Dengue for Christmas

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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So no prizes for guessing Christmas didn't happen for me this year, but fortunately we had all the shopping done and were pretty much covered by the 23rd when all of a sudden, bang!
From the first inkling I was feeling a bit off, to being completely crippled with headpain like I've never experienced and unable to walk or even move was about 20minutes. I thought there was something wrong with my muscular system and infection or I'd been drugged or something, as from my buttocks to my skull was pulsating with pain that I can't explain. It is the first time I've been in that position where I can't actually lie comfortably because everything about me is in agony and I have to lie on some part of my body.
So 24th when my temp really got up high and I can't remember much or as I suspect remember everything, only nothing really much happened. Thankfully our good friends next door are doctors and they have been piping a few bags of fluid into me over the duration.
Christmas day, well what a shame, we had a huge Turkey, a leg of pork and the family were all coming around for a great day. Me, I was caught between heart and mind. In my mind I so needed to make the Christmas good for our daughter, or at least make it the best I could, but I was just too screwed to even get her gifts fitted together (of which having a look now see that is a task even on a good day with a engineering degree and backup from NASA), but we got the main to her and she was happy. I showed my face once or twice but couldn't stay up for more than 5 minutes. But the family still had the day and didn't do my head in too much with thier nattering way into the early hours.
So the insomnia that comes with this is mind breaking, a week without sleep when your brain feels like it is trying to crack open your skull from the inside out does make you wonder if you have actually got the worse of the strands and death is on the cards, it sounds dramatic now I am upright, but very real at the time.
The good side of this is I look like I've dropped half my body mass in a week, bad side I haven't eaten a thing at all in a week (still can't eat) and as usual at Xmas I prepare to eat like a pig so a lot of food waste.

So my tips on Dengue, just avoid it at all costs, I'm one of these fools who has been all over the world, and never get ill, these tropical diseases can not effect me, they haven't got me yet so they are unlikely to.....
I realise there is only so much a person can do to avoid this, but with no specific medication for it, only that to reduce the pain and bring temps down so just having to wait it out, it is worth doing what you can.

In all my years I have never felt as ill as I have this week, glad it's over, now time to try to muster energy from nothing to make the new year a bit more of a family occasion I can join in.
 
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GinzaGringo

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Sep 29, 2010
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Wow, Givadog, that's quite the tale. I am glad you are back on the mend. It's too bad it ruined your X-Mass but I wish you a tropical disease free 2013!

I am an inveterate animal lover but mosquitoes are one of the animals on this earth I would not lament all the complete extinction of.
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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so you were in hospital ? took some medications for it ?

No hospital, like I said my neighbours are doctors and kept me hooked up to fluids as I needed them. They tried to get me to go a few times but I couldn't be responsible for ruining Xmas for everyone which I would have in going to hospital, besides they wouldn't do anything else in hospital anyway, fluids and pain killers. The only meds there are are for the headache and muscle ache and to try to keep temps down. There is no treatment for it. If it escalates into the more serious strain that kills (which apparently is more likely if contracted a second time) then serious observation in hospital is required but not this time.
 

gandolf50

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Apr 17, 2011
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You are lucky. My "better" halfs niece died last week from Dengue. A few days before Christmas. She felt sick on tuesday, her dad took her to the doctor right away, transferred to Santiago the same day. Died the next night. Ten years old. A real shame.
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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Really sad, sorry for your loss.

I have said we now have to be careful with this having a toddler around. I can absolutely see how this can kill a child. The impact this hits with is ferocious, 36 hours in terrifying, even for an otherwise healthy adult.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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Can't say reather or not it was "Dengue " withouta platelet count.
Could have been a viral infection.
Usually need antibiotics for dengue.
Next time, or for anyone else with those symptoms you must get blood work. Best done in a hospital, while you wait.
If platelets get very low, you bleed, and without a transfusion, you die!
Not worth staying home for Christmas.
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j&t's future

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Mar 6, 2007
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You are lucky. My "better" halfs niece died last week from Dengue. A few days before Christmas. She felt sick on tuesday, her dad took her to the doctor right away, transferred to Santiago the same day. Died the next night. Ten years old. A real shame.

