I have been trying to keep up with my family when it comes to healthy eating habits. My fiancé enjoys meat with almost every meal but sometimes there isn’t any greens or colorful vegetables being included in the meal. The other day he made ribs for dinner so I added steam veggies such as cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli. It is the most simplest and easiest to make for my family besides, I discover I enjoy my meal even more when vegetables are included in my plate. As for my boys, my step-son eats vegetables at his mom’s house so I really don’t have a problem with him when I offer him cauliflower and broccoli. On the other hand, my 4-year-old is sometimes really picky with his vegetables. He refuses broccoli but enjoys carrots a lot.

I believe having a well-balance meal is vital for your good health. I remember one of my instructors in my nursing class mention about anything that’s too much or too low is not good in your body. If for example a patient has high levels of potassium in their blood, they can have palpitations, chest pain, and nausea and vomiting. In short, no one wants to have to experience any of these side effects. We have to maintain our homeostasis. We don’t want to get sick.

About 3 weeks ago, my little one, Mason, got really sick. He was coughing a lot so I let him stay at home and missed school. He is currently in Junior Kindergarten, he takes the big boy school bus, and goes to big boy regular school. I find it fascinating how a 4-year-old kid can go to school almost on his own. I’m really glad that the school here in Ontario, Canada provides these things for our children. It is such a big help for families and most especially, the parents. We don’t need to spend extra dime to send our children to school. In that whole week from Monday to Friday, he stayed at home. On Monday, he look very lethargic, sick, and with all the coughing I feel bad that he has to go through this suffering. I really don’t mind him staying at home, I just feel so helpless seeing him as sick as that. On Tuesday, he had fever, I keep up with his liquids making sure he gets orange juice, water, ginger tea that my fiancé made for him, and apple juice as he wish. I gave him children’s Tylenol to make him feel better. We slept most of the day. He just really wants to rest his body. The next day, Wednesday, his eyes are still puffy, he look so weak, lethargic, and beaten up. He just wants to lay down so I made him rest all day. I sent report each day regarding his absence. I wasn’t checking my email consistently because I’m prioritizing his well-being and making sure he always has good food and drinks available at all times. His teacher sent me an email on a Thursday which I read days after. The teacher is just checking on Mason, how he is and hoping he can comeback to class soon. Mason was feeling a bit better on Thursday with a little cough so I let him stay instead so he can get more rest and be 100% again on Monday. He was almost back to his normal self again on Friday and over the weekend, he looks better. By Monday, we we’re ask to go for a check-up with a doctor so that’s what I did. My father-in-law suggested it even though in my head there’s no point in going. It was something about his coughing although I can tell it’s almost gone. Of course, as a parent I’m concern but at the same time does he really need to? So, even if I knew it’s just another waste of day, I did it.

The process truly sucks. I went to the clinic only to find out you have to sign up online and that there’s no available doctors anywhere in the area including the assigned doctor in that clinic. I wonder, why didn’t they updated the website because that’s where people go in the first place. It just sucks because we basically wasted all day waiting. I called someone on the phone to give me any suggestions and I was told I can go to the hospital in Trenton. I looked it up and found out it was just 2 blocks away from the clinic we we’re in. It was basically almost behind the clinic. I drove around to find a spot to park closer to the hospital however, everything is expensive. You have to pay $30 or 40 for the whole day parking. Even an hour parking costs like $5 estimated. I find it retarded so I left and went back to where we we’re park originally. After all, it’s not our fault that we have to wait in the hospital because we are not the only patient in the waiting area. Instead, I drove back to the clinic and park at the same spot. I walk instead with my 4-year-old. I have to carry him because he was feeling a bit tired already. I carried him halfway and the other half he walked. We went to the triage, waited in the waiting area. The doctor check-up and assess Mason. He was fine she said and reassured me it’s okay to come by and that if he has fever or still coughs for another 2 weeks, we can always comeback. Man, I do not want to comeback we basically wasted all day waiting for our turn, my son was getting bored. Thank God for the tablet I got him for Christmas. I knew in my head we didn’t have to come there before I even force myself to see a doctor. Well, it’s still good to know everything is good with Mason. He didn’t go to school that day since I cannot drop him anymore because we spend our time from 11:30am to 1pm waiting for his turn to be check by the doctor. The next day, Tuesday he went back to school. Everything went back to our normal schedule the rest of the week, Thank God.

However, on Saturday morning he started coughing continuously. Again. My fiancé was sick after the week when Mason was sick. So while he was back in school from Tuesday, that’s when my fiancé was not feeling well. He was vomiting, has a bad headache, and coughing terribly. He started feeling okay by Thursday but went back to work the next day, Friday. The next day, Saturday, that morning is when Mason started coughing vigorously. This time it’s worst than the sick week before. We’re back at it again, unfortunately. Sunday, I observe him and it’s still the same. Heavy coughing. I took care of him the next week. He stayed at home once again from Monday to Thursday. This time no fever.

