We are worried with our nanny, Amy, because she has a Dengue fever right now. She started having fever last Friday and continued until Monday. Since her fever is on and off and rashes started to appear all over her body, we decided to bring her to the doctor. Abeth brought her to the emergency room of a private hospital near our place, while I took care of Andre. The doctor requested for some laboratory tests on her, i.e., urinalysis and CBC. Based on the initial laboratory results, her WBC was below the lowest limit, and her platelet count was within the limit. However, even her platelet count was normal, the doctor was skeptical that it might be a dengue case because of her rashes and fever. The doctor still allowed her to go home and advised us to monitor if she will still have fever.

The next day, Amy told me that she had fever last night. Consequently, we decided to bring her again to the hospital to repeat the CBC to check on her platelet count. Sadly, her platelet count dropped off from 250 to 120. We immediately informed her father about her condition and decided to bring her to the Provincial Hospital because we all know for a fact that it is too costly to be hospitalized in a private hospital. Besides, we cannot promise her that we can shoulder the hospital bill and all the medicines she’ll be needing, but of course we are willing to help.

When Amy’s father, together with Amy’s sister, arrived, Abeth left them and gave them money to buy some of the stuffs needed on her confinement. When they were at the emergency room of the provincial hospital, they told the doctor that she has to be admitted because of her condition and showed the doctor the laboratory results. Surprisingly, the doctor told them that why do they have to confine Amy. According to the doctor, her platelet count is not yet critical, it is only 30 points below the lowest limit. So she need not be admitted to the hospital. Can you imagine that??? They’ll just allow Amy to be confined if her platelet count is very low, then they’ll make a move !!! Grabe! We are so disappointed with what they said. No wonder why there are lots of sick and poor people who die because of hospital like this, which will only allow a patient to be entertained if he/she is on critical condition. Does Amy need to pretend that she’s dying to be allowed in the hospital!!! What kind of government hospital is this???? What kind of doctor is he??? They’ll just make a move if the patient is already dying. It is so disappointing. Isn’t it an SOP to all doctors that with a case like this, prevention is the best, because we all know dengue could kill. However, the doctor allowed them to put a dextrose on Amy because her family insisted, but they were only allowed to stay in the emergency room until the dextrose runs out.

After about 6 hours, Abeth received a text message from Amy saying that she was told by the doctor to go home because she already finished the dextrose. She was asked to return the following day for check up. HELLO!!! Do they know that it is DENGUE….that it could kill her!!! We were so mad, but we could not do something because we were not there. I am at the office and Abeth was on his. At saka, we can’t decide for her because her father is there, and we think that her father should be the one to decide. **Sigh ** So, they went home na lang and will be back the following day, which is today.

Today, they went back to the hospital for the CBC test. They were there at 12PM and still there at this moment (6PM) falling in line and waiting for the doctor to read the results. Haaay! I am very disappointed! While writing this, I called Amy to check on the results and told me that they were on their way home. I asked her about the results of the check up and the laboratory test. she told me that her platelet count dropped off again, and it was very low. I panicked! As I write this I am hysterical because of her situation. I’m so worried! I searched for the phone number of the hospital and asked Abeth to call the doctor to verify Amy’s condition. Abeth had the chance to talk to the doctor and learned that Amy told the doctor that she had no fever since Sunday. She insisted that she was okay. How can she be okay if her platelet count is 40!!! Kakainis! We are so worried about her, tapos parang sila wala lang. Then, the doctor decided to let Amy go home since she is in the recovery stage na based on the information that she gave. Abeth told the doctor that Amy had a fever yesterday. Hay, I don’t know what Amy thinks….Maybe she’s thinking of the hospital bill…maybe she’s thinking na they can’t afford to be hospitalized. Of course we are here to help her. She’s in fatal stage. Another reason that made me angry is the doctor’s stupidity in advising Amy to go home and telling her that she is okay regardless of the very low platelet count she has. How can she be okay? Isn’t it a sufficient proof that there is something wrong because her platelet count keeps on decreasing?

In the end, Abeth has convinced the doctor that Amy needs to be hospitalized. So the doctor told us to tell them to go back to the hospital and they’ll admit Amy. Ganun lang! Kung di pa namin insist! What if we did not call them? What will happen next? Baka bukas zero na ung platelet nya and magdeteriorate na yung immune system nya. Haaay! You can’t blame me if I feel this way because this is life threatening. Besides, di na sya iba sa amin, we consider her a member of the family. We do pity her….. with her situation, her sickness and being less fortunate… Help us pray for her to be able to recover soon.