Dang Dengue
Category: Pain
The worst kind of fever I've ever encountered is the kind that's not mine.
Last week, I've had to look after my husband and youngest, both running the same consistently high in the 40s fever, and both infinitely grouchy, somewhat tearful of their burning foreheads, and with good reason. The dreaded dengue hit home.
I say this only because the hospital episode taught me one thing -- in case of dengue (which by the way is not anymore seasonal but an all-year round occuring epidemic), treatment is only but supportive and comes in the form of dextrose, that's all.
For home care, have patience for a 24-hour on call sponge bath request from your patients, room temperature or cool water is preferred. Also be prepared to force them to take in as much water and Gatorade they can muster, and do away with the hospital. That and tender loving care and the long-sufferingness of a martyr. And you're all set.
Most of all, pray that the tiny little vampire suckers, the dengue mosquitoes, do not ever find breeding ground near where you and your loved ones are, much less allow them anywhere near your skin.
The worst kind of fever I've ever encountered is the kind that's not mine.
Last week, I've had to look after my husband and youngest, both running the same consistently high in the 40s fever, and both infinitely grouchy, somewhat tearful of their burning foreheads, and with good reason. The dreaded dengue hit home.
I say this only because the hospital episode taught me one thing -- in case of dengue (which by the way is not anymore seasonal but an all-year round occuring epidemic), treatment is only but supportive and comes in the form of dextrose, that's all.
For home care, have patience for a 24-hour on call sponge bath request from your patients, room temperature or cool water is preferred. Also be prepared to force them to take in as much water and Gatorade they can muster, and do away with the hospital. That and tender loving care and the long-sufferingness of a martyr. And you're all set.
Most of all, pray that the tiny little vampire suckers, the dengue mosquitoes, do not ever find breeding ground near where you and your loved ones are, much less allow them anywhere near your skin.
3 Comments:
yikes... i hope they've fully recovered already... dengue is super katakot talaga, wala nang season... and kids sometimes die from it...
tanda ko when Py was still undergoing chemo... they couldn't get a room because the hospital was packed with dengue cases...
when my boss' mom was also sick, they couldn't get rooms in the bigger hospitals in manila and had to settle for a ward bed in UST... tsk
wow. your tips will do come a long way towards making a dengue sufferer as comfy as possible. But in my case, I would troop to the hospital just to be doubly sure... we haven't has a dengue case yet in our family so I'm sure I will panic in case. knock on wood.
hi mec,
dengue is really strange and comes in 4 strains. buti na lang, the kind that my husband and daughter got is the strain 1, which is the milder form. with the wilder strain, no amount of prevention or care can survive it.
hi watson,
my daughter ended up in the hospital because no amount of forcing and cajoling could make her drink enough water or gatorade. buti na lang my husband forced himself to take in gatorade and water so that his platelet count eventually rose up again and he didn't need to be confined. it's all in the fluid intake. also it helped that i had them blood-tested everyday from Day 1 of hi-fever and was able to monitor their bloodcount.
ingat na lang talaga tayong lahat.
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