Silly of us to think that Luka would spare us yet another medically-necessitated rapid departure from Dili following our first episode. Instead, we found ourselves, once again, scrambling to pack in 20 minutes flat, while praying the Internet connection holds to book plane tickets.
Now, now, fortunately this one is much more par for the course and not nearly as exciting and scary as the previous one. Turns out Luka has Bronchiolitis which is an infection of the small air passages (as opposed to the larger air ways, or the bronchials as was explained to me today). Whatever it is, it makes for one miserable little trooper. With a fever spike of 40C yesterday, we listened to the poor guy wheezing all night long. At the doctor's this morning his O2 saturation levels (sats) were down to 92%, which is below the 93% that the doctor says is acceptable. After a few minutes on the torture device known as the nebulizer he responded well - so we were sent home with a home kit to administer ventilin.
All the while we were planning to send Chris and Luka to Darwin tomorrow as a precaution - then it dawned on me, hang on, they're headed to Singapore on Tuesday anyway on their way to South Africa - why not just change that ticket and head up that way - ah right, because the plane leaves in TWO HOURS! Unfortunately it was also lunch time in Dili, which on an island, is taken very seriously. So we had to wait until after 13h00 before Chris could go back to see the doctor. By the time he called me to say that she still thinks as a precaution we should take him out, I had under 2 hours to change a ticket and pack for both of them and get them to the airport. Mind you, it's not just packing for 4 days in Singapore, no, it's packing all the winter clothes Luka and Chris has to take to South Africa for the trip we were originally scheduled to go on next week.
Thanks to Michelle and Judith, we managed to get it all sorted, and off we went to the airport where the Air Timor guys were absolutely amazing and just checked us in right in the office, no line, no counter, no nothing (that is after we showed them the 'fit to fly' medical certificate' of course).
I was devastated to watch the two of them get on the plane, but with my boss out of the country (yes, this always happens when I'm in charge), and the election observation mission I am overseeing arriving in 4 days for the upcoming parliamentary election, I had to stay behind :(
Fortunately we know this is simply precautionary - and soon Chris and Luka will be hanging out at the Singapore Zoo, eating fabulous street cuisine. We'd just rather he be eating street cuisine down the road from a world class hospital, than wake up tomorrow morning and be out of departing flights for two days. Just the cost of doing business in our line of work I suppose.
Still sucked putting them on the plane though :(
Now, now, fortunately this one is much more par for the course and not nearly as exciting and scary as the previous one. Turns out Luka has Bronchiolitis which is an infection of the small air passages (as opposed to the larger air ways, or the bronchials as was explained to me today). Whatever it is, it makes for one miserable little trooper. With a fever spike of 40C yesterday, we listened to the poor guy wheezing all night long. At the doctor's this morning his O2 saturation levels (sats) were down to 92%, which is below the 93% that the doctor says is acceptable. After a few minutes on the torture device known as the nebulizer he responded well - so we were sent home with a home kit to administer ventilin.
All the while we were planning to send Chris and Luka to Darwin tomorrow as a precaution - then it dawned on me, hang on, they're headed to Singapore on Tuesday anyway on their way to South Africa - why not just change that ticket and head up that way - ah right, because the plane leaves in TWO HOURS! Unfortunately it was also lunch time in Dili, which on an island, is taken very seriously. So we had to wait until after 13h00 before Chris could go back to see the doctor. By the time he called me to say that she still thinks as a precaution we should take him out, I had under 2 hours to change a ticket and pack for both of them and get them to the airport. Mind you, it's not just packing for 4 days in Singapore, no, it's packing all the winter clothes Luka and Chris has to take to South Africa for the trip we were originally scheduled to go on next week.
Thanks to Michelle and Judith, we managed to get it all sorted, and off we went to the airport where the Air Timor guys were absolutely amazing and just checked us in right in the office, no line, no counter, no nothing (that is after we showed them the 'fit to fly' medical certificate' of course).
I was devastated to watch the two of them get on the plane, but with my boss out of the country (yes, this always happens when I'm in charge), and the election observation mission I am overseeing arriving in 4 days for the upcoming parliamentary election, I had to stay behind :(
Fortunately we know this is simply precautionary - and soon Chris and Luka will be hanging out at the Singapore Zoo, eating fabulous street cuisine. We'd just rather he be eating street cuisine down the road from a world class hospital, than wake up tomorrow morning and be out of departing flights for two days. Just the cost of doing business in our line of work I suppose.
Still sucked putting them on the plane though :(
