GIGA Insect Repellant Spray

I have long been looking for the best insect repellant spray for my 2-year old son, good thing, I passed-by a stall in Festival Mall and was offered by the sales lady this Giga Spray.

What I like about Giga:
 
1. It is all-natural. The best thing I like about it is that it is Deet-free because I have  
    heard a lot about the bad effects of Deet to our health.
2. It is water-based. It can be sprayed on clothes, bed sheets, anywhere, without leaving  
    a stain.
3. It smells good. My son loves the smell. When it was first applied on his skin, he said 
    "Bango."
4. It is very affordable. I bought it for only P175.00.


Tried Insect Repellants:
 
1. I was advised by my son's pedia a branded mosquito repellant made in US, but it's too  
    pricey, it can only be bought in Rustan's. It costs P1,100.00. I did not buy it, instead, I   
    tried another branded (baby/kid's brand) mosquito repellant, which is half the price of 
    what my son's pedia recommended.However, my son had allergic reaction to it.tiny 
    white bumps appeared on his skin immediately after application.
2. I tried another one, it's lotion-type. The smell is not too strong but it's hard to have the 
    lotion come out of the bottle, I have to squeeze and squeeze till my fingers ache. 
    Ooops, the bottle was just newly-bought.
3. I tried the sticker. This I'm not sure if effective since I only put at the back of my son. 
    For me, the one directly applied on his skin is more effective.
4. I have tried an oil-based bug repellant. It is so smelly that even me get dizzy... no  
    doubt the mosquitoes will fly away, hehe! It is definitely effective. However,  
    since it is oil-based, it feels warm on the skin, which my son doesn't like.
5. While I was still in-search for the best insect repellant for my son, my mom tried 
    applying my nephew's insect repellant to my son. It contains Deet that's why I 
    disapproved the use of it.

I also bought one for me...the Citronella Body Spray. I like it cause the smell is not too strong unlike any other citronella products in the market.

My Breastfeeding Experience

I wasn't able to share this experience after I gave birth until Mommy Jazz of SmartParenting chatted with me and asked me about "How breastfeeding helps in losing weight" At the same time, I want to share to all  mothers out there the joy of feeding your babies with your own milk.

I attended seminars wherein I have learned that breast milk is so essential to baby's health.  Before giving birth, my husband bought me an Avent Philips Manual Pump because we both agreed that I will breastfeed my baby as long as I could because I was breastfed by my mom for only two days when I was a baby.

In the hospital, I even hired two lactation consultants to teach me how to breastfeed my baby properly, but then, it was really hard for me and my baby to feed him directly from my breasts. So, I just expressed my milk which for me is better because I felt that I was able to get more milk that way. On his first week, he drank 2oz of milk, but I was able to pump 4oz of milk, so I had extra milk to reserve. I was blessed with a lot of milk, not needing to take any supplement to increase my milk supply but I still tried taking "Malunggay Capsule" thinking it might help more to increase my milk production. I was able to express 9-11 oz of milk every 4hours. NO wonder, from 3.2 kg, my son became 5kgs 4 weeks after.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

I have no background in Medicine but since I was misdiagnosed of Amoebiasis for what was supposedly Hyperacidity only when I was in Dubai, my curiosity on medical stuff began.

"Guillain-Barre (ghee-YA-buh-RAY) syndrome is a disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves. This disorder was a stranger to me until my dad was hit by this disease, and our lives had changed." (definition and picture below were taken from http://www.mayoclinic.com)

Guillain-Barre syndrome destroys the protective covering of the peripheral nerves (myelin sheath), preventing the nerves from transmitting signals to the brain.-

 Late 2012, around October or November, he began complaining about the tingling sensation in his hands, sometimes feeling stiff. We thought it was just a simple arthritis. On January 31, he felt pain on his back and was so weak, so my parents went to the nearest clinic. He was even referred to a Cardiologist but he was okay except for a mild Urinary Tract Infection and an elevated SGPT level.

The following day, February 1, 2013, my dad started vomitting, complaining headache. Anything he takes in, he vomits. He did not want to be brought to the hospital. I told my mom to call me immediately even in the middle of the night if the vommitting persists. Saturday morning, February 2, 2013, I received a text message for my mom saying that they would bring my dad to the hospital cause he never stopped vomitting the whole night.

The next was Medical Center Imus Horror...

My dad was admitted in Philippine General Hospital at 11pm of February 3, 2013, Sunday. "They rarely admit patients on weekend except you are showering in your own blood", said my tita. His former Gastro-Enterologist attended him the following morning, Monday. My dad has a history of ulcerative colitis that's why we requested for his GI to check on him. However, the doctor said that his symptoms of body pain, back pain is extra-colonic. 

