All About Your Child

“I have good news and bad news.” That was how the Chiropractor started the conversation on our second visit.

Before we talk about the results.
Take a look at WHAT Keatkeat claimed is his ‘COMFORTABLE posture’.

So this explains perfectly why his spine is twisted and why the Chiropractor said these on our first visit on Monday 14th may 2012:

1. His right ear is higher than his left.
2. His right shoulder is lower than his left.
3. His spine is in a slight S-Shape.
4. His left pelvic bone is rotated forward, while his right pelvic bone is rotated backward.

Ok, back to the clinic……..
In great details, he pointed out the misalignment in Keatkeat’s spine.

Indeed, his spine IS bent.
There are 3 separate bends in his spine, causing his spine to bend towards the right side.
That’s the bad news.

So what’s the good news?
Its NOT a proper Scoliosis.
So is it Scoliosis?
Nope!

There is an S-shape, but the top part was curved off at the neck area, which is a little hard to see because the jaws and the teeth are at the same angle too in the X-Ray.

But well, he is the PRO in this, so if he says so, then there must be it. Yet, like I had mentioned in my previous post “Scoliosis in Children“, he does not just say it, he PROVES it. He went over to Keatkeat and pressed onto ‘that curved part’ on his neck and Keatkeat frowned.

“Is it painful?” The young Chiropractor asked.

“Mm!” the 8 year old maintained his frown.

So he scheduled Keatkeat to go for TWICE A WEEK treatment for the first one month or so before he would conduct a review again.

With good posture habits and constant treatment from him, Keatkeat has a great chance of having his back re-aligned completely really quickly.

Well, to me. THAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM!

Since young, we had been nagging telling him constantly to sit properly, walk properly (because he does not land his feet on his heels when he walks, he lands on the side of his feet), stand properly.

Did it work? Yes. Immediately! He gets into position just like how soldiers would suddenly stiffen up when they see a high rank officer pass by, but it only last for a few seconds and he is back to his old improper posture.

Like I had said in the first post on this topic, habits die hard, BAD habits die harder!

So its going to be a BIG CHALLENGE for US as parents to keep that Primary 3 kid’s back straight. *twisted frown*

Next,
the money issue.

The Chiropractor did not give any estimates as to how long it will take before he would discharge Keatkeat.
So THAT’s another BIG PROBLEM.
Hhhmmmm….
*double twisted frown*

After all questions were answered, he gave Keatkeat the very first realignment/massage treatment. Keatkeat was SO TENSED UP!!!

I was surprised!

He was so happy when he was at the Chinese Chiropractor’s clinic, even on his very first visit there. He loved the whole session plus the ‘tui na’ (massage) treatment. See post “Child Chiropractor”

But not in this second Chiropractor Clinic. He was so tensed up, the Chiropractor dare not do it in fear of hurting him. It was after LOTS of persuasion, he managed to get one press done. Then he had to go into yet another round of coaxing “relax buddy” multiple by countless times BEFORE he can get another successful press on Keatkeat’s body.

Then the ultimate MOMENT came when the experienced Chiropractor twisted his whole body and “BOOoooop..!” *HUGE LAUGH*

Keatkeat farted in his face!!!!

*Huge Laugh*

The poor doctor moved away immediately with great pose!
I guessed its pretty common for him when the ‘right’ twist is done. *giggle*

In less than 4 mins, the treatment was over!
*jaws dropped*

The Female Chinese Chiropractor would massage for Keatkeat for at least 10-15mins!
What a Big Difference!

We saw the subsidised package before we left the clinic, hey! its not as pricey as we thought! It was $40 per visit, comparable to the first Chiropractor which we went to. We felt more relieved.

However, we did not commit because we wanted to seek feedback from the patient first.
We wanted to know if Keatkeat preferred the Female Chinese Chiropractor cum Physician or this second Chiropractor.

Here’s what my my boy said as we walked away from the Chiropractor Clinic: “This doctor press so little only and I am very scared when his press my back. The chinese doctor press very long and I feel very comfortable after that. Now after this doctor press, I already feel uncomfortable.”

Yes, the Chiropractor did mention that Keatkeat would feel uncomfortable after the re-alignment treatment, so we do not think that that is an issue.

But what we liked about the first Chiropractor is she has medication for Keatkeat’s tummy and other health issues, at the same time she could re-align his spine for him.

So we are torn between the first Chiropractor and this second one.

In the end, after much discussion. We chose BOTH!
Yes, you might think we are crazy.
But to us, both had Pros which the other does not have, and now that the price is comparable, there are indeed no Cons for either of them.

Our aim is very simple: To Get Keatkeat Back in Shape.

