Sept 30, 2008

PBMT - Day 293

Kids can be very unpredictable at times, especially Adrian. We have been scratching our heads to find ways to fetch him some carbs in his diet and we almost ran out of choices. So we went back to ground zero and gave him some rice... Surprisingly he took it this time around!! What a relief to see him having a more balanced diet but we have no ideas how long it's going to last...

Like many other kids in Nursery/Kindergarten, Adrian dressed up like a Chinese Doll to school on Casual Day, as well as the day before the National Day October 1st. He likes the outfit very much that he kept giggling when looking at the mirror. Here are the pictures taken from our cell phone.



Sept 29, 2008

PBMT - Day 292

We arrived the out-patient clinic at QMH around 09:30 and have only waited an hour before we see our doctor! We were lucky that it's Dr Chiang who saw us today who went through everything in so much detail. First, he looked at Adrian's weight and height (12.6 kg & 89.5 cm tall) against the graph and told us Adrian's measurement only lies between the 25th & 50th percentile. At least he's in proportion though he looks smaller when compared to other kids his age. We also talked about vaccination schedule and he was so kind to actually call up the nurses and book Adrian to go for his first shot on the first anniversary of his tranplant (this coming Dec 10th). On the other hands, results for the last VMA/HVA was normal. However, because of the recent melamine contaminated milk scandal in Hong Kong, we mentioned to Dr that Adrian (& Mama) has been drinking those UHT milk for over a year. He wrote us a referral to the clinic for a thorough check up on Adrian and it's good that it's scheduled on Oct 10th which falls on a school holiday. Our next appointment will tentatively be on Nov 24th, which will hopefully after his next 6-months CT Scan to be scheduled in November.

Sept 27, 2008

PBMT - Day 291

Adrian's hair has gotten very long and messy that we have been thinking of giving him a haircut. The question is whether we'd do it or have a professional haircutter perform the task. So today we made the decision of taking him to a stylist for a haircut! We brought along our laptop and Adrian's favorite DVDs just to keep him entertained. Amazingly, Adrian behaved VERY WELL during the entire cut that he seldom moves and we thought we could have left the laptop home!! We later went for Italian food after the cut where Adrian sampled Fettucine in cream sauce for the first time. It's also his first time trying out food that was not made by Mama (except the congee at QMH). However, he wasn't brave enough to try the Pizza though.. maybe next time!

Adrian's first experience at the salon!!!




Sept 26, 2008

PBMT - Day 290

Adrian tried "cake" for the first time at school!! (Birthday cake is served at school on the last Friday of each month to celebrate kids' birthdays that month). He is getting more used to the school life after a few days break at home. He used to still cry a minute or two (according to the teacher) when he sees me leaving every morning but he didn't anymore in this 2 days. We are seriously considering of putting him full day at school rather than half day so he can be more independent (e.g. self serving his meals etc.). Adrian will start his VMA/HVA free diet tonight for urine collection on Monday for the follow up appointment at QMH.

Sept 24, 2008

PBMT - Day 288

No school again because of the Typhoon and Adrian got an extra day staying home for rest. Adrian refused to have carbs again these couple of days. Can't imagine he could be that unpredictable... he loved penne so much last week but he totally hated it this week. Will try something different tomorrow.

Sept 23, 2008

PBMT - Day 287

It's good to see the rash on Adrian's leg is fading away meaning it's not something scary (NOT chickenpox!!!). The school teacher called us to see how Adrian's doing. We told her that Adrian got better with no more fever and the rash has almost gone. Mama was surprised to know there's no school today because Typhoon signal 3 was hoisted. So Adrian has only missed 1 day of school so far...

Sept 22, 2008

PBMT - Day 286

No more fever for Adrian but we decided to keep him home. Papa called the school this morning telling them about Adrian's situation and that he may be absent for the entire week because of the suspected rash. Adrian still has the runny nose and even has some coughs at times. He's not getting better for his cold symptoms and we have stopped giving him Chinese herbs since he has so much meds on his plate. Mama had a break this afternoon and went shopping by herself on Papa's last day of vacation. We could have gone somewhere together if Adrian was not sick...

Sept 21, 2008

PBMT - Day 285

We paid a visit to QMH after realizing Adrian developed mild fever (38 C) early this morning. Apart from the high temperature, we noticed his right leg has gotten some rash around the "HSV" site. Since Adrian still has the cold, fever and the rash, we were not allowed to go into the ward but had to wait outside to be seen by the doctor. The doctor later came out to check on Adrian and we were lucky that Dr Chan saw us on his way to the ward. Both doctors examined the suspected rash and they had no ideas what it was. It could be Chickenpox or just regular viral rash. They prescribed Adrian 5-day of Acyclovir just to play safe and we have to monitor closely how the rash develops. Adrian, on the other hand, remains cheerful and playful except he feels a bit more tiring than usual.

Sept 18, 2008

PBMT - Day 282

We decided to take Adrian to see the doctor for his cold as well as a "mosquito bite like feature" on his leg. Instead of bringing him to QMH, we brought him to see a Pediatrics doctor - the one who diagnosed the tumor inside Adrian's body in Feb 2007 and referred us to QMH. Adrian was very well behaved during the entire consultation that he didn't cry a bit when he was measured, weighted and even when the doctor examined his abdomen. We were given Piriton to control his runny nose and Acyclovir for the "mosquito like" feature on his leg which was in fact HSV I. Lucky that it's not something major and we suspect he probably got the germs from school.

