Saturday, March 28, 2009

Daily Report: Dress For Dimple

I took 8-year-old little sister Dimple today to the mall in Cagayan De Oro to buy her a new outfit. Dimple was highly excited and was awake at 6 a.m. and all dressed up for the excursion... which didn't begin until 1:30 in the afternoon.

One thing you have to understand about Dimple is that she gets motion sickness just by grabbing the door handle of a car. So, for the jeepney ride to Cagayan, I rode with Dimple up in the front seat, with her sitting right next to the open side of the cabin (with a plastic bag nearby just in case). Success: Dimple enjoyed an emesis-free 40 minutes in the jeepney. (Epril and Ednil rode in the back.)

Once we arrived at Limketkai mall, Epril and Ednil wandered off while I took Dimple first to Jollibee for a hamburger (Dimple ate an entire hamburger, which impressed me), and after that it was off to buy Dimple an adorable little blue dress with a pink sash, matching hair band and pink shoes to go along. (She picked out the dress while I matched the shoes for her... as she was looking at sneakers to go with.) I also let her pick out a toy: A little Disney purse set or something... I can't remember exactly, just that it was 5 or 10 times the price compared to the no-name versions you can find at the local market. After that, I took Dimple for some ice cream, and we met back up with Epril and Ednil and then hopped in a cab to go from Limketkai mall to SM mall to do grocery shopping.

While in the cab, everything in Dimple's stomach wound up on Dimple's stomach. Shockingly, the little girl was unconscious too: It took several not-too-subtle slaps to the face to bring her round. The cab pulled over, and I fetched her out of the back seat and sat her on the trunk of the taxi until her head cleared. Then we put her in her new dress and continued on our way.

I've partially figured it out: Dimple goes into a trance or hypnosis by the movement of the vehicle... hence the not-waking-up thing. Why she then proceeds to throw up while in such a state, however, is a mystery.

Anyway, at SM we bought a case of diet root beer for me, and other bits and pieces for home maintenance that cannot be found in Jasaan (conditioner for Epril's hair topping the list). I also bought some chewable motion sickness tablets for Dimple. Then we took a taxi from SM to Jasaan with our booty. The meter was at 390 pisos when we got home (about $8) and 45 kilometers, but in advance we agreed to pay the taxi driver 600 pisos ($12) for the ride because he had to drive back an additional 30 kilometers before he would arrive in territory where somebody might use his services again.

I curled up in bed with my book: A collection of Sunday Times columns by Jeremy Clarkson.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poor little Dimple that sounds awful. Do the tablets work for her. Sounds like she goes into shock or something. To determine if it is psychological or physical put her in a chair that spins and slowly spin left or right with her eyes open. If she still has problems it is probably physical and can be overcome. If it is mental she will get sick before getting into chair the second time you do it. Many AF pilots had motion sickness and it was overcome by spending time being spinned in a chair and figuring out what it takes for them to mentally overcome physical unpleasentness. They teach them to focus on a still object in the distance when you start to feel ill. I overcame it with candy. I would pop a speermint candy in my mouth when air sickness would start and it would take away from my focus on ill feelings and allowed me to oversome air sickness for 17 years of flying. But on the downside my solution wasnt a good one I am lucky I didnt develop diabetes from all that damn candy Ha! Anyway good luck I hope she can overcome it now because it will be harder the older she gets.
from Jakal

Jil Wrinkle said...

Another one of my readers e-mailed me with the suggestion to try these pressure-point wrist bands. Dimple did have some gum with her which she chews.

I don't think Dimple has motion sickness; she doesn't get nauseated or woozy. She passes out, and then throws up. She wakes up and apparently feels fine. She never complained of feeling ill or dizzy... and I asked her constantly.

I'll keep putting the motion sickness pills in her in case they are working. (She didn't throw up in the taxi ride back to Jasaan; but then she was wide awake the whole way.) I'll try that pressure point thing on the wrists too — with a bit of hair ribbon or something, not a $10 sweat band. I might try putting her in a chair and spinning her around, as she might enjoy it.