Feb 11 2008
Phillies Dengue Fever - Catch It!!!
It's now official — after Darfur and Iraq, India is my LEAST favorite tourist destination.
I've been laid up for the better part of 5 days now with what a local pharmacist says is probably Dengue Fever.
Admittedly, he may be wrong and I could have merely caught a really bad flu virus, since the only way to diagnose Dengue is via blood tests. But there's no way in HELL I'm letting anyone in this country stick me with a needle — doing it in Sri Lanka was bad enough. So, for bitching purposes alone, I'm just gonna assume I've got the Dengue.
He may be right — there's been an increasing number of cases in India over the past year, and I've been dealing with the symptoms described as being associated with the virus.
I've had a high fever on and off for the past 5 days — relieved only by copious doses of Ibuprofen (taking aspirin apparently makes it worse). I had a slight rash across my shoulders. My digestive system is in a worse state than Brittaney Spears' career. My eyes feel like they're gonna burn right thru my skull. And EVERY SINGLE BONE in my body aches. Intensely.
Yeah, there's a reason they also call this thing the break-bone fever or bonecrusher disease.
So I've been stuck in my room for the past several days doing anything I can do NOT to go crazy with boredom — reading books by the kilo, surfing the internet (when available), watching DVD's, and trying to get the most entertainment value as possible from my fever dreams.
The fever broke early this morning (but unfortunately has just resurfaced this evening — yea!), and I'm starting to get feeling back in my eye sockets. But I still can't eat anything, and I still feel like I just went 10 rounds with Bobbitt.
Hey, I'm not complaining (well, yes I am), because it could be worse — much worse. In that respect, I'm grateful that I'm (apparently) getting better. But, all in all, I'd rather be in Philadelphia.
I leave India in one week. Let's hope I don't catch a parasite or get rolled by a gang of rogue monkeys in the meantime.
So. Just to recap - you’ve stepped on a poisonous sea creature, required stitches from an accident, and now you’ve contracted something called BONECRUSHER disease?
What’s next? Kidnapped by pirates and sold as a sex slave? Avian Flu? Mauled by tigers?
If you weren’t a friend, I’d probably find this amusing.
Aw, shit, who am I kidding. It’s still amusing. I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but PLEASE be careful, you dumbass.
wow, dude, India has really kicked your ass….ya shoulda logged onto indiamike.com about how to keep those mosquitos from biting, we help people all the time with that….;)
but seriously, med. care in india is not as bad as you think…I spent my last day in india in a leprosy hospital with an IV — in a private room — and I could not have asked for better care. but it helps when you know the hospital director…..there’s a pic on my my blog with me flat on my back….
where the hell are ya in kerala anyway? one poster on indiamike asked if there are mosquitos in kerala. after we stopped laughing, we said, uh, yeah….
drink lots of bottled water, dude! and stay away from pastries…now THOSE will REALLY kick your ass!
by the way….that “pharmacist” is probably not really a pharmacist!
those medicine shops you see on the street where they sell meds, etc. are not run by pharmacists…they’re just run by a regular guy who sells stuff.
so be careful, because some of the stuff they sell is stuff that FDA probably outlawed 20 years ago….where do you think all the banned stuff goes?
enjoy your last week in India!
You’d best take care of yourself,I’d like to read more…What about going to Russia,it could be even more exciting here!
Wow. I hope you feel better soon. Thanks for giving me a reason to like living in the US because I haven’t been able to come up with one since that tiger bit that gay dood.
TK, I know, I know. But I’m planning on writing a novel based on thsi shti some day. And it makes for really shitty reading if all the protaganist does is sit around, surf, drink, and smoke out all the time. But then again …
Lin, mossies?? in Kerela? Bwahahahahahahahaha! Yes. Yes. And yes. thanks for yer concern (and for the link), mom. All my best.
Helen, yes, I actually am considering a snoboarding expedition to Russia sometime soon. Plus, I hear Russian women are absolutely beautiful.
Eileen, a bout with the dengue fever STILL ain’t enuf to make me wanna go back to the U.S. while George W. Assmunch is still locking people up for being smarter than he is (and yes, that’s pretty much everyone).