So I´ve been sick for the last week and this is my first day feeling back to normal, and I want to post something but the only thing I have is what I´ve done for the Peace Corps about my sickness, so here that is. I´ll make a real post when I´ve got some energy again!

Monday: went to bed at 8 because of a headache and low fever (around 100°F) that started after dinner
Tuesday: woke with bad headache (pain around the eyes, forehead, temples, back of the head) and achy body (mostly neck and back). Stayed home and slept until 2pm, then read for most of the day. Thinking it was possibly a tension headache, I went for a jog at 5pm. Afterwards I showered and felt more relaxed but the headache was persistent. I went to bed at 8pm with a fever of 100.4°F and took Tylenol from the med kit to reduce the fever. IWell then i woke up at 1145 to pee, freeeeezing cold. So i put on more clothes. Let me describe this to you: i’m sleeping in a room that was 76 degrees that night, sleeping in: shorts, track pants, socks, a tank top, long sleeve shirt, and hoodie sweatshirt with the hood up, underneath a sheet and a heavy wool blanket. Well i couldnt get warm and back to sleep, so i took my temperatura and it was up a little, around 101.6 or so. Since i was then cold and hungry, i got up and made some hot chocolate with a rice/chicken broth soup – my mind was thinking i was getting a stomach problem because of not washing strawberries with Vitalin (a washing agent) on Sunday. So finally i feel full and almost warm, so i took some ibuprofen, laid down and start shivering. I had trouble sleeping because I was so cold and shivering so dozed until about 2:15am. I then got up to use the bathroom and when I returned to my room I checked my temperature (102.6°F). At that point I removed the clothing and blankets, wiped down with cool water, and took another Tylenol from the med kit for the fever. I was able to fall asleep after about 45 minutes and slept until 8:45am on Wednesday.
Wednesday: When I checked my temperature around 9am it had returned to a low fever (100.8°F). I called Dr. and left a message on his cell phone around 9:30am and when I hadn’t heard back I called the emergency cell number around 11:30am. He then called me back and instructed me to buy Tempra 500 every 4 hours for 24 hours for the headache and to not take any more ibuprofen. The headache had subsided to a dull ache with more sharp pain when standing, bending down, or making rapid movements. I went to the pharmacy and bought the Tempra 500 and began taking at 3:00pm. I went to bed early that evening, waking to take each dose of the Tempra.
Thursday: I woke around 10am with just a slight headache remaining. I finished the last dose of Tempra at 11:00am on Thursday. I called Dr. in the early afternoon on Thursday and told him I felt much better and that the headache had all but passed. My left ankle was hurting pretty severely but I figured it was unrelated and I had just twisted or irritated the ankle, which I previously injured. Also, my back was hurting but I figured it was just from laying in my bed so much in the past few days. Around 4:00pm but i knew the next symptom would be a rash starting on the hands or feet (according to this great book they gave us). I was sitting at the park and kept thinking i saw a rash on my hands and forearms, but then couldnt decided if i was just imagining or creating it, psychologically, because i knew it would be next if it was dengue. Talk about a mind-game. So i just decided to ignore it since i would find out soon enough (if i had a rash the next step would be a high fever in the night). When i got home i hung out, then when i went to shower i noticed the beginnings of a rash on my feet and thighs, plus a definite rash on my back. I kinda freaked out at that point, showered quickly, and called the doc. My host family suggested it was Dengue Fever after seeing the rash. I also took several photos of the rash. He instructed me to take 2 Diphen (Benadryl) from the med kit immediately and 1 more before midnight. At this point I did not have a headache but my ankle and back were still hurting. The blood vessels in my eyes had also ruptured and parts of my eyes were very red. When I put LiquidTears in my eyes they burned and the redness spread. I also had a low fever around 100°F. I took the Diphen and slept until the next morning.
Friday: I woke on Friday with a worse headache than before and could barely get out of bed. It was originating from behind my eyes and forehead, was worse when I was getting up or moving around, and I couldn’t move my head without feeling nauseous from the headache. It was pounding when I was lying still and unbearable when I was moving around. I called Dr. that morning and was told to not take any Tylenol/Tempra and to take Diphen for the rash. He also said I would probably be able to go to Guayaquil to Clinic Kennedy on Saturday if not improved. I took a Diphen and slept until 12pm, ate lunch and showered, then went back to sleep until 5:30pm. I sat around and watched TV until bedtime and tried to go to sleep. I had a fever around 100.5°F throughout the night. I was unable to sleep because of the headache and felt like I was going to throw up because of the pain, but finally fell asleep at 5am with a cold rag on my head.
Saturday: I woke on Saturday at 730am with the same unbearable headache and my host brother offered to take me to Guayaquil to go to the doctor. I tried to call Dr. between 8:30am and 9am but was unable to get through, so I decided to leave for Guayaquil and call en route. A fellow PCV sent me the number for the other PC doc (which I had failed to put in my phone), so I called her and spoke to her. She authorized me to go to Clinic Kennedy, so I went. I arrived at 10:30am and was given a bed immediately and completed paperwork. So I got to the ER and was given a room immediately, and a nurse took my blood pressure and temperature (they take their temp in the armpit, which was weiiiiird). Then the doc came in and I described my symptoms to him, and he said they were going to do some blood work. So a labtech drew 2 vials of blood, and only needed 3 holes to do so! Then I laid in the ER for 2 hrs while they checked the results. Finally, 4 hrs after arriving the doc came in and said he didn’t think it was dengue but rather a systemic viral infection, but he wasn’t sure either way (the dengue lab will be negative until 2 weeks after onset of symptoms, so I hve to be rechecked in a couple weeks to know if it was dengue). Either way, he prescribed me some pain meds and vitamin c (?) and I headed on my way after paying a huuuge amount, thankfully Peace Corps will reimburse me! Well I felt like I was going to throw up and starting passing out while I waited for my bro, so the first thing we did was get lunch and I took the pain meds. About 40 min later the pain had subsided and I felt soo much better, still crappy but not in tremendous pain. Saturday I continued to take the Parabay and it continued to help with the headache.
Sunday: I woke and still had the dull headache but it was significantly improved since Friday. I stopped taking the Parabay to see if the headache would return and it did return somewhat but much less strongly. I still feel a little groggy and very tired, but the pain remains as a low pain, no longer sharp and nauseating.
Now Monday im not feeling pain much, just achiness and groggy and really really tired, so hopefully that’s the end of my illness.

So, Dengue or no Dengue? I´ll find out with a blood test in a couple weeks..