Nathanael's Day 9 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur [The Last Day in HKL]

YAY!! This is the last nite picture taken at HKL. Here's Nathanael drinking his RCF Milk. Yum Yum.
[One Can of *RCF Milk can only be portioned out to 4 drinking periods and it must be consumed within 24 hours of opening the can!!]

So Nathanael was discharge from Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 26 September after completing 9 Days in HKL.

We completed our "session" with Pn Mariam our Dietian. She carefully explained to us his Menu Meal Plans and how we can prepare the food and how to substitute the foods (so many types of Food .. based on an exhaustive list ...called the Food Exchange). We have to watch out for the Protein Levels, the Carbohyrdate Levels. For Example : If we wanna give Nathanael a slice of Papaya, then we would have to cut his rice for Lunch & Dinner. Cos one slice of Papaya = 4 Tablespoon of Rice - in terms of Carbohydrate levels!

So we will have to follow the menu stringently to ensure that Nathanael gets his correct content of Water, Fats, Carbo, Protein on a daily basis. So pray along with us ... esp for Tiff & her mom ... since i will be back to work tomorrow. Pray that she will be able to cope with this new menu and to diligently prepare it for Nathanael.





*RCF Milk is a product of Abbot Lab.
Details are here.

- The only commercial formula available for seizure management in infants.
- Carbohydrate-free to allow physician to prescribe type and amount of carbohydrate (that can be tolerated) with the assurance that other nutrient needs will be met.
- Soy protein isolate to avoid symptoms of cow's-milk-protein allergy or sensitivity.


Finally many many thanks to the Doctors and Nurses that took care of Nathanael in the Ward KK5 - Pediatric Institute of Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
Thanks Dr Choy Yew Sing, Dr Rosalyn, Dr Bursha, Pn Mariam and all the nurses of the Ward.


[tags : darentiff nathanael ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 8 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Nathanael probably will be discharged by tomorrow (Tuesday). YAY!!!!

As everyone might think will be our reaction.........

BUT! !!!!!


Quite the scarry!!

The stress begins for us.....aiyoh! !!

We gotta cook & prepare his Ketogenic Meal. No experience no nothing..... ...how leh??

Please please pray for us ya....... in the hospital we just need to feed him and no need to worry about preparation of his food..... but but......from Tuesday evening onwards will be a testing 1,2,3 for us.

hehahahhaa........... pls pray for wisdom ya.

Some more the meal must be accurate one wor.

We have a Electronic Digital scale....... which increases by 1g....actually suppose to use the 0.1g one la.....aiyoh but the price difference.. ....abit high and Dr Choy did say about RM1,000++ .. ...... at first he insisted tt I get the 0.1g scale....... WALAU!!! but........ thank God he finally agreed and said ok-la go for the 1g one la.

So like this lor,....anyway, we wanna thank each of U for supporting,visiting and praying for us during the past 8 days. It has been a wonderful learning experience.. ...all we can say is that GOD IS GOOD!!!

We'll share more with U when we see or speak with U one of these days.
The LIVE, EMOTIONAL, EXCITING, ACTION PACK drama minggu ini!!


Have a great week all of U!
God Bless
Daren & TIff

[tags : darentiff nathanael ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Baby is 17 weeks old & heartbeat is pumping

Your baby is now nearly 5.5 inches/ 13 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs approximately 5 ounces/ 140 grams.

Her skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden later. A protective substance called myelin slowly begins to wrap around the spinal cord.

With the help of a special stethoscope, you can now hear your baby's heartbeat. There's almost nothing more comforting or exciting than hearing your baby's heartbeat galloping along.



Source/Link to Baby Centre

[tags : darentiff tiff pregnant baby ]

Nathanael Turns TWO today & Day 5 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Nathanael turns two years old today on 22 September 2006.

Today is also Nathanael's fifth day in Hospital Kuala Lumpur for his Ketogenic Diet.

So instead of eating Cakes and Yummy Food during his birthday, this time he will have to sacrifice and eat one of the Ketogenic Diet Meal Plans set for him.

Nate: U didnt wish me ler? Leave a comment lor





We decorated the Ward a bit with balloons just to liven things up and to give everyone a cherry mood. Tks to mom-in-law who bought the ballons, party hat (on Nathanael in the pic above) and party stuff.

