Back from a very
long and stressful week! I’m just thankful that Amber is now Dengue-free. We
were discharged from the hospital last Friday. :)
I still want to
hunt down that mosquito and make sure that none of its kind ever exists, for the
pain they gave my girl and the heart attack they almost caused me were unbearable!
I’ve learned so
much about the disease, which I hoped I have learned from other means and not from
a first-hand experience. :(
Since this is a week-long
event, expect a very long kwento...
July 11, Thursday
It all started with
a call from Judith that the school nurse had called and asked her to fetch
Amber from the clinic.
Amber daw
approached her teacher and said, “Teacher, I’m hot.”. She already had
a fever of 38.8oC.
July 12, Friday
Noontime, she no
longer had a fever but was still feeling weak. And she lost her appetite even
for milk. That evening, she again had a high-grade fever.
July 13, Saturday
We decided to have
her checked. The doctor requested for a CBC, Urinalysis (because of her history
of UTI) and Dengue NS1 (to possibly rule out Dengue). That same day, we had the
laboratory tests done at Hi-Precision Diagnostics Plus. Very recommended for
their reasonable laboratory fees.
My heart leaped
when the test for Dengue came back positive! Her platelet count was still
within the normal range but it was already on the low side.
I sent a text
message to the Doctor. He replied by telling us to have another CBC test and have
her admitted if her platelet went down on the second test.
July 14, Sunday
Hubby and I thought there was
no need for confinement yet as her platelet even went up a bit. Doc told us to
continue CBC monitoring every day.
The Hubby and I decided
to schedule the next blood extraction on Tuesday. We still went to work on Monday
to apply for a leave of absence.
July 15, Monday
Amber was already
fast asleep at 11PM. I was beside her still monitoring her temperature. Fever
is still on and off. Suddenly, she awoke and sat up and started gagging. I held
a blanket under her chin in case she vomits. When she did, there was blood – streaks
of fresh blood in her vomit. When I looked at her, there was also blood coming
from her nose. The memory alone of that night makes me want to weep. Nawindang
talaga ako to the highest level!
We immediately
rushed her to the hospital. I was crying all the way while I held Amber who
seemed unaware of why I was in that state.
We were admitted to
the hospital that night. It turned out that Amber’s platelet count dropped to
115. Normal range is 150-450. We were advised to increase her fluid intake but
it was very difficult to make her drink or eat anything.
Also, because of
the bleeding episode, Doc said that he would already request for a blood bag on
standby. A transfusion will be necessary if ever there will be another bleeding
– even if it would only be a single drop. Josme, pakiramdam ko talaga
hihimatayin ako nung narinig ko yung transfusion. I kept on hoping that Doc was
only exaggerating. I never wanted Amber to get to that point. Lahat na ng santo
tinawag ko!
July 16, Tuesday
Amber’s last fever
was recorded at 8AM. She never had fever again since she was given Paracetamol.
We couldn’t let her drink Paracetamol so it was given thru IV.
At noontime, she seemed
to already be her usual makulit self. She laughs a lot but she still didn’t
want to eat anything.
In the afternoon,
she already had a mantra – “I wanna go home, Mommy... Mommy, I wanna go
home! Go home!”.
I gave her a pen
and something to write on so she will be distracted even for a while. Only then
that I noticed she might be ambidextrous. She wrote similar strokes with her
left hand since her right hand is supported with an IV splint.
July 17, Wednesday
Platelet count
dropped again to 95. No fever for 24 hours. The doctor said that the platelet is still expected to drop in the first
24 hours that she is without a fever. He
added that this is the most crucial stage. According to the Med-Tech I had a
chat with, Dengue daw attacks during that 24 hours na hindi na nagfever. Dito
na rin lalabas yung rashes.
But the platelet
should begin increasing within the 48 hours na wala nang fever. So okay lang, I
kept on taking Amber’s temperature almost hourly for my peace of mind. Salamat
sa digital ear thermometer!
At this point, the
rashes came out na rin. Amber was very irritable. She kept on rubbing her soles
and palms sa bed sheet. I didn’t know that these were because of the rashes, I
didn’t even notice that she already have rashes until Doc pointed them out. Ganun
pala yun, parang red patches, para bang sunburn lang. Doc prescribed an
anti-itch medicine, that I didn’t get the name, to be given before bedtime to
help her sleep well through the night.
July 18, Thursday
It’s been a long 48
hours! But we survived it without a fever. Platelet went up to 118. Doc said,
he will allow us to go home the next day even if the platelet hasn’t reached
the normal count yet, as long as it is increasing. I wanted to do cartwheels.
He advised us to just
have an out-patient CBC monitoring until the platelet is within normal range.
That was the point where I noticed that he is indeed cute like what the other
patients and nurses said. I guess, I was no longer too worried for my baby girl
to notice Doc’s good looks. LOL! :)
July 19, Friday
Platelet count is 135. We went home
finally! But we are still required to have a CBC test and see Doc on Tuesday.
There it goes. I’m so
thankful that the good Lord saw us through this. Big thanks to our friends and
family who whispered their prayers for Amber’s immediate recovery.
My boss’ voice still
echoes in my ears when he said that being a parent makes a person emotionally
vulnerable. I couldn’t agree more.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
