Entry #36 Isaac's Adventure with Kuwaiti Health Care

Little Isaac is always keeping us on our toes! From head injuries to enlarged tonsils we never know what to expect.

We noticed Isaac's enlarged tonsils last April and they have just been getting bigger and bigger. He was becoming more irritable and his appetite was almost non-existent. We were recommended to an ENT Doctor (trained in Germany with excellent English) by a friend. We phoned on Wednesday September 23rd in the morning and got in that night at 6:30.

We went to the appointment and he examined Isaac. We knew it wasn't good news when both the doctor and the nurse said "Oh My!" when Isaac opened his mouth. He then sent us to the first floor for an x-ray of his adenoids. There was no line up so we got right in and then waited 10 minutes for the report. Then we went back up to Dr. Attia and he saw us within 10 minutes. He looked at the x-ray and saw that the adenoids were enlarged and obstructing his airway. He recommended surgery with radio frequency. He looked at his calendar and booked us in for the 28th. We asked a few questions and then left with his x-ray and a picture of Isaac's tonsils. This whole process took 2 hours. In the car Jamie commented that I was being very calm. I told him that we have month to get used to this idea and he pointed out that it was on SEPT 28th, not Oct. 28th! Then I started to freak out!

Over the weekend we drove to the hospital to make sure we could get their without getting lost. It ended up being only about 10 minutes from our house. We went to see the doctor on Sunday at 5:00 for blood work and check up by the anaesthesiologist. (Did I spell that right?!?)

Friends took Zoe to school on the day of the surgery (she was not happy to be missing out on this exciting event!) And we headed off to the hospital with a very hungry and cranky little boy. It is hard to explain to a two year why they can't eat. We had no troubles getting admitted and we found out that our insurance would cover the procedure and the hospital room. Isaac had to take some medicine to relax him and we saw a glimpse of what Isaac is going to look like as a drunk teenager...drooling, giggling and droopy eyed. (Also a little violent!) He took a serious disliking to the gown they wanted him to wear and put up a solid effort to take it off. I was hit several times and it took two people to take him away from us and into the OR. I am not sure what injuries they incurred. And, of course, by this time I am weeping hysterically as my son is pulled from me. Good times, good times!

We waited in the hospital room for about 40 minutes when the doctor called to say everything went well and his adenoids were huge ("the size of dinosaurs"....who knew dinosaurs had adenoids??!) He was wheeled up to our room and looked so tiny in that big bed!! As soon as he saw us he wanted his blankie and promptly fell asleep for two hours.

When he woke up, the doctor came to talk to us and told us we could go. We gave Isaac just enough jello and apple juice for a good vomit all over Jamie and later in the car. (Just an FYI, vomit in a car when it is 40 degrees is not cool!) He was pretty quiet for the rest of the day but in good spirits. I stayed home with him on Tuesday to make sure he was okay. His voice seems higher and I guess that is normal (based on my googled information).

All this has happened in less then a week. Talking to friends at home I think this whole process for some could take close to 8 months! So besides us being away from our mom's during this time and sometimes not having a clue what people were saying to us due to language barriers (either lack of English or very heavy accents) it was a great experience and we are very happy that Isaac will be breathing easier now.

Entry #35 And we are back...

Summer flew by and here we are in our fourth week in Kuwait. The flight back was long but uneventful. The kids are becoming seasoned travelers and I don't even have any funny stories to share. Unless, of course, you count Jamie realizing he forgot his wallet in the Toronto airport as funny. I am working on finding that mildly amusing.

People told us how much easier the second year would be, and logically this makes sense, but I don't think we really expected it to be so smooth. Our apartment feels like home, and Flora (our awesome nanny) had it cleaned and ready for us. (Apparently, people that did not have their apartments cared for over the summer came back to a thick layer of sand everywhere.) We know the school policies and procedures and we didn't have to attend nearly as many meetings. We knew where to get groceries and had our car to get them. But I think the most important difference was having a circle of friends here to welcome us back. It felt good not to be the newbies figuring out what is what.

