That Time I Had Dengue

I've never been someone who shared medical things with the internet world. I guess that's where I sort of drew the line. If something serious happened, I only wanted my family and close friends knowing— I didn't need Joe Smith from biology class sophomore year reading about me on Facebook. I surely didn't need, let alone want, the sad-faced emojis or the pity comments. I really didn't. 

Then I had a great chat with my mom, and she mentioned how sharing your story with the world is a way to heal— whether that simply be through the process of sharing a traumatic experience with others, or helping someone else through a similar experience. "Write about it," she encouraged. "If anything, you may help someone else who doesn't know where to turn." 

So, I took her advice. 

A Typical Morning

On April 21st, I started the day in one of my favorite ways: with yoga. I changed, grabbed a towel, and headed across the street from the bungalows where were staying on Koh Yao Noi. I had a beautiful stretch of beach to myself that morning, overlooking the dramatic limestone rocks of the Phang Nga Bay. It was serenely perfect. 

It was a short, low-key session, but even lying in shavasana could have worked up a sweat in the tropical Thailand heat. I popped in the shower for a quick rinse-off and headed down to the restaurant next to our bungalow for a homemade buffet breakfast. 

Over warm coffee and fresh fruit pancakes, Justin and I enjoyed chatting with some fellow tourists about teaching, traveling, and everything in between. The morning got a bit away from us, but we didn't mind. We always relish the conversations we have with people from around the world. 

We wanted to explore a bit of the island that day, so we got ready and hopped on the motorbike to check out a new beach. This one, "Long Beach" was a short 10-minute drive, but it wasn't easy— the last five or so minutes we found ourselves dirt-biking down a rocky, sandy path through the woods. Once the path cleared, though, the beach was beautiful, and there were only a handful of people there. 

We relaxed there for awhile, exploring the rocky edges of the beach's cove and reading our books. Once the high-noon sun peaked behind the trees, we decided to head back to our bungalow for some AC relief and a bite to eat. 

I remember feeling a little lightheaded and "off" after I ate my meal, but I just shook it off as maybe eating a little too fast. I laid down for a little afternoon nap and just tried to sleep it off. 

The Storm Begins

I woke up a bit later not feeling much better— I had quite a headache and my skin was slightly painful to touch. I felt like I was coming down with a common cold, nothing too serious. We had plans to try to catch a muay thai fight that night, but I decided to stay in and rest instead. 

I'm so glad I did, because later that evening, my fever hit. I was wrapped in a thick blanket, but still cold, and my head was booming behind my eyes. The painful feeling on my skin spread into my muscles, causing deep pains all over my body. I wasn't nauseous, but I wasn't hungry. I couldn't get comfortable.

Outside, I heard the loud boom of thunder and a crack of lightning. In an instant, the power went out, and the rain pounded against the roof of our tiny bungalow. The power wavered off and on for the next few hours, as I tried to stay warm and comfortable. 

The next day, there was little to no improvement in my health. I still had a pounding headache despite drinking liters of water, my entire body was in pain, and my fever was high. I tried so hard to forget I was sick by watching movies and funny TV shows, but I couldn't shut my brain off. 

That afternoon, there was a post in the expats group for our city that caught my eye: there was an outbreak of dengue fever in the Phuket region of Thailand. Oh, man. I hadn't been in Phuket since the beginning of the month, but I didn't rule it out.

Dengue fever: a mosquito-borne virus found in Southeast Asia, India, Southern China, Africa, The Caribbean, and Central/South America

Call me a little crazy, but I started looking up symptoms of dengue on my phone. I'm not someone who gets sick often (*knocks on wood*), and this was the worst I had felt in as long as I could remember. I knew it couldn't just be the flu. I checked off most of the symptoms of dengue (sudden fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle pain, fatigue), and started reading about what to do if you suspect you might have the disease.

I learned that it wasn't treatable, but it was still important to go to the hospital to monitor vitals and blood platelet levels. Other than that, I had to just ride it out with plenty of fluids, rest, and pain relievers with acetaminophen.

Later that afternoon, I couldn't take the pain anymore. I asked Justin to drive me to the nearest hospital, in the hopes of getting some sort of relief or answers. It took all the strength I had to rinse off in the shower and walk down to the parking lot where the motorbike was. 

The hospital trip proved uneventful and unsuccessful. There weren't any doctors there that Sunday afternoon, just a few nurses and a couple getting bandaged up from a motorbike fall. The nurse claimed she couldn't test my blood because I hadn't exhibited three days of symptoms (not sure how accurate that is...), but she still took my temperature and gave me some pain relievers and electrolyte drink mixes.

The waiting game began, so it was back to bed for me. 

