Heaven greeted the New Year coughing and grunting. On December 31, he had a fever that went on and off. On the third day, we were so worried that we rushed him to the hospital. The ER was filled with infants and children, sniffing, coughing, and wailing. Heaven was just too sick to throw a tantrum. But wail he did when he had a chest x-ray and when blood was extracted to run some tests. After three long hours, we just had to hear it from the doctor --- mild pneumonia.
We wanted to have Heaven confined but his other vital signs were okay. We were just advised to do home treatment. So we went home, checked Heaven’s temperature from time to time, and devised all means possible to trick Heaven into taking his sticky, bitter antibiotics meds. Not that Heaven was difficult when it comes to taking medicines. We’ve had no problem sticking medicine droppers into his mouth before.
And so that was how we spent the long vacation --- sleep-deprived and worried to the hilt. We took Heaven to his pedia twice this week. He has now recovered but still needs to catch up on his diet. He lost almost two kilograms after just five days of cough, colds, and fever.
Pneumonia in children may either be bacterial or viral. Heaven’s pedia suspects his is of the viral strain --- less severe but if unchecked may render the child susceptible to the bacterial form.
But we still wonder up to now --- how did Heaven get it? He had completed his vaccines and is still breastfed to this day. Was it at the Christmas parties we attended during the season? Was it from one of us? Was it because Heaven was everywhere, sticking his hands on God-knows-what surfaces?
However and wherever, we just reminded ourselves and Heaven’s nanny: as early as now, get Heaven in the habit of handwashing. After all as the kindergarten song goes: Clean little hands are good to see.
We wanted to have Heaven confined but his other vital signs were okay. We were just advised to do home treatment. So we went home, checked Heaven’s temperature from time to time, and devised all means possible to trick Heaven into taking his sticky, bitter antibiotics meds. Not that Heaven was difficult when it comes to taking medicines. We’ve had no problem sticking medicine droppers into his mouth before.
And so that was how we spent the long vacation --- sleep-deprived and worried to the hilt. We took Heaven to his pedia twice this week. He has now recovered but still needs to catch up on his diet. He lost almost two kilograms after just five days of cough, colds, and fever.
Pneumonia in children may either be bacterial or viral. Heaven’s pedia suspects his is of the viral strain --- less severe but if unchecked may render the child susceptible to the bacterial form.
But we still wonder up to now --- how did Heaven get it? He had completed his vaccines and is still breastfed to this day. Was it at the Christmas parties we attended during the season? Was it from one of us? Was it because Heaven was everywhere, sticking his hands on God-knows-what surfaces?
However and wherever, we just reminded ourselves and Heaven’s nanny: as early as now, get Heaven in the habit of handwashing. After all as the kindergarten song goes: Clean little hands are good to see.
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