(Photo): Me and Steph Velvarde in the the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital---she was lucky enough to only have a bacterial infection! I've officially been in the hospital now for 5 days with dengue fever. It's a mosquito borne illness that the scientific community lovingly refers to as break-bone fever. It's just as pleasant as it sounds.
I started feeling sick Tuesday afternoon (the first day with a new group at Elephant Nature Park). I have a low-grade fever that refuses to go away (38-39 degrees C) and the feeling of broken joints and bones. I can't really walk or sit in one position for too long since it hurts too much. The nurses won't allow me to move anyways. They have me call them whenever I need to pee or get up for any reason, they're afraid of me falling over and causing internal damage. Suits me, after 5 steps in any direction I'm keeling over anyways from pain. They're keeping a very close eye on me, so rest assured I'm in the best possible hands.
What once started out as a hideous rash on my ankles and shins 3 days ago (imagine scabies), has since spread to my entire body. It's like I've been severely sunburnt on every inch of my body, and my skin burns hot to the touch. The rash is only too much in the night time when the itching gets so bad I can't sleep and the antihistamines prove worthless.
My platelet count as of today was 28,000, which is still ok. It was 50,000+ when I first checked in. As long as that doesn't drop below 20,000 I'll still be ok according to the doctors (and then I won't require a transfusion from Bangkok.)
My hands and feet have swollen to about 3 times their normal size, which adds to the difficulty of maneuvering on my own, but they say this is from the IV drip. They're ugly as hell, but as far as things go, they're the easiest for me to deal with right now.
Every night the nurses check on me every hour, when the fever is at its worst. They check my blood pressure, and temperature, and drug me up. When the fever gets to its peak every night they douse me with cool water and cold packs, packed into my bed to help me cool down.
I know it sounds really bad...and it has been. But things are looking up. I went from not eating to surviving on bits of fruit for 4 days, to finally getting my appetite back yesterday. The fever has stopped showing during the day as much as it used to (tonight we'll see how it goes.) I have visitors and company every day, and flowers and cards in my room to keep me happy. The only thing I don't have is a camera, which is a shame because I can not explain how hideous my legs are...really you've never seen anything like this! It looks like an early stage of leprosy!
I also have Christmas plans to get better for---at the ENP they're hosting a huge party and Lek invited me to crash with her for the night. Lots of booze, lots of singing and of course a ladyboy cabaret show....that's right, many things to get healthy and stay positive for! Lek's been so great, sending her love via flowers and cards and sending her staff to come visit me daily, maybe next christmas we can help her buy/rescue an elephant? :)
I started feeling sick Tuesday afternoon (the first day with a new group at Elephant Nature Park). I have a low-grade fever that refuses to go away (38-39 degrees C) and the feeling of broken joints and bones. I can't really walk or sit in one position for too long since it hurts too much. The nurses won't allow me to move anyways. They have me call them whenever I need to pee or get up for any reason, they're afraid of me falling over and causing internal damage. Suits me, after 5 steps in any direction I'm keeling over anyways from pain. They're keeping a very close eye on me, so rest assured I'm in the best possible hands.
What once started out as a hideous rash on my ankles and shins 3 days ago (imagine scabies), has since spread to my entire body. It's like I've been severely sunburnt on every inch of my body, and my skin burns hot to the touch. The rash is only too much in the night time when the itching gets so bad I can't sleep and the antihistamines prove worthless.
My platelet count as of today was 28,000, which is still ok. It was 50,000+ when I first checked in. As long as that doesn't drop below 20,000 I'll still be ok according to the doctors (and then I won't require a transfusion from Bangkok.)
My hands and feet have swollen to about 3 times their normal size, which adds to the difficulty of maneuvering on my own, but they say this is from the IV drip. They're ugly as hell, but as far as things go, they're the easiest for me to deal with right now.
Every night the nurses check on me every hour, when the fever is at its worst. They check my blood pressure, and temperature, and drug me up. When the fever gets to its peak every night they douse me with cool water and cold packs, packed into my bed to help me cool down.
I know it sounds really bad...and it has been. But things are looking up. I went from not eating to surviving on bits of fruit for 4 days, to finally getting my appetite back yesterday. The fever has stopped showing during the day as much as it used to (tonight we'll see how it goes.) I have visitors and company every day, and flowers and cards in my room to keep me happy. The only thing I don't have is a camera, which is a shame because I can not explain how hideous my legs are...really you've never seen anything like this! It looks like an early stage of leprosy!
I also have Christmas plans to get better for---at the ENP they're hosting a huge party and Lek invited me to crash with her for the night. Lots of booze, lots of singing and of course a ladyboy cabaret show....that's right, many things to get healthy and stay positive for! Lek's been so great, sending her love via flowers and cards and sending her staff to come visit me daily, maybe next christmas we can help her buy/rescue an elephant? :)
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