OMGHFMD!!

I know it's been EONS since i last blogged but i'm so stressed now i couldn't find the inspiration. You guys know how it is in paeds (i miss fam med sooooooooooooooo much!)

Anyway someone reminded me today that i didn't blog abt something that i had wanted to blog abt some time back.. And since i feel too sick (Me, WQ and some others caught a nasty bug in NUH, we decided that it's the same bug cos we all haf the same symptoms, bleh, i hate N*H) to do anything today i decided to blog abt it lor.

Note: this happened a very long time back cos that particular someone involved in the incident refused to let me blog abt it until he doesn't feel sore (pun not intended) abt the incident anymore and the scars have healed.

Day 1:

Someone called me to tell me that he fell quite feverish so i told him to take some panadol and slp early. (Hx: acute onset of low-grade fever not assoc w chills & rigors or URTI symptoms)

Day 2:

I saw him in the afternoon and got a shock cos i've never seen anyone look sicker. He was pale and lethargic and Tmax (measured with my hand) was very high. So i brought him home to rest. (Hx: high fever w chills and rigors, assoc with nausea & 1 episode of vomitting, digested food, non-bilious, non-bloody)

Day 3:

He told me that he felt much better though still slightly feverish, and could go to work. Then suddenly he called me up and told me that he has a bad sore throat and when he looks in the mirror his throat looks 'bigger than normal', he sounded quite worried abt it so i agreed to meet him for a 'consult'. (Something you learn in fam med: NEVER do a phone consult)
With my lousy Maglite torch and a pair of chopsticks as a makeshift tongue depressor, i concluded that pharynx is injected but otherwise normal. One ulcer was noted on left palate.
Me: your throat is not wider, don't worry, think you just have a sore throat and also there's an ulcer there which might account for the pain.
Him: i still think my throat looks funny, do you think i injured it vomitting yesterday?
Me: hmm i dun think so.. hmmmmmm but......
(off the top of my head and half-jokingly): do you have any blisters on your hands or feet?
Him (checking hands): Got! Neh! (pointed to a teeny burst blister on ulnar surface of right forefinger)
Me: gasp!
My brain: caaaannnot be lar!
Him: WHAT?!
Me: err it's probably just a coincidence lar.. don't worry abt it.. i tot it might be hand, foot, mouth disease but it's quite rare in adults. it's probably not, i'm just being silly.
Him: huuuuuhh????!!!!!! i tot only kids get that??
Thereafter, Someone went to the toilet and checked his soles and found a couple more blisters. He became increasingly worried and i kept reassuring him while my brain kept saying: "caaanot be lar!" I told him to see a doctor immediately to at least give him the peace of mind (and also to give myself a peace of mind cos i shared lunch with him just now before the 'consult').
By the time we came to this conclusion, it was past five and most clinics are closed (why do gps have such good lives?), he said he would get his mum to bring him to an ulu clinic at redhill cos that one closes at 10pm. I said, "ok loh.. and told him again not to worry."
At 7pm, i received his call and he said, "shit! it's really HFM leh!"

My first thought was: aiyo so poor thing.
My second was: Ah!! Wat if i kena also?
My third was: Oops! i did it again! My mouth the evil curse!

He told me later (after he reached the acceptance stage of receiving bad news) that all the clinic people (inc the doctor) laughed at him for getting a 'kiddy disease'. He remained quite sore abt this fact for the next couple of days of his quarantine at home (where his entire family boycotted him and made him wear gloves and slippers whenever he leaves his room). And his adult onset disease is more severe than usual and took more than one week for him to fully recover whereas the kids will take 2-3 days.

As for me, i just prayed hard that since i probably have been exposed to an impressive number of enterovirus types in my lifetime of chronic diarrhoea, i just might have developed sufficient immunity.

He is still quite embarrassed abt the whole ordeal so dun ask him abt it okie?
For those of you who wanted to meet up with us but i told you that he's sick at home and is only willing to tell you what happened after he recovered, THIS was what happened lar.. Don't laugh