Tigdas Hangin

Tobi had my undivided attention the past four days. After going through my homegrown diagnostics of "he must be teething now" hence the fever or it must be some "pilay" from all the calisthenics we do every morning, I had to bring him to Dr. Joy (nice name for a pediatrician, right?)because he developed rashes that all my research couldn't define.

My biyenan and Amay suspected its "tigdas hangin" and the "prescription" was to wrap Tobi up and protect him from the "hangin", duh? So with Tobi bundled up like he was joining the Philippine team on a trek to Mt. Everest, we went to see Dr. Joy. After the cursory check on his weight, temperature, eyes, etc. the doc examined the rashes and declared: its tigdas hangin! Then, she rattled off what's going to happen in the next few days, that there's no reason to worry for the rash will just vanish in thin air, give the baby more water, yadayadayada.

I think I wasn't paying attention then. I was pinching myself in my mind, stopping any loud laugh to come out. I didn't know that Tigdas Hangin was something medical and boy, have I a lot to learn about where and when "pamahiin" and science converge. And this, ladies and gentlemen is once of those rare instances - Tigdas Hangin is Roseola in medical science (and I thought I have mastered every page of the baby book).