I Am a Dr. Mummy

I have three kids. And as much as I want to keep them germ/virus/bacteria free, they aren’t. So when they fall sick, they ALL fall sick. (that’s best case scenario) The worst case is when they take turns to fall sick. Besides having sleepless nights to monitor the sick child, ensuring that the temperature doesn’t hit X degrees, or ensuring that the child doesn’t get into a life/death situation, or simply ensuring that the husband and I are not feeling helpless, there’s the BIG question that we always face.

DO WE NEED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR’S?

I would go bring the sick kid to the doctor if:

• Medical consultation fees were cheaper
• Clinic was next door. No parking issues. No babysitting issues.
• Clinic is open when I need it to be opened
• Medicine prescribed is something new and more effective than what I already have

Alas. We don’t go to the doctor’s that often. To survive, I tap on my entire childhood experiences, the wonderful world of Google, and friends who have kids who went through the same or similar symptoms.

Here’s how we handle sicknesses in our family! (I used this for my kids when they were above 3YO)

FEVER

If the temperature is above 37.5C, we give one dose of Paracetemol

If the temperature is above 38.5C, we give one dose of Paracetemol, and make the child go for a cold shower. (cold meaning water at room temperature)

If the temperature is above 39C, we give one dose of Ibufen and make the child go for a cold shower. The temperature should fall below 38.5C. The Temperature is taken again in 15min. If it’s still at 39C, another cold shower. The cycle repeats. Four hours later, one dose of Paracetemol. Six hours after the Ibufen dose, we will give another Ibufen dose.

We will bring the child to see a doctor if the fever persist for 4-5 days. Anything before 5 days would be a flu (look for symptoms) or an infection (look for symptoms). If there are no symptoms, the doctor will not do any blood test for dengue or pneumonia or UTI until after Day 5. Cos until then, the test results would be inconclusive.

We don’t sponge our kids. Simple reason: Cos I am unable to diligently do it in the middle of the night when my eyes are half shut. But I am good at showering them down. Cos I’m standing up, they are screaming their heads off, so I’m quite awake! When they were younger and could still fit in the tub, we could save water by scooping water over their heads. (I miss having a bath tub!)

SNIFFY NOSE

Start on Zyrtec. If it continues after 2 days, it’s no longer sniffy. It will be runny or blocked.

BLOCKED NOSE

Start on Actifed or Ventolin. If it continues after 2 days, mucus should turn color. Then fever will start. Once there’s fever, it goes back to the fever remedy.

SORE THROAT

Drink plenty water. Boil Chrysanthemum tea. But if the throat gets worse after Day 2, & fever comes, it’s a throat infection. We will see a doctor. Cos the antibiotics is needed then.

VOMITTING

Drink cold water, suck ice cubes. Give oral electrolyte solution, if there’s any in the fridge. If there’s none, go get from pharmacy.

We will see a doctor when vomiting continues more than 8 times in a day. For this, a doctor’s visit means I will insist on child getting hospitalised. I want the child on drip, and monitored by the hospital staff. (I would be really quite tired from all the washing up and smell too!)

DIARRHEA

Just like vomiting, I will ensure the child is hydrated. For diarrhea, what works really well in our family is Yakult Ace Light. It has additional Probiotics (very effective for those nasty tummy germs), and lesser sugar and calories.

The doctor comes when the diarrhea continues for more than a day. And again, by then, I would insist on hospitalisation.

TUMMYACHE

The infamous, very very effective Ru Yi Oil!! I’m not sure if it’s psychological, but the minute we take out this bottle, the pain seems to subside significantly. (For good measure, we start the Yakult Ace Light too!)

But again, if the pain persists after a day, we will see a doctor.

NOSE BLEED

This affects only Nathan. He is like the official Nose Bleeder in our family. I’ve concluded that he has either really thin veins in his nostrils or he is a major nose digger and is able to scratch the insides of his nose each time!

With each nose bleed, we just get one lot of tissues, stuff it up his nose, bend his head forward and hold it there. Sometimes it stops after a minute. Sometimes it takes repeated tissue changes of up to 10 min to stop. But the bleeding does stop. And the boy still cries.

These are the more common medical conditions that my kids have experienced. There are instances of Ear Aches, Rashes etc as well. We are thankful to have a really good friend who is medically trained to give us phone consultations. I’ve learnt through the years to remain calm, and pray. God is in control. I will still go to the doctor’s, just not immediately. The challenge for all Doctor Mummies is when do we go?

This is a linky party I’ve started to share the ‘medical’ experiences of all Doctor Mummies. Please know that all the remedies listed are all tested and proven only by the individual Doctor Mummy. They may or may not have scientific evidence to back the claims. One mantra that I swear by, “When in doubt, go see the doctor”.

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