Swollen Eye

Poor little Caitlin has a swollen eye! I was shocked to see that she woke up one morning and one eye was red and swollen. I brought her to the GP downstairs who prescribed antibiotic, and constantly assured me, the anxious, worried and frightened mother, that she do not need any eye drop or wash. So I gave her two doses of the antibiotic that day (once in morning and once at night) but the next day, the swelling got worse. The upper and lower eyelids were so swollen that her eye look permanently shut! So we went to the GP again who referred her to KKH.

Here's the answers I got from the doctor at KKH.

• It's not contagious.
• It's an infection of the eyelid, most likely due to her excessive rubbing of the eye when there is a broken skin on the lid. He suspected the broken skin is due to insect bite, mosquito or something else.
• It should get better in two days. If not, we have to go back to the eye clinic. We were given an appointment in case we need to return.
• Caitlin has a stubbornness to reject medicine and spit it out while we feed it to her. So if she continue to reject the medicine and the swelling persists, she has to be admitted to hospital and be put on drip.

So when we come home, hubby changed the bed sheet and vacuumed the bed. Maybe she was bitten by an insect while she was sleeping, maybe not, but we are not taking any chances! I just mopped the floor with tea tree essential oil yesterday. Every night starting from yesterday night, I diffuse lavender essential oil to ward off the mosquitoes and hope we all enjoy a better sleep.

The experience at KKH was quite good. The waiting time was long but the process seamless. There was a flat charge of $103 for children emergency cases that included doctor's consultation, blood test, urine test, medicine etc. But when I was purchasing the medicine from the pharmacy, I was told that I have to pay for the amoxicillin antibiotic as it is not a standard drug. Standard drugs, like paracetamol, are free. I hope more drugs can be subsidised. This could make a big difference to low income families.

Pray hard that Caitlin get well soon!

Cost of having baby in private hospital

We chose Mt Alvernia instead of Thomson Medical although both are good choices. It happens that the nice obstetrician we decided to stick with is from Mt Alvernia and his clinic is located there.

Cost is alarming. Here's a breakdown since our visit in April:

9/4/11 - consultation + supplements = S$282.50

12/4/11 - Oscar scan = S$318.85

18/4/11 - Lab prenatal profile (blood test) + consultation + medication for rashes = S$346.72

5/5/11 - consultation + supplements + cough medicine = $231.23

Total already spent S$1179.30.

Subsequently, we are also going to take up a S$900 Antenatal package with our obstetrician which includes consultation fees, urine tests, weight measurements and routine scans.

Supplements and medicine are extra costs. Detailed ultrasound scans, hospital visits and postnatal consultation are also not included.

We have to pay $1300 (of which $600 is Medisave claimable) for delivery fee, assuming everything is normal, no need for forceps or caesarean.

Hospital staying charges will then be a separate cost:

$1270 for 4-bedded, and $1390 for double bedded, assuming normal delivery. I'm considering between these 2. These should be all Medisave claimable. Definitely won't be going for the single room ($2070) as I find it too expensive. Hope everything goes smoothly on that day, baby don't make me suffer from contraction pains for too long, and we can go home happily after a night's stay.