Bye Fever!!

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Thursday evening.  As of this writing, my little man's condition went from better to best.  That's good news, for that means he can go to Boracay tomorrow, enjoy the ati-atihan in Kalibo, and attend the grand reunion of the Kimpos.  Nice!

I am not a big fan of meds, and as much as possible I refrain from giving meds immediately.  Good thing  my pedias are the same.  It's always observe first before anything else.  But since we have to bring down his temperature fast due to the upcoming trip, I allowed myself to turn back from my belief and succumed to meds, as what I have mentioned in my earlier post.  And I am just glad that he is very well now.

Having a fever is not always a bad thing.  Usually caused by bacterial or viral infection, fever is considered a symptom not an illness.  It is the body's way of fighting the infection.  However, being a parent, we just do not sit down and do nothing about it.  Here are the different ways of dealing with fever as advised by pediatricians:

-Give the patient plenty of fluids.  Fluids here include water, juices (not so sweet, without sugar), milk, chicken broth and other soups.  Never give coffee, tea, or soda because these drinks are diuretic and can easily cause dehydration.

-Solid foods might not be so inviting for now, but do not be alarmed.  As long as he is drinking plenty of fluids, he is fine.  His appetite for solids will eventually go back as soon as he feels well.

-Constantly check his body temperature.  An interval of 45minutes to an hour is ideal.  His temperature may reach 38 to 40 and may be low in the morning and gets high in the afternoon to night time.

-Give your baby a lukewarm bath.  We used to hear from our lolas that taking a bath when one has a fever is not the thing to do for the patient's condition may worsen after the bath, but it's proven that this old school belief is not true.  On the contrary, taking a long lukewarm bath is adviced for it helps let the heat out from the body.  Just make sure that the water is lukewarm, not cold.  Cold water will make the baby shiver and can again raise his body temperature.

-Dress less.  Again, there's this belief that wrapping the body with heavy clothes, plus covered with blanket from head to toe, will bring down the fever.  On the contrary, this causes the temperature to rise even more.  It is important for the heat to escape out from the body, and the best way to do that is not to cover-up but to dress lightly.

-Wet wash cloth to be placed in the forehead also works.  The damp cloth absorbs the heat of the body.  This is very ideal if the baby is just lying down, but if the baby is active and playful despite the fever just like my little man, Kool Fever may be used.  It works like that of the damp wash cloth, but this one has an adhesive that helps it secure on its place.  

-If the baby is not his usual self and there are changes in his actions and movements, or changes in the color of the skin, eyes and lips, or just for peace of mind, it's still best to go to your trusted pediatrician.  Medicines may be given to normalize the baby's temperature, or other tests may be conducted to find out the real cause of the fever.




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The fab shoes and the rain

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Rain, rain, go away...

As what I have mentioned before, I hate rain. I am a commuter (and proud of it!) and walking in the rain is such a hassle. Imagine getting soaked up and all. Despite having the biggest umbrella in town, drops of water in different sizes get in the way to irritate me the more.

Just two days ago, few meters from Trinoma where I would alight, heavy rain fell just in time! Talk about perfect timing, huh? There was no warning at all--no drizzle, no dark clouds. It just fell because it wanted to, and people from all over ran in all direction to find just enough size of a roof to shield them from the rain. I, on the other hand, had no choice but to go down from the FX taxi because Trinoma was in front of me already. I was complete with my battle gear anyways--umbrella for my head and a tailored coat to cover my arms. Perfect! So I confidently walked in the rain despite it being quite heavy, until I looked down. Oh, no!! My shoes!!

Yep, I was wearing the wrong kind of shoes that day. Luckily, there was no flood, though the water was slowly rising for an inch or two. After around one hundred and fifty steps, my shoes were already wet. Good thing water was not able to find its way inside so my feet remained dry and untouched. It was just my poor pair!! The material is not suitable for the rain and now I wonder if I can still use it ;(

Having that experience, I blamed myself for not buying shoes that are suitable for rainy days. There are lovely pairs out there, pretty and fab ones, yet tough and perfect enough to experience some splash from the unfriendly rain. These are all water resistant, and very, very, very pretty!! They are made of rubber and plastic that makes wiping the water uber easy. And they can go along with whatever outfit I fancy. There's a pair that matches my skirt, my shorts, my skinny, my jeggings... and they are really very pretty!! And I am just glad to present them.... and oh, by the way, did I mention already that they are just so pretty?!!

*Above are Crocs and Melissa shoes. Please check out their website for description and other details.

*Photos from Crocs.com.ph and MelissaPhilippines.com

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My Hubby Bid Goodbye to His Hair---Finally!!!

I have been trying to convince my hubby to shave off his hair. He would totally refuse and really won't agree with me. I told him it is about time to change his haircut. I have seen the same ol' boring hairstyle for years!! And he's been sporting that kind of do since time immemorial. I would see his pictures from gradeschool, to highschool, to college and nothing changed. For one, he was so comfortable with this kind of look, it has become his comfort zone. Well, his case is not at all strange. A lot of people won't change their looks for the fear of making their appearance from good to worse. But this time, he really had to say goodbye to his hair. For hubby's having a worst case of falling hair, a disease called alopecia.

Alopecia is a hairloss condition wherein hair is lost in patches or batches and the loss is rather rapid. Reason behind this is not yet completely known but dermatologists usually associate this condition with stress. True enough, since my husband is so dedicated to his work, he is usually stressed. We noticed a small patch of hairloss last November 2008 and we just simply did not mind it. We thought it's just a simple case of hairloss. But we noticed more and more hair falling off. They were clogging the drain, they were all over the floor, even on his office table and computer desk. I would see strands of hair on the pillow, the towel, the headrest of his car. We were alarmed. December of that year, we started consulting dermatologists. That's where we learned that his case is called Alopecia. I researched for it in the internet. I read about the cause, which like I said is still unknown, the symptoms, the appearance, etc. And we concede to the fact that he's really having an alopecia.

This condition of hair loss is not alarming at all. It's just that there are cases wherein hair tends to go a resting phase, meaning, it will not grow at all for a long time. My hubby has been under medication for like three months now and so far, no good. Soft baby hairs are sprouting but they only last for like two to three days for they tend to fall off too. The patchy hair loss started to bother him for people could not help but stare and give him strange looks. It's like he is under going chemotherapy. I admit that i was bothered by it too. So we both decided to shave it all off.

Sunday morning, we went straight to the barber shop and instructed the barber what to do. It only took aroung 10 minutes to shave it all off!! And guess what, he looked great with his new look!! And he liked it too, thank God! And all the people around him--the neighborhood and in the office--all agreed that he looked better now that he shaved it all. I guess it shoot up his confidence again.

He is still under medication, still applying the same scalp ointments and creams prescribed by his dermatologist and that herbal shampoo we discovered in Quezon City Circle. We both concede to the fact that it will take us a long time to see his hair grow again. But nevertheless, with hair or without, he still remains to be the most handsome guy for me.









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