The coughing was severe. On Monday, I took care of Mason, I made sure he eats and drinks lots of fluid al day. On Tuesday, the next day, I look up the clinic online. I filled out the form since I remember what to do this time. I learned from what happened the last time we came there. I didn’t know it was that easy. The clinic opens at 9:30am. I signed up around past 7am. I knew someone will call me by 9:30am. I was right. A lady called and speak to me on the phone. She scheduled us right away on a Zoom video chat call. I did not mind the waiting because I didn’t have to get out of the house to go there. It was about 15 minutes wait which is not bad at all. I chat with the doctor about my son’s situation. The doctor heard Mason’s cough so it helped him figure out what was going on and what to give him specifically. He sent his prescription to the closest pharmacy from us. Well, that seems so easy after all. I’m glad.

The process I have to go through was not fun at all. The night before, I made sure I took the car seat from our car since my fiancé takes the car every time he goes to work unless I need it. My brother-in-law is around. It’s his days off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I have him drive us to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription. Boy, it was not easy. The Pharmacist told me they do not do compound and has no equipment to do required process in their facility. Well, whatever compound means. The way I understand it is, they have the prescription in pills and needs it in liquid version as what the doctor must have prescribed. I was ask to go to shopper’s drug mart instead. I went there. Let me tell you, the counter in the pharmacy section was full of prescription bags. They’re white paper bags with shopper’s drug mart logo and other information in them. I believe there’s more than 10 bags in there from the look of it. Everyone is busy working. I talk to one of them to help me and I was told I have to wait for an hour and comeback. That’s when it will be ready so, we drove back home to have lunch and hang-out while waiting. I made sure it’s more than an hour so we had a big lunch. Mason and I had rice and tuna fish. It was around past 11 am when I order the prescription. We drove back by 2pm to pick up the prescription. When I got there, the line was very long. About 4 people ahead of me. I spoke to the lady in the counter and told me I have to wait again for about 20–30 minutes as the Pharmacist need to confirm the prescription etc. Finally, after another 20 minutes, she called the pharmacist to confirm and I finally got it. I paid $50+ since we don’t have a drug plan. For a 54ml of liquid medication. 1 take meaning my child needs to drink the whole thing to help him feel better. Not only that, it must have taste disgusting as the Pharmacist warned me, I don’t know how you are going to make him drink it but it’s 1 take and he needs to take the whole bottle after dinner.

So we got back home. We prepared dinner. I fed him his dinner. My fiancé came home from work, Thank God. He confirmed the prescription on the phone before we gave it to Mason. Man, the child hates it, he clearly despise this medication. HAHA! The Pharmacist also told us the child might be bouncing off the wall and can become alert and hyper. Well, here’s what actually happened. I filled up the whole medication syrup cup, it was about 20ml, he refuses after drinking that much hoping it was the last one. Oh wait, there’s more! The struggle of asking him to drink the rest was really frustrating. He was crying, screaming, saying No I don’t want that, it taste yucky. He keeps refusing, pushing it away, and shutting his mouth when I try to give it to him. My fiancé has been explaining to him why he needs to take it and that he doesn’t have a choice since it will make him feel better after. He also told him, the medication is not supposed to taste good. Still. Nothing! Mason was still refusing while crying. We didn’t have a choice but to force it on him, my partner put the medication bottle in his water bottle and he drank from there. He notices it after he drinks a few times from it. He was very upset and crying the whole time. It was exhausting! The last few ml I force it in his mouth. Guess what happen after? He fell asleep. Snap! Just like that, five minutes after all the crying, he settled down, laid on his side in the couch and fell asleep automatically. He’s done for the day and need his rest.

I let him stay on Wednesday and Thursday to get all the rest he needs. Friday, he seems in a better mood and good health. I sent him to school. Saturday and Sunday, he’s totally back! I notice the glow in his face, the sparks in his eyes as he talk, and the non-stop chatting as if he’s narrating a story from a kid’s television show. He started playing his Legos and train tracks, building trucks, and having fun coloring. It was really nice that he’s back again. The excitement he feels when he discovered he could build something new with his Lego. I really think he will be a Lego master builder.

In the last few days, I’ve been keeping up with his liquids between orange juice, apple juice, green smoothies, and berry smoothies, and of course, water. I’ve been adding vegetables and oranges in his lunch box for school. At home, we have a combination of meat and vegetables for almost every meal. I think having a well-balanced meal contributes to your well-being. We really have to pay attention to what we eat at all times most especially when we have children at home. This has been a whirlwind experience of taking care of my sick child. Whew! Thank God for all the strength and motherly love he gave me to overcome these challenges.