Following a mom’s instinct that kept feeling something was very wrong with Adam, I brought him to SMC on Thursday afternoon. That was, after he vomited first, all over me when I carried him and second, all over his car seat when I tried to strapped him in. Well…we went without his seat then and though I drove with uneasy feeling….Adam was sitting, thankfully, perfectly still all the way.
We jumped queue at pead office due to his high temperature and was given a nebuliser immediately. True enough, Adam was diagnosed with brochitis and croup. That explained his weird barking cough last night.
Thank goodness, hubby arrived just in time to help me with admission process. Looks like it was peak period of the year since the staff informed hubby that the only single room available was still in the process of being made up since its occupants was just discharged an hour ago. They offered us to camp in a double room first while waiting but luckily by the time we made our way to the ward, our room was ready, albeit without toilet paper, baby cot and hot drinking water yet.
Adam spent his first night at the hospital alternating between vomiting and drinking his milk. Somehow, his appetite for milk never wavered which I think I should be grateful. Otherwise he’d be very dehydrated. He was given two types of nebuliser, to be taken every four hours. Unlike Amri, Adam did not kick up much fuss during nebuliser but maybe because he was too sick to bother.
Day 2 - 01st July 2005
Adam still had high temperature but it was now in low grade fever category. Well…..lo grade or hi grade, the rule of thumb is, if the fever persist then the body is not responding to the antibiotic given. Somehow his pead continue with current antibiotic and add in another nebuliser. Adam continued to have fever all day long but seemed a bit happy and started checking out the many emergency bedside buttons. He refused all kind of food and only took milk at an alarming quatities and frequency. Hubby better arrived soon with Adam’s formula supply, preferably the largest can. Oppsss….my dear hubby was outstation.
Adam continued to vomit all over our room and soon we were on first name basis with the cleaners and hospital attendants. The problem was, once in a while Adam would vomit on himself or on me and we were fast running out of clothes. Hubby was still somewhere in Lumut. Though Cu Nan was at home playing nanny to Amri, I really did not feel like asking him to bring my clothes and umm……undergarments over.
By the time dear hubby arrived, I was on last scoop of formula, last piece of clothes for Adam and myself , only had one diaper left in the wardrobe and was starting to cook up Plan B whereby I would dash off to 7-11 across the road . Amri tagged along too and it cheered Adam up considerably. Suddenly the very lembik Adam was seen racing along the corridor with Amri.
Day 3 - 02nd July 2005
The fever has gone, much to our relieve. Adam was a lot more cheerful. His pead came in the morning and proclaimed that the croup and stridor has gone. There was still a bit of hoarseness but nothing to worry about. One nebuliser meant for larynx and paracetamol were taken off the list.
It was Saturday but then hubby had to go for registration at UiTM. Too bad then…I did not get relieved from my nurse duty. Amri stayed with me during the time hubby was gone for registration and not only it cheered up Adam, it made me happy as well. Amri was fun to be around, especially when he started getting worried about so many trivial things in the world. Somehow, this week was a spiderman week for him thus I had to listen to a million replays of spiderman from his own version.
The fever came back at night
Day 4 - 03rd July 2005
It was Sunday and hubby had a class to attend. Too bad then. I could use a break.
Adam’s pead came and prescribed a different antibiotic. And add back the paracetamol. Adam took them all without much fuss. Perhaps he reckons that if they did not sit well with him, he could simply vomit them all out.
Amri spent the day with us and brought his books as well. He attempted to write something but abandoned it midway for a more interesting activity of channel surfing the astro on our tiny tv. Since the best way to watch the tv was lying down on the bed…needless to say….I had to give up the bed ownership to him for the day. Since Amri was using my bed, Adam naturally wanted it too. Amazingly both of them managed to share it without any major squabbles. Only thing was, long after Amri had gone home, Adam still would not let go of my bed. At the end, we shared it for the night and I slept while listening to Adam wheezing away beside me, his body still warm to the touch and I felt so sorry for him.
Day 5 - 04th July 2005
I missed my office and mostly my email. I terribly missed blogging. Perhaps the hospital should consider giving internet access instead of astro. But I guess, if I were the one who was sick, my brain wouldn’t have much energy to go online. And unlike Intan, I still couldn’t figure out how to surf lying on my back. Watching tv would be more relaxing and wouldn’t put your brain into overdrive.
Adam went for his first chest physio this morning. It was not as traumatic as I imagined. We were done in no time and Adam promptly vomited after the session. But then, I guess the staff was so used to it that one of them expertly, with lightning speed, materialised with a basin to catch the vomit projectile. Not a drop on the bed. Very cool.
Adam must have felt considerably better after the physio coz he was running all over the lobby, waving his new baloon. The fever had dissappeared, hopefully for good. Adam was getting restless now that he was a lot healthier though still refusing food. However, his appetite for milk has gone skyrocketed that I was so glad when hubby showed up with big can of Enfagrow and big pack of diaper yesterday.
Day 6- 05th July 2005
Adam responded well to the new antibiotic. His neb was down to one for airways only but his pead added Actifed to the medicine list since Adam started to have runny nose again. Dear hubby had a day off today so I decided to visit my neglected office. It was showing signs of disintegration without my presence. Not that I was so important there but at the very least, I picked up phone calls myself instead of leaving it to voice mail.
Somehow I did not feel like the office needed much attention so I dashed off after the obligatory checking of emails, which has reached hundreds. Went home to change and picked up Amri then off we went to hospital again. Adam lighted up upon seeing Amri and proceeded to bicker with him about everything under the sun while hubby and I catched up with each other.
Day 7 - 06th July 2005
I was sick. I meant, literally. A week of sleepless night finally caught up with me. I was sniffling and coughing once in a while. Adam meanwhile, was a lot healthier thus had resumed his usual activities and temper tantrums. Giving nebuliser was no longer easy. Feeding his medicine was worse, ended up with his medicine sprayed up everywhere except in his cute little mouth. While my body was craving to lie down on the bed and watch tv, my pint size tornado was ready to play football outside. My only relieved was, Adam has not fully regained his soprano like voice thus his scream of wanting to play outside sound like a mere whimper to me.
Hubby got off work earlier to take turn with me and brought Amri along to liven up things. I went to rest and recuperate at office, of all places. Well…it was nearer than my house.
I went back to hospital just in time for dinner. Amri took one look at my dinner tray and exclaimed “Wow….this looks niceeeee!!!” then proceeded to clean my plate. Oh my……was I starving. Had to haul my sick self to the hospital café downstairs which actually provided a wide selection of good food.
After saying bye bye to Ayah & Amri at lift lobby, Adam refused to get inside the room. He continued to run around the ward, pausing every now and then to inspect every pictures on the wall and took a peek into other rooms. Then he met a couple of girls with baloons and off he went playing with them for hours while I waited on the side line, ready to collapse.
Day 8 - 07th July 2005
I woke up with fever burning and wanted more than anything to go back to deep slumber. But Adam was all wet, his diaper leaked horribly. And by the gallons of milk he consumed throughout the night, I was hardly surprised. Somehow I managed to give Adam a bath, dressed him up and let him gave himself the nebuliser. Funny how this pint size man sometimes could do things for himself but at other times seemed incapable of doing anything at all.
I was still in pyjamas when the doctor made his round and couldn’t care less. Looking good was the least of my concern today. Oh boy…was I so happy to see hubby’s face. He took Adam for his chest physio and left me to sleep my fever off.
Adam was discharged shortly afterwards but I was too sick to be happy. We went home with my medication as many as Adam.
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