Maskless dreams

Ash came to me with one of his usual complaints about being woken up from deep slumber. That I cut short a dream.

"Guess what? I was walking without a mask in my dream and the police didn't slap a fine."

"Good thing I woke you up in that case. They would've caught you soon enough," I was happy I had a reason for waking him up at 1 pm. (Yes... Holidays, so he sleeps late into the day.)

"Actually, I had a mask on initially but I sneezed into it and had to throw it away."

It is funny how masks have permeated into our dreams too. 

Maybe because V had cautioned him the other day we went out that a little slip of the mask can invite a fine of Dh 3000.

Mask seems to have become a near-permanent human appendage.

Hiding places

Today was the last of Ash's exams - so he has officially completed Grade 11. Hopefully, he will clear the papers with decent marks though all this year he has been telling me to let him be this year and that he will study in earnest next year.

Today was his least favourite subject - Political Science - and hence he didnt spend much time studying. Psychology is his favourite though he finds the theory boring. Economics is boring too but we are still hopeful he will follow his uncle's footsteps. Statistics is very interesting which is surprising for someone who found Maths his nemesis until Grade 10. English is a breeze while he is clueless about Informatics Practices which is not very conducive for online learning. Next year, the school will offer him PE as an additional subject to help score marks in case he fails to perform well in the other subjects.  The PE option is there for everyone.

What I was planning to write was not about his Humanities choices. Rather it is about how he wants to spend the next 10 days. Of course, half the day will go in sleeping and he will wake up to have lunch followed by videogaming. That is not good parenting, I know, but that is what children have been doing here in Covid times. The fear of the outdoors and a virus has meant that teens dont step out of their rooms. A very worrying trend that many parents notice in their homes.

So, our man as soon as the exams got over reminded me that I keep his PS4 remote controller ready by 2 pm. Since we have put him on to keyboard classes online on Mondays, it means that he will have to stop by 6 pm. The timings I allow is 3 hours when I hand over the controller but invariably he exceeds the deadline by an hour or two. The two days a week gaming hours will now revert to daily sessions.

I still havent come to what I meant to say in the first place. It is my penchant for hiding his remote controller after play. I have a few dedicated spots but sometimes in an absent minded state, I keep it elsewhere and I am not able to recollect for the life of me where I kept it. Since there is a spare controller, I somehow manage to find at least one of them on the days he has to play.

Today, again I couldnt find it and as I kept searching high and low, Ash came to me and said that I hadnt hidden it after all and it was there along with the PS4.

My other hiding activity involves chocolates and other sweets that I stock in the house for them. The ones that are not hidden are finished in no time. Most time, they detect my new hiding places. I must say I am having better luck with a few new places which unfortunately I cant divulge here.

It reminds me of a story my neighbourhood Madukamootil ammachi told us on one of her numerous visits to my granny. It was about the kids in a house stealing the money kept in the house. So the wife advises the husband to hide it in the Bible, a very unlikely place children will search or open to read!

Savage son

I tiptoe to Ash's room often during the first half of the day hoping to catch him unawares while he browses YouTube videos during class.

"Amma, you have to be smarter than that. I can quickly change the page by the time you reach my desk". 

"But I can infer what you're up to based on your hand movements," I try to play the smart mom.

I settle down on the bed behind to watch him. The mike is on mute and the camera is off in Teams, which is an advantage for the kids. 

The teacher is busy explaining how to go about the vacation homework next two months. 

Why holiday, I groan.

Why holiday homework, the son groans.