The next day, Monday, was our last day on Koh Yao Noi. The following afternoon, we'd head to Phuket, where I told myself I would find the nearest hospital to get my blood checked. I felt a little bit better, but not much. I was trying not to think about most of the island I wouldn't see, or all the restaurants I wouldn't try. I just wanted to be better. 

That same afternoon, though, things only got worse— Justin ended up showing all of the same symptoms, plus more. Luckily, by that point, I started to feel a bit better. I could at least walk down to the restaurant for more water and food if we needed. 

The following afternoon, we made it to Phuket. Justin was absolutely exhausted from the boat/taxi journey, so he immediately went to bed. I settled a bit, but I still wanted to get to the hospital. I walked downstairs to the lobby and asked the staff to call a taxi.

Posting Up in a Thailand Hospital

The hospital was about 20 minutes from the hotel. The driver pulled up to the drop-off zone in front of the open air lobby, and I went straight to information to check in. 

The whole process was fairly efficient and painless. After checking in, I waited in a short line to see a nurse. She took my blood pressure, weight, and temperature, and asked me more about my symptoms. She spoke great English, which I was so thankful for. 

Once I visited the nurse, I waited in another queue to see one of the doctors. He spoke even better English and seemed like a nice guy— I felt like I was in good hands. He talked with me more about my symptoms and asked me to head to the second floor for blood tests.

I followed the signs upstairs and waited my turn to get my blood drawn— another surprisingly easy process. There weren't many other patients waiting for blood tests, so I was in and out in no time. I was told to wait there for about 30 minutes, and they would have the results of the test. 

Once I got my results, I walked back downstairs to wait in line to see the doctor again. This is where the bad news hit. The doctor informed me I tested positive for dengue. The good news was that I was over the first stage of the virus, the symptom stage. The bad news was that I needed to be monitored every day to make sure I didn't enter stage two, when my blood platelets had the potential to get really low. 

I was scheduled to fly back to Bangkok, and then head back to Korat the next day, but the doctor said I couldn't fly. He wrote up a medical certificate for me and asked me to come back for another round of blood tests tomorrow. The doctor didn't know how long I needed to be monitored for— it would all depend on whether I hit stage two of dengue. "Maybe two days, maybe not," he said. Very Thai...

At this point, we were at a standstill. I didn't want to travel if the doctor advised against it, and I didn't know when I'd be cleared to travel again. I picked up more pain medication and electrolyte tablets from the pharmacy at the hospital, and headed back to the hotel to rest. I was lucky to get in touch with our airline once I was back to the hotel. After I explained my situation and sent them the medical certificate, they were able to give me partial credit toward two plane tickets. I had to book them at least seven days in advance, so I couldn't use them this time around, but hopefully toward a future flight. 

The next three days felt like the movie, "Groundhog Day." I went back the hospital every morning for more waiting, more blood tests, and more waiting.

The second day of testing, my blood platelets lowered, and I got the same answer from the doctor: we just needed to keep monitoring the blood, and we still didn't know when I would be cleared to travel. 

The third day was hellish. After spending nearly all morning waiting to get my blood checked and to get my results (I slept on the waiting room bench, it took that long...), the hospital found out their blood testing machine was broken. They had to send out all the blood to a different lab, which meant I had to come back for the results later that afternoon. At that point, the last thing I wanted was to go back to that hospital, but I did. My platelet levels weren't any lower, thankfully, but they weren't any higher. I'd be back again tomorrow. Joy.

The fourth (and final!) day was a breath of fresh air. After getting my blood tested, the doctor told me my blood platelets were starting to return to normal. No more stage two, and on to stage three: the recovery stage! I was elated. I thanked the staff and rushed back to our hotel to book the quickest flight home. 

Slow Boat to Recovery

Since April 28th, Justin and I have been back in Korat, slowly but surely getting better. We've been sleeping a lot, and have been continuing to drink lots of water. Our appetites have taken a long time to feel normal again, but we're getting there— just continuing to eat lots of fruit, vegetables, and soup when we can. 

Our school has been incredibly supportive through all of this. We plan to be back next week before the start of the new term to get everything sorted. By then, we'll be refreshed and ready for the new term. 

I'm grateful I didn't have to go through this alone. Thank you, Justin— for taking care of me when you could, and for being there. Sometimes simply knowing someone else knows exactly what you're going through makes it all easier. 

I'm eternally thankful for my parents— for their love and support miles away. I have no doubt this experience scared them $#@&less, but they never showed it. Thank you both for your unrelenting strength. 

To the nasty mosquito who gave me this terrible disease, I'm not so thankful for you, but I'm thankful for this experience... for making me realize that things do happen abroad, people do get sick, but it's okay. I'm in better hands than I think, and I'm capable of more than I know. 

Be well, stay well. 

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