I just spent 8 days in the hospital with dengue fever, dengue related liver damage, and pneumonia. Dengue fever is a very common mosquito-borne illness with flu-like symptoms in Southeast Asia, and there is no treatment other than iv fluids. I had complications related to dengue, which is why I had such a long hospital stay. I’m still recovering, and get tired very easily just walking or standing. I’m told it’ll take a month to get back to feeling normal, but I’m just grateful to be alive. Having a healthcare emergency has been my biggest fear living here, and I’m thankful that it happened to me and not my kids.

I was out with Charlie and Olive when all of a sudden I felt dizzy and nauseous, with a fever and headache. I walked into a hotel clinic and they took one look at me and told me I was dehydrated. It made sense because I’d spent a ton of time in the sun (it’s summer here), and I’m not the best about drinking enough water. The doctor gave me a Tylenol and I headed home. I spent the entire night with a high fever, shivering in the summer heat with 5 blankets on me, and headed to the local clinic in the morning. They ran my bloodwork and my platelet levels were well below normal — 145 when they should have been 300+. They didn’t have a dengue test in stock, but my levels were low enough that they told me to admit myself to the hospital because there is a risk of bleeding out with dengue, and there is no blood in El Nido. I got on a 30 minute flight to the island capital a couple hours later and admitted myself to the emergency room.

They immediately connected an iv for fluids, and ran another blood test which came back positive for dengue fever. My blood was tested every 12 hours, and my platelet count continued to drop — 50, 38, 30, where they stayed. I thought my platelet levels would bounce back quickly when I was getting iv fluids and dextrose. I was also drinking tons of tawa tawa tea, an herbal remedy which had worked for so many of my friends, and papaya leaf extract, an Indian remedy for dengue. Once my numbers got so low and my doctor started talking blood transfusion, I started getting scared and couldn’t stop thinking about my kids. What if I died?! I hadn’t even called my mom yet because I didn’t want her to worry.

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I needed a blood donor with O+ blood and had 8 friends show up to the hospital. Apparently you need large veins to extract the white blood cells, so all my female friends were disqualified, but my friend’s husband who had been a donor twice before was able to donate. A friend brought my kids the 5 hour drive from El Nido, and they arrived just before I got the transfusion, which was yellow in color and not red, since it was white blood cells. I think seeing blood would have scared them. The whole process was super quick and I was feeling optimistic.

I thought my platelet counts would go up after the transfusion, but they stubbornly didn’t budge. My entire body broke out in a rash though, which is a good sign that happens towards the end of dengue’s course. At this point my stomach was very distended, and I looked like I was 6 months pregnant. Despite getting continuous intravenous fluids and drinking tons of liquids, my urine was very dark in color. Another blood test revealed that my liver had sustained damage and my ALT levels were 1121, when they should have been under 33. More iv medicines were added including something to make me urinate more frequently to flush out my system, and albumin for my liver function.

I was beyond uncomfortable at this point – my neck and back hurt from laying on the most uncomfortable hospital bed ever, my stomach was severely bloated and I had heartburn, I couldn’t eat anything due to severe nausea, I couldn’t get into a comfortable position because of the ivs in my arms, medicine made me pee every 30 minutes, and nurses came in every hour to do something so I could never rest. An x-ray and ultrasound also revealed that I had pneumonia in both my lungs from all the intravenous fluids, which was causing me to cough violently.

My platelet levels slowly started to creep up and my doctor was confident that the dengue had run its course and my numbers would come up on their own. But he was worried about the pneumonia and suggested I stay an additional 3 days to get iv medication for it. But I was going insane. I had been laying in the dark because the overhead recessed lights were so bright and dengue makes your eyes hurt. I had a headache so I couldn’t watch tv or surf on my phone. And my entire body was so sore and uncomfortable. We asked if I could take medication for the pneumonia on an out patient basis. Because my doctor was leaving for vacation, along with most of the hospital staff as it was holy week, he agreed as long as I came back to the hospital for follow-up bloodwork and xrays.

I’ve been home for almost a week now, and I’m surprised at just how weak I am doing the simplest physical tasks, considering I feel fine otherwise. I’m not worried about the dengue or the pneumonia as that seems to have passed, but my liver levels were what was causing me the most pain. At my last test they were still ~280, but on a gradual decline. There are 5 different strains of dengue and you’re immune to each strain once you get it. Had this just been dengue it wouldn’t have been that bad. But the subsequent complications was what made it so painful. I can’t imagine my kids ever going through that level of pain! There is an incubation period of up to 2 weeks with dengue, but I’m pretty sure it was triggered because my immune system was weak from my severe dehydration, so maintaining good health is always important.

I spent a lot of time thinking in that hospital bed as I didn’t have much else to do. I felt so lucky that I was able to afford all the medical care I needed, while many locals are not so fortunate. About 1000 people die from dengue here every year. Without health, you have nothing. In the past six months I got dengue (and dehydration, liver damage, pneumonia along with it), food poisoning, and a cold. I used to get sick once every couple of years, but I’m not a spring chicken anymore. I’ve always thought I was invincible, but it’s time to start taking care of myself. I’ve also committed more of myself to my various projects here including fundraising for locals in need, a public library, and animal rescue. Nothing like a health scare to truly make you appreciate life!