It was just before Mikaal’s second birthday that he started with a persistent cough. I clearly remembered what triggered it and was some very cold soft drink on a trip to Shakargarh. He was alright that day but woke up next morning with a heavy voice and a throaty cough. There was no fever but the cough was alarming. It got from bad to worse and soon I was rushing him to his pediatrician. He was once again prescribed with a particular third generation antibiotics ‘Cefspan’. However, to our dismay after a five day course the phlegm disappeared to leave a very dry cough behind. It was at its worst during the mornings and at night before bed time.

Each day I would see him wake up and immediately begin coughing and wheezing. My happy and healthy Mikaal seemed so helpless and weak. Then we started to try various other cough syrups. The advice from the doctor was to try on a number of cough syrups till we found one that worked. Unfortunately it grew worse and Mikaal began to have problems swallowing his milk down. He also had endless bouts of vomiting in the middle of the night.

In a matter of just two weeks time his cough aggravated to an extent that he would lean forward with rounded shoulders and continue for an endless span of time. I was worried that soon he would cough up blood.

With my trust on Mikaal’s pediatrician I never sought a second opinion but now in such a predicament I had to get him to an allergy specialist as I had a suspicion that he had milk allergies.

As I was looking for Dr. Tabish’s number I vividly recalled a very bad episode of Mikaal’s illness during the previous winters when he was constantly sick with fever and did not eat for days at end. In the entire month of December he had completed at least four courses of antibiotics. Whenever we would stop his prescription he would again have a high fever. I had started to fear stopping the antibiotics and wanted him to be on a stable diet of antibiotics for ever. During that episode I had taken Mikaal to Dr. Tabish whose recommendation was to nebulize him with Ventolin. I wanted very strong antibiotics for him and was slightly disappointed by Dr. Tabish’s prescription. My mindset at that point in time was such that his not prescribing an antibiotic made me feel he did not take my child’s illness seriously. I went back to our family pediatrician for more injectable antibiotics. The cough would get better for a few months but its relief was temporary before erupting again. It became so erratic that we directed all the people who came near him to get their throat cultures done and wash their hands millions of times.

We kept him in a room and he was not allowed to come in contact with other people. I spent hours reading books and watching TV with him in his room. This seclusion greatly agitated my husband and we would have arguments. He would want to take Mikaal out and I would resist no end. I always managed to get the last word but inside the situation made me feel very unhappy.

My whole life became so stressful that I could just not think straight or concentrate on my work. Mikaal was born after many complications. His birth was handled with much care and attention at the hospital and by my gynecologist. His first year was perfect. No illness and not a single course of antibiotics. He was a beautiful and healthy baby. Looking back I always would think that we overdid on his protection. However he was years ahead of children of his age really leap years ahead in terms of learning and growth.

After six months of this mysterious cough and fever I decided to once more to go back to Dr. Tabish. This time I listened to his advice more diligently and followed it as I had no alternative. Mikaal was diagnosed with allergies that were exacerbated by food items such as citric acid and cold drinks. I had also been informed by the doctor that the sour and tangy candies and lollipops would ignite an irritation to the condition. More importantly he had seasonal allergies that coincided with the humid weather of Islamabad. To my horror his antibiotics were stopped and he was put on preventatives, Ventolin and Clinel-A.