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Recently we were in Singapore to do additional tests which requires a blood draw. Dr Erwin did a remarkable job, he found a vein quickly and managed to take 6 vials of blood within 10 minutes. Maya was of course very upset, she cried, screamed and struggled. I placed her sitting on my lap facing me, one arm placed on a cushion on the doctor’s desk and Paul held onto her wrist. I hugged her close to me trying to keep her still. Through her crying, Maya managed to say “Please don’t hurt me” , “Let me go” “I’m not sick” and “I need a band aid”. She was a little bit calmer during the 2nd half of the blood draw. She was still upset, but didn’t struggle much.
Unfortunately, by the time the 3rd vial was filling up, Paul started to turn a little white (yes, whiter than he already is) and he kept asking how many more vials was needed, whether we needed all that blood and on and on. Some blood managed to spill and seep through pass the needle and flowing down Maya’s arm by that time. Immediately once the doctor pulled out the needle, Paul rushed to the sink and washed his face. And while the doctor was cleaning Maya’s arm, Paul suddenly squatted down on the floor, breathing rapidly. The doctor was very concerned, he stopped patching Maya up and asked Paul if he was ok. Dr Erwin and I were sure that Paul was going to faint.
However, my heroic husband did not `pengsan’ but all that blood made him feel very queasy. The fear and concern he felt for his daughter was so great that he couldn’t hold on much longer. It took him sometime to recover from the ordeal, however Maya was up and running and forgot all about it 10 minutes later.
We did several tests which measured viral titers, red blood cells minerals test, fatty acids and many others. We are looking forward to receiving the test results so we can go further with Maya’s treatment. But for the moment, we are glad that the blood draw went well and we really hope it was worth all the pain and trauma. I am so proud of my big brave girl.
Spectrum Mum in Malaysia 