The only bump in our arrival back was the decision of the Kuwaiti Government to cancel school until November 30 for kids 5 and under due to the H1N1 flu. Instead of Zoe only having one week in the apartment (it is still too hot to go outside) she was looking at a long stretch of playing with Isaac. Thankfully, the school has put together a small class for staff kids. So, instead of a class of 15 she is in a class of 5! We are not sure about the logic of canceling school for the little kids since most of them have older siblings at the school, so they would still be at risk of getting H1N1 at home. Anyway, we are happy with the schools solution to the cancellation.

Now to the picture portion of the blog...

My friend Michele has taken some neat pictures of our neighbour so I have included a few and her write up for you to take a look at.

"Our neighborhood is Maidan Hawally: living quarters of the working class. Since no Kuwaitis live here, Maidan Hawally is not exactly a showcase of Middle Eastern affluence and though we have seen many improvements over the past 4 years (most roads have been repaved, open man-holes are disappearing and dilapidated buildings are being replaced with 8 story apartment complexes) it is still a bit rough around the edges." (Michele Elsen 2009)

An outside toilet for those who really need to go!

Safety does not come first on construction sites here.

The new water pipes that were installed...they just weren't installed below ground!

A sidewalk?!?

Litter doesn't seem to be an issue here since people just toss it on the ground and the hired help from Bangladesh or India clean it up!

An outside water tap for those who dare!

The local Mosque that provides us with several daily reminders that we live in a Muslim country.

Outside the Mosque.

So this is where we live. It isn't pretty but it is home for the next 10 months.

Entry #34 Summer in Nova Scotia

Our summer in Halifax was wet and humid but great. We completely appreciated the cool weather and the rain. (Okay, after week 5 of rain it did get a little old!) We were out at Shubie Park, in Mom's backyard and hot tub or on another adventure on a daily basis. We were soccer dropouts as well; we grew tired of Zoe rolling around on the ground instead of participating. Jamie got away with the boys golfing and I went to PEI with my girlfriends. We spent time with our Moms and friends. We just really enjoyed being home and realize how much we love Nova Scotia and what a beautiful province we have.

Here are a few pictures from our summer outings.

Entry #33 Nice is Nice

Before I tell you about our travels in France I want to share Zoe's reaction to the death of Micheal Jackson. On our trip to Jordan her donkey at Petra was named Micheal Jackson. She has fond memories of MJ and often talks about her time on that donkey. We were driving in the car when the radio DJ made the announcement that Micheal Jackson was dead. From the backseat Zoe was shocked,"My donkey is dead? What happened? Did he get hit by a car, did he fall off the mountain?" I had to explain that her donkey was actually named after a singer. She didn't seem convinced that this was the case and she continues to mourn the lose of MJ her donkey.

Now on to France! Nice, France was beautiful and the weather was incredible. It was awesome to see green trees and the distinct absence of garbage. We rented an apartment for our stay and I think that made a huge difference in our experience. Every morning we bought fresh bread (and chocolate croissants) for breakfast and then packed a lunch and headed out to explore Nice and the surrounding areas.

The front of the apartment overlooked a busy and loud street. Isaac and Zoe liked watching the cars and buses go by.

Our view from the kitchen window. All the apartments were very close together and we could hear people's conversation (among other things!) as if they were in our apartment.

Day 1: Saturday

We took a double decker bus around the city. It stopped at different places and we could get off and explore and then jump back on. It was a great way to see the city, but unfortunately Isaac got hit in the face by an overhanging tree branch and now he seems to have a tree phobia!

One of the stops on the tour was the Chagall Museum and we decided to go in for a visit. It wasn't a very successful experience. Long story short, we lasted 10 minutes (for 13 Euros) in the actual museum. Zoe was a maniac, trying to touch all the art and Isaac ran full speed into a full glass window. I turned around just in time to see him bounce off the window and hit the floor. He sustained a bloody nose and another bump on his head. As we left the women at the front desk asked "is that it?" Good times, good times!

Some work by Chagall.

The next few pictures are some pictures of Nice.

Isaac before the tree hit him!