Nate : Err .. how come we didnt invite the A&W Bear?










This is Mah Mah (Grandma) showing love to Nathanael on his birthday. Nathanael got a cute little teddy bear and lots of love.

Nate: Tks Yeh Yeh & Mah Mah I love you too .. so much!

















Kung Kung (Grandpa) holding Nathanael. Nathanael has this great ability to recognize when his grandparents carry him, cos he just simply manja (can't find an english word for manja) them so much. Lots of LOVE here! :)

Nate: Tks Kung Kung & Popo .. I love you too so much














Uncle Sean came and visit on behalf of the Chan family (Karen & Caitlin). He was amazing cos he even brought breakfast for daddy & mommie in the morning, and stayed long enuf to blow up the balloons as well.

Nate: Tks Uncle Sean! U are the almighty! Love u all too!
















Posing with love from the Chuang family. Emily, Ben & Eunice (and Uncle Alvin) showing their love to Nathanael. They were the first to wish Nathanael, as they came a day earlier as they were busy on Sunday.

Nate: Thank U so much for the cake and the card (the green card on top of the post). Love u all so much too. We must go swimming again soon ya.







2 Ku (2nd Aunty) & 5 Ku (5th Aunty) came to visit Nathanael too and gave lots of love to Nathanael in the hospital.

Nate: Thanks so much to all the Kus - Kus (Aunties) for your love and prayers each day.










Then we have Ku Mah (eldest aunty), Edwin & Evelyn or fondly Han Cher came to show their love and brought extra baloons and even a Yummy Cake!

Nate: Thank u for the cake!! It was great. Tks for your prayers and love. Love u all too so much










MMS came in from Renee to Nathanael:
Dear Nathanael
Yahoo! You are Two!
hehe. Here's wishing u a very Happy Birthday.
Continue 2b strong in the Lord n I know He'll see u thru.
Pls take care n cheer up. Give u a kiss later ok?
Loves Renee
Nate: Err... I'm in Love? Loves u to babe!





god-bro - Wesley Pu came and check me out too. He brought his rev dad and mom and he prayed the sweetest prayer for me. U must click on the video below to watch it.

Nate: Tks wes. I will get better and will play with you real soon!
















Video of Wesley Pu praying for Nathanael in HKL.
This is so so cute. U must watch it and agree with him when he
asks "the fits to GO!", watch it below.


Watch the Video Below or Click Here










[tags : darentiff nathanael ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 4 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur [Part2]

This is a video taken on 21 September in HKL about an hour before Nathanael's birthday.

He was really in an excited mood and mom had just prayed for him over the phone as he approaches his 2nd birthday.

Enjoy this two minute video of Nathanael or Click Here to view it.





[tags : darentiff nathanael ketones epilepsy seizures diet video ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 4 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Hey ..... check out my new CRIB!
They have moved me from Bed27 to Bed6.

Well the three Beds around Bed27 were the "acute areas" where the nurses have to monitor the progress of the children at all times.

Now ... my sugar level is ok (cos they feeding me good!) and my ketosis level seems pretty ok. So they have moved me to Bed6.

Today : Sugar Level = 3+ Ketone Level = 2-3




Yummy French Fries!! Yups Me no kidding. My dietian Puan Mariam gave me 5 wedges today! Yahoo! This is one kinda diet i LOVE!!

See how excited i am biting and chewing on the French Fries!
















Ketogenic Diet ROCKS!!
In my lunch meal plan, i have 3 types of food.
1. Two Tablespoon of Rice (i wonder who they think they are feeding, babies or what? 2 Tablespoon only ah.... where got enuf!!)

2. Wedges. Yummy wedges. This is one thing that i can always have in my Meal Plans!! Yummmmmmy!

3. Porridge with Leafy Vegetables & Margarine. Hmmm the margarine kinda drowns all the taste of the porridge, but still rocks!



Here' s mummy and me. She's sitting behind me, just in case i get naughty and lean backwards on the Bumbo Seat.

But check out my face... i am one HAPPY Kid! (esp now that they are feeding me!)









Yups and this dear ol' dad.
Trying to keep up with my quick appetite of chewing and swallowing my food. Hey Dad... keep the pace ... i mean bring the spoon up to my mouth asap yah!
















