update on Mummy's health: merry heart => continual feast

not hann but hann's Mummy said...

Word of the day on Hann's blog on 10/10/10:
He who is of a merry heart has continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15b)

Well... I wish the converse is true:
He who has continual feast is of a merry heart?

Why?
cos I'm always eating
or at least, feel like eating all the time.

It's the effect of my hyperthyroidism, I reckon.
hyperthyroidism => increased metabolic rate => hungry all the time

Yah, it's back
and I'm on PTU (Propylthiouracil) again.
PTU didn't work very well the last time, but it's the only thyroid medication that is safer for breastfeeding.
So this time, the plan is to breastfeed for 2 years bah.
Then change medication if I'm still not well...
(oh, me of little faith!)

anxiety is also a symptom of hyperthyriodism.
Hence, I'm unhappy most of, if not all, the time
though meimei and Hann makes me laugh a lot.

sometimes I wonder
Is it my hyperthyroidism that causes me to be melancholic
or I'm sad that's why I have hyperthyriodism.

now, if only the converse of Proverbs 15:15b is true.
Then I can eat and eat and have a merry heart.

breastfeeding no more

I'm exactly 3.5 years old today.

Just to put on record, I've stopped being breastfed for almost 3 months.

Mummy's thyroid disorder was getting out of control.
She thinks it's due to my 2 hospital stays and having to run to and fro hospital and school hence causing stress level to increase.
Anyway, Doc suggested her to switch medication which means she can no longer use the more bf-friendly PTU.
She's since switched to less bf-friendly Thyrozol.
It is also not advisable to get pregnant while on this medication cos Thyrozol has adverse effects on the fetus. so stop asking her when is the 2nd one coming or why she doesn't want to have another child.

photo taken when I was a baby.
check out my funny hair.

So I've been breastfed for 3 years 3 months and 4 days.

I am an understanding "baby" and didn't fuss much after we stopped breastfeeding.
My parents explained the situation to me and gave me a deadline to stop bf.
It was National Day, 09 August 2009.
We were to stop after watching the National Day Parade, they told me.
and so we did.

Amazingly, even now after 3 months of not breastfeeding, Mummy still has milk, though very little.
in the 1st two months, she still has let-down hence staining her shirt a little when she carries me.
it's as if, she can go back to bf anytime if she wants.

"Christmas time then can drink nainai (breastmilk)?" I had asked her one day.
She laughed.
Regrettably, the answer was no.

Mummy's day out

without me! Humph!

Hann's Mummy said...

Last Friday 24th Oct 2008

after sending Hann to school, I went to sentd my other "children" into the exam hall for their EMath Paper 1.

Despite my reminder the day before, people are still forgetting to bring their Math instruments like compasses, etc.

After the "children" settled down, I went for my thyroid review.

Thanx to a colleague who sent me to the MRT station.

Blood test results was ok though TSH's still low.
Me still not coping well with thyriod and got emotional at the clinic.
Somehow everytime I go to Dr Kevin's I'll feel like crying and this time, I just keep tearing.
Doc asked me why but I can't really put it into words.

Once done at Doc's, Decided to give myself a treat at
Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge and Restaurant.

been wanting to visit this cafe for a looooong time but never did until now.

I was welcomed by the lovely cakes.
and surprise surprise, they ain't as expensive as I imagined.
If I didn't remember wrongly, it's $4.90++ per slice.

I sat in the corner by the windows right at the end.

Thank God I was in time for breakfast (I love angmo breakfast).

ordered salmon omelette.

Everytime when I'm out and having food suitable for Hann, I'll think of him and wish I'd bring him. but then again, I'm happy to have some quiet time.

thumbs-up for the omelette breakfast.

the ala carte menu's not so pricey too.
I'd say comparable to any other cafes.
See their website for the menu.


wanteda just have breakfast...
In the end, still couldn't resist and ordered a dessert: honey dates muffin.
nice but a bit dry.


They serve "strawberry water".
Not that I'm a fan of strawberries (those who know me longer may know why. ha)
but it's quite nice and different from the norm: lemon water.

~~~

Next destination for the day was SOTA.
and planned to walk around then take a cab down.

then I met a friend, two friends rather, and their lovely daughter.

This girl's grown to be more and more like her mother.
and she likes me. *smile*

Many thanx to them for sending me to SOTA.

~~~

t's a Cluster Learning Journey to School of the Arts (SOTA).

er.. nope, I'm not a Visual Arts Support Group Member.
Just there to kaypoh and check out the school.

While waiting for others to arrive, I walked around the campus.

They have this very small canteen and I wonder if it's big enough for the whole school.


SOTA is now occupying (until end of next year) the previous LaSalle at Goodman Road.
I walked around the school and reminisce about the last time a friend brought me there.
It's a lovely campus and I wonder what they're going to do to the place when SOTA moves out.

The session began.
After the introduction, a detailed one no less, we went on a school tour, starting with their visual arts exhibition.