Isaac after the tree hit him!

Day 2: Sunday

Took a mini-train around the city and the kids loved that. Then we took the bus (with the help of a very nice women) to Phoenix Park and had a picnic and played on a great playground. We ended up walking back (7 km) along the Promanade D'Anglais so the kids could nap in the stroller.

The Promanade D'Anglais is a long stretch of sidewalk that goes along the beach. People walk, jog, roller blade and bike. Zoe seemed surprised by the "boys running without their shirts on." However, she didn't seem to notice the girls on the beaches without their shirts on!

That night Zoe was excited to go out to dinner and she wanted to get "fancy". As you can see from the picture we were quite fancy!

Day 3: Monday

We decided a day tour was the easiest way to see the towns along the Riviera. We took a day tour that included the towns of Antibes, Cannes, Grasse, Gourdon, Tourretts Sur-Loup and Saint Paul de Vence. We had a lovely tour guide and shared the van with two lovely elderly women from the UK and two cranky Ukrainians. The towns were only 20 minutes apart so it worked out really well for the kids.

The perfume factory/museum in Grasse was very cool and we made it through the whole tour!!

Tourrettes Sur Loup was my favourite spot. It was a beautiful old French Village and had awesome violet ice cream.

Cannes was a disappointment. Most importantly, I did not see George Clooney! We literally only stayed there for about 15 minutes. As soon as the Film Festival ends all the stars clear out. The tour guide said the only thing to do in Cannes is to shop at very expensive stores! The kids did enjoy a merry-go-round.

Another let down was Saint Paul de Vence. It was wonderful little town where artists live and work so there were some beautiful stores. I saw a little statue that I thought would be nice to add to our collection. When I enquired about the price I am fairly sure she said 3000. I was very close to asking if that was dollars or euros. I decided to save my dignity and just leave since we couldn't afford 3000 dollars or euros. Needless to say we did not stop into any other stores. We did see where Chagall was buried.

Day 4: Tuesday

Today was the day we decided to rub elbows with the rich; we headed off to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Our apartment was just a few minutes walk to the train station and Monaco was a twenty minute train ride away.

The kids at the train station.

We decided to buy a new car while we were there!

We took a mini train ride around Monaco and into Monte Carlo. Jamie asked me if being seen on a mini train would hurt my chances with George Clooney. My response was that George would see beyond the mini train and it would be love at first sight. (Of course, it wouldn't hurt if I was 24 and a waitress!) Luckily for Jamie, GC was not in Monaco.

Family picture overlooking Monaco.

The famous casino in Monte Carlo!

The Royal Palace in Monaco.

A statue that I liked in a park near the palace.

Day 5: Wednesday

We took the city bus to the village of Eze. I think the highlight for the kids was the bus ride and the wooden toys we bought for them. However for Jamie and I, the old town of Eze was our favourite spot. It was quaint and picturesque. There were some great shops (that we could afford) and we bought a mask made out of the root of an olive tree for our collection. Unfortunately, the people who designed Eze did not think about accessibility for strollers. Jamie got quite a workout putting the stroller up and down and carrying it up many flights of stairs.

Day 6: Thursday (last day!)

We couldn't go to the South of France without going to a beach so on our last day in Nice we headed to the beach. We took a wrong train and ended up back in in Monaco but the problem was easily fixed and we arrived in Villefranche Sur Mer and the beach. The weather was great and the water was warm.

In the afternoon we visited the Russian Orthodox church. Apparently, many Russians fled to France during the Russian Revolution. The church looked huge from the outside but when we went in it was quite small. Once again it was a very quick visit; burning candles and children are not a good combination.

I took some random pictures of old doors that I thought were neat. Zoe saw that I was taking pictures of doors and decided to model for me and I have included a few of those shots as well.

After being in Kuwait for a year, where there are big cars and SUVs everywhere (including our own!), it was refreshing to see so many people on scooters and driving small cars. This little car was the smallest we saw. It was just a little bit longer than our stroller.

And that brings you up-to-date on our latest travels. I will try and be more timely on my next entry.