Stars and fans

Looking up and cutting pictures of footballers from magazines and newspapers on son's instructions, mother remembered old times when she had developed an interest in cricket and football. It had all been by fluke _ not from her sport crazy brother and uncle who had to depend on radio commentaries before TV entered our living rooms. Instead it had been through hostel mates who gathered around a small TV in a hall after college and evening tea. For cricket, I had to take lessons from a friend who drew pictures of stumps and pitch and taught me like a teacher in school. Football was easier to grasp though not all the rules. But who cared about that when all that mattered were the handsome Gods on the field and the rumbling from the stands?
Now I try to make sense of defender and centre forward and so on, while son claims he's a very good goal keeper and dreams of a career in football!! Like a typical middle class parent, I tell that's for poor Latin American kids who play on the streets and then make it big in the field; our career choices should be more sober and realistic though less glamorous and money minting.
Some time back...
Son: Did u watch any football when you were young?
Mom: yeah, I did. I watched much of one world cup. ( Must have been 1994)
Son: who was your favourite?
Mom: I liked Italy and some of the Italian players like Baggio and Schillachi.
Son: Oh, what did you like about their game?
Mom: Their looks!  I found them very handsome!
Son: 👿🤔😕😫 (goes away looking cheesed off).

The namesake

There is a new baby boy in the apartment directly below ours. Coincidentally he is February-born, is called Ashwin and was born under the same star. On Friday, his grandma came to invite us to celebrate his homecoming on Saturday. I mean, for over a month after his birth, the baby had been at his mother's parents' place.

I went alone, because I couldnt take Mira alone without Ash's knowledge. V stayed back thinking it was a hen's party.

The baby was asleep in his crib when I reached. He reminded me of Ash when he was an infant - puny and brown and quiet. I made small talk with his mother and the other ladies in the block. Apparently the function was something to do with shifting him to a cot, and had a name to that effect. I didnt watch the actual ceremony, brief as it was and the venue surrounded by zealous relatives. But I trotted down for the ensuing dinner despite an already full tummy. Idli-sambar-chutney and chapati-korma and some sweets - most of which had a home-made flavour to it. I reserved my share of the strawberry icecream for the kids. Once upon a time my mom used to smuggle home cake slices wrapped in butter paper that she got at wedding feasts. I am learning too.

The next day, after church, we decided to take the kids out to the park and to visit the shop nearby to look for a neat gift for Ash's teacher. (We hope to give it at the end of the term as a token of our gratitude for her caring ways to Ash). The kids trooped down with the maid while I made last-minute preparations - napkins, water, spare clothes etc for the kids. As I locked the door I could hear V talking in the flat downstairs. I walked down to find Ash peering into the baby's crib in the drawing room while V chatted with its father and grandparents.
"Is the baby sleeping?" I asked his father. "No, his mother is giving him a bath," he mumbled. Or was it a feed?
Once out of their apartment, V chided me for letting Ash out of the house without escort. The maid and Mira had gone down to the car park, while Ash seemed to linger behind for his dad's company. And seeing the door of the neighbour's house open and a baby in there, he had walked in to have a look. Apparently, according to V who followed Ash, the new mother bolted out of the room with the baby and locked herself in the bedroom upon seeing Ash. They probably didnt want the baby to catch eczema! As if it is a contagious disease!
We drove out quietly, upset as each of us adults were about our carelessness. The kids chattered happily in anticipation of the slide and the see-saw in the park.

Five!

Ashwin celebrates his 5th birthday today.

He took a box of Kitkat to distribute in class and a Thankyou card for his teacher (which said: Thank you for being what you are and what you do... May life always smile on you. One of the least mushy thankyou cards I could find in Landmark). I think it made his teacher very happy and she thanked V for it when he went to pick up Ash.

We hope to take him out for dinner or get some Chinese take-away, since he has said he'd like noodles. The cake-cutting can wait till Sunday when his paternal grandparents arrive. From a Noddy cake (which model our regular baker doesnt have), he has changed his mind to a Mickey Mouse cake (probably from watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the morning during his oil massage). But we have already got him a Mickey Mouse cake on an earlier birthday, so I need to look up some other patterns that might catch his fancy - a tiger or a train are his other suggestions.

Mira says she'd like a Tintin cake - she is rather enamoured of the Boy Reporter! Maybe we have a reporter in the budding here.