So that’s it.
X-ray report is out and decision is made.
*thumbs up*

I want to take this opportunity to thank my new found Facebook friend, Jennifer Lim for giving me the 50% voucher. With that, it helped me to decide which Chiropractor to go to in the sea of Chiropractors, to seek my second opinion from. *smile*
Thank You Jennifer. *hugs*

So was it Scoliosis?

I did not want to blog about this because I am emotionally unstable and mentally stressed after what happened on Monday 14th May 2012. I wanted to wait for the report to be out tomorrow before I blog about this.

However, after receiving so many questions from all over the place: Facebook, SMS, phone calls, emails, etc. I decided to post this up for all to read.

Monday 14th May 2012: We consulted the second child chiropractor. As mentioned in my “Child Chiropractor” post, we purely wanted to seek a second opinion, NOT that there was anything wrong with the first child chiropractor cum Chinese physician.

We swung from a simple down-to-earth Chinese Medical Clinic to a high end (in my view) professional, multi-branch-ed English Medical Clinic.

We swung from a consultation that cost $48 (with medication + massage) to a consultation that cost $100 WITHOUT anything else.

Even after presenting the 50% discount voucher and with a pre-arranged X-ray scheduled on Tuesday 15th May 2012, the total cost came up to be $214.00!

*jaws dropped*

So what did this second Child Chiropractor said about Keatkeat?

I only have one word to summarise the 15mins consultation :  Disheartening.

He did not just say it, he PROVED it.

Yes, we get to feel it with our own hands (with the doctor assistance)  and we saw it with our own eyes.

Let me list down Keatkeat’s issues: ~

1. His right ear is higher than his left. Meaning his head is tilted towards the left side.
2. His right shoulder is lower than his left. Thus there is always a strain on his neck because it is always in a flip-side-C position.
3. His spine is in a slight S-Shape. The X-ray will show how ‘serious‘ the S-shape is and to what degree.
4. His left pelvic bone is rotated forward, while his right pelvic bone is rotated backward. As a result, he has a shorter right leg, which will cause him to limp.

My first born came to this world with a beautifully perfect spine. So what happened???

This second Child Chiropractor’s verdict was, “Its likely Scoliosis.” Then he turned towards us and asked, “Anyone in the family have Scoliosis?”

Allan stepped forward and said, “I have.”

I went “HUH??!!!”

I know that Allan has a ‘MISSING PIECE’ in his lower spine but I did not know that his spine was S-Shaped!

Allan continued, “I was diagnosed with this when I was in Primary School, but soon after, the Health Promotion Board discharged me.”

With those words coming out from the patient’s father’s mouth, the doctor affirmed that it IS Scoliosis. He said that when someone in the family has Scoliosis, it increases the chance of the next generation to have Scoliosis by 30%.

However, he also said that it usually happens to female and pretty rare to happen to children of Keatkeat’s age, normally symptoms start to appear on older children.

The Child Chiropractor also mentioned that based on ‘his touch’, Keatkeat’s condition does not seem serious, however, because he is still growing, there is no guarantee that it would not get worse.

He talked about how scoliosis in children could worsen suddenly during puberty stage. It is an illness that needs long term close monitoring, at least until the age when he stops growing, 23 years old.

*faint*

He is only 8 years old now! That would be 15 years of close monitoring and endless reminders (or nagging) of, “Sit properly”, “Walk Upright”, “Put a Pillow Behind your back to support it”.

*My heart sank*

I walked out of the clinic with the ‘heavy’ receipt and a heavy heart….

Tuesday 15th May 2012: We went for the X-Ray at Camden Medical Centre. We were told that we could not go to our preferred X-Ray centres, we MUST go to this one. *sigh*

Watching him in the room from the see-through glass suddenly made me realised how big and matured my boy has become. The doctor told him to stay still and not move, he did as told. He dare not even move his lips, which he usually would when he is nervous! *giggle*

Anyway, my Keatkeat had fun in the X-Ray room. He said with his cartoon voice, “It was so Cool! The X-Ray machine can go up and down by itself!” when he came out.

After he had changed out of his X-ray shirt, we saw the result on the screen. I saw that his spine is indeed in a slight S-Shape. But all that my cheeky boy looked at was his ‘little elephant’, which was captured in the X-ray too. *laugh*

Tomorrow, 17th May 2012, we will be going back to the Child Chiropractor to find out what he has deduced from the X-Ray.

………

Scoliosis In Children

BackDated Post: 3rd May 2012

In one of the previous post last week, I mentioned that Keatkeat’s health took a turn for the worse. Here’s why.

• First was cough. Night time is the worse. Cough till vomit.
• Then runny nose ran in to make things more complicated.
• Persistent Tummy ache did not want to miss the party either.
• Aggravated his back pain.
• Insomnia hit eventually.
• Headache followed.

Without proper rest, which human can truly recover?

