Dengue? Really??

Okok! Time for me to tell you what happened with the multiple blood tests and the platelet count. Hmm.. Lemme try telling this chronological time-line style.

8th July, Friday: As usual, kena arrow to be emcee for BUTS. Went and did all the usual ra-ra and got into some conflict with the stupid BM. Developed a pounding headache. Prob due to over-excitment or stress.. Stupid BM's fault. Ran away home with SH immediately after show.

9th July, Saturday, 2am: woke up with headache pounding the pounding headache I already had before I went to bed. Also had damn high fever. Almost 40 degrees celsius. Somehow managed to find my way downstairs to take panadol and somehow managed to find my way back into bed. All without falling down the stairs.

8-something am: Woke up with head still pounding. Fever still damn high. Sms-ed SH to tell her bad news. Got out of bed to take some more panadol and to shower, hopefully can shower away the fever. Went back to bed. SH sms back to say Stella is new emcee. Wahahahaha... Pass the arrow.

Dunno-what-time-already: Mum comes in to announce lunch. Announce back that no appetite. Everybody comes to the conclusion that I am sick and have probably caught the same viral fever that my brother was having a couple days back. Ok lor. Just take panadol and go to
sleep. Zzzzz...

10th July, Sunday: Am still sick. Decide to go Sylvia's clinic to get an MC. Called office to report in sick again. SH scold and say nevermind MC. Just stay home and rest. Too bad, already halfway to Sylvia's clinic. Lalala. Mummy goes to buy fruits while Papa escorts me into clinic and sits to catch up with Sylvia. Always lidat onez... Anyway got MC for Monday also. Wheee...

11th July, Monday: Spend the day in and out of consciousness. Probably in bed 20 out of 24 hours. Bleah. Parents leave for Vietnam holiday with brother. Siew Mai is abandoned.. *Sobz* Continue panadol and sleep treatment. Zzzz...

12th July, Tuesday: Tried to go to work. Nearly collapsed walking up the stupid Fort Canning stairs. According to colleague, was as pale as ghost. Sat in office to recover for about 1 hour and then promptly get sent home. Tsk. Go home and continue sleeping.

13th July, Wednesday: Continue resting at home. Sleep some more. Take some more panadol.

14th July, Thursday: Finally go back to work for real. Managed to survive whole day. Discover red spots on arms and legs. Dunno what's going on. Go home and find out that sister has decided to go and lose her i/c. So clever. Dun care, she settle herself. SMS-ed Mum about spots and stupid sister.

15th July, Friday: 2nd week of BUTS. Stella is still emcee-ing. Yay!! I can just sit back and enjoy the show. Dreaming of Coffee Club chicken pie.

6.30pm: Mum calls from Vietnam. Tells me to go and see Sylvia NOW!!!! Cannot lah... People's clinic close shop already lah... Ok fine. Tomorrow morning, first thing! Okokok. Continue eating beef ball noodle from Kiliney Road. Very yummy.

6.45pm: Mum calls again. Tells me, ok go Mount E NOW!!! Anjula is waiting for you. HUH?!?! For what?? BLOOD TEST LAH! HUH?!?! Ok lor... So in the end I still don't get to enjoy the show and still no Coffee Club chicken pie. Sobz. Go off to get cab down to Mount E.

8pm: I get Jabbed. Ow. They took my blood!!! I have to wait about an hour for results. Sigh. Ok lor. Wait in freezing air-con. Anjula shows up and says ok sit here and wait. She will come back. Sigh. Ok. Continue waiting in freezing air-con.

8-something pm: Anjula bursts into A & E waiting room with test results. Tells me my platelets a bit low leh, don't know if she should hospitalize me. (O_o) Ok, hold on she go and ask the MO on duty. MO say no need, too early to tell. So Anjula gets into the act of scolding me to stay home and rest and drink plenty of water. And come down again tomorrow morning for a repeat test! Huh.. Ok... Take cab home, report to Mummy on phone, sleep.

16th July, Saturday: Go down to Mount E in the morning for 2nd blood test. Go to Anjula's office to report. Brought to lab for more jabbing. There goes my other arm. Go for coffee while waiting for results. Ladida. Another hour of doing dunno-what. Go back into Anjula's office to wait some more. Discover that Anjula is very scary when she's stressed. Nurse comes in to report that platelets have risen from 75 to 80. And Dengue IgM tested positive. (O_o) Anjula says don't care don't care! She only wants to know the platelet count. (-_-)"' I assume I am alright and just go home after being ordered to come back on Sunday for a 3rd test. Anjula is very scary. I don't go to work again.

17th July, Sunday, 12-something pm: Go down to A & E dept with slip from Anjula. Some old lady nurse just anyhow jabs me without even looking for the vein and wonders why there is no blood. Finally she takes out the #$*%^@# needle and jabs me with a new one on the back of my hand. In three days I get jabbed 4 times. (T_T) I go home without waiting for results. Segali they jab me again how.

Somewhere in the afternoon: Mount E Lab calls me. Tells me that my platelets up to 133 already. Do I need to know the rest of the results? No need, thank you. Assume that since platelet count so high already so no need go back for more blood tests. Just stay at home to rest. Don't go to work again. Never got to eat my Coffee Club chicken pie. SOB!!! (T_T)

18th July, Monday: Go back to work. For real! Finally! Still got a bit of light-headedness. Continue to report status to Papa through SMS. Parents come home at night, but I have concussed before that. Zzzz...

19th July, Tuesday, 8am: Am about to leave for work when Mummy calls from office. Do you know you actually had Dengue??? (O_o) Really ah?? Yah lah!!! Ohr ok. Tell Papa and maid to drain all water plants and to make sure all pond filters are working. Ok. Go off to work and announce to SH that actually had dengue. SH suspected as much. Decides to SMS GM to frighten the hell out of her. GM really over-reacts and insists that I be sent to a hospital. What nonsense. Still light-headed.


Yesh. That's about it. So I actually had dengue. But I never knew until I had actually more or less recovered from it. Scary sia. It's this stupid Fort Canning lah I tell you. This place is a haven for mosquitos. Did some research, dengue fever itself is not fatal, despite being super super uncomfortable. HOWEVER!! There are 4 strains of dengue. And if for example, I've already been exposed to strain A, I will get the anti-bodies for strain A. Logical right. BUT!! If after getting exposed to strain A, I then get exposed to strain B, then I am almost definitely going to develop dengue haemorragic fever (DHF), which is the fatal one!! So since there are 4 strains, I know have a 1-in-4 chance of getting infected with any of the other strains. So I guess that means a very high risk of contracting DHF. Eeyer... Thank goodness I'm only going to be in this place for another 1 1/2 weeks. eeh...