Natalie woke up this morning with a fever. I don't know how high it was, cause I didn't bring a thermometer. But, since we're out of our element here in this foreign land, Corey asked me to take her to a doctor and I obliged. Corey and I were both slightly concerned that it could be Dengue because off all the mosquito bites the kids have been getting. Although Natalie hasn't had as many bites at Sophi. But maybe she has, but she just doesn't scratch them til they bleed and scab over (Sophi's legs look terrible)... Anyway, so Corey called his friend Andre to see if his mom, who lives in our church area, could show me where to go. She and another lady, Edna, who speaks English both came by at 9:00 for me and Natalie to take us to the doctor. You ready sweetheart?
She doesn't suck her thumb, so I thought it was cute that she kinda was attempting it, she must be needing some extra comfort. We went to two public health places. The first one was the same one that I went to in 2007 for a blood draw when I was pregnant with Abi. (... where I fainted after they drew my blood, cause I hadn't eaten anything. ...then I gorged on cookies in the car, then I threw up all the cookies all over a lady at the temple, where I went after going to the clinic. Good times, good times, that's from our last trip in Brazil - in an entry dated
15 March 2007 journal entry here) So, no offense to Brazil's health facilities, but when I recognized it I knew it was not the first place I'd choose to go, but what ya gonna do. We waited for a minute while Edna asked around. It was crowded and would be a long wait, so we drove to another place at Unicamp in Barao Geraldo, our old home turf and ward area last time. Unicamp is a medical school campus I think? We went there last time too - we had an ER visit in March '07 with Ethan when he had a strange skin discoloration on his hands that had me worried - turned out to be lime juice burn from having lime on his hands and then having his hands exposed to the sun. We felt a little silly, but that's what happens when you're out of your element (that one documented in the 13 March 2007 entry of that
same link under "Ethan", or search for "lime").
So here we are again out of our element. The Unicamp place was still not up to what we're spoiled with in the US, but seemed a little better. Not too long of a wait, then we were talking with a doctor. Luckily he spoke English. Off we went to discuss Natalie's health behind our little shower curtains.
Apparently we were in station E. Natalie did not want the doctor anywhere near her, and she let him know so when he came at her with a long pointed thermometer. With a little help she held still with it under her armpit. Temperature - 38.6, which I know now is over 101. Then she yelled at him big time when he tried to look down her throat with a tongue compress. Then I gave her the only mouth distraction I had in my purse, a piece of my holy gum from the US that I'm trying to save to keep as a token of my former life. But I gave it to Natalie instead. She ate it, and another one, and another one. Now they are all gone, so sad for me.
She also yelled at the nice young doctor when he came at her with the pokey looking thing to look in her ears. Had to hold her down for that. Natalie you look like you need some "hardship ice cream". I promise I'll give you some as soon as we get home.
Poor baby girl.
We waited for a minute while he went and got some of their version of infant tylenol. Cute friendly animals on the walls...
He had me give her a dose of that, which she didn't appreciate, and said to just watch her for a few days. So that was that. Those are the things I would have done at home on my own if she had a fever, but since we're out of our element here, I thought it okay to seek professional medical advice. I didn't know what he proper protocol was for fevers. But she's doing okay, I haven't given her any more tylenol but her fever hasn't come back. I gave her a bowl of ice cream after we got home and then she took a long nap. If it's dengue, we won't know for a few days. Keeping out eyes out for a rash on her arms or legs. But the guys at Corey's work say don't worry about it, followed by their offering lots of comments about people that have had it or how bad it could bed that make us worry about it!
Tonight we've been mourning together about all the bugs here, and Corey said that we Americans in our cushy lives along the Wasatch Front don't really feel the effects of the fall like the rest of the world does. Here in Brazil, Corey feels he has come to know more truly and surely that the fall really happened and is really real. He feels it, we all are feeling it. Hyrum said "I'd like this if it weren't for the bugs." Corey's reply - we are here FOR the bugs. Then he told them a few stories about missionaries who served in Africa or Costa Rica, and talked about how good we've got it. And it's true. It's all about perspective. We are here for a perspective experience.
Still, we've been learning and talking about mosquitoes and their life cycle and other thing related to those little bloodsuckers that are our current thorn in the flesh. This website had
good info, and made me feel better since it said Dengue fever is rarely fatal. Again, I didn't know what the protocol was for Dengue, like if it's better if you catch it early or if they do a blood test to see if it is dengue or not? It's unknown territory, so we played it safe today. While in Utah, if the kids had a fever, I'd wait it out a few days and watch. Today we went to the doctor, and that's what I was told to do. But they also prescribed the local version of infant tylenol, and I did need a prescription to get that, so I guess it's good I went. Still, I didn't mean to waste their time by being paranoid about a fever Natalie has had for one morning, but again, I'm out of my area of expertise here in this foreign land and am thus a little vulnerable.
I think she's okay though, and we've stocked up on more ice cream and bug repellent.
