Home Sweet Home

It’s good to be back home. Life is going back to normal. DH started work today and I’m back to blogging :). DD is still staying home though, so that she could get some rest.

As I mentioned in my previous post, DD had been under the weather for the past few days. I took her to the doctor last Thursday but her condition continued to get worse as the days passed by. It was a case of relatively mild fever during the days but very high temperatures at nights, coupled with incessant coughing.

Her fever was particularly high on Saturday night, reaching nearly 40C. She didn’t stop coughing. We didn’t get any sleep at all. At 4 am, we decided to take her to the hospital. The medical officer (‘MO’) was busy with an emergency case in the ward, so we could not see her right away. Instead, the nurse took DD's temperature and case history.

And then she ordered for a blood test. That’s when DD started screaming “tak nak! tak nak!”. The technician kept saying “tak sakit adik, tak sakit adik”, which my DD promptly replied “sakit! sakit!” The technician poked DD's middle finger and squeezed some blood out to fill up 2 tubes. All the while DD was wailing “sakit! sakit!” despite our attempts to sooth her. 5 years ago, I would have cried along but now with experience, I’ve become a much calmer mom.

The blood test was followed by a suppository to bring the fever down. That prompted another struggle from my distraught DD, who kept crying “sakit, sakit”.

We got to see the MO at about 5.30 am. The good news was DD didn’t contract dengue. The bad news was that it was a bacterial infection. Her white blood cells count was 12.2 (the normal range is from 2 to 11). She was severely dehydrated and her lungs were congested. The MO decided that it was best to admit her.

The ER staff promptly processed the paperwork for admission. DD was called to another section to change into a hospital gown. Initially she resisted but half way through, she smiled sweetly to us. I guess she liked the gown. Then she lied down on the bed, looking calm and happier than she was when we arrived at the hospital.

I saw the glucose water hanging nearby. The nurse and I exchanged looks. I asked whether the drip was optional and she shook her head. We dreaded to think what would be coming ahead. The MO joined us and asked DH and I to wait outside.

I took a peek from behind the curtain and saw my DD smiling to the MO. Then DH and I decided to distract ourselves in conversation with the technician who took DD’s blood test earlier on. We heard muffled sobs from DD but soon after she was quiet. The nurse then called us in and we saw her smiling on the bed, holding a bravery bear sticker given by the nurse. The MO had already inserted the drip into DD’s right hand.

A wheel chair was brought in and a hospital staff asked DD to move the wheel chair. Gingerly she got off the bed and sat there. She was wheeled by the staff. DH and I followed them to DD’s hospital room which was located in another building.

Once in the room, the staff adjusted the head of the bed. DD was clearly amazed, judging by how big her eyes widened. She duly followed the nurse’s instruction to get onto the bed.

Soon we were left on our own. The initial feeling of novelty faded away abruptly and DD pleaded with us, “nak balik rumah. Nak balik rumah”.

After subuh prayers, DH went back to our house to collect our clothes and toiletries. After an entire night of sleeplessness, my DD fell asleep. I waited for the doctor’s visit.

to be continued..