专属天使の悪戯なKiss: My brush with dengue... during Chinese New Year...

I've officially hit rock bottom in my luck...

I had fever a week before Chinese New Year!!!

My fever started on Sat21 Jan and lasted till Mon 23 Jan. There was a break from the fever on Tue 24 Jan, so I thought I was cured... I just survived on Panadol alone, endured my muscle aches, and didn't bother to see a doctor...

But it wasn't over...

It had something else in stall for me...

On Wed 25 Jan, the day when I was supposed to go for a premiere for "I Not Stupid Too" with my cousins... My fever came back at full force... And I mean FULL FORCE...

I was shivering like crazy from the slightest draft that came into my house... I had to wear the thickest long sleeved top for the premiere, and I still brought along a jacket... but it was still not enough... once I stepped into the cinema, I immediately felt shivers going through my body... fortunately my cousins had brought along couduroy jackets, and I put them to good use... Throughout the entire show I was wrapped up like an Eskimo in the 3 layers of clothing... And it could only barely keep me warm...

By the time I reached home, I already felt nauseus and wanted to puke really badly... This is a lesson, NOT to eat fast food when you are sick... I ate a double cheese burger for dinner... and apparently it didn't go too well with the sick body... I puked everything out once I managed to get myself into the toilet...

The very next day, Thu 26 Jan, I went with my mum to see my family doctor... He immediately did a blood test for me, and the results came back that my blood platelets level was lower than the average at 110. Normal blood platelets levels range from 150 to 450. For those that don't know, blood platelets help your blood clot and stop bleeding when you get a cut... So if you have insufficient of them, you can bleed to death whether you get an external, or an internal cut... So if you have dengue, be careful of your blood platelets level. And since your blood pressure will also decrease, you might feel giddy easily, so have to be extra careful when you move around...

He gave me some medicine, and I was told to go back for another blood test the next day on Fri 27 Jan.

This time my blood platelets level hit an all time low of 41... I was immediately advised to get myself into a hospital in case my internal organs bleed... By this time, my fever had already totally subsided...

At the hospital, I was told to inform the nurses, whenever I needed to relieve myself, or simply do anything... Cos I was supposed to rest in bed, and not move around at all... Another series of blood tests were done... A total of 3 bottles, and 5 test tubes of my blood was drawn that afternoon... What made it worse was that as my "ward-mates" were all old ladies... they were bed-ridden, and kept calling out for the nurses whenever they needed to relieve themselves, or pretty much do anything... so the WHOLE night I was kept awake by their shouting and the bright lights from the nurse station directly opposite my bed... Yes I was in Class C wards... open wards... What made it even harder for me to sleep was that an old lady was hospitalised at the wee hours of the night, and she was transfered to the bed right next to me... So pardon the scurry of activities and buzz of sons, doctors and nurses around her bed... I only got 1 or 2 hours of intermittent sleep...

Day 1 Fri 27 Jan (blood platelets level hitting an all time low of 41):Hand with pipe & ID tag lying on hosipital bed with nothing better to do...

Day 2 Sat 28 Jan, which was also Chinese New Year's Eve... I had to spend it in the hospital with 3 old ladies... As my blood platelets test on Fri 27 Jan when I came into the hospital was 44, and Sat 28 Jan's was only an increase of 1 to 45... Not up to acceptable level to be discharged yet... Of cos it would be low, I had so little sleep yesterday night cos of the buzz of activities...

Day 3 Sun 29 Jan, first day of Chinese New Year... Not only was I unable to watch the festive programmes... I was unable to collect Ang Pows.... And I had to spend my time in the hospital... On the bed... How boring... I never felt so bored and restless in my life before... And my blood platelets went up to 73 only... But the doctor gave me false hope that I could be discharged, as the levels were showing an upward trend... After informing everyone that I can be discharged... I overheard the nurse asking the on-call doctor if I could be discharged... And to my biggest dismay... He said the doctor said that they still had to wait for my dengue and blood culture tests' results which were not out yet... so I had to stay ANOTHER DAY to wait for the results... Just to be on the safe side... TALK ABOUT POURING A BUCKET OF COLD WATER ON YOU WHEN YOU ARE IN THE SNOW!!! And by this time, I was already very fed up and desperately wanted to go home to get a good night's sleep, cos peace and silence are REALLY RARE traits here... Complaining and nagging old ladies nagging about the bland food... Complaining about their aches and pains... I didn't know how much moaning and groaning I could take before I would break down...

Day 4 Mon 30 Jan, second day of Chinese New year... Again I was waiting for my daily drawing of blood at 6.30am every morning... but this day there was no needles in sight... Apparently the doctor thought that since my blood platelets were showing a rising trend, there was no need to do anymore tests... So I was basically still in the hospital for the sole purpose of waiting for my dengue and blood culture results... Alas another doctor came in for the day due to Chinese New Year... Most doctors were on leave... This doctor (I overheard another doctor addressing him as a Professor) deduced that it was definitely dengue that I had, and there was no need for me to stick around just to wait for the results. So he advised for another blood test to be done for the day, and as long as the blood platelets levels were higher than yesterday's 73, I could be discharged!!! Blood was only drawn at 9am... And around 11.30am, the nurse reminded the on-call doctor that my results were not out yet... As I had to be discharged before 1pm, or there would be another day's charges... So finally he called the lab, and the results came back as 173 (within the normal range), and finally I was given the green light to be discharged...

Day 4 (day I left the hospital with 173 blood platelets level): CU hand with pipe... Going to remove pipe soon...

Day 4 (left hospital, on my way home): there is a silver lining behind every cloud...

Day 6 ( back at home): green blue black patch on arm from drawing of blood for 3 bottles & 5 test tubes on day 1...

Close Up of the greenish blue black patch on my arm...

Day 8 (back at home): More blue black patches on hand from pipe insertion... Note the dot in e area between index and third finger... That's the point of insertion...