Near the end of October I (Amy) went to the school nurse one morning because I felt feverish. My temperature was 102 degrees. I felt achy and figured it was just some type of flu bug. Before I left the nurse's office she asked if I had a headache. I didn't have one but she mentioned that those symptoms could mean dengue fever. The only way to get dengue fever is to get bitten by an infected mosquito. As the days progressed, it became clearer that I probably had dengue. I guess I came in contact with a really nasty mosquito. The symptoms of dengue fever are miserable: fever, bad headache, nausea, dropping platelets and extreme tiredness. These symptoms go on for a week or longer.
A few days later Brian got a fever and a headache. He also must have bitten by a dengue mosquito. Our days passed slowly. We took turns heading from the bedroom, to the couch, to the bathroom. For many days we ate only crackers and tried to drink a lot of fluids. Doctor visits and blood work added to our dismal week.
We're so grateful that we didn't get the more serious kind of dengue. In some cases, the platelets drop so low that people need to be put in intensive care for dangerous bleeding issues or require blood transfusions. However, we're still much more cautious about wearing mosquito repellent. We certainly don't want a repeat of those miserable weeks.
Bright spots during our sickness:
*e-mails from friends, family and supporters
*fun cards from the students at school
*food deliveries by teachers who care about us
*help from the school nurse
A few weeks after our recovery, we saw this sign on the back of an exterminator's truck. Maybe we should keep these phone numbers handy!
No comments:
Post a Comment