Comment from: 25-34 Male (Patient)Published: August 12
I am just getting over Dengue which I got in South India or Thailand. I had a rash on my arms that alerted me. Next I knew I had a 105 temp (41 c) for 3-4 days and extremely intense joint and muscle pain. This makes it nearly impossible to sleep so you become quite delirious. Then came blood in stool (GI Bleeding) - and complete loss of appetite. I was put on IV - but still lost about 10 lbs (5kg). I didn't experience nausea, but a horrible rash came on that is itchy and painful and makes it difficult to sleep. I'm about 3 days into the rash which the doctors indicate is the final phase of the illness. I am feeling very weak and exhausted.
I spent the summer of 1978 serving a summer missionary internship working in a children's hospital in Haiti, West Indies. I must have been bitten by a carrier of Dengue because I became quite sick within about a week of returning to my home in Dallas. I had a slight rash, low grade fever, petechiae, and terrible, terrible pain. I was quite ill for about two weeks, not even able to get out of bed! I was basically given Valium by my internist because there was no treatment and he determined that the Valium would at least keep me from struggling with the terrible pain. Interestingly, I have immune problems (which may have made me a "target" for the illness) and I also developed significant fibromyalgia within a short tine after recovering from Dengue. I have no idea if there is a relationship between the two, but the coincidence is certainly interesting.
I just returned from Costa Rica. Seems there was an outbreak of Dengue Fever when I was there and I believe I had it, although I never got the blood test done. At first I was feeling a bit ill and got a rash on my stomach, which I attributed to a heat rash after a day at the beach. The next day I was supposed to go scuba diving, but after walking about .25 miles to the dive shop, I decided not to go. Felt like I had a killer hangover (but had not drank alcohol the night before) and a really bad lower backache. They drove me home and I spent the day in bed, fever, nausea, and headache. The next day, felt much better so the next day I did go diving and by noon was covered in the bright red rash and thought I had been run over by a truck. Ended up taking a tour that weekend with a group and went through fever and chills the whole time. Would drag myself around but always found an excuse to rest/sit. We went to a "hot springs" that had a warm pool and a cool pool and I spent a couple hours in them and it was great - brought the fever down and I felt much better. Each day fewer symptoms but I still get tired easily. Some people say there is no way I had it because I wasn't "sick enough". I don't know...never had a rash like that before!
I have had dengue fever years ago as I live in Jamaica. Ever since then I seem to get the same symptoms for 3-4 days three or four times per year: achy sensation, tiredness, and painful headache behind the eyes. The fever rises upon exertion. Is this the same virus still in my system? I continue to live here in Jamaica and wonder if I am slightly more immune but continue to get a version of it.
Comment from: rhom, 3-6 Male (Caregiver)Published: September 15
My 6-year old son is now in the hospital and is being suspected of having Dengue Fever. He had fever for 3 days. His body temperature reached 39.9.On the 4th day, the temperature dropped, and we thought that he will be okay, but he had fever at night time on the same day again. It was 38 degrees high. On the 5th day, he had fever until early afternoon and the temperature lowered until the next day. We decided to bring him to the doctor for a check-up and were advised to be hospitalized. My heart is still breaking whenever he will undergo CBC. He gets blood test everyday. The rashes on his skin became more visible on the 6th and 7th day. He doesn't have fever anymore. I just hope that he will continue on fighting against this disease. His appetite is regaining again though it wasn't as good as his normal yet. His stool is still watery and his lower lip is very dry. He is being forced to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
Comment from: SXM, 19-24 Female (Patient)Published: September 15
I live in St. Martin. I actually felt severe headaches for a week and then one night I got up vomiting and had loose bowels. I thought I had the rota virus but I realized that I get really high fevers and shortness of breathe. Then I got a rash on my face, and red eyes. I have had it for one week already.
Patient Discussions are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on MedicineNet. The opinions expressed in the comments section are of the author and the author alone. MedicineNet does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Low blood pressure, also referred to as hypotension, is blood pressure that is so low that it causes symptoms or signs due to the low flow of blood through the arteries and veins. Some of the symptoms of low blood pressure include light-headedness, dizziness, or even fainting if not enough blood is getting to the brain. Diseases and medications can also cause low blood pressure. When the flow of blood is too low to deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys; the organs do not function normally and may be permanently damaged.
The word "rash" means an outbreak of red bumps on the body. The way people use this term, "a rash" can refer to many different skin conditions. The most common of these are scaly patches of skin and red, itchy bumps or patches all over the place.