Ultraviolet therapy

Ash began UV phototherapy treatment for his eczema flare-up today. The doctor feels that 2 weeks of it will visibly clear the eczema, which right now is severe on the face and scalp and leave them cracked, weeping and scaling endlessly. She sent him into a UV chamber with goggles and his briefs on. It hardly takes 2-3 minutes, and he looked a little better than when the doctor clicked his pictures in her room before the therapy. He will probably be an interesting case study for them when they hold conferences and workshops!

Well, the treatment is at SMF under Dr. Sarveshwari, a dermatologist who studied under Dr. Patrick. Our plans for an emergency appointment yesterday with Dr. Patrick did not work out, since the doctor is a man with many other engagements and meetings. Ash's condition was the pits, so I tried Dr. Maya Vedamurthy who a few folks vouched was an excellent dermatologist. She is unavailable till next Wednesday.

And with Ash shivering and his teeth jabbering the moment we wet his skin a bit before applying the emollient, V decided to check with his peadiatrician at SMF. Dr. Thomas suggested that we meet Dr. Sarveshwari, and if need be, admit him in the children's hospital on Monday which right now is overflowing with in-patients.

Dr. Sar saw him at her clinic yesterday night and said that the situation can be redeemed only by phototherapy for 2 weeks. If he gets no better, he has to take steroid shots. UV therapy is safe for children and pregnant women, she said. Unlike direct exposure to sunlight, which has many harmful rays other than ultraviolet, this is a safe treatment option for severe eczema.

Ash followed instructions and handled the therapy well. He did not mind being shut in the chamber and the room encasing it. It needs to be done every alternate day. Hopefully he can resume school after a week.

Over the week

Apologies! Blogging took a back seat in the last few days for a variety of reasons - initially because I had nothing to report, then because the Internet played tricks on us, and then I got busy at work and busier at home.

Caring for Ash takes up most of our time at home, since his skin doesnt seem to be getting any better. We are on the verge of despair and bad health, owing to nights spent moisturising him and preventing him from scratching all the skin off his body. The force with which he scratches himself with his trimmed nails can be felt when we get in the way and get pinched in the process.

I met his class teacher teacher yesterday and she sounded pained to see him suffer. The teacher has advised that we keep him at home until he gets better, since he slept a good part of his 2-day stint in school last week. She tells me not to worry about attendance and anyway he picks up fast whatever she teaches. She tells me that he is not active like earlier. The sedatives I give him at night take effect in the morning, I guess.

Ash has a love-hate relationship with his teacher. The last time I went to his school, he told me: "Amma, teacherinu oru adi kodukanne (please beat teacher). She doesnt play the rhymes I ask her to." At other times, he stashes things away in his bag to give her.

He is also getting too smart for us. When V takes him out for a ride on Saturday, he spots a shop he wants to check out. V tells him he has no money to buy toys. "Pay by card, Appa," he advises his dad. He then spots the ATM his dad frequents and drags him in there to withdraw cash.

He has been insisting on buying a Noddy something which he had spotted in a shop sometime back. I make some searches and discover that it is a Noddy track set from Funskool. Luckily we know a couple of folks who work in Funskool (from the MRF group) and can get us a good discount for it.

Today both kids are at home. Mira, because we did not wake up in time to send her to school! How irresponsible can parents get!

p.s. I am reading Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, and I am absolutely loving it. I guess it is a bit late to read a book that was published in 2003, but then I am just beginning to read DH Lawrence's Son and Lovers too (which I didnt get round to reading as a student of Eng. Litt.) !

It has helped learn more about a country and its people I knew nothing much about save for the crazy Taliban and their destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas. The story may sound familiar to people in India used to Hindi movie plots but the narrative is excellent. I am waiting to watch the movie, which is to be released soon.

Later...

