BE AWARE of MELIOIDOSIS

[cranki]

BEWARE of the soil, especially in the Wet Season..

 

 

Been living in rural Thailand >11 yrs now, in that time have dug numerous holes, helped out during rice preparation/planting/cutting….never a problem….UNTIL NOW.

 

Last week I dug the smallest of holes in the ground to alter some water pipes for my house, I'm talking 30cm length by 15cm deep max !!

The very next day, I'm starting to get a fever, I think damn....I've got a cold coming on (change of weather, now the wet season)

Off to my local pharmacy, painkillers/cold tablets, etc.

Next day I'm walking around in heavy duty jacket and tracky pants (38 degrees outside) thinking this is gonna be a really crappy flu !!

Taking my temperature I’m running at 39-40°C and the wife is wiping me down with wet towels.

That night, uncontrollable shivering, then sweating, this goes on all night, next day wife INSISTS I go to hospital, which I do reluctantly.

 

Dr at hospital takes a blood sample, my white blood cell count comes back 3 x the normal range, he immediately insists on hospitalization.

3 days to get my temperature under control (on an IV Drip) more tests/samples are taken and sent to Bangkok’s main laboratory.

 

Results back from Bangkok....burkholderia pseudomallei >>>>>Melioidosis >>>>>pneumonia >>>>>> bacterial septicemia

 

I have been on an IV drip of antibiotics since 2nd June, managed to talk the Doctors/specialist into letting me go home, however,

I now have to attend hospital 3 times a day every 8 hours for Meropenam to be administered via IV for 2 weeks.

 

This will then be followed up by oral antibiotics for at least 5 months….so be aware folks..

 

PS: Ensure you have insurance….so far, adding up the bills it is almost 100K baht….and treatment not’s finished yet ????

Edited June 8, 2019 by cranki
typo

[uhuh]

Not unusual in Isarn.

Wear boots in the fields!  (Good against leptospirosis, too)

[Sheryl]

I'm impressed that it was diagnosed so quickly. What hospital was this?

[RotBenz8888]

20 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

I'm impressed that it was diagnosed so quickly. What hospital was this?

Probably from blood cultures since he had septicemia.

[Sheryl]

Just now, RotBenz8888 said:

Probably from blood cultures since he had septicemia.

 

It is not that simple, it is difficult to identify on culture and often necessary to do gener sequencing on the isolate . One has to be specifically looking for it/suspecting it. Which since they sent samples to Bkk sounds like they were. Someone was really on the ball.

[KC 71]

Had the same last year up here
The outside of my body was very hot,but inside i was shivering!
I was constantly riding the porcelain honda for 4 days
In the end i hit the electrolytes and slowly started eating bread,Little by little,thankfully i managed to get on the mend,before a long haul flight
( i didn’t want to get caught short !)
To be honest i don’t know what it was that caused it
It might well have been one of those pesky mozzies for all i know !



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[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, KC 71 said:

Had the same last year up here
The outside of my body was very hot,but inside i was shivering!
I was constantly riding the porcelain honda for 4 days
In the end i hit the electrolytes and slowly started eating bread,Little by little,thankfully i managed to get on the mend,before a long haul flight
( i didn’t want to get caught short !)
To be honest i don’t know what it was that caused it
It might well have been one of those pesky mozzies for all i know !

Extremely unlikely as untreated sepsis ends in death, about 40% of those treated also die.

Recovery takes up to five years with moderate to severe mental impairment.

[RotBenz8888]

10 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

It is not that simple, it is difficult to identify on culture and often necessary to do gener sequencing on the isolate . One has to be specifically looking for it/suspecting it. Which since they sent samples to Bkk sounds like they were. Someone was really on the ball.

Maybe they had many cases lately? OP, do you have diabetes(Increases the risk)?

[KC 71]

Extremely unlikely as untreated sepsis ends in death, about 40% of those treated also die.
Recovery takes up to five years with moderate to severe mental impairment.

Oh right,probably a mozzie then


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[KC 71]

I still felt like death,but i am scared of hospitals,so i tend to self medicate and always will,my brother is a consultant so he always advises me [emoji106]


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[KC 71]

I was only mentioning the similarities in the fever symptoms thats all !


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[cranki]

6 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I'm impressed that it was diagnosed so quickly. What hospital was this?

Bangkok Hospital Udon Thani

[cranki]

5 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

It is not that simple, it is difficult to identify on culture and often necessary to do gener sequencing on the isolate . One has to be specifically looking for it/suspecting it. Which since they sent samples to Bkk sounds like they were. Someone was really on the ball.

Took a week for the (sputum gram stain) results to come back, and yes, the Doctors were really on the ball in this case...luckily for me.

[cranki]

5 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Maybe they had many cases lately? OP, do you have diabetes(Increases the risk)?

No, no diabetes and fairly healthy

[BigT73]

On 6/8/2019 at 11:40 AM, cranki said:

next day wife INSISTS I go to hospital, which I do reluctantly.

 

Dont forget to take your misses out for dinner and flowers ????

[cranki]

2 minutes ago, BigT73 said:

Dont forget to take your misses out for dinner and flowers ????

We don't really do the dinner and flowers stuff....I did however manage to snag a 2 for 1 Pizza Company promotion last night ????

[ripstanley]

Melioidosis is a common disease in south east Asia and northern Australia in the wet season. That is why doctors will test for this disease with a few symptoms being exhibited. I lived in the Darwin region for over 30 years before moving to Thailand. They would post the number of infected persons all the time. Thailand doctors are also very aware of this disease

[cranki]

3 hours ago, ripstanley said:

Melioidosis is a common disease in south east Asia and northern Australia in the wet season. That is why doctors will test for this disease with a few symptoms being exhibited. I lived in the Darwin region for over 30 years before moving to Thailand. They would post the number of infected persons all the time. Thailand doctors are also very aware of this disease

I too lived IN Darwin for about 6 years and also grew up in tropical Nth Qld, so was "aware" of this, but not really 'incognizant" if that makes sense.

What really surprised was the ease I got it !!! 

[cranki]

16 hours ago, BigT73 said:

Dont forget to take your misses out for dinner and flowers ????

Your post actually prompted me to buy a dozen roses for her on the way back from hospital this morning....I do take her for granted sometimes....thank you ????

 

Her response was somewhat funny though.....who bought you these ?? lol

Edited June 10, 2019 by cranki

[BigT73]

1 hour ago, cranki said:

Your post actually prompted me to buy a dozen roses for her on the way back from hospital this morning....I do take her for granted sometimes....thank you ????

 

Her response was somewhat funny though.....who bought you these ?? lol

When I read your original post I could relate to my misses, annoying as a mosquito sometimes but I wouldnt swap her for all the tea in China.