Updates on Kayden’s Medical Condition – Part II

If u happened to chance upon this blog entry and don’t get a clue as to what I am writing about, then you must have missed my previous entry, you might want to have a read at this post.

Okay, I know it has been sometime since my las entry. Sorry for the delay and as what Jasmine has said very pek chek ah…cos’ no follow-up on the second opinion thingy.

After our episode with the consultant @ KK and having heard from my GP on her personal experience with her son’s UTI episode, and we do not want to see lil’ Kayden having to take the yucky antibiotic for the next 3 mths and have diarrhea every other day…and then napy rashes like for as long as he is on this med. before he goes back for a REVIEW (really look look see see only hor…ok and some questions..?) again. So we didn’t want to waste any time and subject him to too much antibiotic…we decided to seek for a 2nd opinion from another paed (@ Mt A) as recommended by my GP. The one which Kayden was assigned to (@ birth) ..its earliest appointment available is in July! O.M.G….what’s the diff.

So about 2 weeks ago, we brought Kayden to the this neonate specialist. Well…I must say he was very diplomatic with his answer and didn’t want to offend any consultant’s practice persay…so he suggested to us to skip the DMSA procedure and conduct the MCU procedure. In short, in this instance the former’s purpose is to find out if there is any scarring to the kidneys..as a result of the UTI, then if there is then the consultant will go on and order the MCU procedure. As for the latter, its purpose is to find out if there is any reflux of the urine in the urinary system, which is one of the possible causes for UTIs.  Well, these docs has different school of thoughts and practice lah…so the paed felt that it is most important to find out the root cause of the UTI and get it treated a.s.a.p, so he suggested that Kayden undergoes the MCU procedure, which we felt that that is a more appropriate way, BUT its is an invasive procedure. Well..having weighing all the pros n cons, we have to let him give it a go…and get a piece of mind.

p.s : I must say there is no right or wrong in each of the docs’ clinical practice, it is just that we want to find the root cause of the problem or rather eliminate any possible causes of the problem, soonest possible. I hate to see lil’ Kayden suffering ..

Anyway, on the same week and on the fateful Saturday, early early morning we brought Kayden for the MCU procedure. He needs to fast for 3 hrs (b4 the procedure) and while waiting for his turn at the x-ray diagnostic dept. one nice Sister came by and passed me a syringe of oral sedative. What!!! I need to put my son to sleep …????!!!! So that they can conduct the procedure on him without much resistant from him…since it is invasive…

Wah say it really pains me to force the sedative down his throat….as he cries …(it reeks of alcohol…)..and with stares from people around me…(but seriously I couldn’t be bother or care). Shortly after 5 minutes, with some struggling and crying…he fell asleep..soundly…and I handed him over to the Sister..and my heart sank. Call me an emotional freak…but it really pains me and tears are rolling down my cheeks when I had to force him drink the sedative and then struggling to sleep…At that moment I felt like a wicked mother poisoning my son…(what an imagination!). I am glad he woke up after the procedure…for milk..and then was drowsy the whole day…..

Ok so..we got like 1 1/2 hr of time…to wait for the result, so to kill our time we went for our breakfast and tour a bit of the hospital ..actually is to look for the nursing room lah…The moment we got the x-ray result, we headed back to the paed’s clinic and await for the final judgement. Phew….we were so glad to hear that his MCU result was negative…no reflux was observed…

Well …yeah..we are really happy to hear that one possible cause has been eliminated….but then what is the cause of his UTI??? Especially when it was coupled with high fever and convulsion??? Or isit just a one-off incident??? Now…there are more mind-boggling questions…I am still searching for an answer….or should I just let it be and sweep the matter under the carpet…and hoping that he will be fine from now on????? Shoudl we go back to KK and see what the consultant has to say????

We are keeping our fingers crossed….

 

Updates on Kayden’s Medical Condition

Summary on his medical conditions

 

~ Suffered from UTI in early March 2009.
~ On-going treatment of antibiotic (in total of 7 weeks..ending on 27 April 2009)
~ Half way thru’ the oral med he has bad rashes on his butt., so he is on topical fungal n antibiotic cream, interchangeably, still on it..
   (oh yah n the hot weather didn’t help at all…thanks alot man!)..Eliminating all possibilities, my long trusted GP said it could have been due to
   the anitbiotic which he is taking, which in turn is making his stools more acidic and thus the rashes..ok fair enough.

Ok..so last Thursday Kayden went for the ultrasound of his urinary system – to be precise the bladder n kidneys.

