Aches and pain

I'm having very frequent muscle cramps these days. It felt like gnawing pain, rasa exactly like lactic acid build up, affecting my right hamstring and  gluteal muscles in particular. They tend to get worse at noon and evening which can last from seconds to few minutes. 

I started doing the premature duck walk, not because of my heavy tummy but because of this very troubling muscle and back ache. Of course it is an occupational hazard! I blamed it on prolonged standing and walking in neonatal unit as well as going back and fro to the labour room and operating theatre. Once I even ran to the OT due to an emergency case, praying to god that I did not get any sprain or strain then.

I feel bad enough for bullying my friends during office hours by staying put in the ward and let them be the hero and save the newborn babies. Excuse me my kawan2, now my new bffs are my selipar jepun be it at home or the hospital, calcium lactate, obimin and ameltz yoko yoko!!

Could it be asthma?

with her 2nd cousins

Hana unfortunately suffering from eczema and mild allergic rhinitis. 

My latest worry is that she has been having daily nocturnal and daytime chesty cough for the last 3 months since her last upper respiratory tract infection. She doesn't have any fever and never wheeze. I would auscultate her lungs on and off and definitely there was no added sound to suggest chest infection or asthma. There was no TB contact either and none of our maids has been coughing or appears thin. Hana's appetite also seemed to be improving off late. 

Could it be that she is having bronchial asthma? This is surely not a clear cut case which makes me scratch my kepala of what medicine to prescribe to my own daughter. I never have faith in cough mixture especially mucolytics.

So finally this mommy doctor decided to give Hana a trial of montelukast in which she has been happily (literally! coz the granules tasted sweet) taking this medication for the last 1 week. So far, I have not seen any positive change in her cough. She even woke up last night, batuk really badly and vomit soon after.

My plan is to wait another week for singulair to have its effect. My next action is a trial of antibiotic to fight off atypical pneumonia. If it doesn't work, I would probably need to start her on inhaler. I'll try to avoid doing chest xray for now. 

Just hope that this expensive drug works!

Boy meets world

It is official. I am expecting a he! I was kinda expecting this news as this current pregnancy is like a whole new experience for me. Bad hyperemesis during my 1st trimester and I noticed that I don't feel like dressing up or put any make up on. Suffice with just baby powder on my face and I am good to go. Soooo unlike my previous pregnancy where I wanted to look all made up and pretty.

So far, my appetite is too good that my previous gynae was a bit worried with me having excessive weight gain. I have to curb a little bit on my cravings for sweet stuffs.

I have decided to return to my previous gynae, that is Dr Idora in Pantai Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. Well, waiting time has always been long with her and I think mostly attributed to her attention to details. Each patient will spend 30 minutes in her room so I don't think her patients mind waiting too long. Today, I had a scan and it feels like a detail ultrasound to me. She showed me the foetus's brain from cerebellum to the ventricles, the eyes and the nose and presence of palate. The baby's lungs and diaphragm, the 4 chambers of the heart including the ascending and descending aorta, the spine, bladder and kidneys, the umbilical arteries and vein as well as the limbs and all the feet and hand. Siap calculate the phalanges satu2 lagi. She is very good when it comes to USG that I don't feel the need to detail scan with a sonographist after this. This time the baby's position allowed us to see both his testes so clearly. Alhamdulillah...

Well, it looks like we can't recycle kakak Hana's baju la macam ni. Hmm.. which means that I have a reason to go for another round of shopping, yeayyy, clap clap!! Not to forget, to start scouting for a boy's name! Gasp! That will be difficult. I wish I can just call my boy Ali je but I know my hubby will disagree. He sure want a longer name.

Okay, back to my medical books. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..

Maidless

It seemed that a lot of people around me are facing maid issue. Me included. 

Did I tell you that my maid of 2+ years left without any notice recently. Well, she got knocked up, luckily in a halal way and decided not to return from one of her weekends off. Well, I get so pissed since we do not have any contingency plan at all what with me being pregnant, a hectic job, in the midst of preparation for exam and having an active toddler in the house.

Alhamdulillah, my sis stays near my hospital thus I left Hana with her maid during working hours. This is definitely a temporary measure as my sis gonna pop up soon. haih.. new maid is still no where to be seen and I am getting more fidgety and heavy each day.. 

God, please help me!