Down with English Measles

It all started on Sunday- after Trick or Treat at Mega and Miguel's 1st birthday party at Valle Verde. We got home at around 8pm. I felt tired and I had chills. I checked my temp and was surprised to see 38.3 in the thermometer. I never ever get sick, you know. I took paracetamol and called it a night. Monday was Nov 1 so we went to the cemetery. I had on-and-off fever. Tuesday, I went to work and my officemates started to notice rashes on my face. I went to the clinic and the nurse said my temp was normal and that she couldn't see any rash (roll eyes). I went to see a doctor, and she said the same thing as the nurse- I was okay,no fever, no rash. Wednesday, I went to the ER of Medical City. I was getting worried because my fever was not going away. I also noticed many little sores inside my mouth, and suddenly I was sensitive to light, as in nasisilaw akech. My CBC came back as normal, so the doctors sent me home with paracetamol as medicine. As for the rash, they said it could just be bungang araw, okay fine. Thursday, I developed cough and colds. My throat was so painful. I felt I had sores all the way down to my throat. I had no appetite, and I really felt sick. I went to see a different doctor and had another CBC. My platelet count was okay so it was not dengue. After work, I went straight home, I thought I was going to collapse. I asked Keith to take me to the hospital. We went back to Medical City, and the doctors diagnosed me with measles. I had bloodshot eyes, vomiting episodes and LBM. I was confined in one of their isolation rooms and was discharged on Sunday. I was advised not to report to work for a week, and to continue my bedrest at home. We sent the twins and the yayas to my in-laws because measles is contagious. You'd think I was ecstatic to be home alone for a week? Naku, hindi noh! I felt so weak that I was just really in bed 24/7. It was pathetic. It has been a week now, and I am slowly getting my strength back. Yesterday, Keith took me out and brought me my birthday gift (ahihi!), then we watched Unstoppable at Promenade, had dinner at Tender Bob's, then met some friends at Jalapeno in Home Depot. It was so nice to be out of the house again! But I miss the twins terribly. We're picking them up after this Pacquiao-Margarito fight...

Diarrhea with a vengeance

Vito was confined in the hospital for 6 days (Oct 30-Nov4) for Infectious Diarrhea. As in dun kame sa Medical City nag-Undas! This is his first confinement since being born. At first, the ER doctors thought it was Acute Diarrhea (lbm + fever), and was sent home with some medications. After a few hours, he had watery stool with blood streaks and he vomitted his milk. He was quickly brought back to the hospital for confinement.

Remember Carlos was confined same time last month for the same thing. He was confined for 4 days.

During Vito's first few days in the hospital, he would vomit his milk. Some babies with diarrhea become lactose-intolerant so we bought him Enfagrow Lactose-Free, but he wouldn't drink it. No choice but to give him his regular milk. Basta important that he burps after every feeding. Yogurt was not recommended. Although it has good bacteria, it is milk-based. Dairy products were bawal muna.

While in the hospital, he took the ff:
Erceflora basillus clausii (1 vial every 8hours) - this is good bacteria.
Amikacin (via IV) - this is an antibiotic to fight off the bacterial infection.
Zinc supplement (1ml once a day)- this helps reduce severity and duration of diarrhea.
Tempra Forte syrup (2ml) - paracetamol is given if body temp is 37.8 degrees and up
Calmoseptine (diaper rash cream) - every nappy change.

Eventually, his appettite returned. We would buy him Goldilocks mamon (yes, kailangan Goldilocks) and choco cereal. Balik na rin sha to his usual kulit and curious self. He would point to the door coz he wants to go out. We would walk down the corridors, with swero in tow, until he feels sleepy again. Time of the day? 3:00AM.

Vito was struck big time and he lost some weight. Infact, from an XL diaper, he now uses Large. :( Poor Vito, babawi kame!

His home medications are the ff:
Cotrimoxazole - 5ml twice a day until Nov 7, pref after meals
Zinc supplement - 1ml once a day

His stool culture showed the cause of bacterial infection was Salmonella. Damn you salmonellaaah!!

Pneumonia not again

Same time last year, Carlos was confined in the hospital for Pneumonia. It was his very first confinement since being born, only three months old. You bet I was distraught.

Last night, he had an asthma attack. At 12:30AM, I nebulized him with 2 Ventolin nebules, 30 mins apart, but that didnt help. I decided to take him to the ER. At 2:00AM, he was nebulized with combivent and two ventolin nebules, 15 mins apart. He developed slight fever (38.6 degrees) and was immediately given 1.2 Tempra Drops (he weighs 13 kilos). By 6:00AM, he was okay and we were discharged. I bought the home medication from Mercury outside the hospital. On our way home, as in 15mins into the trip, I heard him wheez and noticed he was having a difficult time breathing. Shocks, not again.