His back pain became so severe, he could not sit for long and had to keep fidgeting in class (according to him). Well, its the same when he is at home.

We had to ‘cure‘ his insomnia first, or else there is no way he could be well enough to go for the mid-year examination. He has already taken ‘enough‘ MCs, in my opinion, to miss out on the tips the teachers had been giving for the coming papers.

Back Pain was the killer to his beauty sleep. Keatkeat had been complaining about the discomfort on his lower back for about a year now, but it was occasional and its usually complained in this way, “Mummy, my back very uncomfortable.”

But NEVER once did he say ‘Pain’.

This was the first time, he mentioned the word ‘PAIN’ and that worries me terribly because till now, I am still wondering if Allan’s ‘missing piece‘ on his lower spine would be hereditary.

So with that said, I need verification.

We started looking for Child Chiropractor.

Law of Attraction does work in our lives! When we were buying a floor mat, to put under our roller chairs, to protect the floor in our temporary home, the Chiropractor Clinic was right beside the shop! *grin*

We did hesitate a little because of the clinic’s appearance.

We wonder about the cost.
We wonder if the Chiropractor treats children.
We wonder about how many times Keatkeat needs to go through it before the pain will go away for good.
Hundreds of wondering thoughts filled our minds.

……..

Then I decided to stop all the ‘What If‘ and pushed the door. Ring Ring Ring, the wind chime hung on the door rang.

“Come In” a voice spoke. But we saw no one!!!

So eerie! *laugh*

Not a single soul at the reception area but after the voice repeated “Come In”, we realised it came from a small window from the consultation room.

We pushed another door and there she sat with her long-sighted glasses and hair neatly tied up. Hung on the wall behind her was 4 big Chinese words “Yi-Shu-Gao-Ming” (superior medical skills)

Yes, she is from China and to me, when it comes to ‘Tui-Na’ (manipulative therapy), I think they are the best.

My uncle has been a Chinese Physician for more than 40 years now. However, he no longer prescribe liquid medicine nor tablet medication any more. So those 3 bowls of water, boiled with the herbs, to one bowl of medication, Keatkeat has problem taking even one sip.

So I had no choice but to seek help else where.

Ok, back to this Female Chinese Child Chiropractor cum Physician. She started her diagnosis and every word that she said hit bull’s eye!

• “He has been having wind in his stomach and weak gastric for a very long time
• He does not eat much as a result
• So he has problem concentrating for long periods of time
  
• He also have headache
• He could not sleep well at night because of the discomfort in his stomach
• And that discomfort is causing his back to hurt
• If he carries on this way, it will affect his growth, which also explains why he is almost the same build as his younger brother.”

I was literally nodding all the way!!!

Then a sentence came out of her mouth and made my heart skipped a beat:

“He is suffering in this body.”

*silence*

I felt like crying because all these while I felt that Keatkeat is just being a complain-some and negative boy whenever he complains about discomfort in his body.

You see, he complains only when he is asked to do something that he does not fancy. Yet, he can stay infront of the computer for a full 30mins and not a single word of complain would come out of his mouth.

So I assumed that it was just his way of showing lack of interest in whatever that he does not like and tries to find excuses to leave.

Now that THAT SENTENCE came out from the doctor’s mouth, I have a brand new way of looking at my first born. His endurance level is really high!

The female physician said that she needs to solve Keatkeat’s tummy issues first. So long as that is not solved, other problems will continue.

Then she moved on to look at Keatkeat’s spine.

OMG!!!

Keatkeat’s SPINE is curved towards the lower part!!!!

Keatkeat was born with a perfectly normal spine.

What happened???!!!

Then my guess was proven correct when the child chiropractor said, “He has bad posture most of the time, right? And that is because of the discomfort in his tummy. He does not like to straighten his body because it stretches it and makes it painful.”

She paused for a few seconds and said another sentence which brought tears to the corners of my eyes, “This little boy is going through a lot of pain.”

*heartache*

Then the female child chiropractor started to massage for Keatkeat. Twisting and turning his body in awkward positions, and she was surprised that Keatkeat was so cooperative. She kept praising him, “This child is so obedient.”

I wanted to take photos and videos, but it was not allowed. So the only photo I could take was the entrance of the clinic.

We went there twice already.
She prescribed medicine for Keatkeat’s tummy discomfort only.

Keatkeat’s tummy has improved after taking her medication.
However habits die hard and BAD habits die harder!
He still does not sit with a back support to support his spine.
He still does not walk upright.
He still does not land his feet on his heel when he walks.

*sigh*

We had to keep reminding/nagging him to do so.
Then he would do it, for a few minutes, before he goes back to his old self again.

*double sigh*

I am comfortable with this child chiropractor, however something in me kept bugging me to seek a second opinion. Thus before our third appointment with this female child chiropractor, I will be going to another child chiropractor.

