We're all sick! :(

This past week has been a long week for us. Let me start from the beginning...

circa June 2010

Isaac has been coughing... since... dunno when. After so much that happened this past week, I also can't recall exactly when he started coughing. It was getting quite bad coz one night he coughed till he vomited, while sleeping. He has been taking his oral medicine for quite some time without getting much better and we were still having problem getting him to use the inhaler - he's terrified of it!

But guess what... his teachers didn't have problem at all... Voila! With the help of Teacher Lina & Teacher Foong Ling, Isaac was using the inhaler. With them using the inhaler on him in school, he seems to have gotten over his fear of the inhaler, and even allowed us to use it on him at home. Consequently, he started to get better.

24 June 2010 Thursday

Last Thursday night, hubbs started having fever, the whole night.

25 June 2010 Friday

In the morning, I was trying hard to wake Isaac to have his breakfast and go to school/work when hubbs told me that he wants to bring Isaac to see doctor. I was like "Huh? But he's getting better already." But hubbs said that Isaac had been coughing for a long time, and hence wanted to bring him to see the doctor. So, on Friday, Isaac didn't go to school, and he went to see the doctor, together with his Papa. (Maybe hubbs just wanted company to go see doc ;p)

26 June 2010 Saturday

Hubbs has been running a fever up and down, continuously, since Thursday night. Isaac was still alright, no fever, just the cough. Shawna had a bit of running nose.

27 June 2010 Sunday

Hubbs was still running a fever. As the fever has been going on for so long, he decided to go down to NUH A&E to see doctor. There, he did an x-ray and a blood test. X-ray showed that his lungs were clear, aye okay. But his blood test showed that he had low platelet count - 145 - which is below the 150 lower end of the 'normal' range.

Having low platelet count meant that he was a suspected dengue case. There was apparently nothing he could do to help it either - except to rest more. We put it down to hubbs' busy schedule over his June peak period. It wasn't even soccer, coz even though hubbs had succumbed to temptation and subscribed to World Cup, he did not stay up to watch the 2.30am matches coz he didn't feel up to it.

28 June 2010 Monday

I brought Isaac in to school. Hubbs was on mc and at home. Asher started to cough very badly, and Shawna had a slight runny nose, so hubbs brought them to the paediatrician. Pd prescribed stuff for Asher, but not for Shawna.

I wanted to leave office by 4plus. But after rushing some urgent matters, it was 6.15pm by the time I got to leave. Ah well, better than my usual 7pm, I thought. Just as I was keeping my laptop, Teacher Foong Ling called - Isaac was running a fever!!! :( He was very subdued when I saw him. On the way home, he started to get cranky.

At home, Asher was beginning to sound really bad, coughing. As I was eating my dinner, could tell that Asher had difficulty breathing, and he started to sound like he has croup. We were familiar with croup... thanks to Isaac who has had no less than 3 episodes of it in the past 3 years. It was time to bring Asher to the hospital. Since Isaac was running a fever, and likely to raise hell if he didn't follow me out, he came along as well.

We got to KK Hospital - Children's Emergency at about 9pm plus. Asher was sounding so bad that people waiting for their turn at the Emergency were telling us to cut the queue and go first. We went immediately, and was sent right in.

Apparently, Asher's oxygen levels were affected by his croupy breathing :( The doctors quickly brought him in and put him under a hood and gave him a dose of dexamethasone. After observing him for 2 hours, Asher was still having problem breathing and hence, doctor says must admit him to hospital to stay over night.

29 June 2010 Tuesday
It was past midnight by the time we admitted Asher into the hospital ward. Isaac was just given medication for his fever, and he went home with hubbs. Poor hubbs, still sick to his bones with fever, had to send Isaac home, and grab stuff for me and bring it to hospital for me. After that he left the car at KK and took a cab home.

Asher was put on a device that would monitor his oxygen levels and heart rate. When he was admitted into hospital, his heart rate was about 160. At one point in the morning when he was crying, his heart rate went up to 213 :( Doctor examined him, and said that he'd have to stay Tuesday night as well.

At home, Shawna was still okay with a slight runny nose. So we decided to bring her to my mum's place - wanted to separate her from all the sick people at home, hoping that Shawna would not fall sick as well. Those sick at home included hubbs, Isaac and our helper.

30 June 2010 Wednesday
Asher was doing much better, and doc says we can be discharged! Yay! :) We decided to bring Asher to my mum's place. Again, to distance him from all the sick people at home.

When we got to my mum's place, and I heard Shawna's breathing :( She's obviously starting on croup as well. So I washed up, and headed back for KK Hospital, with Shawna this time round. She got a dose of dexamethasone as well, and eventually, Doc says she has to be admitted too.

So back I was in KKH's Ward 62. With Shawna, we got a window corner Bed 24, which was right beside Bed 25 which Asher was just in earlier this same day... My third night in KKH.

1 July 2010 Thursday
Yay! Doc says Shawna's fine and can go home! So we were discharged from hospital :) Asher was still with my mum. Isaac's fever has abated. My helper was better too. And though hubbs was still sick, I missed Isaac terribly, so we went straight back to Jurong West with Shawna. I thought the worst was over.

2 July 2010 Friday
At 5am, Shawna started to breathe horribly again. Sounded really bad. Hubbs and I exchanged a knowing look. And a sigh. I grabbed stuff essential for a hospital stay, and went off to KKH again with Shawna, in a cab. Hubbs hasn't been getting the rest he needed with all the driving around.

Luckily, Shawna didn't need to be admitted. After a dose of adrenaline, she was breathing fine, and we were given the okay to go home. I decided to bring her to my mum's place this time. And I would stay overnight there as well.

I really missed Isaac and loved seeing him the night before, but he missed me so much too, that he wouldn't allow me to take care of Shawna or allow me to rest at all. He just wanted me to play with him and spend time with him. But I knew if I didn't rest, I'd fall sick too.

So, I thought it was best that Shawna and I stayed with my parents for a day or two. When I got to my parents place... to my dismay... Asher was sounding horrible as well :( So back I went to KKH with Asher again.

Thankfully, after a dose of adrenaline as well, Asher did not have to be admitted too. So we went back to my parents place and stayed the night. At home, Isaac was well, but my mother-in-law was the latest to succumb to the virus.

3 July 2010 Saturday
We were closely monitoring the twins. Shawna seems to be better, but Asher was still sounding croupy when agitated. At rest, his stridor (heavy breathing when taking in air) was very obvious too. I was literally on standby - to listen out for when I had to take him in to Emergency again.

In the afternoon, I started to develop a fever myself. I didn't realise it as I thought it was just a headache. By the time I thought to take my own temperature, it was night time and I was 38.7 degree hot and my nose was flowing like a tap. My mum had also started to cough and had stuffy nose.

4 July 2010 Sunday
My mum started to develop a fever and was beginning to look very tired. My fever has been going up and down as well, stuffy nose and cough had settled in as well. We decided to shift everyone back home so that my mum could rest. Besides, my mother-in-law and helper were much better and could take care of the babies now. Thus, we all went home on Sunday.


Now, wasn't that an eventful week!?