A Year Ago ...

Ok, Mummy says that it high time I share with everyone what happened to me a year ago from today ...

Last year, 2007 at this time, which was the 9th day of CNY ... (on the 8th day - 26 Feb 2007, I came back from my babysitter's house reeked with the smell of joss sticks and ash), I was down with fever for the 1st time ... Mummy took me to see my ordinary GP and was treated with paracetamol ...

I went back to the babysitter but my fever could not come down - it came on and off and was in the range of above 39 degrees Cel and I was having diarrhea ... the babysitter was afraid and told Mummy that I should go see doctor again ... after 3 days of fever, I suddenly developed rashes all over my groin areas, tummy and face ... I really looked horrid (like a clown) ... on the 4th morning at 4am, I couldn't breathe properly and Mummy rushed me to the Emergency Ward and there was an idiot doctor who wanted to give me steroids but Mummy said "No" ...

I had to wait to go back and see my GP again and this time he too was shocked to look at me and quickly advised Mummy to admit me to the hospital if things were not controlled ... that night, the fever came back together with rashes and diarrhea and Mummy decided to admit me to Sunway Medical Centre (the hospital where I was delivered) http://www.sunway.com.my/sunmed/about.htm ...

Thank God that the doctor that Mummy requested for was on call that night and so I had been warded into good hands ... I couldn't take any milk or fluids as I kept vomitting and diarrhea-ing ... the doctor decided to insert a tube inside my nose into my tummy to feed me but that too did work as i puked all the time ... I was very, very cranky by then ...

It was just scary and I had to take blood tests - unfortunately i was a chubby babe then and the doctor just had difficulty finding a vein ... after the blood tests, it was confirmed that I had the dreaded Kawasaki Disease !!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kawasaki-disease/DS00576

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4634

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/kawasaki.html

I had all the symptoms:

- severe redness in the eyes
- a rash on the stomach, chest, and genitals
- red, dry, cracked lips
- swollen tongue with a white coating and big red bumps
- sore, irritated throat
- swollen palms of the hands and soles of the feet with a purple-red color
- swollen lymph nodes

I had to go through another round of pricking (Papa said it was more than 50 attempts when the doctor finally got a vein on my foot) so that I could start the IVIG (a treatment of intravenous doses of gamma globulin - purified antibodies) treatment.

After the 1st dose of 7 bottles were taken, I seemed to be on the road to recovery but the fever recurred :( ... doctor said a 2nd dose had to be administered ... half way, the vein on my foot gave way and I had to be pricked again - this time doctor found a good vein on my hand ...

Thank God, I was ok after the 2nd dose of another 7 bottles of IVIG - i was treated daily with a high dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of heart problems.

After about 10 days, I was discharged but had to be on asprin for many months ahead and had to go back for heart echo tests ... I had lost lots of weight by then. All the normal vaccinations had to be delayed also ...

It was only after 6 months - after "that" terrible day that I got the clean bill of health from doctor off the KD could Mummy and Papa breathe better ... I had a heart echo review done only last month and doctor says that everything's normal :D

I want to thank God for preserving my life and also I want to acknowledge the Lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ over my life ! All Glory to God ! All Glory to God ! All Glory to God !

So, if you want to know more about the Kawasaki Disease, a good website will be Kawasaki Disease Foundation http://www.kdfoundation.org/

Please read it.

The cause(s) of the Kawasaki Disease remain(s) unknown till today but the number is on the rise, so please tell all your friends about it and be educated as this is an urban phenomena. Thank you.