Sept 17, 2008

PBMT - Day 281

Approximately a week after Adrian recovered from his cold, he developed runny nose again early this week. It's more serious this time that the teacher suggested us to keep Adrian home tomorrow so he could take some rest. Adrian, however, remains energetic and playful. Given Papa is on vacation this week - we drove to Stanley this afternoon right after Adrian's nap and had a walk there with the Grannies. Papa, who once went to school in Stanley, tagged along Adrian and toured around the area while Mama and the Grannies went shopping.

Sept 15, 2008

PBMT - Day 280

After battling with Adrian and food for weeks and we finally discovered he likes Penne - which is a good source of carbs!! Thanks to Papa who played chef and made Adrian the yummy dish of oliver oil & garlic Penne. Ever since he's tried it, he likes it more than veggies! So now his meal consists of meat (i.e. fish), veggies & pasta and we'd serve them in sequence (i.e. 3 different courses, one at a time). Now that he has a more balanced diet, he's more adventurous in trying new food these days. On the other hand, he's been snacking at school regularly since last week (i.e. the 5th week after school started). Food that he's tried recently include baby carrots and pod peas.

Sept 14, 2008

PBMT - Day 279

A big family dinner was planned and almost everyone from Adrian's maternal side of the family all gathered together for the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. This family dinner was long overdue - it was supposed to take place over 1.5 years ago when we came here (i.e. Feb 2007) for a visit. Adrian brought along his favorite lantern to the restaurant... Not to our surprise, he was spoiled with gifts given by all his great uncles & aunts. He was the center of "attraction" all night long and everyone wanted to hold him for a picture. Adrian behaved very well as he smiled all through the night that he didn't want to leave in the end...

Sept 10, 2008

PBMT - Day 275

Managing Adrian's diet has been really stressful for Mama these days. There were times where Adrian could refuse to eat ANYTHING we offered him and yet he didn't feel hungry at all. He could go without eating for hours and not feel anything. We took advice from friends and families and gave Adrian different food to try out e.g. potatoes, pumpkin, macaroni, asparagus & radish. In fact, Mama has been mixing potatoes and pumpkin in the soft rice/congee she made for Adrian for years but Adrian didn't get to see the full picture of how these food really look like. Not to our surprise, he only showed interests on some but not all... for example, he takes macaroni (which is good as it gives him carbs) and ok with asparagus & radish.

Sept 8, 2008

PBMT - Day 273

Adrian has been refusing oatmeal as breakfast in the morning and so Mama gave him 8 oz of Pediasure instead. We think the milk is not as filling as the oatmeal and so today when Mama came to pick up Adrian from school, the teacher told us that Adrian had some biscuits at tea breaks!!! It's the FIRST time Adrian was willing to try out the snacks being offered at school - both the teacher and Mama were ecstatic!! That's the best birthday present Mama could have asked for.

Sept 7, 2008

PBMT - Day 272

We bought a new Zojirushi Stainless lunch jar and used it the first time to bring food for Adrian to eat out. It's the best purchase we've made and Adrian likes the new bento box very much. He loves self serving most of the time (by finger though) and would refuse being fed. However, we are quite worried that he's not had enough especially carbs since he totally hates rice!

Sept 6, 2008

PBMT - Day 271

Adrian finished all doses of TCM for his cold and he's finally recovered. We took him for another TCM appointment this morning. Mentioned to the doc the fact that Adrian had no interests in eating and he's picky on food. Doc convinced us that it's normal for someone who underwent chemo, not to mention for a normal toddler as well. We were given herbs that will strengthen Adrian's immune system (as usual) and will hopefully boost up his appetite at the same time.

Sept 4, 2008

PBMT - Day 269

Having gone to school for almost a month, Adrian has finally got the idea... it's the first time he didn't cry in weeks when Mama dropped him off to school. He was a little upset when Mama waved goodbye to him but soon went with the teacher and sat on his seat. On the other hand, Mama noticed some of the kids' "artwork" were on display. For one "artwork" that was showcased on top of the shelf where the school bags are, Mama saw Adrian's name on it!!! It was a "painting" using different kids' rubber stamps and Adrian utilized the concept of "Abstract Expressionism"!!!! Will ask the teacher tomorrow if we get to keep this artwork after display...

Sept 3, 2008

PBMT - Day 268

Though the cough seems to have gone, Adrian is still battling with his runny nose. It's been a challenge trying to make him eat these days (well, it's ALWAYS a challenge ever since he had NB). Last week was brutal that he even refused to have his usual congee/soft rice. We had no clue whether he was sick or he's sick of having the food that Mama made. So we decided to let him try out our meals e.g. regular steam fish, boiled veggies and rice. He's had it for a week and so far he seems to like it. At least this makes meal time more enjoyable & adventurous for both of us. But being a picky eater, he only likes fish, all kinds of veggies as long as they are GREEN (except corn) and some rice. Portion wise, he can finish 3/4 bowl of veggies easily (60%), 1/2 bowl of fish (maybe 30%) together with rice (10%). We are worried that he's not had enough so this "adult meal" trial is only applicable for his lunch and dinner remains his usual soft rice/congee. Let's hope he can be more adventurous and is willing to try out more variety of food and later transition to having all "adult food" with us!

Sept 2, 2008

PBMT - Day 267

Adrian showed significant improvement at the Physio session this afternoon at DK. He can hop on a trampoline for like 10 seconds before he stops. He repeats this a few times until he tires himself out. However, he still can't jump/hop on the ground (without the help of a trampoline) but at least this was a huge milestone for him. On the other hand, he still needs to be held (hands) each time he's walking on the kids gym parallel bars. Definitely room for improvement on his balacning techniques.