It was not simply fever. Apparently, it was a start of something more serious - dengue!
I know that some would laugh it off. That dengue is only serious among children. I can understand for I shared the same misguided perception about that disease until my brother succumbed to it more than four years ago, Oct 2003, almost two weeks after he turned 26.
That's why this time around, when it was confirmed that I had the same sickness that brought home my brother, Ellis, I was worried. More specially for my family, for Nanay and for Tatay. How could we go through this episode again? Imagine the trauma.
For those who still does not know, dengue has no cure. There is no vaccine. No anti-biotics. When one is confined in the hospital, what the doctors cure is the fever that came with the dengue. If you have colds, they'll fix the colds. If you have coughs, they'll handle the coughs. But not the dengue itself.
It seems that the medical strategy for dengue is - we will fix all the ancillary diseases (eg fever, coughs and colds) so that your body's immune system can focus on fighting the dengue virus. We will also give you so many fluids so that your cells are refreshed and renewed (pardon the simplistic correlation) so that they fight the dengue virus.
(Straightforwardly, is there no cure for dengue or is it really a question of economics? If dengue belonged in the 1st world, as heart ailments and as the illusion that one can be young forever, do you think we could have a vaccine for dengue by now?)
I was given fluids, Vitamin C thru an I.V. and was ordered to drink a lot of water, to eat every hour even if it is biscuit and to rest.
My doctor, Doctor Montalban (an infectious disease expert), said, "... eat even if it would just be a tablespoon of food so that the virus would eat the food and not attack your stomach lining."
For someone who watches House I can understand the suggestion. Viruses has a program but no brain as we understand the concept of a brain. To live they have to eat. That's the program. I think my doctor suggests that I eat almost every hour because she does not want the dengue virus to enter my stomach lining which would give the virus a highway to my whole body. But if they eat what I eat then they will get a free ride towards the toilet bowl = )
I can use humor now but while I was going thru it, it was no laughing matter. It was a matter of life and death.
I praise and thank God that He spared my family a repeat of what happened to us four years ago. I can still see the scene in the ICU as we let go of Ellis. I still remember how it felt, how painful and difficult it was to let go. Machines beeping. Nurses pressing his chests.
What save us is the thought that wherever he went, he went to place where pain does not exist. Where his hair has all grown back to its original adorable curls. Where he is beautiful again. Where he is perfect as his heart was perfect (You know, he sufferred from brain tumor when he was about to enter his high school senior year. God spared him that time and gave us 12 more years with him.)
Enough of the tears... 6 life lessons and 4 thank you notes.
1. We have to know and face the truth before we begin to heal. If I persisted on my impassioned but misguided self-diagnosis that all I had was body clock changes and not dengue, I would not be writing this blog now. I can argue with myself and with the whole world (and win it) that all I had were effects of body clock changes but that would not be true. That would be simply being a hard-head and plain stupid and I would not be writing this blog. Period.
2. For someone trained to solve problems, I have a more personal take on the statement - "When one knows the the real problem we are half way in solving it already!"
3. That nature is honest. Our body is honest. The virus is honest. It has a program. It will follow that program. Period. It is up to the many medical researchers to know what's the program of a virus so that it can be properly be dealt with.
4. On the nature side, it honest too - when we abuse it, we will be kicked in the behind for this abused. Very soon!
5. That life is fragile and at the same time strong.
6. That if you have fever that never went down 38.0C for two straight days, go the emergency room for it is an emergency already. Better be in the side of caution rather than on the side of impassioned hard-headedness. It may cost you your life.
7. Thank you Dra Montalban and to the medical staff of Manila Doctors.
8. Thank you friends, my sisters and brothers in the faith and the School of IE-EMG for your prayers.
9. Thank you Nanay and Tatay. Thank you, Beb for being the worrier that you are. For the prayers.
10. Thank you, Lord! You are faithful!
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