Friday, 31 August 2012

E.R. Moments

Since we get back end of July here in China, we have been in and out of the emergency room of the Maternity and Child Hospital in Zhuhai. This is not counting the regular visit to the doctor’s clinic for check-ups. Despite the stress and sorrow, we somehow were able to make every visit a learning experience for each one of us except of course for our one-year old son Aim who’s getting all the pains during these visits.

Rowin and I were challenged in understanding every hospital signs translations and communicating with doctors and staffs speaking very little English. On the other hand, they were very patient to explain their intention and were helpful, accommodating every request we have just to reduce the trauma for Aim (imagine IV injection through the hand vein instead of the head!)

Sleepy Zek was supportive and cooperative all those times, getting a lot less of his regular night sleep without any single protest though we have been going very early in the morning usually between midnight to the wee hours in the morning. He just spent most of his time turning the hospital TV into his personal entertainment watching cartoon cable TV Channel even if it was in Chinese languages. He alternated this with his math worksheets or computer games, things he cannot just do on a regular day of lesson time. And the best part of each trip was a Mcdo breakfast meal, just like his daddy promised!

Zek was also curiously observing the reactions of each patient child in the E.R getting their infusion shot mostly done on the head for babies and on extremities for some toddlers. But he never did watch Aim’s turn to get the IV injection. He somehow felt his pain too.

Being in the medical profession (though I was not able to practice full-time after marriage), I thought that I have enough health safeguards to keep my family from getting ill often or to at least prevent those critical ones. But the reality is that in spite of my full-time personal home care, being cautious in everything we do, overly protective in their activities, practicing hygienic routines and keeping the floor sanitized if not squeaky clean, they still easily can catch colds. Zek has coughs, sometimes with fever, almost every month and it the same with me and my husband. Aim’s diarrheal bouts, in all likelihood due to his G6PD, cow’s milk allergies, lactose intolerance or Gastroenteritis is like a never ending battle for him since birth accompanied. He vomits at some occasion and his skin rashes never go away.

These situations lead me all back to our Almighty, God our Healer, our Creator and the Most High.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” PROVERBS 3:5-6

Every IV injection to Aim’s body quiet us down to pray on our own ways that the nurse will get it in one attempt, that may the therapy being done without undergoing the same procedure again up to the time we checked out, hoping that it will always be the last. Aim got five times of IV injections within our four visits that made his arms and feet swollen, had fifteen times bowel movement in less than 16 hours and he lost almost 2 kilos in which was hard gained since birth. We can feel some of his bones directly under his skins. We do not get tired carrying him for long hours during the entire IV sessions and even back home since he does not have the energy to cry anymore, has totally lost his appetite and shows no interest about his surroundings.

This is such a low point for us and in this entire event we keep humbly seeking God’s wisdom and guidance for it is always a rewarding feeling whenever the medications, therapies or any treatment done are showing signs of good effect.

Healing is a long course of action in any aspects and our faith in God too is still a work in progress that we may keep it all high up to Him. 

My prayer is that may God guide us to pursue His will in our daily struggles in life and that we may make use of our sacrifices and suffering to be our submissions and offerings to Him.