'Happy' New Year?

The famous Scottish poet Robbie Burns once wrote, 'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.'

Our plan was to spend New Year on Alona Beach, Panglao Island but it didn't quite work out like that.

On Saturday 22nd Dec, we were in Siquijor Island and Shoshi started feeling ill that afternoon, seemed like a touch of the flu.

48 hours later, after increasingly unpleasant fever, pain and headaches, we spent Christmas Day morning at Siquijor Hospital Emergency Room (Third World standards!), with Shoshi doing quick blood tests.  It transpired that she had suspected Dengue Fever and they advised us to go to the nearest 'proper' hospital for the necessary treatment.

The nearest proper hospital was a ferry trip away, either on Bohol Island or in Dumaguete on Negros Island.  Shoshi didn't feel up to such a trip and so we decided to wait another 24 hours and travel on the morning of the 26th.

We got up on Boxing Day and caught the 9am ferry to Dumaguete, arriving at the Silliman University Hospital at 11am.  5 hours of tests, waiting, more tests...Shoshi was taken to the ER and admitted to hospital with confirmed Dengue Fever.

Not what we had imagined that Santa would bring us for Christmas but hey, ho, ho, ho...

The following morning, Guy woke with fever and I headed back to hospital with the kids to check on Shoshi.  We then spent the next 8 hours, doing various tests on Guy after which he was confirmed also with Dengue and so he was also admitted.

Shoshi and Guy, sharing a hospital room, both trying to recover from Dengue.

And just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, they did!

Shoshi was also confirmed as having Typhoid Fever, a very nasty tropical disease indeed, which made the treatment of the Dengue more difficult as the doctors could not be sure which of the viruses were causing her symptoms.

The next 3 days were exceptionally tough for Shoshi.  Very strong medications, very little sleep, not able to really eat or rest.  A real nightmare.  Thankfully this morning, her numbers had improved enough and so after 5 days in hospital, really great care from the doctors and nurses, finally, at 4pm n 31st December, Shoshi and Guy were allowed to leave,

Guy is back to his old self (cheeky) but Shoshi is still pretty poorly and has to return on New Year's Day for further tests. She also has another 10 days or so of killer antibiotics to get through which is taking its toll.

Not the Hogmanay we had expected but just glad the worst of it is hopefully behind us.

On the plus side, Rangers pumped Celtic so as they say, 'every cloud has a silver lining...'

Happy New Year to everyone...