Reflections Thailand

I’m in Thailand and I Have Dengue Fever

February 21, 2016

I’m in Thailand and I have Dengue Fever

So this sucks. How’d I get so unlucky, you ask? Well, simply put, I didn’t wear enough bug spray and then I deluded myself about the possibility of actually having dengue fever.

But it’s more fun to tell the story, especially looking back now knowing I have it.

I started feeling shitty on Monday evening, about six days ago.

But hey, I’d done three dives on Monday, more than I’d ever done in one day… so OF COURSE I was tired, exhausted, and sore, right? During our night dive, the last one of the day, I got really cold, shivering even underwater and then shaking on the way home on the boat while I disassembled all my gear. All I wanted to do was shower, eat, and fall into bed.

I Am in Thailand and I Have Dengue Fever - Trailing Rachel

pre-night dive: the last time I felt good for a while

I should’ve known something was up when I couldn’t finish my delicious, perfectly spicy massaman curry that I got for dinner… I just figured I was too tired.

First clue:  When have you EVER been too tired to eat, Rachel?! When? The answer is never.

When I finally got into bed that night, my head hurt like a bitch. But I just thought, “With all the water you lose and the calories you burn while diving, you just didn’t hydrate enough!”

I popped two Tylenol and went to sleep. Around 3:30 AM I woke up from crazy dreams, covered in sweat, my feet freezing. Oh, that’s just probably sunburn right? And all that intense air conditioning that the drunks in the hostel get back and turn on full blast? I’ve gotta get up at 5 AM to dive anyway…

Tuesday morning’s alarm rolls around and I’m not sure if I ever managed to fall back asleep. Ooooh and I’m still kinda/really feeling shitty, that’s weird. I pop two more Tylenol. Gotta finish up this dive course! Really don’t want to put it off! I’ve got a fancy hotel room to check into on the other side of Koh Tao tomorrow! We’ll be done diving by 11 AM today anyway, no problem.

Surprisingly by the time I’m on the boat, I’m feeling pretty good, pounding waters, the scenery is beautiful, and we’re diving to 100 feet today! And I’m going to see a wreck! All of this actually goes really well. (I have no idea how.)

By noon, as I’m waiting for our dive instructor to help us fill out our logbooks and say goodbye, I’m miserable again. I order a lunch that I can only eat half of before I give it to my German classmate. I’m overly annoyed when the instructor has to spell out words for the non-native English speakers. Feeling extraordinarily bitchy, I hold it together and take a very red-faced photo for my certification and then go straight to bed where I writhe in sweat for the rest of the afternoon. I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I am full of sweat. (Please catch my Making a Murderer reference!)

In the evening I feel somewhat better, and am starting to convince myself it must just be all this diving activity that’s got me so worn out. Am I actually feverish or is it just the damn sunburn? Am I even really that sunburned though? (Am I losing it? Of course, I have a fever!)

I Am in Thailand and I Have Dengue Fever - Trailing Rachel

like this duck soup could’ve been bad.

I go out for my favorite roast duck soup for dinner, but it doesn’t taste good at all compared to the past few mornings I’ve had it (despite all the sugar and the fish sauce that I add). I convince myself it’s because I’ve never gone in the PM before and the broth must just be different; maybe it hasn’t cooked long enough. (Like really, am I crazy?) Then the Thai pancake with Nutella, banana, and peanut butter that I order for dessert tastes like garbage too. I tell myself it’s the nasty looking old peanut butter jar that ruined it. (God, what is wrong with me?)

I sweat through the night, but sleep surprisingly well before packing up. I’m feeling better. Or maybe I’m feeling better because I have my own private room in a hotel to look forward to. My $37/night splurge! I’d planned to see the other side of the island and have a little DIY yoga retreat and detox, maybe with some healthy eating thrown in. Oh, we’re about to detox all right…

I eat a Snickers and do not leave my bed except to grab something for dinner. But I’m so tired and weak I cannot go to the restaurant I’d planned because the fifteen steps ever so slightly uphill is too much for me to handle. (Is this for real?) I have to get something closer. I pick up some yellow rice and chicken and take it back to my hotel room. I almost cry tears of joy when the man asks if I want it “for takeaway” because yes, that is a great idea, I cannot be in public. I eat (you guessed it) just half of it… in bed. It tastes funny. Yeah, I’m not right. Maybe I have the flu?