There u go, U saw my front, my side now check out my back! See how straight I am sitting on the Bumbo Chair

Guess its good therapy for me esp during meal times so that i can learn to sit up on my own!
















[tags : darentiff nathanael ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 3 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur [Part2]

In the late afternoon today, we also did another EEG (ElectroEncephaloGram) scan for Nathanael. (We think, this may be the fifth EEG he has done) Thankfully Nathanael was sleeping well, so they didnt need to sedate him.

We carried him down from his Ward to the EEG room, the person in charge put up all the lines, and carried out his EEG tests.

This is the computer that tracks the read out from the brain activity.

It measures the signals in a form of curves.

All these wires are put in strategic area around his head and also his chest.

This is to measure the activity of brain neurons that's moving thru his brain.

We won't get the results yet as it would take some time for them to study the graphs and all.

[tags : darentiff nathanael ketogenic ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 3 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Its Day 3 already in HKL.

Here are three photos and a short summary of what happened today in HKL.

Check out the bruises on his toes. This is how the nurses

check on Nathanael's sugar level. They would poke one of the toes till it bleeds. Then put the blood onto a machine to determine the sugar level content in the blood. If it goes below 2, then its a big concern.

Last nite, twice his sugar level went below 2. Nathanael was basically on a Water Fast for the entire day of Day2. And that would be the cause of his low sugar level.

The doctor then gave him RCF Milk (Its a fat based, low carbo milk for Ketogenic patients) and after the second low reading, topped it up with Dextrose (which is a sugar content.) Later this early morning about 5ish-am, his sugar level was above 3. So that's good news lor.

Nathanael was on the drip today, you can see the tube from his right arm. It goes to a bottle that's feeding him sugar straight into his blood stream, to ensure that his sugar level does not go down below two again.

Yay! Good news, Doc said that Nathanael can start on the Ketogenic Diet. So as u can see from this pic, Nathanal is feeding on Eggs & Margarine. (Yups Margarine is the fat based that's needed to keep the ratio of Fat to Protein 4 : 1), which is to ensure that Ketones are built in the body.

Today after having his RCF milk and the eggs, Nathanael is more alert, back to his usual manja self. Cries when there' s not enuf Milk, or when insufficient food to eat.

[tags : darentiff nathanael ketogenic ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 2 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur [Part2]

Here's a brief Update on Nathanael during Nathanael's second evening in HKL

Glucose Level threshold is 2.6--anything lower is like.....sitting at the edge of your seats!
And if it goes down to 2.....wahlau!!


On Tuesday night @

10.15pm his glucose level went down to 1.9
Doc gave instructions to feed him milk and to check glucose (sugar level) in 1 hr

11.30pm - his glucose (sugar level) level went down to 1.6 (aiyoh!) and this had us worried.
Doc was busy in another ward so sent word to feed him another 90cc of milk and repeat a glucose (sugar level) check in 1hr

12.45am - glucose level went up to 1.8 (..but still low below 2)

5.07am- glucose went back up to 2.5 (better but still below 2.6) and he passed urine not sure what was ketones reading.

7.59am- Urine Ketone test registered 2+ (we need to achieve 4+)


Thanks for keeping him in prayers, I know U all are praying along with us. THANKS THANKS!!!! Cant express our gratitude!Gtg to hospital now. Update U guys later.


[tags : darentiff nathanael ketogenic ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 2 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Well this continues from yesterday end of Day 1 and the first half of Day 2.

Whilst Nathanael was fasting from food, the nurses kept taking reading on his blood sugar level, to ensure that it doesn't come down too much.

Late night, yesterday, the nurses alerted the MO (Medical Officer) that his blood sugar was down to 2.3. They were a bit concerned, so the MO did the most practical thing, gave Nathanael some Dextrose (sugar substance) to bring up the sugar level.

Well this morning during our consultation with his Doctor, Dr Choy, he felt that Dextrose should not been administered, cos that would upset the balance of sugar and carbo and protein in Nathanael. Anyway, this resulted in Nathanael having to fast one more day today.

So he's on just water today, and will only start on the Ketogenic Diet tomorrow.

Thankfully, with just surviving on water only, Nathanael is still responding well (see the video below) and still pretty active most of the time.