Ashwin's skin has been looking pretty miserable of late that we decided not to send him to school till he looks a bit better. Instead we took him, after I dropped Mira at school, to Dr. Patrick Yesudian in the morning. His secretary usually gives appointments for the week on Mondays - it is easier done in person at the clinic than over the phone (044-26411254).
She told us the earliest appointment was for tomorrow, but told us she would squeeze us in through today's appointments. So in the lull between two appointments, we found our way into the great doctor's room. He told us that we keep his moisturised at all times and the moment it went dry. The bathing could be once a day (well, us Malayalis like to bathe at least twice a day even if it is in water-starved Chennai) and we could just wet him at other times before applying the cream.
The emollient cream he had prescribed in the last visit was Cetraben. We were advised to alternate with Fudic acid ointment mixed in liquid paraffin and and Topgraf 0.03% mixed in the same at night. Fudic acid apparently has v. mild cortisone content while Topgraf/Tacrolimus ointment has nil and the latter is recommended for long-term use. The antihistamine to induce sleep was Phenergan and the antibiotic to help heal oozing sores was Roxithromycin/Roxic liquid. For the scalp, any mild shampoo and for bathing Oilatum soap. He merely increased the dosage of a couple of medicines, added an ointment for a week's use only and advised Vaseline Intensive lotion, if we manage to find it in the foreign goods shops. The doctor advised we send him to school since he would itch less if he is kept active and engaged.
We then went to Ash's school hoping to meet his teacher, which apparently is not allowed during class hours. So we met the Principal, who said that Ash take rest for a week since he would sweat in class or during play and itch more. She told us he would outgrow it in a few years - it is good we have put him in a school where the staff is understanding about the problem. They apparently have a pupil in the senior school who has grown out of his eczema.
As we talked, Ash walked from the Principal's side to the window and watched his peers play in the play area. He entreated us to take him there as we left the room. We told him he could a few days later when his itching is gone.
Later is one of the oft-used words in his vocabulary. Like when we went fireworks shopping pre-Diwali two days back. As V went in to pay, Ash examined the chocolates and stuff on display. When V tried to drag him away, he said: "Appa, lemme just see them. I dont want to buy them now."

The VIP grandson

Ash has gone off to my native place, Chandanapally, along with my parents when they came to visit him at Changanacheri. They had been in two minds about taking him since he had a couple of doctor appointments on Tuesday - both ayurveda and allopathy!

But the moment he saw them he wanted his bag packed and his clothes changed. Achacha naatil povvaa, he told his paternal grandparents and left to see Bruno the lab and the Other Ammachi's hens. When I called him at night he was busy playing with the wagons and railtrack set his London ammacha had got him. He sounded impatient and asked me to cut the call since he had to go play. But before he hung up, he pleaded: "Appa and Amma please come fast and take Achacha back to Madras."

One house has suddenly become dead quiet while the other has woken up to the squeaky chatter of a 4-year-old.

Sporty kids

I dont think I have ever attended a Kiddie Sports Day of the kind I witnessed today morning at Ashwin's school. When I was in school, the competitions included a plain 50 metres race, high jump, long jump, sack race (where u had to hop to the finish standing inside a sack), frog race (where u hopped forward to the finishing point sitting/squatting like a frog), lemon and spoon race (where you balanced a lemon in a spoon in your mouth and ran) etc. I cant remember the others. And since I hated participating in sports, I always looked at school Sports Days with dread.
But today's event turned out to be a day of great fun and merriment for parents, kids and teachers alike. And I have never heard about parents witnessing children's sports in schools in Kerala. V, who initially talked like an Indian dad about being too busy at work to attend something so trivial, agreed to come. The class teacher had sent me a note asking me to send in Ash at 8.30 am since he was in the race. And we presumed we could make a Bolt of him in 15 years since he ran as fast as a mouse.
But when we reached, the teacher told me that the he was in the group event - musical chairs - since the kid he was supposed to substitute in the car race was present today. The teacher's assistant applied a dab of lipstick on his lips and cheeks, and pinned a paper tiger on his shirt. The discipline they can instil is amazing - Ash did not budge from his seat even as we waited outside with Mira. So we trooped off to the venue, which was damp from the morning's drizzle.
Ash did not win any prize in his event though a teacher told me that he always ran well. Most of the kids didnt seem to know that they were to grab a chair when the music stopped. Ash would sit and then run to another chair that he found empty. He ran holding the hand of another hyperactive boy.
There were games that used the themes of Jack and Jill, Red Riding Hood, Parrots and Mangoes, Fishing and so on. All in all, we enjoyed the morning thoroughly.

