Yoyo Flu

Just as the kids were showing signs of recovery from their last bout of cough and flu, they went downhill again!

Last night, Joshua was feverish. After dinner, he perched himself on a chair right next to the heater and claimed that he was cold. He was burning. I gave him some medication and sent him to bed early. Then he coughed non-stop throughout the night. He didn't sleep much. Neither did I.

Today, it's Joanne turn. She is having exactly what Joshua had last night. Both kids are sleeping now as I write this. But I know I'll probably be in for another rough and sleepness night.

Just what kind of bug is floating around? Apparently a lot of other people have fallen sick too. It's probably more common in winter than other seasons. Newbies like us are even more susceptible to winter flu.

Guess Joshua will have to skip school for a couple of days again this week.

Road To Recovery

The kids are getting better. The weather is getting warmer too. Hopefully, that means they won't be so susceptible to bouts of cough and cold anymore.

I took them to the clinic 2 days ago. I needn't have bothered. The over-the-counter (OTC)medicines that I'd been giving the kids prior to seeing the doctor turned out to be the right stuff. Well, unlike GPs in Malaysia, their counterparts here don't have the habit of prescribing medicines unnecessarily. Antibiotics prescriptions are unheard of unless the patient is really, really sick. So I can play doctor too, as long as the kids' conditions are not too severe.

The thing is, OTC medicines here are very effective (and hopefully safe for use). It's true. Joshua and Joanne recover much faster here than they did in Malaysia when they fell sick. And I feel much more comfortable knowing they don't have to resort to antibiotics for no good reasons.

Maybe if the Malaysian government forbids doctors from selling medicines, they will stop prescribing medicines, particularly antibiotics, like there's no tomorrow!

Choked

Today, I nearly choked to death. Well, maybe not to death but it was quite scary.

I was in a hurry to pop my flu capsules - thanks to the kids I've caught the flu bug too - and didn't pay attention to the small piece of foil stuck to one of the capsules. You know, it's one of those things where you break the foil to pop the capsule out.

Anyway, I took 2 capsules, popped them in my mouth and washed them down my throat with water in one single gulp. And immediately, I felt something nasty lodged in my throat! I gulped down more water but the thing was still stuck. It was the most uncomfortable feeling.

I tried to cough that darn thing out but it wouldn't budge. And I could feel something beginning to block something in my throat. What if my windpipe was blocked?? Would I pass out and the kids wouldn't even notice?? I started to panic.

I rushed to the toilet and forced myself to throw up. What if I couldn't get it out? A vision of me being rushed to the hospital flashed before me. Then it struck me - if I passed out first no one would know my predicament. The kids were oblivious to what was happening to me. And they didn't know how to call for help.

After retching for a few seconds, the miserable piece of foil dropped into the toilet bowl with the name of the brand still on it! It was about the size of a thumbnail. Instant relief.

After that, I told Joshua I almost choked. He just nonchalantly said, "why?"

I don't want a repeat of the incident. So I'll make sure I look carefully before swallowing anything. Also, I taught Joshua how to make an emergency call. Just get the phone and press 000 and press "talk". Of course, I made him memorise the house address too. You never know when you need that kind of help.