This week – Wednesday, he went back to see the urologist consultant who had seen him during his hospital stay, to review on his condition.
All doc did was asked :” how is he?” Oh come on….isn’t it obvious…?
And so I related his nappy episodes to her…hah…! straight away she brushes off the possibility that his nappy rashes was due to the anitbiotic…o.m.g..then y isit that the rashes only developed after taking the antibiotic??? Coincidence? If allergic to diaper then it would have happened..rite???? Oh no..maybe the skin at his butt area are more retarded..it takes 3mths + to develope rashes.. duh!..
She just look look abit and says : “oh no it can’t be the antibiotic..its just nappy rash…”  oh forget it!

Oh…mine..it is so typical of the docs there or what…or are we unlucky…? This is the second time we encountered such “professionalism”..
Am I expecting too much ? or they are just there to make $ instead of practicing medicine? Only God knows…
It seems to me that they are there to pass time and when pay day comes they just smile to the bank..or what?

First, they are late for our appointment…okay they will tell u…oh the doc got rounds to make at the ward lah…or this n that…for sure…aiyah whatever it is…they are always right..never mind..benefit of the doubt given.

Then when they see you, they give the kind of can’t-wait-to-get-over-the-consultation look ..and want to finish the session soonest possible.
It is just so stereotypical of them, the moment she heard my story, she gets a piece of the anatomy of the human urinary system and exlpains to us what kind of procedures will be done on Kayden in the months to come! Mind u there is a stack of this anatomy thingy on her table …which has been photocopied…it only tells me that all UTI cases will go thru the same treatment…so SOP man…and her job is so easy..
Questions starts popping up in my mind..like  ” Are all UTI cases the same? ” Isit necessary for all of them to go thru the same treatment or procedure…? Can’t we just skipped the not so necessary test and move on a more confirmative one to acertain the cause of his UTI?

She told us that she would need to change Kayden’s medication; from one type of antibiotic to another type and to be taken for another 3 mth or rather until the next review…(to see what huh? Asked : “How is he?” again….? nothing to be done during the visit…but just to see see only…literally) then she will schedule for another procedure for Kayden which requires the insertion of some radioactive dye into him and check if his kidneys have been scarred by the last episode of UTI.

I am really worried if his lil’ liver and kidneys are able to take another 3 mths of anitbiotic..just for preventive measure. Of cos I hope that she knows what she is doing and afterall she is a professional and I wouldn’t want to doubt her professionalism.

After my last experience with them and once bitten twice shy, honestly speaking I really have doubts about the whole course of treatment…and I am having minimal faith.. We desparately  wanted a 2nd opinion…and so…an appointment was made with another paed.

Will I let Kayden go thru’ the next course of antibiotic treatment? Will I go back for review and then the invasive test procedure? I will let u know again lah…when we got our 2nd opinion….hehehe…

 

Nappy Rashes Are Here to Stay

Ever since he is on cephalosporin..(antibiotic for his UTI) he has been having loose stools..well it was alls well initially…but lately about 3 weeks back…he hass been experiencing..bad nappy rashes at his buttock area. Aye …thought of including pictures of his rashes but to save u guys from throwing out ur meals..I better not…Picture speaks a thousand words mah…then I dun have to be so cheong hey…hehehe

Anyway..our lil’ fren has been seeing doc again…for his buttock..and on and off on anti-fungal cream and antibiotic cream and coupled with clothe diapers. …My days are never boring..I am always busy…Doc said that b’cos of the anitbiotic, it is casuing him diarrhea (side-effects) and hence making his stools more acidic and as a result leading to rashes. Poor baby..

Hmm….I guess as long as he is on this antibiotc ..his rashes are here to stay…he will still be on it for as long as the consultant at KK thinks his condition warrants it as a form of prophylatic treatment…Till then…Kelvin and I will still be as busy as ever…me..will be busy changing his clothe diaper, while Kelvin will be busy washing it…at the end of the day….

Parenthood never ceased to surprise me…with full of challenges….hmmm….hope I will just be as sound as ever…

 

Kayden Kayden Kayden..!

Hmmm….initially I thought to myself wow..I will be having 4 mths of maternity leave..how nice…and how am I going to spend it..hahaha…it was an ideal thought.