Promises

I ask Ash, as I towel him dry after a bath at night, what he will get me when he gets a job.

A dress. He tells me.

What else? I persist.

Jetty (panty). He offers.

I contain my laughter and ask again.

School uniform and shoes. He promises.

That is all that exists in his little world.

***
We promise him a bicycle on his next birthday, provided he grows taller.

And as I take him out on a walk yesterday evening, he tells me: "Amma, I have become tall now. Please get me my cycle."

He never forgets a promise. And persists until he gets it.

The big day

IT was Ashwin's first day at the new big school he is supposed to study the next 14 years. So I jumped out of bed at 6.15 am in spite of the fact that I had gone to bed at 12.45 a.m. because I had to cover his books with the wrapping paper and labels the school provided (despite the fact that the book pile had reached us a month ago); label his lunch box, water bottle and school bag; search for 2 passport size photographs of his and prepare a leave application because Ash had taken an extended leave on July 10 and 11 because he was down with a cold.
Yes, me and V are masters at last-minute jobs - such as searching for a pair of black shoes and black socks at a couple of Bata showrooms late yesterday evening, only to be told that the former was out of stock and we wouldnt run the luck of finding them in any Bata showroom. Guess all the early birds got their shoes well before the schools opened especially as Bata was offering a sipper free with every pair of shoes. I finally found a pair of black, school-worthy shoes in a modest footwear shop that also stocked Bata products.
The kids were rustled up at 6.30ish, the younger one the earlier. After managing two kiddie bathtimes and mealtimes and the fist fights between the two in between - while Mira kicked Ash on his right ear, he pushed her and tried to bite her - we were ready at 8 am. to make school trips in two different directions.
We dropped Mira as soon as her school gate opened at 8.15 am and rushed braving many a traffic jam to Ash's school to reach at 8.35 a.m., 5 minutes after the school bell rang. A pentecost lady, who seemed to be in charge of matters of discipline, eyed us herding Ash to his class and said half-sternly and half-apologetically: "Try to come before the bell." We told her equally apologetically that it was our son's first day in school and he would come on time hereafter. We can almost guarantee that since Ash will be taking the school van at 8 am from tomorrow morning.
Ash has a pretty young lady for his teacher, and she welcomed him in. The other kids chorused a welcome too. The classroom is spacious and every two kids share a desk and bench. There must be some 30 pupils in his batch. The lady from our church is the class teacher in the neighbouring class.
As we left, the pentecost lady was lecturing to a dozen latecomers of all ages. Probably kids who come by bus or have dads who are habitually late too.
V called to say after school hours, 12.15 noon from today, that Ash's first day went uneventfully save for the fact that he was upset with the teacher for taking away all, save one, of his precious new books. The books will be kept in school. I like that - the donkey's burden that kids in India carry to school are meant for later years.

Update

Ash was discharged on Saturday night. The main peadiatrician at SMF said that they are hoping for a natural chelation since chemical chelations have side-effects. And anyway since his blood lead level has come down from 188 to 65 ug/dl in a week, and since he doesnt seem to have any of the symptoms associated (seizures, headaches, vomiting, stomach ache etc) and is at his active best, he doesnt want to intervene. He checked with doctors at Apollo and Child Trust and various other hosps in Chennai. He will also be checking with the docs in Vellore and letting us know what to do. And we can increase iron and calcium in his diet.
The suspect for the poisoning according to them is the siddha meds we gave Ash for 3 weeks.


But yesterday night, Ash developed fever, cough and vomiting. Vomiting and stomach are symptomatic of lead poisoning, so we will be going to the dr to check on these two counts. Dr. Thomas had let us go home on Sat bcoz ash had no symptoms.

