A Visit to the ER

Sabine has been to the emergency room more often than Anissa has. The other night, her cough came back. At first, we all thought it was just her allergic rhinitis acting up again. But it got worse last night, even her voice changed. Plus she had developed a temperature of around 37.8. I wanted her and the rest of us to sleep well so at around midnight, I woke Neal up and announced that I wanted to have her checked. We're lucky that Cardinal Santos is a mere 10-minute drive from the house.

When we arrived, there were two other kids slightly younger than Sabine who were being given sponge baths due to fever. Immediately, a doctor came to look at Sabine and told us her lungs were clear after listening to her breathe. But the nose and throat examinations confirmed that she has both rhinitis and a viral infection of some sort. When a nurse took her temperature, I was surprised that it had gone up to 39. I get panicky when this happens because about 2 years ago, she had a febrile seizure at the very same hospital due to UTI. Which means that until she outgrows it (they say between the ages of 7-12 years), she will always have that tendency to convulse whenever her temperature shoots up.

Except for the teary eyes, you can hardly tell she's sick in this photo

Parents know that they can measure a child's overall well-being using their appetite and behavior. Sabine was still her usual talkative self and wanted to move around, not lie down on the ER bed. So to me, this was a very good sign. While the two other babies in the room were the exact opposite of her. The nurse gave her a sponge bath and a dose of Paracetamol to help lessen the fever. Note : I only give my kids Paracetamol when their temp hits 38 deg.

As soon as her temperature went down to below 38, the doctor gave us clearance to go home and a prescription for anti-histamine and a nasal spray. Sabine was restless by this time and kept asking, "Mommy, why so tagal?". She knew there was a McDonald's somewhere in the area and naturally, we all couldn't resist the urge to give in to her request.