Thursday is similar. I have to leave breakfast because I get too hot and feel like I might vomit or pass out or both. Somehow, I accomplish all the paperwork stuff I need for my Vietnam visa (let me tell you, the photos are excellent), drop off laundry, and walk to the beach to see what it’s all about (not an easy feat). Every other moment is spent in bed until I decide, “Hey maybe I can eat some tom kha soup for dinner. Chicken, coconut, mushrooms, vegetables, that’ll be good for me if I have the flu.” False. I eat an embarrassingly small amount before I get the vomity-fainty feeling again and have to pay and leave immediately. There were also mosquitoes there making me nervous.

I’m pretty much only safe in an air-conditioned bedroom-type environments at this point. Being hot in addition to having a fever is the devil. Like the end times. And I feel like maybe I’ve had a low-grade fever for several days now. I’m just so used to having it that I can’t tell I have it… maybe?

I Am in Thailand and I Have Dengue Fever - Trailing Rachel

Nope, didn’t get the mosquito bite on this hike.

The smallest tasks are fucking impossible. The pain behind my eyes makes it hard for me to plug my phone into the wall beside my head.

Everything tastes bad. Not only am I not in the mood or hungry for anything,* but everything tastes gross. Like I have a sick taste in my mouth. Like there’s a fake sugar, saccharin-esque flavor to everything.

*Oddly enough, chocolate candy is still edible. Twix and Snickers were both successfully consumed. Lots of nutritional value there, obviously.

The possible fainting part is the worst. I’ve never fainted before, but now I can say I’ve come close. When expending energy, um, like walking or carrying things, especially in the sun, I feel like I could pass out at any moment. It’s like my ears get tight, things start to get silent, I can’t catch my breath, everything gets really white, and I’m just like “Oh shit, here it is, I’m about to make a scene and fall over dead on the ground in front of all these people. This is going to be way too dramatic. And possibly cause chaos.”

No, no, it never happened, but I definitely had to put my head between my legs multiple times in public, with no warning to the strangers around me. It was ridiculous looking.

After all this, I still didn’t think I had dengue fever despite realizing that I had like ALL of the symptoms… which, by the way, I googled regularly and uncontrollably. Really, at least twice a day I pulled out my phone to do some research. My search history looks a bit like this:

“Dengue symptoms” (about 8 times)

“What does dengue feel like?” (at least 3 times)

“Does dengue make your calves hurt?” (just the 1)

On the symptoms front, it was almost comical. Pain behind the eyes (yes), muscle and joint pain (god yes, my calves and back especially, wrists and ankles too at first), nausea and vomiting (occasionally nausea, but no vomit yet, aha maybe I don’t have it!), swollen glands (yes, that’s worrisome), headache (well, not anymore…), high fever (ummm?), rash or spots on hands and feet (NO! Finally a no! Wait but when I look at myself in the sunlight..?)

That’s what got me. High fever? Like 104 degrees, according to the Internet? The seemingly mandatory symptom. I didn’t know about that one. But I also never even checked my temperature on the very worst days. I was just convinced I wasn’t hurting bad enough for it to be dengue.

So I avoided going to the doctor. Maybe I was secretly afraid they would send me to the hospital. (Okay, I definitely was.)

In short, I’m an idiot. A majorly in denial idiot. But hey, even the doctor thought I had the flu at first. Until my blood work came back. Low white blood cell count. Low platelets (but not low enough to go to the hospital, thank God!). Typical dengue.

And now, as suspected, I have the rash. I’m red in the face, chest, stomach, arms, legs, and palms of my hands. It’s prickly, but not so bad… compared to everything else.

I Am in Thailand and I Have Dengue Fever - Trailing Rachel

Nice beach at this end of the island – glad I saw it for like 5 minutes before going to nap again

To make this even more amazing, I received a message from my Dutch friend whom I hung out with in Koh Lanta the week before coming to Koh Tao. I put off even opening the message because I’d just gotten the bad news of my diagnosis and was wallowing in it. I should’ve opened it right away because it instantly made me feel better. Misery loves company:

Annamiek:  Whooow Rachel do you have dengue!? I will let me check then when I am home. I felt terrible the last days. But today it was oke. Only have a cold left.

(Trying to timeline this monster of a disease, I asked where she actually got sick.)