The homecoming

The hero is back. With a bang. And a running nose.
As soon as he got in, and after the customary hugs, he began exploring the house and familiarising and remembering everything he had left behind. And the new stuff that came in his absence.
One person who didnt seem terribly thrilled to have Ash back was Mira. She sat glum and scowling at not being the centre of attention and did not warm up to the kiss her happy brother presented her. Anyway kids are kids, and she was last seen (when I left for work) playing with him.
Ash had his lab appointment today. The result should be ready in a few days.

Leaden fears

Ashwin's homecoming might happen sooner than we had planned, which was for July 7th.
The test for the lead content in his blood reveal a very high concentration that made the lab in Mumbai wonder if the child was alive at all. V spoke to the doctor at Sri Sankara who said he had a few cases, some from Indian kids in the US, but they are nowhere near the levels found in Ash. He asked us to take a second opinion before putting him on medication.
So V went to Dr. Kuruvila in the morning, who said the value could be wrong (which is what I am hoping too). He wants another test done at the earliest at Lister Lab in Chennai before starting the medication. Either of his grandparents might have to take the responsibility of bringing him here since these are busy days at work for V, June being their accounting year end. We have to plan by tonight.
While the dr. in Kerala says the problem probably started in the neo-natal stage (the traditional practitioners think it is the special ante-natal treatment that I underwent during the first pregnancy, which my gyn Dr. Nandita thinks is rubbish), Dr. KT has his doubts on the Siddha medicines Ash took for 3 weeks. Siddha, I learnt later, uses arsenic, lead, mercury and a couple of other toxic metals in small doses (homeopathy is also reported to use some of these) and since there is no quality control or dosage restrictions, people can put themselves at risk especially if they go to quacks.
Old paint and children's toys (most of which available here are Made in China) are other suspects. Save for the brief panic when Chinese-made toys were banned in the US, we have been pretty complacent. We need to identify the sources of exposure and try to eliminate them.

School blues

Today, me and V remembered sadly that Ash was to have started his new big school today. 8.30 am to 10.30 am in the first few days, 8.30 to 11.30 am for the next few days and then 8.30 to 12.30 eventually.

Instead V went to meet the principal with a letter asking for one month's leave. She was very kind, and asked him to meet his class teacher in LKG - C batch. Right now I dont know how many batches they have. To our relief, it is a lady who comes to our church. We hope she will treat him kindly when he joins.

His ScooBee Day school bag and bright orange St. Johns kuda awaits him. He is impatient to start school since fil's tenants' kids (there are 3 school-going kids, who entertain, teach and play with Ash in the evenings) are away in school a good part of the day. He also has a teacher in Beena Aunty, the tenant upstairs who teaches French at a local school. She adores him as she has only two daughters and Ash is her favorite among fil's grandchildren. Unlike Mira, Ash keeps a distance from neighbours and doesnt enter their houses unnecessarily.

He also has a ravenous appetite now, which mil caters to very well. He is more organised too, waking up at 7 am and going to bed at 10 am with an afternoon nap to boot. We had never instilled much discipline in him with our irregular hours at work. We try not to speak to him when we call, since it upsets him and bothers him at bedtime. We instead get all the information from him grandparents, who are just about beginning to get some sleep in the night. Meaning, Ash is itching less and sleeping more during night.

"Please take me back to Madras when my itching is cured, " he entreats them and us.

