Pulling out a HA HA from sickness

Nursing a sick child is a task that remains a parcel of "for as long as you are a mother you got to do it" things. I realised it can be a time of loving bonding with your child and a time for self reflection. It is an intimate period that can be much more than the outer bare facts of chores, hospital visits and sleepless nights. A fact so true when as a working mother I realised a cheery side to it too.

Three days back, I came home from work to find my 6 year old younger daughter burning with fever. She had let herself under the blanket and was unaware of my entry. I missed her bubbly and cheerful persona that kept the home alive and warm as my older daughter and I were on the wrong side of bubbly personality traits. The thermometer showed 40* C which in Fahrenheit translated as 104*C. With the immediate measures of Calpol syrup and tepid sponging in place, I settled in beside my daughter for the long haul in the night.

My calm and resposible older daughter did all the small errands of changing the water for the tepid sponging routine, bringing enough drinking water, vicks vaporub, a glass of juice, biscuits and before long the two of us were sitting on the bed with the little sick girl. The older girl browsed the newspapers for her favourite riddles section and quiz questions while I was trying to talk my younger one into answering the usual mother questions of when and how she felt sick trying to make as sense as possible out of the mumbled responses I received.

The day after was not very different from the one before. The fever was as stubborn in its tenacity to stick to its high category temperature as me trying to wear the thermometer with innumerable readings. It was equally stubborn to remain high even after 24 hours. The second night was worse than the first as the sick girl vomited from gastritis developed with round the clock paracetamol syrup made worse with taking minuscule quantities of water, juice and soft foods. Another night of sleeplessness, and I found myself bleary eyed with a throbbing headache the third day due to endless rounds of tepid sponging.

With 36 hours of unbridled fever time, I made the decision to go to the hospital for tests which included taking blood for differential counts of WBCs, platelet count, malarial parasites, urine for microscopy and a throat swab. The paediatrician announced that my daughter had a bad bout of pharyngitis on examination of the throat. My daughter was put on antibiotics and ranitidine syrup for her gastritis. By afternoon the same day, the fever relented leaving an exhausted, weak tiny patient and an equally tired mother.

So what is the flip side to this story? I found precious time to remain close to my daughter, saw she had nails that needed trimming, pondered over the fact that she had grown bigger than the last time I had observed her closely, missed the cheer of her voice which always permeated the house as an air freshener, reminded myself again to spend more time individually with each child ( it is a guilt every working mother feels the pang of), go back years in time to her birth, the baby months and the toddler years all of which brought a smile to my face.

I observed the concern of my elder daughter to her sister's and my needs. Her need for attention when she complained that she too had a headache coming on (a feeling every sibling undergoes when the other remains the focus of attention), her strong sense of caring when she refused to go for a church trekking organised for the preteens and teens and instead chose to go to the hospital with us. Her attempts to make the younger sibling laugh with lots of jokes and charades lingers warmly in my heart.

Life, even at its most trying teaches us to be thankful for all the things we have and hold RIGHT NOW. Today, my daughter had two peaks of rise in temperature, but her laughter, chatter and innumerable questions put life back on track. I realise I am alive with the hope of mercy and gratitude from heaven above. Surrounded by friends, daughters and loved ones, the reason to go on in life and explore the horizons become imperative!