As most of you know our co-worker Josh had Dengue about a week ago and it landed him in the hospital.
Well the same fate has struck Laney in an eerily similar way as well. She had been fighting it for a few days, but we knew it was time to go to the hospital when I (Jameson) found her passed out on the kitchen floor.
Something about that damn kitchen floor and passing out!!
First let me give you the run down on how our environment has a higher concentration of mosquitoes and why most tourist never get Dengue.
The key is location. In fact, one of the reasons Spanish settlers set up shop on a little island off the coast besides better protection was that every time they tried to go more inland to explore they contracted illnesses from mosquitoes. That and the natives sort of kicked their asses.
So to avoid the natives and mosquitoes they set up what is now 'old city' which has high breezes and not nearly the mosquito problem.
Another touristy spot is Condado, which run right along the coast, also providing consistent winds.
The hostel we work at is in a neighborhood called Miramar, which is a great little place, but it is located just far enough from the ocean that it lacks the regular breezes. Also Miramar is by a lagoon, so that puts us right in the middle of mosquito heaven.
When we first arrived at the hostel it had A LOT of muzzies (thats australian for mosquito).
So during our first week we got some fans to circulate the air and some plants that naturally repeal the little bastards and it has worked rather well.
The mosquito count is now easily half of what it was.
So back to Laney being in the hospital. We are guessing that she contracted Dengue during our first week at the hostel during The Great Mosquito War of 2012.
To our surprise she is being kept in the hospital for a few days because her white blood cell and platelet count was so low. I got us some blankets and she slept oddly with IV tubes in her arms, and I got no sleep in the chair next to her.
She has downed about a dozen IV's now and her color looks much better.
We have been here for two uncomfortable days now. Sleeping next to the dying coughs of the elderly.
The doctor will check her platelet and blood cell count today.
Until then we wait for her cells to regenerate and we try to get some sleep, unsure of how much more we can take.
Well the same fate has struck Laney in an eerily similar way as well. She had been fighting it for a few days, but we knew it was time to go to the hospital when I (Jameson) found her passed out on the kitchen floor.
Something about that damn kitchen floor and passing out!!
First let me give you the run down on how our environment has a higher concentration of mosquitoes and why most tourist never get Dengue.
The key is location. In fact, one of the reasons Spanish settlers set up shop on a little island off the coast besides better protection was that every time they tried to go more inland to explore they contracted illnesses from mosquitoes. That and the natives sort of kicked their asses.
So to avoid the natives and mosquitoes they set up what is now 'old city' which has high breezes and not nearly the mosquito problem.
Another touristy spot is Condado, which run right along the coast, also providing consistent winds.
The hostel we work at is in a neighborhood called Miramar, which is a great little place, but it is located just far enough from the ocean that it lacks the regular breezes. Also Miramar is by a lagoon, so that puts us right in the middle of mosquito heaven.
When we first arrived at the hostel it had A LOT of muzzies (thats australian for mosquito).
So during our first week we got some fans to circulate the air and some plants that naturally repeal the little bastards and it has worked rather well.
The mosquito count is now easily half of what it was.
So back to Laney being in the hospital. We are guessing that she contracted Dengue during our first week at the hostel during The Great Mosquito War of 2012.
To our surprise she is being kept in the hospital for a few days because her white blood cell and platelet count was so low. I got us some blankets and she slept oddly with IV tubes in her arms, and I got no sleep in the chair next to her.
She has downed about a dozen IV's now and her color looks much better.
We have been here for two uncomfortable days now. Sleeping next to the dying coughs of the elderly.
The doctor will check her platelet and blood cell count today.
Until then we wait for her cells to regenerate and we try to get some sleep, unsure of how much more we can take.
Poor Laney! I'm glad you're feeling better now. I have recently experienced how much being in the hospital sucks...you are just ready to leave! I hope you continue to feel better and rest!
ReplyDelete-Sister Lauren
Oh no! how scary! Sorry to hear about this sickness, I am so happy you are recovering now. We are thinking about you all :)
ReplyDeleteHolly and Jack