Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Fever


feeling all better


Last weekend was by far our toughest weekend as parents. Jesse was down with high fever and he was practically puking his guts out. In the two years that Jesse had been in our world, he had never actually gotten sick, so you can imagine how disorienting and heartbreaking the whole experience turned out to be.

We took him to the doctor when he started puking the water he drank. By the time we got there, it had gotten so bad that the poor boy was vomiting bile. The doc suspected a stomach virus and our orders were simple - keep the kid hydrated without making him puke any further, otherwise he'd have to be admitted for intravenous drips. His prescription; 10 mls of 100 Plus every once in awhile!

"I'd give you oral rehydration salts," Dr Lee shrugs nonchalantly, "but he's gonna want the 100 Plus!" He gives me Clint-Eastwood-esque sneer that quashes whatever wussy concerns I had about his unorthodox methods. I fall on my knees and worship the very ground on which this brilliant man stands.

Then came our second problem; the fever. You can't give fever syrup to a kid who can't hold his fluids in. The good doctors tears open a paper sachet, and withdraws a small, white cylindrical object. He then holds it up to my face. This is the only way." I knew at once that it was a suppository. (That's an ass-pill in case you've never heard the word!) Poor Jesse. Thankfully for him, the doctor reassures us that the medicine will give our boy a 6-hour relief.

By nightfall, like clockwork, the fever resurfaces. Jesse was clocking 39.9 degrees Celcius - and we were all set to take him to the hospital. Fortunately, he had started eating again, stopped vomiting and was in pretty good spirits. We gave him a fever suppressant syrup and sponged him with luke-warm water. His fever came down quickly, but we stayed vigil all night to be sure. Thankfully, Sunday came, and the boy was up and about - completely restored to his regular monkey self and all was right in the world again.

Disclaimer: No toddlers, or monkeys were harmed in the making of this harrowing episode of A Day in the Life of Jesse. Thanks to Dr. Lee of Damansara Utama (same row as 7-11), good advice from MIL's doctor friend and the ever-dependable Baby Center, our boy was never at any risk.

16 comments:

  1. it's time like this that you wish for the monkey inside them will surface :)
    glad to know that Jesse is back to himself!

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  2. always unnerving when fever comes to a young child. having a huge family around with cousins, nieces, nephews and young uncles and aunties (i'm now a grandaunt :( ), one hears the repeated sayings over and over again :
    1. fever = immediate visit to doctors
    2. make them wash their hands regularly. amazing how this one works to keep down sickness
    3. fruit fruit fruits.
    toodle james and get ready for mumps, measles and chickenpox. although, i did enjoy chickenpox coz i get to paint myself, my sis and my dad with chalomine lotion with a paintbrush. :D

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  3. Whoa .. scary .. glad YOU pulled through :)

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  4. Poor Jesse.
    Glad he's well again!! Praise the Lord.

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  5. Yes 100 plus is magic. Gula gula hacks and Coca Cola apparently work wonders for stomach upset too. I learnt this from a fellow traveller on a trip to Egypt.

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  6. Awww... poor boy! *hugs him* It must be a rather harrowing experience for both of you - no parent can stand to watch their children in pain. Hope he gets well soon - funny how when they're monkey-ish you want them to tone it down... and when they did, you want the monkey back. *LOL*

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  7. You guys got parenting skillz leh :) Good going! Should give him a big hug from all of us because he was such a big boy trooper for going through all that.

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  8. Good to know he recovered fast. Now he can sit by the pool this coming weekend and have a beer with Uncle Steve.
    Luckily you didn't need to supposit him. Ouch!!

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  9. Good for Jesse! Good for you two! Be prepared when he gets to pre-school. Your nightmare will begin all over again.

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  10. Did you know that fever (unpleasant and scary as it can be) is actually the body's way of trying to kill off the virus or bacteria that is making us sick?
    Unless the fever is caused by ingesting poisonous substances or by heatstroke, it is really okay and actually preferable to let the fever run its course even if it's difficult to see your child down. When you give them fever meds it interferes with what the body is trying to do.
    Also, (except, again, if the cause is heatstroke or ingestion of poison), the temp of the fever does not really mean that the child is sicker or better. Every child's body is different and each illness is different... some kids tend to spike high fevers with each illness and some may just run low grade fevers...but the temp itself is no cause for concern.
    I generally avoid fever meds unless they're extremely uncomfortable or hurting - then I might give a half dose just to make them feel a little better.
    I hate it when my kids are sick, too! I'm glad Jesse is all better. Hope I didn't offend you... just sharing some stuff I learned. :)

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  11. phewww glad jesse is back on his feet again.
    btw james, i'm hosting the Merdeka Open House 2006. see if you can cook up something for the virtual potluck. for details, pls check here http://babeinthecitykl.blogspot.com/2006/08/merdeka-open-house-2006-calling-all_15.html
    i'm pretty sure you can some out with something true blue taiping stuffs :p thanks

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  12. I always wanted a monkey of my own, Egghead. :lol:
    Jesse is vaccinated against Chickenpox, Wena. So, that's one less worry.
    Thanks Silly Pat.
    :lol: Indeed, Bob!
    He's still not out of it completely, Ann. We now have a flu and cough to deal with.
    Coke, I've heard, Vegie... but Hacks? Hmmm....
    "Harrowing" describes it to a tee, Luxferi!
    Thanks Gwen, but he's hugging us to console us. :lol:
    Uncle Steve should be prepared to supposit his nephew and nieces.
    Ugh, Gina. Preschool is nothing more than a large collection of germs.
    No offense taken Sarah. Yes, Babycenter was very clear about fevers and all, but we got a little panicky when he hit 39.9 degree Celsius!!! So yeah, we did interfere a little and now the poor boy is suffering a flu and cough and sore throat. *sigh*

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  13. Wah, Open House, Babe? We'll see how it goes.

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  14. James! I'm so glad Jesse is okie :D .. looks like the fever bug has been around ... me was sick as well... same symtomps high high fever, puking and all ...
    you take care of that cute lil boy of urs! give Mae my regards :D ... take care James ....
    love always,
    deepsy

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  15. Poor boy. Hope he gets well soon. I also give Emily 100 plus whenever she's ill and not wanting to drink water.
    Btw, you might want to check out the new Rotavirus vaccine for stomach flu. Apparently, rotavirus is endemic in Malaysia and virtually all children will get it before they turn five years old. I am going to let Emily have the vaccine before she starts attending a playschool next month.
    Some info:
    http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056669.htm

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