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You give me fever...
Nothing quite like being struck down with sickness in the fourth world is there?
I mean it's not as if you can wander down to the corner doctor and say "Hey, I reckon there's something wrong with me", whereupon they give you a script for some serious drugs, take some blood for testing and say "ring me back in a couple of days".
Nope, here's it's about 1 doctor per 10,000 people. Only the most serious, immediate and life-threatening problems even get looked at. And you can completely forget about mental health specialists.
So when struck down by a viriluent fever, the best treatment is treat yourself. And here's how it goes.
Thursay Afternoon: Starting to feel quite queasy. As the afternoon progresses, I notice my hands and feet going cold and my torso becoming hot. Vision blurry, dull headache. Finding it increasingly difficult to work - attempt to do document reading, but even that proves to be too much. Go home early.
Thurday Night and Friday: Hands and feet very cold. Body sweating, yet feels too cold to have the fan on. Headache absolute pounding - utterly impossible to sleep. Painful to open my eyes beyond squinting.
Working on the adage of "starve a fever", I restrict myself to small mouthfuls of water or tonic water. Still manage to consume 4 litres.
Friday Night: Visited by a work colleague wanting to make sure that I am still alive. Headache reduced to a dull roar. Sweating much reduced. Sleep only interrupted several times.
Saturday Morning: Headache nearly gone. No longer sweating. Feel confident enough to have a small amount of rice and fish. And a nice cup of English Breakfast Tea (ahhh, civilization!)
Go to work. (Yes, I'm as crazy as a coconut)
At least it didn't have the tell-tale signs of by joints feeling like their being crushed (dengue fever). Nor did it last for several days (e.g., malaria). The "starve a fever" strategy seems to have worked, although it was undoubtably assisted by my sturdy constitution. Nevertheless, not an experience I'd particularly care to repeat.
*shrug* I guess I wouldn't have come here if I didn't expect to get sick.
I mean it's not as if you can wander down to the corner doctor and say "Hey, I reckon there's something wrong with me", whereupon they give you a script for some serious drugs, take some blood for testing and say "ring me back in a couple of days".
Nope, here's it's about 1 doctor per 10,000 people. Only the most serious, immediate and life-threatening problems even get looked at. And you can completely forget about mental health specialists.
So when struck down by a viriluent fever, the best treatment is treat yourself. And here's how it goes.
Thursay Afternoon: Starting to feel quite queasy. As the afternoon progresses, I notice my hands and feet going cold and my torso becoming hot. Vision blurry, dull headache. Finding it increasingly difficult to work - attempt to do document reading, but even that proves to be too much. Go home early.
Thurday Night and Friday: Hands and feet very cold. Body sweating, yet feels too cold to have the fan on. Headache absolute pounding - utterly impossible to sleep. Painful to open my eyes beyond squinting.
Working on the adage of "starve a fever", I restrict myself to small mouthfuls of water or tonic water. Still manage to consume 4 litres.
Friday Night: Visited by a work colleague wanting to make sure that I am still alive. Headache reduced to a dull roar. Sweating much reduced. Sleep only interrupted several times.
Saturday Morning: Headache nearly gone. No longer sweating. Feel confident enough to have a small amount of rice and fish. And a nice cup of English Breakfast Tea (ahhh, civilization!)
Go to work. (Yes, I'm as crazy as a coconut)
At least it didn't have the tell-tale signs of by joints feeling like their being crushed (dengue fever). Nor did it last for several days (e.g., malaria). The "starve a fever" strategy seems to have worked, although it was undoubtably assisted by my sturdy constitution. Nevertheless, not an experience I'd particularly care to repeat.
*shrug* I guess I wouldn't have come here if I didn't expect to get sick.
I can't fault your research but
This is from the critical care book I've got sitting next to me (never leave home without your emergency medicine textbook)
"in the fasting critical patient it is not the lack of calories but the lack of amino acids tht is moe likely to be life thretening. Amino acids are necessary for the synthesis of vital host defece proteins such as immunoglobulins, clotting factors and acute phase reactants. Providing an exogenous source of amino acids, calories and other nutrients will not eliminiate this catabolic response but can blunt it to some extent and act to support the patient's response to disease and injury while preserving endogenous tissues.
In the case of a patient that has already experienced a significant degree of malnutrition nutritial support may be essential to survival"
I've always been taught that nutrition in a pyrexic animal is extremely important as they are in a hypermetabolic state (ie everything is sped up and chewing up calories). I haven't read your reference yet though.
Saying that we don't often place feeding tubes etc as they require general anaesthetics. Oh except nasogastrics and I've only placed one.. in a rabbit.
(it died, but then I knew it would)
Re: I can't fault your research but
"It is important to realize that our findings are interesting but still very preliminary and have no implications yet for the people at home," Van Den Brink said. "It may serve as an example however that although everybody realizes that one should eat well, food may not get the attention it deserves from people in basic research.
Re: I can't fault your research but
Yep, I wouldn't take the adage as the gospel-truth yet, but in my case it seemed to have worked (in moderation).
I must say I am thoroughly charmed by all the delightful and gorgeous women who have come to look after me at a time of medical crisis.
Unbelievable, I'm blushing...
Nurse? *giggle*