Well I left Koh Lanta with a flu and tired. On Koh Lipe everything went fine! And then I moved to Langkawi and there it went worse. First slept with bedbugs so got bitten. Then got a headache, got really hot and tired, pain in muscles. So I decided to go to a clean and fresh hostel in Penang and now I only have the flu and little pain in my head.

So yeah, I probably got the mosquito bite in Koh Lanta while we were hanging out. The incubation period is 4-10 days, so it’s hard to tell, but this is a good clue. And hey, I didn’t even have to deal with any bedbugs!

Turns out I did get that detox I was looking for in a way! I haven’t had any alcohol in a week and I’ve barely eaten anything either. I’ll be turning that around soon. Well, at least the food part.

So don’t worry about me, guys! I’m feeling about 88% better and I’m off to Vietnam! Where I’ll continue to monitor my platelet counts to make sure they’re going up (yes, more blood work) and I’ll be wearing way more bug spray…

Anybody else had dengue? Any consolations for me?

You Might Also Like

  • Joella February 21, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Strangely I’ve read about a few Bloggers with dengue recently. It is hard to avoid- I always get a few bites at least, even though I’m good with bug spray. Im glad you’re still going to Vietnam. I got really, really sick in Nicaragua, I’m not really sure what it was. I think it was food poisoning but I had a fever and headache too. The effects lingered for weeks, even after I got home, so I’m not sure. But I really sympathize with being sick on the road- it’s awful.

    • Rachel February 23, 2016 at 9:22 am

      Ahh oh no, hope it wasn’t the dengue! I feel for you. I’ve also seen that a lot of people have it now too! Apparently it’s a terrible year for it in SEA and now even Hawaii has it. It’s pretty much impossible to avoid one or two mosquito bites. Think I’m almost better now though! I think the worry and anxiety over this blood work is the worst part. And the exhaustion.

  • Wayne Liew February 21, 2016 at 5:56 pm

    Hey Rachel, I gotta say that you are a very strong lady. You even completed your diving course when you had the symptoms. If it was me, I guess I would have stayed in and slept like a baby for the few days or weeks.

    Two relatives of mine contracted dengue recently too. In Malaysia, it is widely believed that dengue patients should drink papaya leaf juice to increase their platelet count, which will then help to contain the disease. But I’m not sure if there is science to back it up though.

    Anyway, speedy recovery Rachel! It’s been fun reading your blog posts on Thailand. 🙂

    • Rachel February 23, 2016 at 9:24 am

      Thanks Wayne! Been enjoying keeping in touch! I hear it’s a bad time for dengue. It’s been really tough being tired all the time but I think I’m almost all better. One more check of the blood tomorrow! My appetite is back and I’m still able to enjoy Vietnam – just not too much strenuous activity quite yet!

  • Jane February 21, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Best TR blog post ever. Maybe you should consider travel. And writing. Travel writer. Hmmm.

    • Rachel February 23, 2016 at 9:26 am

      Haha thanks Jane! Less than an hour of rambling typing in the airport was all it took! And maybe 10 minutes of proofreading.

  • Diana February 23, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    way to stick through your course even though you weren’t feeling all that great! I’m glad you are almost all better and didn’t have to get hospitalized!
    Diana recently posted…What’s Coming Up!My Profile

    • Rachel February 24, 2016 at 1:24 am

      Whew, me too! I’m actually afraid if I’d gone to the doctor sooner they may have made me go in, but fingers crossed I’m almost better!

  • Courtney @ Adelante February 23, 2016 at 12:29 pm

    Holy shit! That’s terrible! I’m so sorry you’re going through this right now. But I’m so relieved to hear that you’re on the mend! I hope you fully recover soon – and get to make up for all of the delicious food you’ve been missing out on 😉 Keep us updated, and get well soon! xo
    Courtney @ Adelante recently posted…Skydive Interlaken: The Best Thing I’ve Done AbroadMy Profile

    • Rachel February 24, 2016 at 1:26 am

      God, I know, terrible luck right? Guess that’s what I get for having a pretty easy time in South America. Right now, the worst part is being worried about it and having to get my blood checked over and over. Hopefully today is the last time!

