The wife was of course worried. She wanted to go to see a doctor - it was already past midnight!!! Wanting to be the cool mind, i went to my phone and started doing a google search. Unfortunately, all the sites were American so it was all talking about the temperature being 102 F or above 104 F etc. I did a quick conversion online again and found out that it was about 102 F. The online sites said that as long as it does not go over 103, it should be safe to just observe the baby for 24 hours - provided the baby is above 6 months (and also provided the baby does not show certain symptoms).
So i told the wife that there is nothing to be worried about - and that we should just observe her for the next day or so. But the wife did not want to hear that. She felt that Shona was too hot for a baby.
In the end, i did what i had always done - trust the mother's instinct. Or maybe i was just too chicken to shoulder the responsibility if anything bad happens due to us not taking Shona to see the doctor. Further, when i took her temperature again, it was 39.1 C!!!
So off we went, our first family outing so late (or so early) in the day.
We went to Sunway Medical and the nurse attended to Shona. He took her temperature and said that it is normal! 37.2 C!!! We protested mildly, saying that when we took the temp earlier at home, it was 38.9!!! He went on to explain how the thermometers we buy may not be so accurate - and taking the temp by the ear is not so accurate. To be fair to him, he was really very nice.
We still waited to see the doctor - and the doctor himself said that he felt Shona was a bit warm. He asked another nurse to take Shona's temp, saying it can't be 37.2. He was right. Even before the time was up, the doctor could see from the thermometer that it was already 39!!!
Well, he did not see any reason to be too alarmed as Shona did not display any other symptoms like rashes or having diarrheoa, etc. He prescribed medication for her and asked us to observe for the next couple of days. If it is a viral fever, it should be fine by then. But if her temp remains and goes up, we will have to bring her in again.
We were really thankful for the doctor and his nurse (an elderly lady) who were really helpful and patient.
So we went back home and that was the end of our midnight adventure. It was nice to be driving on empty roads!!!
We have been observing her since then and so far, her condition has not deteriorated. But it is indeed a difficult time for all of us - with the wife just recovering from her illness and me falling ill last night too! But poor poor girl was so unhappy today. We had to comfort her all day long.
We hope and pray that she will recover soon - and that this fever will only serve to strengthen her.
This morning when i went out of my house, i was greeted by this sight:-
It reflected how i felt - the cloudy moody feeling. But it also reminded me that even tho i can't see the sun, it was still there, giving me light and warmth - and eventually, the cloud will go away. So even in dark times when God does not seem to be present, he *is* there, providing and making a way out for us.
*The classic 70s disco song found on the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever.
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