So as u all know, Nathanael loves sweet things, food, yummy food off the table and not ordinary plain water. Here is a photo of how we are feeding him water. Cos when we put the the water bottle in his mouth, he refuses to take in the water.

So we have to resort to this .....
Using a syringe to transfer water from the bottle into his mouth! :) hehe I guess we have to be innovative in how to ensure that Nathanael gets enough fluid in his body each day!
[Tried to upload the photo into the blog. . but dunno why tak jadi... so u imagine la!]


And here's a short video of Nathanael, depicting how excited and happy he is today.




* A point to note.
If our hands were in splint or bound up like Nathanael, we would not be moving it around so much ... like Nathanael. I mean, he's like clapping away, swinging the right arm, as if the right hand was not bound up. So the point is, as adults, with "knowledge" .... oh no our hands are bound up and there's a needle stuck in it .... we will not move the hand in fear of causing pain to it. But for Nathanael without the "Knowledge of that" .... still wave and clap his hands. So i guess somtimes knowing too much may just cause us to be fearful or overly careful, when there's no reason for it .... hmmm.... food for thought! :)



[tags : darentiff nathanael ketogenic ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 1 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur [Part2]

Acrobat in the Crib
This is how Nathanael ends up after moving in circles in the crib. Kicking and turning. We dunno why .. but he just loves to dangle his legs out of the Crib! :) hehehe












New Style of Drinking Water
Yups, this is the picture that could not come up on Day2. It finally came up on this post.

Anyway, this is how we feed Nathanael water. We use a syringe and transfer the water from the bottle into his mouth. Otherwise our dear son would only drink Water mixed with Ribena!! Naughty naughty!







Manja Grandparents
See lah, he very clever to manja his grandparents. When Yeh Yeh & Mah Mah was here, he would slide up to them give them the pitiful face. ..... Carry me ... love me. ..... :) hehe

Nathanael .. is one smart Boy! :)









[tags : darentiff nathanael ketogenic ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Nathanael's Day 1 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Today is the First Day for Nathanael in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (most of us know it as General Hospital Kuala Lumpur, but their real name is HKL).

We arrived at the Pediatric Section at 9.45am.





This is the Wad KK5. And KK aint Kota Kinabalu. Its most probably Kanak Kanak 5.

This will be Nathanael's crib for the next two weeks. The nurses are nice, the "crib" real crib is quite big ... so he can roll around quite a bit.

And you will see from the pics that he does get around on the bed.








This is Nathanael in his CRIB of Ward KK5. The doctor took some blood from him. And she said, Nathanael is a nice name. And she gave us the Christian meaning of his name.

We of coursed asked .. are u a Christian, and she said yes! :) God sent us his saints!

We prayed.. cos from history, its quite hard to get blood from his hand, and she did it with only one try! God is on our side! :)






Doctor left the needle in the hand, so as to facilitate the input of Glucouse in the event Nathanael needs it.

Amazing, Nathanael only whimpered, when she poked the needle in, and even when the blood starting coming out, which doc took for tests.
God is our God of Peace!






Kung Kung came over during lunch time and you should see how Nathanael manja his grandparents! Really one.. he very the naughty one.

Thanks to Kung Kung and for bringing yummy lunch! :)


- i tried the hospital food too .. edible lah!





Mummy and Nathanael singing and having fun in the hospital. Nathanael is sitting on his Bumbo seat (thanks why yee for his present!)

So the Bumbo seat helps Nathanael to sit up and its a great therapy to have that even in the hospital.

Mummy is singing Nathanael's fav song ... Ants in the Apple! :)













This is a two fold shot.

When po po came to visit, there is Nathanael going all manja again.

But this shot was taken to show how he "moves around" in the crib, he loves to stick his leg out. And in this shot u can see Nathanael's legs sticking out of his crib.

They did a glucouse test on his right big toe.








Being the first day (or DAY 0) of the Ketogenic Diet, the hospital will be using Ketostix to measure the amount of Ketones he has before the diet can begin. As soon as his Ketones are above 3, then the Ketogenic Diet kicks in.

The most amazing miracle is that Nathanael's last meal was at 12midnight last nite! We gave his usual 10oz of milk when he was sleeping. And for those of you who knows how naughty and demanding he has been lately, would know that when he gets hungry ... he becomes really angry and kicks and screams and wail for his food.