Appointment has been confirmed.
It will be this coming Monday, 14th May 2012.

Let’s see if there is going to be any difference in the diagnosis.
*fingers crossed*

Child Chiropractor

Hi readers, thank you for sticking around even though I was not for ONE Week. *super hugs*

My PC was set up only yesterday. There were so much unpacking, allocating and rearranging to do, PLUS having a *cough cough* kiddo around, there was no way I could get any decent work done on my PC; therefore it was the last thing on my to-do-list.

We are obedient patients.

Since the doctor advised that an X-Ray was needed if Binbin shows no sign of recovery by Wednesday, 11th April 2012, which falls on the same day as our big move out, we sent him to KK Hospital even though it was already almost 11pm after the ultimate basic stuff were settled.

Yes, he was still coughing every other minute and slight fever remained on Wednesday.

However, he could not even get through the first round of examination. The examiner rejected Allan’s request for an X-Ray to be done (I was at home with my sleeping 8 year old). The examiner said based on what he sees and hears, Binbin does not need an X-Ray.

Since our purpose of going to the hospital was for an X-Ray and it was turned down, Allan brought Binbin home without waiting in queue for at least 2 hours (that was what the signboard said) to consult a doctor for medication.

Which also meant that no money was spent for this trip, other than the parking fee and the cost of the petrol.

I did not bring Binbin back to see my family doctor as he said that the medication he gave to Binbin were pretty strong medicine already. The medication could only make him feel better but not a complete cure. Binbin still needs to avoid windy places, air-conditioned places, dusty places (which we can’t because of the big move out) as well as refrain from eating and drinking cold, sweet and fried stuff. Only then, will Binbin truly recover.

So we kept giving him VERY warm water to loosen the phlegm and to warm his throat.

For ONE FULL WEEK, no school for him. Though the MC was only for Monday and Tuesday, I wrote a personal letter to the school to excuse him for the following three days.

Yes, after being sick for 11 days he is FINALLY back in school yesterday, with occasional slight cough.

Maybe he missed school too much, he was so excited over his piles of school work due to him, that he finished ALL of them in less than 1 hour after he came home from school! *laugh*

What made him even happier was a confirmed trip to Jacob Ballas Garden Today! Thank goodness he went back to school in time for this ‘so-meant-for-the-Green-Binbin’ trip. *giggle* Yes, my nature-boy loves the trees, plants, flowers, birds and insects!

Well, good and bad too.

It poured when they were there and the teachers refused to allow the children to use their umbrellas!!! Only raincoats were allowed. So Binbin and many other students who did not have raincoats were drenched.

Guess what?!

He came home coughing more now… *sigh*

Went Hospital but X-Ray Request Rejected

I’m not dead. *laugh* I am just EXTREMELY BUSY!!!! Had not turned on my PC since Thursday, so no blogging for me.

Alright, I must get this out before I have no internet connection for my PC for the next week.

Ok, here goes, a quick one!

Since Thursday, this family has been going nuts over the last round of packing before the big move out tomorrow.

The buzzing in this family is not just over the change of house, but it includes the school work which the kids bring back for the long weekend break (Good Friday Week), plus the daily household chores and something EXTRA came to join in the fun : Binbin, the one with the strongest immune system in the family, fell sick.

Binbin hardly falls sick and like what the doctor said, “People who hardly falls sick gets Very Ill when they do fall sick, because the virus must be really strong to bring them down.”

So true for Binbin.

Thursday ~ Slight Fever. Nothing else. Gave medicine and gets well after perspiring. But fever came back again after 6 hours.

Friday ~ Fever at 38.6 and tummy ache. Gave medicine for both condition. Rebound every 4 hourly.

Saturday ~ Fever at 39.1 with tummy ache and bad cough. Brought him to see doctor. Medicine could only hold him for 6 hours.

Sunday ~ Fever at 39.5 with tummy ache and bad cough plus vomiting. Vomited 3 times. Vomiting gone after we gave him vomiting medicine from home.

Yesterday ~ Fever at 3.9.1 with tummy ache and terrible cough. Brought him to visit the clinic again. Doctor said, “I will give him two days MC and stronger medicine. If he still does not get well by Wednesday, then he will need to go for X-Ray to check his lungs. Might be Pneumonia. However, if rashes start appearing, then blood test would be required.”

Today ~ Sad to say, the terrible cough remained but fever has subsided to 38.1. Tummy still hurts whenever food goes in and pain could only be eased when medication is given.

I am soooooo tired from taking care of Binbin during the night, sleep deprived, as well as the massive packing, dismantling, wrapping and cleaning! *panting*

I have exactly 24 hours to know if X-Ray would be needed. *fingers and toes crossed*

X-Ray Needed?