It was too good to be true..and everything happens for a reason (why they gave us 4mths)…

Well after Kayden’s visit to paed., things didn’t seem to turn for the better…firstly I have problem in deciding whether to send him to infant care or nanny…(time waits for no man)., secondly I have rashes all over my body..(including source of milk supply)..shucks..and so thirdly..he has lost touch to bottle feeding…arrhhhgghhh….stress stress stress….ah……that was about 3 wks ago…I am glad…two of these problem have been solved…

All I can say is I was too naive to think that my 4 mths of maternity leave would be a smooth sailing one….I was so wronged! It is packed with so much unexpected events….so stressful, so frustrating…everything is so so so……I dunoe…what else…to expect…

Thinking of going back to work to escape reality..? Nah….not really…that didn’t really cross my mind…I only wished I could look after Kayden full time. On the contrary I DREAD TO GO BACK…and wished I could quit working..I am so sick of my job..!

 

The Raging Hormones : ELT Seems An Eye-Sore..

Yesh….the subject title has aptly described what I am going thru’ now. My darn hormones are wrecking havoc…in. me…n my life

My first victim..Kelvin, followed by my sis and latest..my mum…I hope she will be the last.

I suddenly realised that my teenage rebellious character has returned to haunt me once again…I thought it had left me..for good! I am a raging monster…terrrible…tsk tsk..tsk….

Control, control, control…..that is what I have been hearing ringing in my head and people around me…telling me. U think so…easy meh…???? If I can control, all the above will not have happened and I can prevent it from coming….this is nature and biological…how to go against…??? f I am GOD then perhaps….maybe there is some slim chance…

Well, I just hope…everything will turn out to be ok …can’t wait for the ordeal to get over and done with.

 

Kah Ch’ng Tiah

Well…yesh..the title has aptly described my current situation..and I think it is not going to get any better.

*Sigh*…part-n-parcel of pregnancy…well..I dun think so…but definitely…the increasing weight of Lil’ One..does contribute to the tiah-ness..if u ask me.

Prior to pregnancy, I already has got this sprained somewhere near my tail bone area..but unknowingly (only when I am in certain position I will be able to feel the pain). So…so…suay…I only felt the pain…after I realised I was like 2-3mths pregnant..arggghhh….! I can’t do any tui nah..so tahan until now..and until dunoe when…lor…

Walk to much, sit too long or stand too long or sleep wrong position also pain…It was during these moments I just can’t wait for Lil’ One to be delivered and finished confinement..n when time is right….go for whatever treatment deems fit..

In the meantime, I have to endure..lor…hopefully it will not interfere with the delivery of Lil’ One…so dun be shock, surprise or even laugh….to see me walk in a very weird manner…or like a penguin….or suddenly…u see me…my whole body twitches…or machiam like kena electric shock …hahaha…

 

It’s Been A While..

UPDATES ! UPDATES! UPDATES!

Ater much urging and request from friends and relatives, I have finally managed to get together some pictures of myself or rather my tummy…hhehehe…

Here’s just two precious one…the 1st taken i think while Lil’ One is just 5 weeks old in my tummy, the 2nd is the most latest..taken just awhile ago. Currently, our Lil’ Prince is about 26 weeks n 1 day old.

Hmm…still looking ’small’ for a ‘6 monthner’…a lot of people have commented..and only until now..then they knew that I am pregnant and came up front to congratulate me! Hahaha….maybe I can consider being a magician..? Well, I am not really bothered by that…so long as our Lil’ Prince is growing well and healthy..that is what matter most to me or rather to us ! )

Besides having to cope with the slowly growing tummy, I have been really busy with my new job assignments. Biangz…aye..thought the major reshuffling of duties in the office would do me some good..since I don’t have to do field work anymore…my life will be more relaxed doing desk-bound work..I was so wrong! I was more stressful for me…cos of the nature of those duties..it became more demanding on me…WORST Still…now plus the new working scheme that was offered to us by our HR…most of our workload increased so as to ‘justify’ for the $$$ they are paying us (mind u we are not getting much ok…so only a few cents diff. while so…got short change! I am luckier…but not much either!) ….this whole re-structuring is reallll crappy and disappointing…! I am really tempted to just quit after my maternity leave and stay at home to look after our Lil’ Prince whole-heartedly…Ok enough of lamenting….hehehe life still have to go on…I just hope for the better…if not just ‘change ship’ lor…what’s the big deal?? Right???

Buy, buy …and buy…but clueless…cos dunoe..what else we will need to buy for our Lil’ Prince..I mean his daily necessities..I had prepared a list of ‘what to buy’ items..but somehow..I can’t remember where I have placed it…forgetful…typical pregnancy traits..haha. As I am too lazy to draft the list again…so I just have to make more trips to Kiddy Palace, Mothercare and supermarkets more often..so as to trigger my memory..lor.