Today ... he has not eaten anything for the whole day except water. And he did not fuss, he didnt scream or cry out for his food! That's just an amazing miracle on its own!

Please continue to pray along with us, as the Ketogenic Diet starts. We pray that it will help Nathanael, to remove the seizures and to be off all his anti convulsants (drugs / medicine for epilepsy). So keep praying.

We will try and update the BLOG regularly.



[tags : darentiff nathanael ketogenic ketones epilepsy seizures diet ketogenic diet]

Baby is 16 weeks old & discovered his first toy -- the umbilical cord

Update from inside the Womb

Your baby is now about the size of an avocado (about 5 inches / 11.6 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighing approximately 4 ounces / 100 grams). In the next three weeks he'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling his weight and adding inches to his length.

In or out of the womb, babies are playful creatures. Yours may already have discovered his first toy -- the umbilical cord -- which he'll enjoy pulling and grabbing. Sometimes he may even clutch it so tight that less oxygen gets through, but don't worry -- he doesn't hold onto it long enough to harm himself. The circulatory system and urinary tract are in full working order, and he's inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid through his lungs.

Sometimes, when you move suddenly, you may a feel a slight pain in your sides. Ligaments on each side of your uterus and pelvic walls are stretching as your baby grows.

Source/Link to Baby Centre

[tags : darentiff tiff pregnant baby ]

Swimming with Cousin Eunice & Ben

Nathanael went swimming yesterday with cousin Eunice & Ben in the Sutera Pool.

Lots of fun pics taken together. We also did the Dolphin Challenge again, but alas that was in Nathanael's cousin's video, so can't show it here!

But we did take quite a few pictures. Here are some of the nice ones taken yesterday in the pool.

The water was cold.. but Nathanael braved it and enjoyed the time playing in the water.

Nathanael on his own by the edge of the Pool. Look Ma, no Floats!

Yay! Posing with my cousins Eunice & Ben

Its Daddy and Me!

Nathanael on the Kick Board and Really Happy from the looks of it!

Eunice & Nathanael

[tags : darentiff nathanael swimming ]

Praise Report on Nathanael's Hearing Assessment

Tiff & mom brought Nathanael for his Hearing Assesment today.

And we would like to share a Praise Report with you.

After completing his tests, we were told that Nathanael's Right Ear can now hear at 25db. The audiologist reminded us that the last time we came, Nathanael's Right Ear could only hear 50db and above.

This is an amazing improvement and we wanna Thank God for touching Nathanael and for improving his hearing abilities. Keep on praying for Miracles!!

What does 25 db means?
According to the Audiologist, at 25db, his Right Ear hearing is near normal.

Audiogram Hearing Assessment Indicator (Click to view ASHA site)

• If hearing falls in the -10dB to 15 dB range, your hearing lies in the normal range.
• If hearing falls in the 16 dB to 25dB range, you have a slight/minimal loss.
• If hearing falls in the 31dB to 51dB range, you have a moderate loss.
• If hearing falls in the 91dB and above range, you have a profound loss.

[tags : darentiff nathanael hearing assessment ]

A Tribute to Nathanael's Grandparents

We believe that Nathanael is just blessed with so much love all around. From all our family and relatives and friends. We've always seen your love, care, concern and prayers for Nathanael.

We continue to thank you sincerely from our hearts and we urge you to keep praying with us each day for a miracle to breakthrough in Nathanael's life.

Today we wanna share some LOVE that overwhelms us, which overflows out of their hearts to Nathanael. Nathanael is blessed with his grandparents

• Yeh Yeh & Mah Mah (Arthur & Mary)
• Kung Kung & Po Po (Michael & Linda)

We believe the prayers of our grandparents are amazing. Our grandparents are so much wiser and full of insights and with a myriad of experiences that most of us would hardly have ever encountered to date. They are also extremely patient and tender and yet so sacrifically giving in all their ways. :)

Today's tribute is to Nathanael's Yeh Yeh, Mah Mah, Kung Kung, Po Po. Thank you for all your love, your sacrificial giving of time, care and help. Thank you for your prayers, because they make a difference.

Nathanael loves Yeh Yeh, Mah Mah, Kung Kung, Po Po and we know you love him too.





[tags : darentiff nathanael grandparents ]