‘Twas the most wonderful time of the year: We flew all our Christmas presents from Germany, spent Christmas Eve together with my family, had lots of nice food, and visited our elders on Christmas Day. The warmth of the holidays started to lift our spirits after crashing into The Philippines… until Markus had chills late on the 25th, followed by a high fever.
I cannot describe how I felt when I read the thermometer. Markus never gets sick randomly, in fact, he has never gotten ill since we met. I thought this could only mean one thing and my head immediately fell down the rabbit hole.
After a horrible, sleepless night, we went to the hospital, fearing the worst. All of his diagnostics were done, plus an RT-PCR test. We waited until the evening for the results:
Negative for COVID-19. Positive for Dengue Fever.
It was nothing to celebrate, but at least he did not have to be isolated and we can take care of him.
From Christmas to his birthday, and all throughout the New Year, he was connected to an IV line, taking medications, and eating like a small bird. We rarely slept since he had to be monitored round-the-clock, especially on the second phase of Dengue when his platelet count is expected to drop, and it did.
Fortunately, he did not have any bleeding, but he still had to contend with the constant feeling of being cooked from the high fever, dehydration, and intermittent headache and nausea. It was not an easy time.
He recovered fully last week. He is healthy and back to his normal daily activities. Now we are hoping to slide into normalcy, welcoming any sense of routine, and just hoping for a piece of calm in the following days.
We hope your holidays were lovely, and that 2022 will be kind and reasonable for you and your family. Sorry for our late greetings, but we really wish the best for all of you!
Markus + Micah 
I’m so glad Markus is doing better. My husband also got dengue years ago, and he had to stay in the hospital for about a week, which was okay but I was pregnant at the time so it was crazy emotional for us both. I never thought there would come a day when we will be thankful that it’s “just dengue” but here we are 😂 Stay safe and healthy, guys 💚
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True! We also said at least it is just dengue. My sisters managed his case here at home. He had an IV line on our room and we were drawing his blood and bringing it to the lab every day. It was a bit of a project but we were lucky we were able to do it in this way.
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So glad to hear that Markus is better and thanks for supplying a link to what this is. It sounds exotic and deadly…and clearly it can be…thank goodness you were able to care for him. Now that he’s better, maybe you can do something nice for yourself and get some much needed rest. May the rest of 2022 be blessed for you both! Mona
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Thank you, Mona. We really appreciate your comment. Unfortunately, my entire family got covid after Markus’ dengue and the covid lingered for the entire January as it was passed on. Oh well. We are okay now, and hopefully, we will find time to recover next month. This month was dedicated to working for the turtles!
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This is why my husband is afraid to live in philippines. He is very sure that it will be a case of death by mosquito for him
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Fair enough. Haha. Markus is okay now though. Just that sometimes Dengue does come around. Like it has its season.
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Oh my goodness! Dengue Fever is no joke! I’m so sorry! I’m glad Markus is fully recovered now! Great job, Micah, for taking care of him! 💘
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He has recovered, thank you. The most frustrating bit of it is there is nothing we can do but let it run its course, and it is a long course. But still glad it was not covid.
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I’m sorry to read this, but hope you are feeling better now. If it’s not one thing it’s another anymore. Stay safe, be healthy.
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Yes, we are recovering. We hope your holidays were so much better!
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I am so glad that Markus has recovered, Micah. I know people who have had Dengue fever and what they went through. I am looking forward to hearing more from both of you during 2022 😊
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Many thanks, Sean. Hopefully more positive things!
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So very sorry to hear this happened. I hope Markus has recovered from this by now. What a time you’ve both had!
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Thank you, Kathy. It has been a lot, honestly, to a point when I sometimes find myself in autopilot just to survive whatever is in front of me. Really hoping this will improve soon.
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Sorry to read your holidays were spent contending with an illness. Thank goodness Markus is feeling better. Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year!
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Happy 2022, Michele! Life seems to be in overdrive lately but we will recover. Thanks!
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Thank you and best wishes to you wto! Yes, it is and yes you will! 💐
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Oh no! I’m glad Markus is better now, but what a way to spend the holidays! Hopefully he spends the rest of the New Year healthy and whole, and you have no other worries.