Ok…the most ‘disturbing’ n ‘mind-boggling’ matter now…on hand…is who is going to take care of our Lil’ Prince after my maternity leave? We or rather more of I have been thinking about this matter since the day I am pregnant. Easy-peasy…some might have said…but says who..? I dun have the luxury of parents or in-laws looking after him…cos all of them are working…shucks..so what’s next?

A few options came to my mind, in order of preference, nanny (I knew of one trusted one). infant care, those ‘come-to-my-house’ nanny and a domestic helper. Due to the circumstances that I am in now, and I will not want to elaborate further…the 1st option is out! cos, that nanny is staying too far away from us..and it would be a chore to fetch Lil’ one to n fro every morning…alternatively, we can’t leave him there from Mon to Fri..either and only comes home during the weekend..we can’t bear to do that..and my in-laws are not in favour of that! Domestic helper is the last thing on my…no matter how gd they are…I just simply can’t trust them…pardon me…but..I have no prejudice against them…and I know there are some gd helpers out there…who are dedicated to their work n the families they are working for..but not everyone is that lucky. Just imagine…being a 1st time parent, already having to cope and worry for the Lil’ one…and there u are having a new dosmetic helper…n having to take care of her..train her …n worst off…social problem…alamak I dun want to go any further! So domestic helpers…option, out! I am now left with the ‘come-to-my-house’ nanny and infant care lor…each has their own set of pros n cons…I just have to weigh them assertively…lor and see which one best suits us…HEADACHE ahhh….

Enough of all the lamentings…I am hoping to post more pics..next week of myself with my lil’ cutie pie – Eva who is back in town with her mummy (my paternal cousin). Eva has grown so much….the last I saw her in Singapore was when she is about 9 mths old…and now she is going to be 2 already..! How time flies…I can’t wait to see her..next week )

 

Baby Bonus….So Close & Yet So Far Away…

Suddenly the song of U2 came haunting at me……”So Close & Yet So Far Away“…., after hearing the 1 PM News Brief on Channel 8….*sigh*…My heart sank….

Early this morning…two persons still told me…wow…u r so lucky….u will enjoy…4mths of maternity leave……n blah blah blah…..yah…and that was before the Government announced when the bb bonus will take effect….and I was like … keeping my fingers and heart crossed…reeeaaaalllll…tight….ever since I heard about it….in the hope that we will benefit from it….! Hoping that the bb bonus thingy will take effect from 1st Oct 2008.

Hah! Yah right… lucky my foot ah….I was so right…man…I knew I will never be so lucky…lor…i still told these two person…nah…I won’t be so lucky…cos I knew..the bonus thingy will only kick in after I have given birth…..and my gut feelings is half rite….for now….

Why half rite?….well….we still got a 50-50 chance of enjoying the bonus….and it all depends …when is Lil’ One arriving…although the EDD is like 3rd Jan 2009…and yah…most of u all will think …sure…can get the bonus one lah….but past records has shown that usually bb boys will arrive earlier than the expected date. Ok brushing aside the past records thingy….so..and ….again…my stupid gut feeling….is that Lil’ One will arrive sometime…in late Dec…just a few days before 1st Jan….wah biangz…aye…dat will be SUPER DUPER AI WAN….man…! Argggghhhh….the thoughts of it really drives me crazy….what if…my gut feeling really came true..??????!!!!!!! Should I cry or what….? It’s a mixed feelings….but what can I do…? I can bring him into this world earlier but not later rite….*sigh*…

Why am I feeling so frustrated…??? Well….mind u it is a lot of difference ok…..and if my gut feeling came true….it would be such a waste…..man…my dear bb has just missed the boat…And here is an extract from Channelnewsasia.com:

“SINGAPORE: More tax breaks, cash payouts and parental leave will be given to encourage Singaporeans to heed the stork.

They are among a broad range of measures to be delivered from 1 January 2009, in the hope of boosting the Republic’s flagging birth rate – one of the lowest among developed countries.

The government is allocating S$600 million to improve existing tax benefits.

For families with two or more children, they will get 50 to 100 per cent reduction in taxes they pay for the first 10 years of the child’s life.

Parents can also spend more time with their kids as paid maternity leave will be extended from 12 to 16 weeks.

And each parent will be entitled to six days of paid childcare leave a year and up to six days of unpaid infant care leave.

To help defray the cost of raising children, S$400 million will be set aside for the Baby Bonus scheme, including a cash gift of S$4000 for the first and second child.

Childcare and infant care subsidies will also almost double. “
Source : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/print/369936/1/.html

I just pray that miracle will happen…am I asking too much?