What are these two looking at?
A heap of sanity pads?

oo.. they're reading on what are the students up to with this exhibit.

It's actually a student project on habitats.
This group stuck sanity napkins on a broken umbrella.
It sure was the attention of the room.

there're more interest stuff underneath!

This piece caught my attention in the next room.
and it did arrest the attention of a few others.
Cute or what?

What's in the room.

another fun work.


We then proceeded to the dance studio where the students were having classes.

photo taken from SOTA website, scribbles by me.

The students (not this group in the picture) did a dance for us.
I think they were marvelous, radiating confidence when they dance, though their teacher, Ms Cheah may not agree. She's wonderful too, full of passion for her job, dance and love the students.

there were only 2 boys in that class and one of them injured hence only one left dancing with the girls. He was naturally the focus for the visitors.
One of them asked him why he chose dance out of the 4 art forms in the school and he answered that he is passionate about dance.

Seeing Performing Arts, looking at Ms Cheah, talking about passion, reminds me of Philip.
It also makes me think about myself and my passion.
Do I have a passion? What's my passion? and where has it gone to..?

SOTA's really a great school.
One of the staff said, "If I were a teenager, I'd definitely choose this school."

I said, "If my son is a teenager, I'd definitely enroll him into the shcool."
ha. well... I suppose it depends on whether he's into the arts.
It's too early to tell now.

It's a school which belief and approach to education (synthesizing subjects together rather than presenting them as individual blocks) is the same as mine.
Yet I feel too old, too drained, too little energy to join them.

New Konnyaku Drink 蒟蒻 at MOS Burger

Not Hann but Hann's Mummy said...

Sounds like a great drink huh?

It's not a drink really, but jelly. you'll have to "drink" it though. using a straw to suck the jelly out of the bottle.

I finally gave in to the attractive packaging and novelty of the "drink" and ordered it.

Upon slipping it, I realised that it's jelly and...

recalled why I rejected my sister when she asked me if I wanted the drink the last time we went to MOS.

This Konnyaku Drink at MOS Burger is not made purely using Konnyaku or 蒟蒻.

There's Agar Agar added and Agar Agar is made from Seaweed!

I can't eat seaweed due to my thyriod condition.

Hann's papa doesn't like sweet stuff and I'm not about to let Hann try, so the bottle of Konnyaku drink went to waste.

sigh. $2.15.

side track...

I used to be very sure that M.O.S. stand for

Mountain

Ocean

Sea

cos I saw them printed on their tray mats and cups when they 1st started out in Singapore.

and I remembered cos Ocean and Sea meant the same thing, don't they?

I blamed it on the Japanese's lan English then.

It was a good friend brought me to one of the 1st MOS Burger in Singapore.

while searching for the picture of this 蒟蒻, I went to MOS's website.

Then, just to check, I went to see what the website said about M.O.S.

It said

Mountain

Ocean

Sun

Initially I thought I was wrong... I wasn't sure anymore.

Then I recalled telling people that it used to be

Sea but now they changed it to Sun

cos Sea and Ocean meant the same.

oh well...

Update on Mummy's Health

After Joseph went home with his Mummy, I accompanied mine to her tri-monthly thyriod review.

Below are the pictures I took:

The carpet at Dr Kevin Tan's Clinic. Nope, those are not Mummy's legs.

a girl outside the clinic. probably from the pd's clinic opposite.

Doc said everything's looking good for Mummy and asked if she's feeling normal now.

Mummy said no, her hands are still shaking when she's tired.

Mummy thinks how can she be normal when she's still emotional everytime she talks/thinks about her condition. She wanteda ask Doc if it's the effect of the thyriod prob but she didn't, for fear that once she open her mouth, her tears will drop. and her immune system is like on the shut down. she's having a bad sore throat these two days after having running nose for a few days (think I passed to her). In her words, "her immunity is zero".

Please pray for her speedy recovery as she has tonnes of work to do and have to start teaching next Tuesday.

oh well, we got home from the clinic

and Mummy bought herself a milkshake from Macdonald's.

after she finished, she kena gastric pain.

no more milkshake for you, Mummy!

Good boy, Bad boy.

Mummy thinks I've been a good boy these 2 days (Yesterday and Thursday).

Yesterday, Mummy had to go for her thyriod check up and she had to bring me along cos
1. I was having fever from Thursday's jab (more about that later) and stayed at home with her.
2. Mummy wanted me to do a blood test as well. to check for Hepatitis (since my MahMah past away with liver cancer) and for thyriod disorder (cos I'm eating so much and all the time).

Oh well, in the end, Dr Kevin said I doesn't have to do the blood test after checking my neck.

I am a good boy.

From stepping out of the door, I walked to the lift then to the carpark on my own. when we reach the carpark, Mummy will carry me to cross the roads.

When we reached the main road, I said, "taxi, taxi."