  • Rachel ¦¦ A Nesting Nomad February 23, 2016 at 4:25 pm

    Oh no… that sounds awful. How stressful to be so ill whilst abroad, navigating new health systems etc. I hope you’re on the mend and back on your feet very soon! It sounds like you need a good feed up to regain your strength, and Vietnamese food is delicious. So I think that’s a free pass to go crazy in Vietnam!

    • Rachel February 24, 2016 at 1:27 am

      That’s definitely the worst part – having to worry about finding a place to get checked out if I move to a different location. I already walked out of one Thai hospital after sitting there for like 2 hours. Totally agree about the food! So glad to have my appetite (mostly) back! I’ve had an egg coffee three days in a row…

  • Jessi (Two Feet, One World) February 24, 2016 at 3:14 am

    Eeep – sounds scary! But you have made it sound pretty hilarious too! Glad you’re on the mend and just in time for Vietnam – one of my faves! Looking forward to following along 🙂 #TravelTuesday
    Jessi (Two Feet, One World) recently posted…Bird-Whispering at Tiritiri Matangi IslandMy Profile

  • Anna February 24, 2016 at 3:41 am

    Oh my god Rachel this sounds HORRIBLE!!! I’m so sorry you had to go through that! And practically almost as soon as you got to SEA too! I feel so fortunately that i was in SEA for almost 8 months and barely wore bug spray yes, there were places where I got eaten alive by mosquitos, but no dengue! Daniel was SUPER paranoid about dengue fever the whole time too and kept on googling it. Just keep resting and feel better! And I’m glad you hear your appetite is back because Vietnamese food is AMAZING!!!
    Anna recently posted…Day trip from Taipei: Yehliu Geopark (in photos)My Profile

  • Joanna February 24, 2016 at 6:15 am

    So sorry for you. Hope you feel much better soon!

    • Rachel February 27, 2016 at 5:26 am

      Haha thanks! “I’m in Vietnam and I’m all better” should be the title of my next post.

  • Christy Swagerty (whatupswags) February 24, 2016 at 5:09 pm

    Hang in there! Thanks for finding the gumption to link up with Travel Tuesday, although you’re probably just resting on the internet all day everyday right now. :/ Bum deal. I hope you feel better VERY soon!!

    • Rachel February 27, 2016 at 5:27 am

      Thanks! Love reading the posts from the link-up! I’m well now and I’m back to making friends and staying in hostels thank God! It was rough for about a week – lots of Netflix.

  • Katie March 2, 2016 at 11:52 pm

    You poor thing! This has actually got me wondering if I had dengue myself. I was on Koh Lanta for a week then had a couple of days in Railay before moving on to Koh Tao. The morning I woke up to leave for Koh Tao I was not feeling great and I ended up being sick with flu-like symptoms, a bad cough and a headache for eight days – a lot sicker than I have ever been before with just a bad cold. Hmmm, I was bitten a lot when I was on Koh Lanta too.

    • Rachel March 13, 2016 at 6:09 am

      WOW, okay, you probably did have it! Same, I was sick for about 8 days altogether and it was definitely worse (though similar) than any flu I’d ever had. Hope you’re feeling better! Wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

  • Bethany March 23, 2017 at 2:02 am

    UGH! I got dengue in Koh Lanta on a dive trip in 2015. And was in denial for weeks, same as you. And went to Chatuchak market on a hot day during the peak of my symptoms (BAD idea. Very bad.) I’m glad you got treatment and got better! On the bright side, if we get it again, we should be mostly immune to the symptoms.

    • Rachel March 24, 2017 at 6:15 pm

      Hahaha that’s so funny – I mean it’s funny NOW anyway. The denial is so real. You’re like “It’s gotta be the flu, right? I’m not this unlucky am I?!” Did you feel like you were going to faint at Chatuchak? I felt like I was going to pass out, fall down, and just cause a big scene on the Koh Tao ferry. And damn, you got it in Koh Lanta too? Such bad luck! Fingers crossed, never again.

  • Seximan November 27, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    Gawd I read it as tailing Rachel haha, Rachel the picture with rocks/boat, where was it taken please? Kind regards

    PS I’m in koh Samui if you want any photos / video to use as content let me know u can have them for free 🤗

    • Rachel December 1, 2017 at 1:22 pm

      This was around Chalok Ban Kao at the other end of the island, after I’d moved away from Sairee Beach to hole up and recover from dengue!

      Thanks for the offer – I’ll let you know if I’m ever in need of photos!