We brought him back to the hospital. Experience taught me that this requires confinement. Lab tests showed he had a mild case of Pneumonia. I was sad coz I thought last year was enough. After 5 days in the hospital (Oct 17-21), he was discharged and advised to continue medication at home. The nurses and doctors adore him coz he is such a cutie, waving hello, making beautiful eyes and the flying kiss.



This is his 3rd confinement for the year (sob). He's been sooo exposed to the hospital scene that I will not be surprised if he chooses a medical field when he grows up. "Attention Dr. Carlos Silvestre, to the NICU please" hehe. In the meantime, much care is needed so that he wont be hospitalized again.

His home medications are:
Ventolin nebulization - every 6 hours for 4 days (8am-2pm-8pm-2am)
Prednisolone - once a day (8am)
Himox drops (amoxicillin) - three times a day for 4 days (8am-2pm-8pm)

Vito with Tigdas Hangin

Vito showed rahes on his face tonight and I immediately knew it was Tigdas Hangin. He had 3 days high fever, and rashes are now showing. I based my observation from Carlos' last illness. Read it here.

I told his yaya to give him a bath because the rashes are itchy, as what his pedia mentioned the last time.

Twins at the hospital

Of all the times na magkakasakit ang kambal, ngayon pa.

Carlos is confined in Medical City (2nd time this year) for Infectious Diarrhea (blood in his pupu + fever). Vito naman is sick with very high fever (40 degrees) usually at night, but was not confined.

And so anupaba, we missed the baptism of Moxi. They are joking that the twins daw couldn't accept that they are no longer the only apos that's why they got sick (sabay pa) so all the attention will be given to them (roll eyes).

For Carlos: (weight: 12 kilos)
Cotrimoxazole (antibiotic) 400mg - 3ml every 12 hours
Pedialyte
His stool culture was negative. Urinalysis was normal. Cause of lbm with blood + fever is Gastroentoritis, either from contaminated food or water.

For Vito: (weight: 10.5 kilos)
Tempra Drops - 1.2ml every 4 hours
Pedialyte

If 39 degrees and up - Wash cloth in ice cold water and put on forehead and armpits. Leave it there for a while. This will bring down the body temperature. If he is having chills, wrap him temporarily in a blanket. If no chills, do not wrap to release the heat from body. Watch out for blood in the nose or gums coz this means the body is holding too much heat. Dengue was ruled out coz his CBC was normal. Cause of high fever is viral infection.

Cough and Tigdas-hangin

The boys are still sick with terrible cough (nahawa na pati ako) and this morning Carlos showed little rashes on his face and neck. We got alarmed when the rashes started to spread on his back. We had a scheduled check-up today so it's a good thing that their doctor could see him.

As the doctors explained, the medical term for Carlos' rashes is roseola infantum or rose rash of infants. It is also called Roseolovirus or baby measles. It comes out after 2-3 days of fever. As per their pedia, when the rashes come out, then "pagaling na ang bata".

Since it is a virus, it can be contagious and the doctors told us that Vito may be infected eventually. No cause for alarm as this is not the real measles, which can be easily identified by three Cs - cough, cold (runny nose) and conjunctivitis (red eye).

For their cough, they were prescribed the ff:

For Vito:
Ventolin Nebulization - every 8 hrs for 4 days (5am-1pm-9pm)
Prolix 2.5ml - twice a day

For Carlos:
Ventolin Nebulization - every 8 hrs for 4 days (6am-2pm-10pm)
Prolix 3ml - twice a day

I asked about oregano extract as a cure for cough. Other parents claim it is the best medicine for cough, plus it is a natural medicine. Well, Dr. R Santos wasn't really sold on the idea, but mentioned that the only approved herbal medicine for cough by BFAD is lagundi.

Down with fever and cough

You can really tell when the boys are sick. They are tahimik, well-behaved, malambing and ayaw magpa-baba. We have instructed the yayas that if they notice these things, they should notify us immediately. The bedroom is then transformed into a baby clinic with the nebulizer here, medicines there, thermometer, cotton, wash cloth, change of clothes everywhere. I suspect it's all because of TEETHING. Oh and the bad weather is not helping either.

Vito got sick on Wednesday night. He had fever (38+), dry cough and vomiting episodes. On Friday morning, we brought the twins to the hospital. Their pedia prescribed him the ff:

1ml of tempra drops for every 4 hours if temp is 39
1ml of tempra drops for every 6 hours if temp is 37.8+
Prolix 2.5ml - twice a day
Ventolin Nebulization - 1 nebule every 2am/8am/2pm/8pm (for 4 days).

