Hi guys..
Today's post is going to be about my own experience plus about what i have read up. Last monday (27th June 2011) i woke up in the morning feeling a little weak. I just brushed it off thinking it's just one of those days i did not get enough sleep or something.. Towards the evening, i started developing fever. Again, i did not take things too seriously thinking that i am coming up with sore throat or something... Came mid night, i felt really bad.. I knew that my fever was sky rocketing.. It was then i decided to visit the doctor.. When i went there, i was told that i might have a viral fever (but he did not rule out dengue though). He just said it was too soon to tell and asked me to get a blood test done if the fever persists.
As bad as it was, my fever did not subside. I went to my regular doctor and he told me that i should get a blood test done and true enough, a few hours later, he called me and told me that i was positive for Dengue fever. At that point in time, he told me that my platelet count was 108,000 ( A normal person should have a platelet count of 150,000 to 400,000). He told me not to worry as my count was not all that bad and asked me to return to repeat the test... The next day, my platelet count dropped further to 98,000. This time he told me to get my self warded. That was the most annoying moment of my life... I hate hospitals... It's extremely depressing but i had to do it...
5 days i had to be stuck there... It felt so terrible... just stuck within those 4 walls not being able to do anything (was on a drip line), dragging the whole drip stand to the bathroom every time i had to ease my self... My god... i was going nuts... and i was asked to drink lots of water to avoid becoming dehydrated so you can imagine how many times a day i have to visit the bathroom dragging that stand with me...apart from that it was the pricking.. Everyday they stuck a needle in my veins to draw blood for the platelet count test.
For the 5 days, my platelet count dropped to as low as 48,000 and finally came up to 90,000 before i was sent back home. Along my stay, i asked my self one question? Why am i not being given any medication and you know what guys, to my dismay i was told that there is no specific medication for Dengue... Why isn't there any i will never know but i heard of a few home remedies that has said to be effective in increasing platelet count. Here are a few that i am going to discuss about.
Now, just a brief about dengue fever - is a virus-based disease spread by aedes mosquitoes. This is predominantly a tropical disease and occur in countries with high numbers of mosquitoes. There are 2 general types of Dengue, one is the normal Dengue and the other is Dengue Hemorrhagic or 'Shock Syndrome' variety. The latter is more dangerous as it can lead to severe bleeding from all body glands and even fatal (very rare) if not taken care of early.
The most important thing is for one to identify the symptoms of Dengue Fever:-
A headache
Pain in the joints
Pain in the muscles
Swelling in the lymph nodes
Nausea
Loss of appetiteHigh Fever
But do keep in mind guys that different people get different symptoms. As for me, i only had fever and joint pains. The others never showed up. So you have to be alert.
It is said that consuming papaya leave juice will help increase platelet counts almost immediately by 30 to 40 thousand counts. There was not 1 but so so so many testimonies about it. So, i thought "what the hell... i will out of hospital in a day or 2" but you know what, this did not work for me!!!! In fact every time i took this papaya leaf juice, my blood count plunged by 20,000.
Here i am going to list all the remedies i heard off and who knows it might come in handy to anyone who has Dengue fever:
1) PAPAYA LEAF JUICE
Take 2 young leaves, remove the stem and crush the leaves using a crushing stone. Once done, squeeze out the juice using a thin cloth or equivalent. Each leave should get you about 1 tablespoon of juice. Take 2 tablespoons once a day. I have to warn you though that it tastes extremely bitter... I pretty much gagged everytime i took them.
2) CRAB SOUP
Boil 1 crab with any herbs or spices of your choice for an hour till you get a thick broth. Drink it warm. It tastes awesome and it worked for me...
3) RED DATES SOUP
I was told by a friend that dried red dates can be purchased from any Chinese Medicine Store. Boil them for 1 to 2 hours and drink the soup. It helps increase platelet count.
4) FROG AND BITTER GOURD SOUP
Use the frog's legs and boil them together with bitter gourd and any herbs and spices of your choice and drink the soup. Apparently this works too.
5) DRINK LOTS OF WATER
Take this very seriously. When we have dengue fever, our body dehydrates really fast and this will cause a radical drop in our platelets. You may also consume isotonic drinks such as 100 PLUS, Revive etc. but the bottom line is keep drinking..... I did a record breaking amount of 6 litres a day.. up to a point i felt nauseous when i saw a bottle of water but it is extremely important to drink lots of fluid.
6) HO NAM PEH IOH
This is a Chinese Traditional Herb used as an anti-bleeding component. I do not have any info on how to consume them but i guess we can check with the Medicine Store guys. They will be able to help.
7) MANGAGAW SHRUB
This info was given to me by my friend from our Health is Wealth group residing in Philippines. She said that this herb is abundantly available in the Philippines. She said she took this and it increased her platelet count very well.
8) NEEM LEAVES
Take some leaves, boil them in water and drink it by sipping it over a day. Also very bitter (i did not try this as well but i know that neem leaves are very bitter). This remedy was given by another fellow Health is Wealth member from Nicaragua. This worked for him and he has got dengue 3 times.
9) SWEET POTATO LEAVES
Take these leaves and boil them for about 5 to 10 mins. Extract the juices and drink it gradually over a day. It increases platelet count. This remedy was given by a fellow Health is Wealth member from Malaysia.
10) WATERMELON
Eat fresh watermelons on a regular basis and it will increase immunity to fight the Dengue virus. This remedy was also given by a fellow Health is Wealth member from Singapore.
Well guys, here's my bit that i can contribute about dengue. To stay away from these danger, here's a little bit that you can do:-
* Avoid unnecessary outdoor activity when mosquitoes are most prevalent, such as at dawn, dusk and early evening.
* Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes when you go into mosquito-infested areas.
* Stay in air-conditioned or well-screened housing. Patch screens if necessary, especially where there will be night-time exposure.
* Use bed netting if available.
* Apply permethrin-containi ng mosquito repellent to your clothing, shoes, and camping gear and bed netting. You can also buy clothing made with permethrin already in it. Use repellent with a 10 percent to 30 percent concentration of DEET to your skin. Choose the concentration based on the hours of protection you need — a 10 percent concentration of DEET is effective for about two hours, whereas higher concentrations last longer. Keep in mind that chemical repellants can be toxic, and use only the amount needed for the time you'll be outdoors. Don't use DEET on the hands of young children or on infants under 2 months of age. Instead, cover your infant's stroller or playpen with mosquito netting when outside. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, oil of lemon eucalyptus, a more natural product, offers the same protection as DEET when used in similar concentrations.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks for all your wishes for my recovery and also special thanks to those who have contributed to this article... till my next post... adios...