Our heartfelt condolences to you gandolf, and of course your family, a tragedy. :-(
I spent 5 days in CMC Sosua with Dengue before leaving on Christmas Eve, thankfully never in real danger but of course feeling poorly throughout.
So, those of you who have 'not been on your game', particulary with pain in your bones, powerful headaches, tiredness, hot and cold flushes..... CHECK IT OUT, a simple blood test at your local hospital will be able to tell you if you have Dengue.... and remeber, sadly, as we have just learnt, Dengue kills.

J&T
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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kids are especially susceptible to dengue because they are weak and dehydrate fast. it is better to panic and take your child to a hospital more than necessary than not take it once. there is lots of dengue cases now - at least in POP. with this weather it will only get worse, for the duration of winter.

if you have children always have some hydrating fluid ready. buy few packets in the pharmacy, about 50 pesos each. dissolve in one liter of water and it is ready to drink. comes in a variety of flavours, admittedly none is too tasty. but they work.
 
Feb 20, 2011
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I heard of Dengue cases in the Sto Domingo area but apparently no cases at all in Bavaro?
I just worry about a second infection as it can be much more severe...:paranoid:
 

GinzaGringo

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Sep 29, 2010
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Der Fish, inveterate lover of vertebrate and invertebrate animals alike, although, as I mentioned before, I loathe mosquitoes. See, winters are good for something, they kill off those nasty disease carrying mosquitoes, or at least make conditions inhospitable for the buggers.

An invertibrate animal lover???
 
Dec 24, 2012
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Givadog, thanks so much for sharing and I'm sorry you went through that horrible experience. I spent one month in my first trip to DR a few years, it was in January and I heard there weren't mosquitos around during that time since the climate is a bit cooler. I heard wrong. I caught dengue my second week in and was out for the count for 10 days. First time in an emergency room, was in the hospital for several days. I took several more trips after that and got sick two more times but it was not as severe as the dengue, I caught amoeba two years ago, that sucked pretty bad.

I'm actually going back to DR in a few days, I would really appreciate if you brush me up on how to protect myself to prevent illness? I have a very delicate gringo stomach and mosquoties seem to like me...
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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Deet, long pants, and clean water. Don't eat the street food and take sme or buy some hand cleaner (99.9 killer of germs)
 

gandolf50

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Apr 17, 2011
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Can't say reather or not it was "Dengue " withouta platelet count.
Could have been a viral infection.
Usually need antibiotics for dengue.
Next time, or for anyone else with those symptoms you must get blood work. Best done in a hospital, while you wait.
If platelets get very low, you bleed, and without a transfusion, you die!
Not worth staying home for Christmas.
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My spanish when dealing with medical terms is poor. But I know there was concern about platelets and they were preparing a transfusion of platelets. From what I understood is that "all the blood coagulated in the head (or brain) and thats what killed her. It seems there are more then one type of Dengue. According to a little research I did on the net it says that "young females are more susceptible then other age/ gender groups.
 
Dec 24, 2012
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Deet, long pants, and clean water. Don't eat the street food and take sme or buy some hand cleaner (99.9 killer of germs)

If I buy some "Off" spray and apply on my hairy legs while wearing shorts... would that substitute pants? I hate wearing long pants in DR, it's so hot there.

Oh and is the water from the mini trucks driving around town with the annoying hoking safe to drink or should I opt for packaged bottled Dasani water from La Sirena?

Hand cleaner as in hand sanitizer? Are there cheap subsitutes over there for this?
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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There is "Dengue fever", and there is "Haemorahgic Dengue".
The Haemoragic kind, depletes your platelets. Which you need to clot.
Normal count is around 250,000.
If they go below 20 to 25 thousand, you can bleed to death.
"Antibiotics are not used to tret viral infection, per se.
However, when you have "Dengue", or various other viral infections, your doctor may treat you with antibiotics to prevent a supa bacterial infection, whice you may get because of your weak stated of resistance.
It's the "Doc's" call.
My kids have had "Dengue Haemo Fever" 4 times in the last 15 years, one twice.
It is the one time when after seeing their symptoms, they go right to "La Clinica"!
(I Know I can't spill"!)
But then neither could "Albert"
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