I haven't had any decent sleep for almost a week now since my little Andrei developed a fever last Monday night. I didn't go to work on Tuesday so I can bring him to the doctor. The doctor's advice was to continue taking paracetamol and prescribed his usual asthma meds in case he will have an asthma attack. When we woke up the next day, the fever has not subsided so I decided to bring to the hospital for another check up and a CBC and platelet count.
The platelet count is 186. The pediatrician advised for admission for monitoring of platelets and for hydration by dextrose. However, when we arrived at the emergency room of Marikina Valley Medical Center, the doctors said that there are no more rooms available so we have to wait in the ER. There were a lot of patients lined up in the ER waiting for a room to be available. I talked to one of the patients and she said that she has been waiting since morning. I have been carrying Andrei the whole time since he is so weak. I can't just wait there and watch Andrei cry. My mother asked if we could transfer to The Medical City since Andrei's pediatrician is also accredited in that hospital but upon inquiring at The Medical City, there were already 67 patients waiting to be admitted since no room was available.
The pediatrician told us to just transfer to one of the tertiary hospitals in Antipolo. I declined and told my mother to just get Andrei's records and we'll bring him to
St. Luke's Medical Center instead. I have nothing against small hospitals but I could not risk anything when it comes to suspected dengue cases. My two-year old nephew, the first and only "apo" that time, died of dengue in 2007. He was confined for several days at a tertiary hospital before he was transferred to The Medical City wherein, unfortunately, it was too late as he was suffering from internal bleeding already.
So we rushed Andrei to St. Luke's Medical Center where he was immediately attended to by the doctors and nurses in the emergency room. We were advised that the hospital has no rooms available that time so we have to wait in the ER until one becomes available. It's okay for me since they have already thoroughly checked Andrei and also found out that he has acute tonsillitis pharyngitis (ATP). We only waited for three hours before a room became available.
At the emergency room while waiting for a room to become available
My heart breaks every time I see him cry. I was always on the verge of tears but I had to stop myself because I do not want my mother to see me crying as she was the one who was more worried and had been crying on our way to the hospital. I had to be strong for my little one. It was harder for me this time because my husband is not by my side. Andrei was hospitalized last year due to bronchitis but I feel less worried that time because I am with my husband. The ship is currently in Fiji Islands where there is no cell phone signal. I could not contact him and let him know of Andrei's condition. That was one of the many things that I have been thinking about.
I have been trying to call and e-mail my husband's agency but to no avail. I tried sending a message to one of his crewmate in the ship through Facebook. Andrei was admitted in the hospital on Wednesday but his dad only learned of this Friday morning only. I left a message on one of his crewmate's Facebook account and asked him to tell my husband to call me as soon as possible if he happens to read my mail. I have been praying hard that night and on Friday morning my husband called me. Thank God! That's one worry out of my list. We were both crying while talking on the phone. He has been making Skype calls since Friday to talk to Andrei and to assure me that everything will be alright.
Aside from ATP, Andrei also developed a viral infection. He has been vomiting and is having frequent loose bowel movement since Thursday. I have not been worrying much about his ATP and viral infection because I know that the antibiotics will heal these. I have been more worried by the dropping of his platelet count and white blood cells (WBC) and his fever. I have been praying hard while the hospital staff extracts blood from his fingers everyday. Praying for better results, even just a slight improvement. But this has never happened yet. Just this morning, the pediatrician told me that his platelet count is down to 128 and WBC down to 3,560. These figures are below the normal range. When he was admitted in the hospital, his platelet count is 186 and his WBC is 6,900. Andrei has dengue.
We had to stay in the hospital until the platelet count is at least 180 to be sure. I need more prayers for my little one and for me as well that I can stay strong for my child. I have been crying every night. I hope tomorrow will bring us something to smile about.