Mummy replied, "oh no, we're not taking the taxi. Taxis are very expensive now. Mummy doesn't have money. Hann have Money?"

I answered, "No."

"So we can't take taxi, we'll take the MRT. Hann like MRT?"

"Yes."

On the way to the MRT, I didn't walk though. Mummy carried me.

We were blessed by an uncle who gave up his seat for us in the MRT. I was good and sat quietly on Mummy lap, observing the children sitting opposite me.

While in Dr Kevin's clinic, I sat on the chair next to Mummy, ate my bread quietly and watch the mini fountain on Doc's table. When the nurse draw blood for Mummy, I stood at the side and watched and gave Mummy support. It can be quite painful, you know? but the nurses at Dr Kevin's are really skillful and nice so the pain is minimised.

On the way home, Mummy pointed to the plaster on her arm and told me that she can't carry me so I walk all the way.

Propylthiouracil in Pregnancy

Question
What is the maximum dose of propylthiouracil (PTU) that one can prescribe to a pregnant patient?

"...
Adverse reactions may occur with these medications. Approximately 10% of patients will experience a skin rash. The most rare complication is agranulocytosis, which occurs in approximately 1 in 200 pregnancies. This is reversible once the medication is discontinued. A baseline white blood cell count is recommended. Both drugs cross the placenta, but PTU does so less readily than methimazole. Aplasia cutis was described in 20 infants exposed in utero to methimazole. The risk of this occurrence when using this medication is unknown, but no such adverse reactions to the fetus have been described with the use of PTU. This is a reason why PTU is preferred over methimazole.
..."

taken from medscape.com

1 in 200 pregnancies is not that rare loh... Will you take the risk?

Ah Gong's visit

Rubbish Yee told Ah Gong that Muumy 情绪低落 and "ordered" him to visit Mummy.

So, he did.

with a present for me!

Yes, me! and not Mummy. haha. Hann: O...

(see the background? I already have a keyboard. but this one's bigger and better!)

Ah Gong: Hann, go get the batteries.

Hann: These?

(Finally figured it out without the help of anyone. Took me awhile to get the batt. I didn't know what batteries are.)

Hann: *clap clap*

Told you mummy's shooting skills are *. She's supposed to capture me clapping after Ah Gong put the batteries in.

Ah Gong: Press here.

Hann: Let me try.

Thank you once again for a lovely present, Ah Gong.

See that Jeep in the background. It's my 1st birthday gift from Ah Gong. I already know how to drive it.

P.S.: My Ah Gong was not feeling well earlier today.

Pray that he had enough rest and will be fine tomorrow. God, please restore, heal and protect My Ah Gong. In Jesus' name, Amen!

by the way, Ah Gong made up for not bringing presents for mummy the other day. He bought food for her today. Has different kinds of fish cakes which mummy loves. but Mummy's not supposed to eat fish and seafood now... basically anything under the sea.

If you know any other food that contains iodine, please list them in my comments.

Thanx, anyway, Ah Gong. Mummy finished the two bowls of dessert all by herself.

Mummy is ill, follow up.

Today, Mummy went to see a specialist.
The specialist gave Mummy Propylthiouracil (PTU) and assured her that she can continue breastfeeding and even get pregnant.
In fact, pregnancy will help in her hyperthyroidism. but doc asked her to wait for 6 months.

After that, she went for an ultrasound scan on her thyroid.
The scan took a super long time and it made her worried. Oh well, results will be out in the next 2 days. and as with any other tests, no news is good news.

Mummy is ill

Mummy is ill.

She has hyperthyroidism.

No surgery needed but she needs to be on long-term medication.

Our GP gave her Carbimazole but it's a "Level 3" drug so Mummy is not sure if she can still breastfeed me.

We found on the internet, another drug, Propylthiouracil to treat hyperthyroidism.

It's Level 2 hence safer for breastfeeding.

Mummy was happy for awhile but later found out that Propylthiouracil is not commonly used in Singapore.

She called 2 gynae's clinics and 2 GPs. All 4 clinics don't carry this medicine.

Our GP later found out that Propylthiouracil is not a standard drug in Singapore.

Mummy is sad because she can't breastfeeding me anymore.

She had originally wanted to let me self-wean or even tandem nurse me with my younger sibling.

But now, all her hopes and plans are gone. HyperThyroidism affects fertility too. Even if it doesn't, who wants to be pregnant when you are on medication that is not even proven safe for breastfeeding.

She's not taking it well, cries everyday since she found out on Sunday.

Oh well..., Mummy...

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

You can help Mummy by praying for her speedy recovery and for God to let her know what His purpose is in all these.

Mummy, no worries. I'm a big boy now and can drink Formula Milk. I will drink lots of water and will poopoo everyday even though I haven't poo-d today. I love you more than your milk. I will love you even if you don't breastfeed me. You're the most beautiful girl in my eyes.

I love you, Mummy!