Pneumonia is inflammation of one or both lungs with consolidation. Pneumonia is frequently but not always due to infection. The infection may be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic. Symptoms may include fever, chills, cough with sputum production, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Most sore throats are caused by viruses or mechanical causes (such as mouth breathing) and can be treated successfully at home. However, a person should be seen by a health care professional if they have a sore throat that has a rapid onset, and is associated with a fever or tenderness of the front of the neck; a sore throat that causes the person to have difficulty swallowing (not just pain swallowing) or breathing; or if a sore throat lasts for more than a week.
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Nosebleed is common in dry climates during winter months, and in hot dry climates with low humidity. Individual taking blood clotting medications, aspirin, or antiinflammatory medications may be more prone to nose bleeding. Other factors that contribute to nosebleed are trauma (including nose picking), rhinitis, and high blood pressure. Treatment depends on the severity of the condition.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Myofascial pain syndrome is muscle pain in the body's soft tissues due to injury or strain. Symptoms include muscle pain with tender points and fatigue. Treatment usually involves physical therapy, massage therapy, or trigger point injection.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle and can be caused by a variety of infections, conditions, and viruses. Symptoms of myocarditis include chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and fluid accumulation in the lungs. Treatment mainly involves preventing heart failure with medication and diet, as well as monitoring for heart rhythm abnormalities.
Medical shock is a life-threatening medical condition. There are several types of medical shock, septic shock, anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock, and neurogenic shock. Causes of shock include heart attack, heart failure, heavy bleeding (internal and external), infection, anaphylaxis, spinal cord injury, severe burns, chronic vomiting or diarrhea. Low blood pressure is the key sign of sock. Treatment is dependant upon the type of shock.
Travelers should prepare for their trip by visiting their physician to get the proper vaccinations and obtain the necessary medication if they have a medical condition or chronic disease. Diseases that travelers may pick up from contaminated water or food, insect or animal bites, or from other people include malaria, meningococcal meningitis, yellow fever, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, polio, and cholera.
Bioterrorism is a form of terrorism where there is the intentional release of biological agents such as viruses, germs, or bacteria. Diseases caused by bioterrorism agents include anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia, brucellosis, food poisoning, Q fever, ricin toxin poisoning, cholera, epidemic typhus, viral encephalitis, XDR TB, and MDR TB.
Viral hemorrhagic fever(s), or VHFs are a group of illnesses caused by distinct families of viruses. Many of these viruses are life-threatening, and classified as biosafety level four (BSL-4) pathogens. Viral hemorrhagic fever viruses are caused arenaviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses, and flaviviruses. The viruses are carried in rodents and transmitted through urine, fecal, saliva, or other body excretions from the infected rodents. Symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever include marked fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches, loss of strength, fever, and exhaustion. Severely ill patients may also suffer shock coma, seizures, delirium, kidney failure, or nervous system malfunction. There is no established cure for viral hemorrhagic fever.
Why should travelers see a physician before they leave
on a trip?
Travelers should see a physician before leaving for a trip if
they are going
to developing countries,
they are visiting sites that are not on the usual tourist routes or traveling to high altitudes,
they have
chronic diseases that could be affected by travel,
they are visiting countries that require vaccinations before they allow travelers to enter the country.
The goal of a pre-travel medical evaluation is to help travelers protect themselves against
(1) common diseases that may be mild but that will disrupt their trip, and (2) less common diseases that may be serious or even fatal. All travelers need to be up to date on routine vaccines they would normally get if they were not traveling. For example, an annual influenza vaccination (flu shot) is recommended if traveling during influenza season. Travelers should also be up to date on te...
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
Travel Health RSS
Healthy Living Tips
I am just getting over Dengue which I got in South India or Thailand. I had a rash on my arms that alerted me. Next I knew I had a 105 temp (41 c) for 3-4 days and extremely intense joint and muscle pain. This makes it nearly impossible to sleep so you become quite delirious. Then came blood in stool (GI Bleeding) - and complete loss of appetite. I was put on IV - but still lost about 10 lbs (5kg). I didn't experience nausea, but a horrible rash came on that is itchy and painful and makes it difficult to sleep. I'm about 3 days into the rash which the doctors indicate is the final phase of the illness. I am feeling very weak and exhausted.
Related Reading: rash | muscle pain | sleep