My Experience: Dengue Fever

I am finally back to work. It was the worst nightmare this year to be hospitalized for a week!

And once again, I was sent to hospital on Valentine’s day! *Snap!* (I was sent to hospital emergency last year on Valentine’s Day too, almost died on the way due to breathing problem)

What about this time? Dengue Fever!

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Dengue fever is a virus-caused disease that is spread by mosquitoes. It is spread by the bite of mosquitoes, most commonly the mosquito Aedes aegypti, which is found in tropic and subtropic regions.

This area includes parts of:

• Indonesian archipelago into northeastern Australia

• South and Central America

• Southeast Asia

• Sub-Saharan Africa

• Some parts of the Caribbean

Dengue fever begins with a sudden high fever, often as high as 104 – 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 4 to 7 days after the infection. A flat, red rash may appear over most of the body 2 to 5 days after the fever starts. A second rash, which looks like the measles, appears later in the disease. Infected people may have increased skin sensitivity and are very uncomfortable.

Other symptoms include:

• Fatigue

• Headache (especially behind the eyes)

• Joint aches

• Muscle aches

• Nausea

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Vomiting

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Nasal stuffiness

Tests that may be done to diagnose this condition include:

• Antibody titer for dengue virus types

• Complete blood count (CBC)

• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for dengue virus types

• Liver function tests

There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. You will need fluids if there are signs of dehydration. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is used to treat a high fever.

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I had all the symptoms above and whole body covered by rashes with itchiness! (even on my face)

I could not scratch, if I scratch the rashes will be itchier and swollen. Doc gave me only one pill for itchiness in a day, and the itchiness had driven me crazy. After my grudges, doc finally gave me calamine lotion to soothe the itchiness…well, although it did not really help, at least it was better than nothing. So every night in hospital, I could not sleep because of the itchiness, I would sit up in the midnight and stared at my feet, applying the calamine lotion so thick as if I was painting a wall. Another thing is the dripping, once I admitted into hospital, the dripping was non-stop, 24-7 until i discharged. I was swollen like a balloon. When my right hand for dripping was swollen, they switched the dripping to left hand. When left hand was swollen, they switched back to right hand but a new uninjured blood vessel.

There are a few traditional ways to help dengue fever patient to recover, which are proven to be effective and adopted by most people here. First, to make papaya leave juice. Remember not to add in any water or sugar, it must be 100% pure papaya leave juice. After washing the papaya leaves, you have to use tissue paper or kitchen roll to absorb the water on papaya leaves. The taste is bitter and awful but is able to help you to recover faster. Another one is by steaming wild bittergourd with frogs (edible one, in chinese called “田鸡”). You have to put the bittergourd and frogs together in a bowl with cover or a mug, do not add any water into the bowl. Put the covered bowl or mug into steamer to steam, the essence of the both ingredients will help patient to recover too.

A good thing was that after staying in hospital for a week, doc gave me another one week medical leave. Finally I had some time to really rest and recover. I felt like I have not been resting well for a very long time. Now I am back to work and almost used up the whole year medical leaves. 

I had received many calls, many messages during hospitalization. I did not answer or reply in time, I was too fatigue. Thanks for all the cares! During the recuperation at home, I deactivated my facebook account. Some friends thought I blocked them, some are still not aware of that, some do not understand why. The reason being is very simple, I want to run away. some people will ask, what are you running away from?

My answer: everything.

I will get myself and my life back. I am Ice.