Health Update: Thanks for Your Concern, Internet Friends
So, yeah, Violet is basically OK-ish. Well, she has a valve in her that's not working great, but there's an 80% chance she will grow out of it in the next 5 years, and it's not a severe malfunction. We were worried this weekend that she might have a kidney infection and need to go on IV antibiotics but she doesn't, so, yay! But now Zoë and Violet and I have a stomach bug and are looking pale watching TV and moodily sucking on oral rehydration ice pops. Except now we're out of ice pops and I am improvising with slightly salty, very sweet mint tea. Verdict: not bad. My wonderful husband will get us some more ice pops later, prolly, on account of he's so nice.
The three of us are pretty much sick all the time, either with some random bug, or asthma, or general mysterious your immune system is attacking itself problems. Which is very boring. I feel sad especially for the girls; Zoë complained yesterday that when her friends aren't at school it's because they're on vacation in another country, not because they're sick. Violet has had a terrible month and she asked me at one point "am I going to be sick forever?" to which I said, no, of course you'll get better, etc. but it did make me cry later. But we're not talking about things that can kill you, or horrible progressive illnesses or whatever. And we've got money to pay for health care. Actually, it is a significant factor in our calculus of where to live that the Singaporean medical system is so incredibly much better than the US one. So, nothing really that bad, just a slow, steady piling up of glasses of water and tea and bowls of crackers on the bedside table, and fights about taking pills and repulsive syrups, and skinny little children you have to watch all the time.
UPDATE: Violet has a leaky valve coming from her kidney, not her heart which would be much worse. That was unduly alarming, sorry.
jholbo-at-mac-dot-com
You poor guys - I hope you all get better soon.
Thomas broke his arm while being Insane Climbing Boy. Well, it was the Falling Boy bit that did it. And a week after it was set, it had to be reset, because it had moved in the plaster. So he is a bit sorry for himself (though it hasn't really slowed him down much).
Posted by: Nakku | March 25, 2008 at 06:48 PM
I spent a couple years working at St. Jude Medical, one of the largest heart valve manufacturers. If Violet's condition doesn't resolve, you should know that there are some pretty amazing technologies coming down the pike--tissue valves implanted via catheter just came on the market, and I hear rumors around stem-cell impregnated tissue scaffolds that essentially regrow the native valve (timelines on that one are likely outside the intial timeframe).
I can't claim to be a valve expert, but if you have any questions, let me know. Contrary to habit, I've linked a working e-mail address below.
Best wishes.
Posted by: Chopper | March 25, 2008 at 08:35 PM
Poor Violet! Poor everyone!
Posted by: Joshua Glenn | March 25, 2008 at 08:49 PM
Indeed. Poor kids. Hope you all get a break from the illnesses soon.
Posted by: Cala | March 25, 2008 at 09:54 PM
Aw, man, pure suckiness. And here I thought it was little brown people germs making you sick all the time, but it turns out it's little brown people doctors who are helping. I hope you all get better soon and for good.
Posted by: ogged | March 25, 2008 at 11:52 PM
"am I going to be sick forever?"
Oh, man, poor little V. And poor mama. And papa. And Z. And thank god for modern medicine.
Posted by: bitchphd | March 26, 2008 at 12:32 AM
Poor things :(
Posted by: jeet | March 26, 2008 at 04:36 AM
Well, kidney better than heart, but I still think you really don't have to be modest about being a worried mama.
Posted by: bitchphd | March 26, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Oh, good!
Posted by: Chopper | March 27, 2008 at 04:30 AM
Poor kids, I feel your pain. We all got stomach flu for Easter... (there are three adults in my household), M got it first and was struck Friday morning and thought it was food poisoning (she had leftovers of an omelet with hollendaise sauce that had been left in the car...). Alas we couldn't be so lucky, I came down with it Saturday afternoon and J started in overnight Saturday. BUT it was a short-burn virus, I was the last to recover and after sleeping until nearly noon today I feel totally over it.
good luck all! Healing thoughts from Kansas City, MOO
Posted by: Paula Helm Murray | March 27, 2008 at 09:18 AM
Oh goodness, I hope Mei-Mei is feeling better very soon (coming in late here.)
Posted by: Helen | March 30, 2008 at 10:31 AM
That's really bad news. How lousy for you all.
Posted by: Dan Hardie | April 02, 2008 at 12:36 AM