The "Shang" season

A few weeks ago, I was way-laid by the stomach flu. It was a strange kind of stomach flu that involved only throwing up a few times, then lingering for 4 more days in the form of upset stomach/weakness/complete lack of appetite. This week, I've struggled with a sore throat that began on Friday and evolved into a massive headache/sinus congestion/coughing by Tuesday. It's still hanging on as we move into Friday again.

It is just as my chiropractor told me - the "Shang" season.

When I was sick before, she came over to fix an issue in my back, and to see about my health. I warned her to stay away because I didn't want her to be sick, but she was not worried. She told me I couldn't give it to her because this was just my body's natural reaction to spring. Come again?

Spring is the "shang" season, she said. "Shang" means "up." She said in the spring, she sees more patients with issues in the upper half of their bodies - vomiting, head colds, headaches, etc. Fall is the "Xia" season which means, "down." I'll let you use your imagination for that.

Maybe there's something to this I wondered today as I thought it was possible my head might just explode. I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens to me in the fall.

The Cost of Peace of Mind

When your daughter has had a fever for three days and suddenly starts complaining that her neck hurts a lot, the wise doctors on the web say "Go to the hospital immediately!" So I did.

I suspected it might just have been stiffness from lack of activity, or too much movie watching (she's been a pretty tired little girl) but it was 7 p.m. and I didn't want to wait until midnight, realize I really should have taken her in, and then spent a miserable night in the ER, or worse yet, have a really sick little girl.

Thankfully Lisa the maid could stay with Ethan, so Megan grabbed her pink bear for comfort and we went. The ER at the KK Children's Hospital here is a slick operation. S$80 will cover everything you do during your visit. We got in to see the doctor quickly, and she ordered a blood test to rule out meningitis. We had to wait what they said would be 40-60 minutes but which turned into more like 90 for the results. You know what's cute for about 5 seconds? Those squeaky shoes people put on their toddlers. You know what's not cute after 90 minutes? Yeah.

I did get a chance to be entertained by watching I Survived a Japanese Game Show for the first and hopefully only time. Don't get me wrong - I laughed, but watching that level of shame and pettiness is something I can skip. Where do they get the people for reality shows? One of the great mysteries of life.

Before the blood test, the doctor said she didn't suspect it was meningitis, but wanted to be sure. I called Ethan because I knew he would be worried. Somewhere in his life he developed a deep fear of illness - is it post traumatic syndrome from living through SARS? I don't know. He told me he'd been very worried, and Lisa told him to read his Bible. Man, I love this woman. He said, "So I went to Lego Bible and then played a few games and felt better."
One of these days I need to convince my son that Lego Bible is not the same as the other Bible.

After all was said and done, the doctor said she just has a viral fever and it can run its course. I have to say, a Singaporean accent is sometimes hard for me to understand. But a Singaporean accent in a hospital full of screaming babies, when spoken through a surgical mask, might as well be another language. But she got the job done and we were back home by 9:30 p.m.

Going to an emergency room at 7 p.m. in Singapore: S$80. Finding out that your daughter just has yet another tropical mystery illness and NOT meningitis: Priceless.

Only Me

My body likes to react to life in a variety of odd ways. This week's crazy illness is hives. I had them once before, when I lived in Minneapolis. That was much worse - I was miserable for three days. This is not as bad, presumably because I am already hyped up on tons of antihistamines for my allergies.

Why do I have hives, you might ask? Excellent question. After some thorough (and by thorough I mean "2 minutes on wrongdiagnosis.com") research, it seems I have these hives because I overheated on my long run Sunday night. That seems strange because I didn't get any hotter than usual, but I did run farther than I ever have. I can't think of anything new I was exposed to or that I ate recently, I am not experiencing any emotional stress that I am aware of, so I'm going with "overheating." I'm inclined toward this diagnosis also because it appeared in all the places where I was wearing clothes but not beyond. It's now spread and is at the moment delighting in torturing my elbows.

I shouldn't be surprised really. My doctor said I'm more likely to have allergic reactions to other things because my dust mite allergy is so strong. I guess I'll just wait for it to go away. In the meantime, I look a little freaky. We're going to the Discovery Centre right now - I think I'll wear a sweatshirt and jeans (thank God it's cool today!) so people don't eye me suspiciously, or run away screaming, "The Pox!!"

Sweet Relief

I think there are few things that compare with the sweet relief that comes from being in the know, from finally having an answer to a long unanswered question. I'm feeling that today after a 2 hour appointment with an allergist. Last November I started reacting to my apartment in a way I hadn't experienced in all my time in Asia. Over time it has developed to the point where constant medication has been necessary. I have meant to see a doctor for some time, but wasn't sure where to go. I asked my regular doctor for a recommendation and was told that there are no allergists in Singapore, only ENTs. I made an appointment with my ENT, but a chance conversation with a friend at VBS led me to see an ENT who specializes in allergies. Thanks Karen!

I assumed that my reaction must be to mold, but my doctor quickly put that idea to bed. Having been trained in the States, he came back to Singapore with the same assumption - people must react terribly to all the mold here. But they've done extensive testing and discovered that the kind of mold here is not the kind people are allergic to. 80% of the time, it's actually dust mites (my other suspicion). They did one of those prick tests on my arm, and sure enough, the three dust mite spots swelled up and drove me crazy (don't scratch!). As did the one for cats to a lesser degree, but I knew that.

After discussing my options with the good doctor, I learned some interesting things. Did you know that you can develop allergies with prolonged exposure? And that having once developed another allergy, others are more likely to follow? And that a nasaloscopy feels really funny? And that it's really easy to drop $1,500 Sing in two hours? It was money well spent though, because I not only walked away with more effective drugs than the ones I've been using, I supposedly walked away with a cure. There's a drug that been developed which you take daily for 18 months, after which you will no longer be allergic. You also presumably will not develop new allergies. We'll see how this goes. I'm just incredibly thankful to finally know what is wrong with me, and to have what I need to get rid of it. It feels a bit like I've been fighting an unknown enemy in the dark. Now the lights are on, and I have the right weapons. The enemy is still there, but I can fight effectively.

So rejoice with me!