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Both girls were hospitalized early this month for vomiting, fever and diarrhea. Yasmin had just started Kindergarden on Monday and fell sick on Wednesday. She was then admitted into hospital on Friday. She was so ill that when the doctor inserted the IV needle into her little hand, she didn’t even cry. Maya was admitted the following day. Both girls were discharged on Monday.
When we rang up Yasmin’s school to notify them of Yasmin’s illness, they confirmed that several children had previously been sick with the same symptoms for the past 2 months. Because of Yasmin’s compromised immune system and her sensitivity to tummy bugs, she caught the virus very quickly and severely.
Living in the same house and sharing a room with her sister, Maya of course caught the contagious virus. However, she recovered much quicker and bounced back to normal health pretty fast. Maya was back in school the day after she was discharged from hospital. However, it took Yasmin longer to regain her strength and appetite. Rotavirus was ruled out, however the labs could not identify the virus.
It was a surreal experience for Paul and I. We had both girls in the same room at the hospital, both with matching hospital tags and IV drips. We made the room as comfortable as possible for the girls, with favorite pillows, blankets and toys all over the place. Our little portable DVD player came very handy, keeping the girls calm and occupied especially when nurses and doctors came to poke and prod them. At times, it felt like we were on a bizarre holiday where the hotel room came with IV drips and the girls got matching wrist tags from the `Kids Club’ and we were all squashed into one room. Both Paul and I caught the virus too, I remember throwing up in the hospital bathroom while Maya asked me if I was ok and getting very upset over the retching sounds in the bathroom. And me trying to reassure her that Mummy was ok in between vomiting. However, as parents we soldier on and take care of our children regardless of our own health. This was the 2nd hospitalization for the girls in 1 year, we hope not to repeat the experience anytime soon.
With the growing realization that Yasmin’s gut issues and other possible underlying medical conditions are more serious than we original thought, we are now concentrating more effort in her biomedical treatment. After the hospitalization, we decided to do the OATs test and the Urinary Prophyrin test in Singapore. In the hopes that it will shed more light on to her underlying medical problems. She has been suffering from recurrent bacterial infections and numerous tummy bugs for the past 1 year. Her previous bout with Rotavirus in January 09 has impacted her in more ways than we could ever imagine. All her sensory disorders and stims have emerged after the Rotavirus. We pray that with more effort, Yasmin will not deteriorate further. I hope to stop this landslide she has been on before she is fully within the Autism spectrum.
Spectrum Mum in Malaysia 