA effects were nearly gone and he started fooling around. I was so happy to see his cheeky self again.

We were discharged about 3 hours after he came out of the OT. Throat started feeling really sore by then and he was cranky and crying a lot, especially during bed time. However, he recovered really quickly; he was all OK on day 5, unlike hubby who stayed in the hospital for a week after his tonsillectomy years ago. The method used now is coblation, which is gentler and not so painful.

And look at his hospital tag. I was so blur that morning that I gave hubby Bryant's birth certificate instead of Joshie's. And hubby was equally blur. Luckily they were willing to operate on him without his birth certificate.

It was the RIGHT decision to agree to the surgery. Doctor said there was a lot of mucus inside, which could not be cleared with antibiotics. Oh, and while he was under GA, they performed a food allergy test on him and the result is MALT allergy. So we have been abstaining from food/drinks containing malt and I see an improvement in his health. Hopefully he outgrows this allergy quick. Malt is present in a lot of biscuits, breads, cereals, etc....and he also has to forego his favourite barbeque pork ("char siew") as it is made using malt sugar - maltose =(

My reflux baby

Despite his reflux, my Bryant is a smiley baby. I have so many pictures of him smiling, unlike his koko.

He was diagnosed with reflux when he was just 6 weeks old. No tests was done. It was mainly based on my "reports and observations" that the doctor made the diagnosis. Here are the symptoms that made me quite certain that my B was suffering from reflux, even before I stepped into the doctor's clinic. Of course I had already consulted with my faithful old friend - the internet!!

- hiccups long after feeds
- constant hiccups
- milk dribbling out from mouth and spit-ups. No vomitting though
- wanting to constantly suckle but would fuss and cry at the breast as he only wanted comfort. Not milk.
- arching his back every now and then
- difficulty sleeping, only catnapping during the day. Even when carried, he still catnaps.
- occassional sudden cry, as if in pain

The doctor put him on medication, Losec Omeprazole and Motilium. I was asked to observe B and report back to the doctor regarding any change in his condition. From there, the doctor would be able to confirm his diagnosis.

After two weeks on medication, B improved. So now, he is on medication everyday, till we visit the doctor again in a month's time. In the meantime, I also bring him to the chiropractor every week, when possible. At 3.5 months, his condition seemed to have improved and I hope that he will get well completely and would not need any more medication. Dear God, please bless my B with good health and heal him of his reflux completely. Amen.

Joshie's first eye check-up

Joshie enjoying his ride at the Curve during our recent 3-day trip back to KL.

I've been wanting to bring Joshie for an eye check-up ever since he turned 1. Reason is to check for any eye squint. I had squint since I was a child and only went for surgery to realign my eye mucles in 2006. I still go back to the orthoptist for yearly check ups to ensure that I am still using both eyes to see. Since eye squint can be inherited, it is imperative that Joshie be checked before he turns 3, so as to enable us to train his brain to always use 2 eyes to see. Otherwise, surgery will be needed.

OK, back to the eye-check. The doctor, KC Chu is based at a clinic along Jalan Ipoh. She's very patient with kids. She brought out some toys to capture Joshie's attention and her checks were all very quick. Besides checking for squint, she also checked for any signs of shortsightedness since hubby and I both wear glasses. Joshie was very co-operative and answered most of her questions.

End result? Thank God he doesn't have squint. His eyes are fine. But since children's eyes are still developing, he needs to be checked every year till he turns 7.

Allergy to dust mites

I bumped into a mother with her 2 year old son when I was at the ENT clinic for my nosebleed last Tuesday. We chatted a bit and I found out that her son's being having frequent runny nose due to allergy. It then struck me that my little boy could be having an allergy too. Cheeky has been having runny nose and cough every month, since March this year. I was worried as he had been very healthy before that, only falling sick once every 4 months on average. Spoke to the specialist and he suggested that I observe him for a while more and bring him in for an allergy test if his condition doesn't improve.

Three days later, I had to visit the ENT again as my nose was bleeding again. =( Since hubby was at work, I had to drag the cheeky along. I bribed him with a packet of his favourite biscuits so that he'd sit quietly while the doctor checked my nose. Btw, I was diagnosed with sinus infection which led to nosebleed! Doctor prescribed me with 12 days of oral antibiotics and also cauterized the bleeding area to prevent further bleeds.

After I was done, I impulsively decided to do the allergy test. And I am glad I did! If not, I'd not have known that he's allergic to dust mites. Must be his mattress. He's been sleeping on a single bed mattress since he climbed out of his cot in March this year. It's a new one, only a year old, but I guess it's not anti dust mite, like his crib mattress. By the way, he was very co-operative and did not struggle or scream when his skin was pricked with the allergens. The doctor and nurses were very surprised and praised him sky-high =)

We were given an anti-dust mite spray for his mattress and pillows. However, after reading the label, I decided not to use it first due to the chemical content. We just vacuumed his mattress and pillows and also bought an anti dust mite mattress protector. Hopefully, this will help. Here's an extract about dust mites allergy which I found from MayoClinic.com

Dust mite allergy is an immune system reaction to a certain dust mite protein. This reaction triggers inflammation in the lining of the nasal passages (allergic rhinitis), causing sneezing, runny nose and other signs and symptoms associated with hay fever.

Dust mite allergy symptoms caused by inflammation of nasal passages include:

• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Itchy, red or watery eyes
• Nasal congestion
• Itchy nose, roof of mouth or throat
• Postnasal drip
• Cough
• Facial pressure and pain
• Frequent awakening
• Swollen, blue-colored skin under your eyes
• In a child, frequent upward rubbing of the nose

His favourite game

Peek-a-boo!!!!

He likes to hide his face underneath the pillow or the quilt and would be exceptionally thrilled when I pretend to look for him. Sometimes, I am so focused on my work that I don't bother. He would then pretend to call out his name and immitate me when I am really looking for him.

He also loves to play chase. When I call his name, he'd run very fast in the opposite direction and expects me to run after him. He'd be giggling non-stop when I pretend that I can't catch him!

On another more "serious" note, these are the supplements that I feed Joshie.


From left to right: Vitamin C liquid, Sambucol black elderberry syrup, Millenium cactus juice and Scotts Emulsion.

I only feed him the Vitamin C when he is not feeling well. Otherwise, I believe that he gets enough daily dosage of Vitamin C from his fruits and vegetables.

The Sambucol black elderberry syrup is quite effective in building up his immune system especially when he has a cold. I brought it along during our 2 week Japan trip and he did not fall sick at all, even though there were times when his nose started to run a bit.