His fever is gone, but the cough is still there. He already took a bath yesterday. Important notes for next time: He vomits the grape flavor of tempra. He prefers the orange flavor, but do not mix this with milk because he will vomit it too. When nebulizing, he must be seated with his back straight. If you neb him while he is lying down, he will vomit.

Carlos got sick on Saturday. He has fever and dry cough. His medicines are:

1.2ml of tempra drops for every 4 hours if temp is 39
1.2ml of tempra drops for every 6 hours if temp is 37.8+
Prolix 3ml - twice a day
Ventolin Nebulization - twice a day

When they are very hot, we just wipe them off with wet towel, immediately followed by a dry towel. Everything pays off when the fever is gone. It's like nothing happened. They are back to their usual makulit, malikot, curious, happy, dancing selves. Nakakaloka. :P

I hope they get well completely soon coz it's really challenging taking care of two sick babies. There's the round o'clock bantay, which includes pagbubuhat until your back breaks, and being creative when it's time to take the meds.

Oh Carlos.. not again

Carlos was confined in the hospital for 6 days due to bronchial asthma.

Cost of Angioplasty

Knowing how much angioplasty costs is enough to give you a heart attack. I've been searching the Internet for the cost of angioplasty in the Philippines, in the hopes of finding a cheaper alternative, perhaps a charitable institution that does it for free. Nothing. I decided to do my own research and called The Medical City and The Philippine Heart Center to inquire. Here are the rates:

The Medical City

Angiogram costs P50,000 (procedure alone)
Angioplasty costs P300,000 (procedure alone) - a bare stent costs P80,000; a drug-eluding stent costs P120,000
PF for cardiologist costs P150,000 and up - usually they are two (so rate times two).
Bypass surgery costs P1 Million and up (all in all)

The Philippine Heart Center offers the ff packages:

For Angiogram (3-day stay):
Private Room = P60,200 (inclusive of doctor's PF)
Semi-Private Room = P52,000 (inclusive of doctor's PF)
Ward = P42,000 (inclusive of doctor's PF)

For Bypass Surgery (8-day stay):
Private Room = P617,480 (inclusive of doctor's PF)
Semi-Private Room = P494,322 (inclusive of doctor's PF)
Ward = P402,600 (inclusive of doctor's PF)

If you avail of the package, you need to pay the full amount upon admission. There will also be no discount from Philhealth and for senior citizens.

If you do not avail of the package, you need to pay P120K deposit for bypass surgery, and P150K deposit for Angioplasty upon admission to The Philippine Heart Center.

*Rates as of March 28, 2008

Papa Dong ~ doing Well and Good :)

Today, the twins visited my dad who was confined in the hospital. He is now in a regular private room after being released from the ICU last Friday, and from the Telemetry yesterday. He was very happy to see them. He couldnt carry them though, they just played on the bed. He would tickle their tummies, and they would laugh and shriek hehehe.

We thank the Lord for giving him a second life. :) We also thank Him for providing us the funds for the very costly procedure. God is good and He loves His children. Nothing is impossible with Him.

Smoking kills

If you have loved ones who smoke, tell them to stop. It's one of the main reasons why my dad have blocked arteries. Smoking is hard on the heart, and the toxins in cigarette smoke cause plaques to form in the arteries. I'm not here to scare you. The procedures are not cheap. They are very expensive. For his hospitalization, we were asked to prepare P1M. So tell them to stop smoking while it's still early. Take care everyone, God bless!

What is Angioplasty?

My 64-year old dad was rushed to the hospital this morning due to a heart attack. He had low BP (70/50) and heartrate of 38 (the normal is 60 at rest). He underwent an Angioplasty procedure wherein the cardiologist inserted a stent (metal cage used to keep the artery open) because he had a collapsed artery. After two hours, the procedure was over. Praise God it was successful!

We need your continued prayers for him to have a quick and full recovery. He is still in the ICU. Thank you very much and may God bless you!

Sunny morning Rainy afternoon

The twins have cough & colds since Friday. This is caused by the change in weather conditions (sunny morning rainy afternoon). The colds make it difficult for them to sleep straight at night. We brought them to their pedia this morning. As per pedia's advice, Carlos should be nebulized with half nebule of Ventolin + 1ml NSS every 6 hours for 5 days (because of phlegm). While Vito should be nebulized with 2ml NSS every 6 hours. Their pedia added, "NSS is safe and has no overdose".

First check up of the year

The twins had their 2nd Rotavirus vaccine today, January 2. Their pedia, Dr. Romeo Santos, is currently on holiday vacation. Here is Carlos with the reliever, Dra. Quinta.



While waiting for his turn, Vito has taken the folded activity mat, and has tried to spread it using both hands.