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There are definitely far better ways to spend the holidays. Still, it was good. At least we had a nice Christmas Eve. Happy 2022!
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Oh man! What a fright! And after all that challenge flying back, another stress!
So glad to hear that Markus is fully recovered – you must both be so relieved.
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When I am consumed by stress, I wonder if life is about surviving one stress after the next. Of course, once I feel a little better, I know this is not true. It is just a matter of how fast I can eat cake so my mind clears. Haha.
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What a distressing Christmas season you had! I’m so glad he is better now and that life is returning to normal for you both.
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Thank you, Anne. The last weeks have definitely been full of distress. I look forward to a time when I get bored again. So much adventure. Haha!
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Adventures can get old. Was there danger that people around him would get that disease?
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No, it is not communicable. Hopefully those mosquitoes are out of here!
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Oh my god.. I’m really glad to hear that Markus is feeling better now, what horrible days it must have been! I wish you all the best in 2022, health, adventures and especially happiness! 😊
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Thank you, Juliette, and we wish you the same. This year, I hope to visit Belgium!
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Oh, if you come be sure to let me know!!
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Will do! Mang thanks. It will be a dream to see you. Also, it seems my turtle post will take time to be written and published (my sisters got covid and our entire family got exposed) and if you feel like adopting your 2022 nest, you can just send it to the same PayPal account from last season and I will get the adoption for you. Thank you for your love for the turtles!
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Oh I would love to! I’ll check if I still have the details, if not I will contact you again! Thanks a lot and I hope your sisters will feel better soon!
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Happy New Year.
Glad that Marcus is recovered.
Glad to have you back
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Many thanks. It feels good to talk with you and show signs of life here on the blog. It has definitely been overrun by life. Hopefully it all improves. Happy 2022!
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Oh gosh, how frightening. I’m glad Markus is okay! Here’s to better things in 2022.
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Thank you, Diana. We are glad it was just Dengue and that he did not have any bleeding. Wishing you more happy handstands this year!
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Tips for you. There is only one quick medication for Dengue fever attack. Consume papaya leaves extract. If no extract collect fresh leaves of Papaya and crush it and add with Lemon water. Warm water always. Also early morning empty stomach consume Turmeric in warm water and add honey and lemon. 3 days the fever comes down and using papaya leaves platelets remain stable. Next time any one suffer advise this tips. No IV and minerals in need also no need to swallow bunch of antibiotics and paracetamol. All the best keep safe.
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I love papaya! It is so tropical and we grow lots of them. In our yoga teacher training course a few years back, we had a classmate who hates it. I never got that. Haha.
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Good for you. Dengue fever can be cured with papaya leaves extract it holds back the blood platelet counts. Wish you all more health. Cheers.
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So sorry to hear of your less than perfect holiday, but I’m happy that Markus is so much better now. May you be blessed with a year of contentment and good health for 2022.
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Many thanks, Peter. Maybe we should just pick another day to celebrate the New Year correctly. Haha. We wish you all the best this year – and no illness!
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Thank you!
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I am sorry this happened to Markus. And I am so glad he has recovered. Best wishes for the new year. We need some good to balance out all this bad stuff!
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Thank you, Betty, and yes, balance is a good thing to strive for this year. It has definitely been challenging, the past two years.
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I’m so sorry to hear Markus was ill over the holidays but glad he’s feeling better now. Happy New Year to you both!
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Thank you, Michelle. He has recovered from Dengue. It was a crazy holiday season, and in fact, we have yet to slow down since we arrived here. Happy 2022! Looking forward to catching up on your posts, too.
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This must have been a worrying time for both of you and your families! Thank goodness it’s over and hopefully, Marcus is his old self.
I have just finished my blog: https://8-arrows.com/2022/01/09/a-new-year/
so these will be my last comments here for a while. I will however continue to follow your progress!
Happy New Year, to you both. Ashley 🎋💐🎋🙋♂️
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Will definitely miss you, but what a joy to go on to your next adventure! Happy 2022 and may your heart be filled with art and beauty every day this year.
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I am filled with much good luck and many blessings from my readers. I shall hold these things close to my heart ❤ and pray that I will find my home. 🌿🤗🙋♂️
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