my midlife musings


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Preparing the Teenage First Aid Kid





First Published - February 2019



"Don’t Call, But I’m Sick”

This was part of a frantic string of messages my 17 year old son sent recently. It went something like this:

- Hello?

- Don’t Call

- But I’m Sick

- My body is really hot

- I’m about to take a cold shower

- And then hopefully find some medication


All my mothering instincts went on high alert…here he was a few hundred miles away in another part of the country and there was NOTHING I COULD DO! My firstborn, my one and only, my big responsible young man was sick and the first thing he does is send me a message.





While he went for his cold shower I frantically discovered exactly where he was (Thanks Life 360!) and then started doing a google search for the nearest pharmacy, clinic, hospital…anywhere that he could reach in a flash and get some medication.



He eventually found a local convenience store and got some pain relief and managed to get himself better again.


Or so I thought…


A couple of hours later I got the phone call; “I’ve vomited” came a small and weak voice over the phone. My heart broke…all I wanted to do was scoop him up and make it all better. But how could I, he was there and I was here….miles away.





I realised then that as much as I had taught my son as much as a mother possibly could, I hadn’t prepared him for situations like this.


I hadn’t prepared my son for being ill.


We have a pretty well stocked medicine cabinet at home. All the necessary essentials for when something happens at home. I even carry around basic medication with me whenever I go out or travel. It never occurred to me to do the same for my son.


He was always going on about doing things by himself, he knew it all. Where to go, what to do; not this time. This time he was ill and needed something to at least ease the symptoms and feel a little better.


Time to get organized!


After coaxing him to get to the nearest pharmacy and pick up some food, water and medicine I decided that I needed to get a Teenage First Aid Kit put together. Something simple that he could carry around with him wherever he went so he had access to the necessary medications immediately on hand should the situation arise.





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How many medicines can I fit in one case?



We are lucky that there are many clinics in Malaysia that are open all hours and the hospitals are also easily accessible and plentiful as well. However, having basic medicines readily available was an important step in the healthy right direction.


The good news is that he’s feeling a lot better as I write this post. Sleep, water, simple food and basic medication has done the job. He’s coming home for a visit soon and we will be going shopping at our local pharmacy to get all the medical essentials so we can avoid this all next time.


Do you have a first aid kit for your older child? Did I miss anything out?I really hope not!



My Midlife Musings


Singapore, UAE, Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia
Expat Since 1984