hMPV

Assalamualaikum and Hi!

Before 2018 left us, I should record this one of the most significant event that happened this year. 

Lily was hospitalized for 8 days!! 

A few days after we were back from KL and HK trip, I received a call from the school telling me that Lily had a fever. That was something that was actually...em..anticipated. That's what happened when you send your kid to a daycare. They will first busy fighting all kinds of germs they will pick up around the school. Lily was fresh to the school..it was just 3 days she was there. 

As I was also very new at my workplace, I decided to send Lily to the daycare for sick kids nearby the campus. It was not easy to leave your sick child there actually. But, I try to be strong and expecting her to be strong as well. She was there for the whole week. 

That weekend suddenly she develop severe cough. As a mother, you can sense that's something not normal with the cough. We didn't have any cough medicine at home that time. So, I asked my husband to drop by the emergency and get Lily diagnosed so we can get her cough medicine. Lily cough was so terrible, that I can see her body could not handle it. She was struggling to get one cough settle. I was hoping that it was just me too overly concern over a cough.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that this is all happened during Ramadhan. Around 6pm, 'A' called and tell me that they were not allowed to leave, that Lily needs to be hospitalized that instant. I was so surprised and scared. I'm scared for Lily. I just hope that it wasn't that bad. So, I quickly packing; the food for breaking fast, clothes for 3 days, etc. I had to go to to the hospital by a taxi.

When I arrived, Lily and 'A' were still at the waiting room, with Lily's condition was really bad. I didn't remember she left home looking that miserable and sad. Sick kids, they don't just need medical attention..affections are part of the medication actually. Knowing Lily, she loves to be hugged..it was more when she was not feeling good. 

She was diagnosed with hMPV (human metapneumovirus). Actually this virus could infect anyone especially children under 5 years old. Usually the symptoms are just mild, like when you got cold. But due to the situation that Lily must have gotten it when her immune system was already weak (she had a fever while contracting the virus), so the symptoms were worse. Since this event, I refused to send Lily to the sick kids daycare despite of whatever my colleagues are talking about me. 

Worse symptoms of hMPV was pneumonia. In this case, Lily's lungs' pipe were swollen. As a result, she had difficulty breathing, thus the terrible cough. Her blood oxygen level was constantly at the distressing level that the she was required to stay in an oxygen-saturated chamber during the whole stay. She's also refused to eat which made me really worried. Doctor said it was normal as eating will only torture her breathing. She also refused milk. I think I spent all the hours trying to make her eat something. 

The oxygen-saturated chamber. Most of the time, I was in there as well hugging her to her comfort. 

It was also tricky to ask her to stay in the chamber. The first few days, she was so sick that she hadn't moved much. So, it was ok. Later on, she wanted to be active, that was difficult..to entertain her by not letting her out. So, we had to resort to ipad. One of the occasion she get tablet-time.

The oxygen monitor that was tucked on her toes all the time..

I had to think about our break-fast menu. Difference when a mom prepared the food vs the daddy😅

At first, the doctor said Lily will have to stay for 3 days. Then it stretched to 5, then 8.. Actually the doctor wanted us to stay even longer. But, after a lot of doa and..negotiation with the doctor, we finally were released on the following Sunday. I still had to take 2 days holiday following that. It's the protocol that the daycare required. And no, I wouldn't send Lily to that germ-infested sick kids nursery for her to 'recover'. Alhamdulillah, she was much better and happier to be home. Hospital is indeed a stressful place to be in. Even children knew that. 

See you in the next post! Bye 💕