Medical Center Imus HORROR

**What you will read here is from my personal experience in the hospital.

 February 2, 2013, Saturday, my brother and mom brought my dad to the emergency section of Medical Center Imus (MCI) because he's been vomiting the whole night and he's already so weak. They told my mom that he needs to be admitted, so we had him confined there though we're quite doubtful about it. He was roomed-in at 2pm. An IV Antibiotic was given to him, plus a dextrose to keep him hydrated. He continued vomiting. I asked the nurse why does he still continue to vomit, she said "Okay lang po yun ma'am". I kept on following up on the nurse station regarding my dad's attending physician who's still not around at 6pm. My dad was complaining of headache already. They just keep on saying that the doctor is coming. I went home and told my mom to update me.

The following day, Sunday, February 3, 2013, I came back to the hospital. There I learned from my mom that the attending physician of my dad arrived at 12midnight. What? Whole day, my father was there, they did nothing but just inject dextrose, antibiotics, check his temperature. I was asking for a resident physician cause I know there should be someone looking after him in case the fellow is not present. But they don't have, the doctor was just texting the nurses for instructions. I was shocked with their kind of system there. I have been hospitalized before so I know how a patient should be taken care of.

What Did You Say, Doctor?
My mom told me that when the doctor came he told her "Ang pagsusuka, galing yan sa tiyan, hindi yan galing dito (pointing to his neck) o dito (pointing to his head)." When I heard of it, I was surprised cause that was the stupidest explanation I have heard from someone who should be knowledgeable of his field. I have spoken to that doctor also on Sunday afternoon before my dad was discharged from the hospital, I asked him what does it mean if the SGPT is elevated? He told me "Hindi natin masabi, kaya nga ni-refer ko siya sa GI, oo, Gastro yun di ba?" I was not convinced by his answer, and the more I became convinced that I should really transfer my dad to a better hospital.

Gifted or Simply Bright

Words:At 14-17 months:
My son could say a lot of words. He does not simply repeat the words but points at the object he was referring to.

Noun - tree, flower, key, light, milk, water, moon, star, heart, wowo, mommy, daddy, ball, balloon, car, pen, rice
Verb - up (for stand-up), down/baba, open, sleep, swim, get, hug

Alphabet.
At 18 months:
My son completes "A is for ___". Apple.

Between 18 - 20 months:
A is for Apple
B is for Ball
C is for Cat
D is for Dog
E is for Elephant
F is for Fish
G is for Guitar
H is for Hat
I is for Ice cream
J is for Jollibee
K is for Kite/Key

Primary Complex

Last June 24, 2012, a lymph node was felt on my son's left neck. We immediately brought him to his pedia. His pedia then consulted a pedia surgeon regarding this because there were signs of sickness observed on my son. He's active and healthy. He is continually gaining weight, no cough, no colds, no any manifestation of viral infection. We both agreed that my son's lymph node is nothing to worry about. However, to be sure of what is really the cause of that lymph node, my son was given antibiotic, the one stronger than amoxicillin to be taken for 7 days, then the Pedia Surgeon advised for an xray exam to be after he finishes his antibiotic.

He had an xray exam on September 5, 2012, and to our surprise, the result was "Suggestive Primary Koch's Infection." On September 13, a PPD (skin test) was given on him. It was heartmelting to see my son cry so hard because of the pain as the needle penetrates his skin, his doctor even cried to see him in this way for the very first time, since my son has not been crying during his vaccinations. The following day, I saw the injection site grew into a raised red rash, right there and then, without consulting the pedia yet, I knew he is positive for primary complex. On September 8, when the pedia saw and measured the rash, she confirmed it is a positive primary complex.

The Sophisticated Dermatologist

My son's pedia was a bit worried of the red flaky rashes he has on his back , she wasn't sure if it was skin asthma or pulmonary manifestation that's why we were referred to a Dermatologist.

Okay then, that same day we went to the Derma. I showed the photo of my son's back the first day the rashes appeared, like a sun-burnt skin. Then she saw his back already in flakes. That was the time I have learned that it was 'Skin Asthma', never knew about it before.
I was expecting for an explanation, why it happened, what triggered the condition, what should we do, what are the foods he could and could not eat, and a lot more. But to my dismay, she did not say any, even a single thing about skin asthma. She immediately pulled-out a set of products from her drawer - lotion, cream, and liquid soap. The lotion looks like a home-made product labeled "Triamcinolone." - printed in blue 'Times New Roman' font, with edges unevenly cut (so home-made isn't it?). The liquid soap is also home-made labeled "Sorbolene." Lastly, the cream, a big Avene Cream, about 1 and 1/2 size of my whole hand, as if my son would be able to finish it, and it's of foreign language 'Akerat,' I don't know what's that.