RSS

Author Archives: casualsentiments

Battling Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease (HFMD)

The thought of contracting hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is scary, I know. My preschooler had it not once but twice. Honestly, it sort of provided me some level of consolation to know that Kris Aquino and her kids got it too–now they’re perfectly okay and so is my son.

What follows are some information and pieces of advice from a non-medical perspective.

HFMD is common with kids. But, adults aren’t spared.

HFMD is viral. Hence, it may reoccur. When my son first contracted HFMD, he was also suffering from colds and cough. His immune system was already down; he was vulnerable. Regarding his second face off with HFMD, I suspect that he got it through direct contact with someone who has had it. His supposed agent’s illness was misdiagnosed as a simple case of mouth ulcers. Had I seen the agent’s other symptoms, I would have prevented their interaction.

There’s no meds for HFMD. I say that it dies a natural death in a week or so. Just give paracetamol for the fever and oral gels like Xylogel for pain relief.

Be wary of the symptoms. HFMD symptoms include mouth sores, rashes, blisters, loss of appetite and fever. In December 2011, I first noticed the small red spots on my son’s feet; a day later, blisters developed (they were many!) Fortunately, he is now able to tell me what makes him uncomfortable, so the moment I asked him to open his mouth wide, I said to myself, “oh-oh, not again”. It’s really important to let the doctor know every visible symptom to aid in coming up with the right diagnosis.

Maintain proper hygiene. Secretions from the nose and mouth and fluid from erupted blisters are instrumental in transmitting the virus to others. Remember to wash hands regularly and make sure that hankies or towels are handy, or better still, observe proper hygiene year-round–just make it a habit.

Serve the patient soft food and compel him to drink lots of water. I guess the food is limited to rice porridge and soup because they’re fairly easy to take in–nothing may get stuck somewhere in the mouth. I also had to resort to using straw just to make my son drink water. No sweet drinks for my boy (it made drinking more painful); just C2 Green Tea Apple.

Overwhelm the patient with TLC. For several days, we lived in silence–that’s pretty unusual. No mother and child petty fights. Everything he wanted, he received. I was quick to attend to his needs. I tried to make my presence felt during his night terrors (though he really couldn’t tell). Bottom line, I gave him the tender loving care he needed. It was such a torment to see my son unable to talk and all so weary.

I’m so glad that it’s all over now. I was a bit composed in battling HFMD this time because I’ve got a reassuring pediatrician (Hello, Dr. Ruby Reyes-Ilaga!) and no unsightly blisters developed; well, there were two little ones on his left thigh. 😉

What is Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease? (babyzone.com)

My Greatest Teachers

03 Oct

Who doesn’t have a favorite teacher? I guess, we all have one or two teachers from all those years in school that we fondly remember. And in celebration of the World Teachers’ Day on October 5, allow me to introduce you to the people I consider my greatest teachers (in no particular order).

Dr. Eliseo J. Cuevas of Centro Escolar University

This man made thousands of students tremble in fear but to merit a one-word compliment from him would feel like a colossal accomplishment. He doesn’t accept “I don’t know” for an answer. “Irrelevant” and “Dionisio mahina” were the remarks he told me that I would never forget. Those words may discourage others but they never did to me. Instead, those words (and maybe some others that weren’t as striking) inspired me to prove myself in his class. Dr. Cuevas instilled in me the concepts of discipline, perseverance, accountability and ambition. If others think he’s mean, there are meaner people outside of the university and in that dog-eat-dog world, they’re many. Dr. Cuevas was right. Thank you, sir.

Mr. Douglas W. Larke of Erican Language Centre (Malaysia)

He wasn’t really my teacher; he was my immediate supervisor who taught me a lot about the field I have learned to love. English is very complex and the web speaks of different claims about grammar rules and stuff. It was with Douglas that I experienced to speak up for my stance. For a white guy, he was never an egoist. He was very easy to deal with, very straightforward and sincere. Doug, thank you for letting me borrow your books, for the trust, for the learning experience and for making sure that I get my visa. Hahaha.

Drs. Aileen O. Salonga and Portia P. Padilla (UP Diliman/UP Open University)

I have never met them. But they stand out among all the professors I had at UP Open University. Aside from being experts in their fields, they humbly live their titles as educators. I could just imagine how wonderful it’d be to interact and learn with them in-campus. Actively learning with and from professors like AOS and PPP is one of the reasons why I’m contemplating on taking my masters in UP Diliman.

Mrs. Ruth V. Dionisio

She’s my mother. She’s my first teacher. Growing up, I witnessed how much her students at Centro Escolar University in Malolos loved her. I thought her teaching would end on her retirement, but I was wrong. Her commitment to educating people is not limited to 30 years of service. Up to now, her former students seek her genius in Accounting and she willing teaches them. We, her children, come to her for her wisdom in parenthood and she willingly shares it with us. At present, majority of her teaching load is spent on educating people about the words of God. She spent more than half of her life at CEU Malolos and she has decided to spend the rest of her life in evangelism, at the United Methodist Church. And she’s very much happy with that.