Bye bye Bluebirds

I am off to Kerala on a 15-day vacation tonight. Right now I feel I will miss the cyberworld terribly but once I am there, I know I wont have time to think much about it. It will temporarily cure my Internet addiction.
Attending a wedding, a trip to Poovar near Trivandrum (I will try to look at it as a belated wedding anniversary treat from V) and checking out Ayurveda treatment for Ash in Trivandrum is on the cards during the one week that V will be there. He returns to Chennai on 25th.
The maid will go to her mother's home ( I dont think she wants to go to her drunkard husband's place) and promises to come back on 30th, when we have to pack up our bags too. I hope this maid wont give us any shocking surprises in the last minute. She does seem keen on returning. I understand our house, despite the din created by the two little ones, is heaven for her compared to her Gulf stint. Apparently she didnt get 4 months' pay for working in an Arab household; they also didnt give her a moment to breathe.
But I dont expect a Malloo maid to be grateful. How much ever we do for them, they go back and bitch...
Almost through with packing the bags between sleepless nights (thanks to an itchy Ash) and flaring tempers. Most of the luggage are the kids's clothes and stuff. In spite of it, when I am there I will find that I didnt take enough along. Worse, if the rains are on and clothes cant be dried fast enough.
Cancelled Ash's appointment with Vijaya today. We have to see how to work out his sessions once school starts, since Vijaya is available from 10 am-1 pm only. Or I will have to change the therapist. But Ash likes her though she is stern. "Let's take an auto and go to Vijaya aunty," he tells me sometimes.
And today morning, he was so upset with us parents (for shouting at him for giving us sleepless nights) that he told me: "Amma, I want to go to sister's school. I want to go to Appacha and Ammachi and Bruno and the hens."

See ya.

The jugglers

Vijaya tells me that she admires us for being able to juggle Ash's various hospital appointments and our individual jobs (which luckily for both of us allows a lot of flexibility, not to mention understanding bosses). Yesterday morning I took Ash to the opthalmologist about a stye in his eye before meetingVijaya for the speech therapy. Since his session started 15 minutes late, it turned upside down my plans of reaching office before a certain respected time. To make matters worse, Ash kicked up a tantrum for getting him a Nestle UltraPerk instead of a Cadburys Gems from the hospital lobby shop and howled all the way home.

The lobby shop is an unavoidable nuisance for all parents coming in with their wards. As I rush in dragging Ash to meet the appointment deadline, he tells me: "Amma, I dont want juice. I dont want chocolate." He only wants to stop a while to see the fish in the aquarium. But the moment he steps out of the Audiology dept after his class, he tells me: "I want Munch/ I want Gems". He knows I have the time then to buy him a chocolate.

Late in the evening, V takes Ash to his peadiatrician for a 2nd opinion on the oral steroid Depotex that the allergist has prescribed again and also about the immunisation shots for allergy. The paed says the allergy report is bullshit - since it is means that Ash cant eat anything that Indians survive on - and that it would mean that Ash would have to live on water alone. Ash has tested positive to wheat, rice, milk, fish, chicken, gluten, shrimp and dust allergents. He directs them to the SMF dermatologist, who changes his lotions and ointments - Cetaphil cleansing lotion, a non-soap lotion for his bath, and Sarna, an emollient for itchy skins.

Two hours go in that, so V returns to work and reaches home at 10 p.m. That is Indian Working Time. Most people in the private sector have 10-12 hour jobs. I am glad I am working or else I'd have gone mad Waiting for Hubby at the doorstep. Godot would be put to shame by the IT-corporate guys of India today.

Diet dilemma

Ash had his follow-up appointment with the allergy specialist at Child Trust today. It was my first visit to the hospital, so I bungled up a bit and forgot to report at the Medical Records Room so that they would send the file to the doctor's room. With the result that we had to wait over an hour.
Ash's allergy test shows 2-10 allergy for wheat, rice, milk, fish, chicken, gluten (for shrimp it is 55) when the values should be less than 0.35 whatever. The doctor was horrifed to see that Ash showed a high allergy to house dust mites (over 100) and suggested a skin testing before going for an immunisation programme at his home clinic. He tells us that the medicines are imported, hence it is an expensive treatment.
At this rate Ash cant eat anything. The dr said we avoid wheat and milk and continue to give rice, our staple food.He has asked us to continue the oral steroids for him. We need to consult Ash's peadiatrician before we embark on anything, since he had been skeptical of the allergy tests in the first place.