Turn For The Better

Last night, we noticed a faint rash appearing on Shanna's stomach area and this morning the rash spread to her whole body, including face, feet and hands.

First question to doctor was is this dengue rash? Doctor said in some rare cases dengue rash could appear in this manner, though usually in the case of dengue the red spots start from hands and feet.

*Drum roll* Good news came in the form of today's blood test results. Shanna's platelet count and white blood cells had increased! This eliminates the suspect of dengue. Thank God!

Finally we have a diagnosis for Shanna's condition - Roseala or the medical term Exanthema Subitum. This is the description from Wikipedia: "Typically the disease affects a child between six months and two years of age, and begins with a sudden high fever (39–40 °C). This can cause, in rare cases, febrile convulsions (also known as febrile seizures or "fever fits") due to the sudden rise in body temperature, but in many cases the child appears normal. After a few days the fever subsides, and just as the child appears to be recovering, a red rash appears. This usually begins on the trunk, spreading to the legs and neck. The rash is not itchy and may last 1 to 2 days." This was coupled with infection of the tonsils.

Doctor says if there is no more high fever, tomorrow Shanna may be discharged :) Finally, the IV can be removed and we can all go home. Grandma is coming up tomorrow just to see the little girl.

We're really grateful to the doctor (who by the way is going away for his planned vacation tomorrow onwards) and to the staff of Pantai Hospital for their excellent care.


What are some things we've learnt through this stay in the hospital?

1. Hospital gowns are the clothing of choice for a baby with fever, makes sponging much easier.


2. There is such a thing as a water mat the baby can lie so the back can get cooled and sponging is only needed for the front. We were told this was created by a nurse in Singapore and was sold out when it first launched in Singapore. The hospital is letting us bring back one.

3. Agilent's medical allowance is better than Intel's.

4. Don't expect to get any sleep as the hospital as everyone - nurses, cleaners, caterer, etc etc keep popping into the room even after requests made not to. They are just doing their jobs I know.


Some pictures of our little 'Jedi' girl (so called by her Daddy) in the children ward's play area today (in much better spirits).








~ Audrey