White Flag

The thing about staying in Punggol is the huge amount of dust; tiny white specks that settle on countertops EVERY single day like icing on a cake except they do not delight and do not go well with my dark coloured furniture. And not to mention the sand particles that rendered my Magiclean useless as they are too dense to be picked up. Being dealt with such a situation everyday drives an OCD-me nuts. I am either drained from the extensive cleaning or drowned in frustration putting up with dirt.



1-day, 1-week and 2-weeks old filters

But the worst is its impact on the children's health. I find children in this area are more prone to fall sick, suffer from allergies etc. It is hard to ignore how much filth we pumped into our lungs everyday. C's bacterial filters for his BIPAP machine is a constant reminder. These filters meant to be changed every half yearly, I change them every week! The amount of dirt that accumulates is frightening given that he only uses his BIPAP in the night.

His bouts of illnesses for the past 2 months were probably aggravated by that. He had post nasal drip which caused him to choke and cough badly. He also had problems (still has) managing his secretions in the night while asleep. This combination was bad. It got to a point where he was coughing non-stop for hours. He was breathless and tired. It took a toll on his body as well. He had lost so much weight in a blink of an eye. His shoulders and knees crackle, his shoulder blades jutting out, I'm so afraid to move him around now, fearing I may break him.

His upper chest shrunk

Looking all boney and fragile

After 2 months of dealing with crappy days, I am totally exhausted. Last I checked (using a fitness band my hubby made me wear), I slept approximately 3 hours a day - 1.5hr deep sleep and 1.5hr light sleep. After that episode, I told him it's best not to keep track and I didn't need that to tell me the obvious.

So to sum it up... it has been a lousy period. Appointment after appointment for the next 2 weeks to follow. I hope I can keep up without collapsing.

Here's a throwback on C's PT session almost 1.5months back (yet another huge hurdle to get him back to shape):


 

Standing using a gaitor