Of fever & dengue

I was slightly feverish last night, my whole body ache, i had severe abdominal pain & i feel nauseated..  Thinking that it might be dengue, i rushed to A&E department. Tagging along was my staff whom i guess had flu (her symptoms persisted for few days).. At first, I decided to go to Klinik Kesihatan Bandar Kota Bharu because my previous experience at A&E was bitter - the doc hype a lot & i feel a bit uncomfortable if the doc at A&E found out that I work there..  A colleague reminded me that compared to KKB, A&E had less patients early in the morning.. Furthermore, since i went there with my staff, it wont be too awkward to get treatment there.  So, I headed there, register at the registration counter and then was called shortly afterwards.. The doctor was nice, thanks to her, I got unexpected 1 day MC.. 

My sign & symptoms that is relevant with dengue are severe headache, joint pain & muscle/bone pain.. To confirm the diagnosis, full blood count is needed.. No way i could escape from needle, so i reluctantly let the MA did his job. Thanks to him, it wasnt painful at all & i didnt experience "pitam" after my blood taken (i always "pitam" when somebody took my blood, even  a finger prick could cause pitam - that's why i am afraid of blood and needle).. Frankly, i turned my head away while the MA did the procedure, a sharp pain indicated that the needle invade my vein.. Lucky because i wasnt a subject of experiment (in general hospital, lots of students or HO were allowed to do few procedures, including taking blood - their way of learning was by experience, so it wasnt peculiar if the procedures failed & they had to repeat it again and again - and i must say, it was painful to repeat the same procedure at the same site).. So, i should express my gratitude to the doctor and MA..

 Back to my room, i rest and sleep for the whole day..My temperature spiking, my body ached badly, abdominal pain didnt subside & the headache was so severe, it felt as if i'm in death bed, waiting for "malaikat maut" to greet me anytime.. Decided to take Ponstan, drink plenty of fluids including 100plus (not in the mood to take Paracetamol) and i slept for the whole day.. Feel better in the evening..


To those out there, you can distinguish fever and dengue by  :-

The principal symptoms of dengue are:

• High fever and at least two of the following:
  • Severe headache
  • Severe eye pain (behind eyes)
  • Joint pain
  • Muscle and/or bone pain
  • Rash
  • Mild bleeding manifestation (e.g., nose or gum bleed, petechiae, or easy bruising)
  • Low white cell count

Generally, younger children and those with their first dengue infection have a milder illness than older children and adults.
Watch for warning signs as temperature declines 3 to 7 days after symptoms began.
Go IMMEDIATELY to an emergency room or the closest health care provider if any of the following warning signs appear:

• Severe abdominal pain or persistent vomiting
• Red spots or patches on the skin
• Bleeding from nose or gums
• Vomiting blood
• Black, tarry stools (feces, excrement)
• Drowsiness or irritability
• Pale, cold, or clammy skin
• Difficulty breathing

(copy paste from CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/dengue/symptoms/index.html )

& according to the "Panduan Penjagaan Demam Di Rumah" that I got, Mefenamic Acid@ Ponstan isnt recommended & should be avoided, but who cares? I hate Diclofenac (because of the gastrointestinal side effect), not in the mood to take Paracetamol, Celebrex is too much for the pain associated with fever, so there was only Ponstan left ..