Wake Me Up When September Ends

September has arrived. And with it, heralds the coming of the “-ber” months that usually signify that the holidays are fast arriving. Ber months usually pass by quickly without us noticing, probably because of the anticipation everyone has for the Christmas season. We count the days, literally, for whatever it is that we are looking forward to. Gifts, shopping, family bonding, simbang gabi and the usual 13^th month pay for most are enough to keep everyone giddy excited during these months. For me, the coming of the ber months usually mean another year is about to end. Another year is spent wasting time. Another year is about to come with a new promise of starting over.

Starting over—I’ve always told myself that every new calendar I buy would be a new opportunity for me to once again regain control in my life. You know, make things happen the way I want them to. But every year, changes happen out of nowhere. Split decisions are usually made. And every year, promises I’ve made to myself are broken.

I’m hoping that this year would be different. I’m determined to make it so.  And so with this new hope, I’m excited about what lies ahead. The coming of this year’s ber months didn’t come as joyful as expected though and September came with a rough start.

I’m actually typing this entry inside a hospital room. Yesterday, my sister and I had to rush my twelve year-old nephew to the hospital because he acquired Dengue fever. He has been having on-and-off fever even before the long weekend started and we have been nursing him eversince. This is not uncommon as he always has this weird habit of getting sick before his birthday—which ironically falls on 9/11. Last year, before we had his big birthday celebration at Enchanted Kingdom, he came down with a virulent case of the stomach flu. But he was able to bounce back in time for us to push through with the festivities.  So we thought that him getting sick these past few days was nothing out of the ordinary.

Yesterday afternoon, I was awakened by loud pounding noises from my bedroom door. It was my sister. And she was asking me to accompany her take my nephew to the hospital. She was crying, hysterical and in so much panic. I guess I understand where she’s coming from because first of all, it’s her son that we’re talking about. Second, you know how Dengue is portrayed in the news—if left untreated it can be fatal. It’s alright to be anxious but the things is, when you let yourself be consumed with panic you lose focus on what needs to be done. I naturally told her to turn off the waterworks and pipe down as my nephew is still alive and is still his natural makulit self, albeit feverish. And our gossipy neighbours were becoming a bit curious on what the ruckus was all about. Oh mothers and their overly-active tear ducts! I can never ever understand the way they overreact sometimes. Still, self-composure goes a long way when it comes to dealing with emergencies, don’t you agree?

Still sleep deprived, I was naturally not in my usual coordinated self when that happened. So I hurried downstairs, brushed my teeth and washed my face for us to get going. With all the unnecessary hysteria, it didn’t even occur to me to put on underwear! So I went to the hospital with a morning wood inside my shorts for everyone to see. But it didn’t really matter anyway. Sigh, the things you do for family.

Anyway, the laboratory was already closed when we arrived at the hospital and so they had to rely on the tourniquet test to make a prediagnosis. His results came back positive for dengue but we really can’t have a conclusive diagnosis without laboratory work and that won’t be possible until the hospital laboratory reopens at 8:00 AM[i]. But my nephew has been exhibiting the signs—on and off fever, weakness, muscle pains and vomiting hence the doctor advised us to admit him for future testing and for hydration therapy. The thing with dengue, as what the doctor (who did not look like the conventional doctor) tried to explain, is that the usual casualties are those who already have severe internal bleeding because they ignored the signs and the symptoms. Good thing is we caught the disease early on before it progressed into a serious stage. And as what the not-so-doctor-looking-but-nevertheless-a-good doctor said, there is no known cure for dengue, just lots of hydration for the body to replenish its sources and pick up resistance to fight the virus.

It’s also a good thing that this small semi-private hospital is only about half an hour away from where we live which makes travelling back and forth to get supplies easy. The doctor (the only doctor in this family hospital) is pretty laid back and accommodating. He lives just a few steps from the clinic so if there is a dire emergency, we can just holler away. There’s not much people admitted here and so the patient-nurse ratio is satisfactory. The young nurses also have a warm bedside manner and they were pretty patient with my nephew, who is a bit temperamental, just like me.

I know my nephew, though a bit whiney just like his tito, is a strong kid and he will be able to brave this storm soon. But seeing him confined in bed with a dextrose wire hanging from his arm just breaks my heart into pieces. Kids like him should be playing and watching cartoons, not lie in bed like an old person. I don’t know if it’s paternal instinct that’s kicking in but if only I could take his place I would...in a heartbeat. To that pesky mosquito who did this, I hope you die a horrible death (if ever you’re still not at end of your one-and-a-half-week cycle). If ever I find you, I’ll not only bite you. I’ll chew you to pieces, spit you out and then step on you until you’re crushed to dust!

I hope his condition gets better this coming weekend, otherwise I have to cancel my plans to see my friends for Em’s homecoming. It won’t feel right to go out and have fun and leave my nephew like this. Plus, my sister needs someone to take her place every once in a while as she can’t look after him all the time. My eldest sister has problems of her own with my younger niece having bronchopneumonia, my second sister can’t make it unless she charters a private jet from Dubai and my brother lives in Valenzuela for his work so he can’t come visit all the time. My parents are too old to be looking after their grand children 24/7, so that leaves me, trusty bunso to come through.

I wish that this will be over soon. And as with all ber months that usually go by without us noticing, I hope this too shall pass sooner than ordinary months do. I share Green Day’s sentiments when it comes to the start of the famous ber months.  And just like them, can somebody please wake me up when September ends?

Oh Green Day, we share the same sentiments.

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[i] My nephew’s blood work in the morning did confirm it was a case of dengue.