Caring for a Sick Kid is Not Easy

Well, first of all, it was a tough battle getting any food at all into her body, let alone medicine.  She kept on wailing in pain when she saw me bringing the oral gel to apply in her mouth, and refused all forms of food too, including those she loved.

On Friday, the day after she was diagnosed with HFMD, I told Hannah I was taking her to the grocery store for a quick trip to get some stuff, among others, yogurt.  She was interested, of course…and while we were there, she personally requested for jelly, so I bought her 2 small tubs, which she happily ate, to my delight!

She would only drink a bit of Milo and milk and nothing else, however.  She looked very weak, which added to my distress.

The next day, she would not eat anything for lunch, none of the soft “pau” and none of her favorite fish balls.  It was worrying.

Then I suggested we make some milkshake, with some ice cream and milk.  And I offered to let her shake the shaker.  Her eyes lit up in excitement and she eagerly participated in the making of the milkshake.  And to my utmost relief, she drank the entire cup of milkshake…

She even asked for a second cup!  She complained of slight pain while drinking though, but persevered throughout.  I let her use a straw, which I think she finds easier on the ulcers in her mouth.

That evening, we went out for dinner at Old Town.  My Mom was around, so she was also eager to make sure that Hannah ate something, at least.

While we ordered the food and as the food was served, Hannah was busy scribbling on her paper, oblivious to her surroundings.  I then decided to order ice kacang instead of my usual teh tarik.  And while I was halfway eating my meal, Hannah suddenly looked up and spotted my bowl of “pink ice”.  She immediately asked, “Mommy, what’s that?”  and came over to have a look.

I asked if she would like a taste, and she did!  But she winced in pain a little, and I thought she would not want anymore.

But she asked for more.

Soon my girl was feeding herself from my bowl of ice kacang, leaving only the red beans for me!

What was even more surprising was that in between those spoonfuls of ice kacang, Hannah asked to eat the chicken koay teow!  And she finished about 3-4 small bowls all on her own!

Her appetite is surely returning, yay!!!  And I pray that she will only get better and better from now on…

So yeah, caring for a sick kid ain’t easy, but loving her is absolutely rewarding.

Tonight as I held her in my arms to sleep, she smiled and said, “Mommy is my VERY best friend!” 🙂