I felt sick two Wednesdays ago. It was kind of like a sudden onset thing. I mean, I was totally okay the day before, except for feeling a bit tired & sleepy. I was with the rest of the team (specialists, medical officers, nurses) at grand ward round when I started feeling feverish & having joint pain. I tried to ignore the symptoms till the end of the ward round, but it just got worse after that. I developed chills & rigors with some rashes on my upper limbs.
My diagnosis was viral fever. Had my FBC (full blood count) checked. Haemoglobin & platelet count were within normal range, but TWC (total white cell) was slightly raised. I thought that was peculiar, as bacterial infection would cause TWC to go up, not viral. But at least the platelet count was normal. I don’t mean to be paranoid, but living in a condo where people come to do fogging every fortnightly, I have to think of dengue fever as a differential diagnosis.
I still went to work the next day. I thought I’d be okay with regular paracetamol & increased fluid intake. Afterall, viral illnesses are self-limiting. But before I even started work, I felt sick again, with uncontrollable chills & rigors. I was already on 3 layers of baju & got the staff nurse to get me extra blanket. My symptoms subsided later in the day, with paracetamol & I actually managed to work full day.
I could prescribe medicine & order investigation for myself but I couldn’t sign my own MC. Neither could my colleagues & I couldn’t go to the Staff Clinic because I’m not a hospital staff (I’m just doing attachment). So I’m left with no other choice but to “buy” MC from the nearest GP clinic the following day.
At the clinic, the doc found out that my throat was injected & I was still having fever at 38.1°C. It came as a surprise to me as I did not have any symptoms of sore throat or cough. But it made sense, as bacterial throat infection causes white cell count to up & fever with chills & rigors is possible. I was given a course of anitibiotic & MC for the day.
Upset that my initial diagnosis was wrong, I checked my throat upon reaching home. It was really swollen & looked almost obliterated (gasp). I took my medicine diligently & recovered in no time.
My diagnosis was viral fever. Had my FBC (full blood count) checked. Haemoglobin & platelet count were within normal range, but TWC (total white cell) was slightly raised. I thought that was peculiar, as bacterial infection would cause TWC to go up, not viral. But at least the platelet count was normal. I don’t mean to be paranoid, but living in a condo where people come to do fogging every fortnightly, I have to think of dengue fever as a differential diagnosis.
I still went to work the next day. I thought I’d be okay with regular paracetamol & increased fluid intake. Afterall, viral illnesses are self-limiting. But before I even started work, I felt sick again, with uncontrollable chills & rigors. I was already on 3 layers of baju & got the staff nurse to get me extra blanket. My symptoms subsided later in the day, with paracetamol & I actually managed to work full day.
I could prescribe medicine & order investigation for myself but I couldn’t sign my own MC. Neither could my colleagues & I couldn’t go to the Staff Clinic because I’m not a hospital staff (I’m just doing attachment). So I’m left with no other choice but to “buy” MC from the nearest GP clinic the following day.
At the clinic, the doc found out that my throat was injected & I was still having fever at 38.1°C. It came as a surprise to me as I did not have any symptoms of sore throat or cough. But it made sense, as bacterial throat infection causes white cell count to up & fever with chills & rigors is possible. I was given a course of anitibiotic & MC for the day.
Upset that my initial diagnosis was wrong, I checked my throat upon reaching home. It was really swollen & looked almost obliterated (gasp). I took my medicine diligently & recovered in no time.
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