I moved to Mazatlan with an open mind and an eagerness to experience everything about living in the tropics. There have been so many new things – 1001 ways to eat shrimp, street food, summers without air conditioning, parties that don't start until midnight, learning water flow management through rainy season, the eschewing of shoes more sophisticated than flip flops — and for the past two weeks I have been improving my experiential reference — by getting Dengue.
I have to say that Dengue is a special kind if misery. It's like a hangover after getting stupid with tequila with the bonus features of high fever and little gnomes with tiny hammers pounding on your bones. As miserable as it was, I have been through worse. Appendicitis? Worse. Getting chicken pox at age 23? That was worse, too. But Dengue isn't anything I would volunteer for again.
There is no real treatment for Dengue. It's just like the flu. You have to suffer through and let it run its course. Drink plenty of fluids, get a lot of rest, yadda, yadda, yadda. I did, however, seek out some symptomatic relief: Tylenol for the headache and fever. Not much help with the headache and mild success with the fever. My big ally was promethazine (prometazina in Spanish), a strong antihistamine with the beneficial side affect of some wicked nausea control. And it knocks me out. So I was able to sleep through much of the discomfort. If I am not aware of it, I am not really experiencing it, am I? The downside of my approach is that I more than once had to consult the calendar on my computer to figure out what day it was.
The good news is that it is not contact contagious, so we didn't have to live in a no-kiss zone. It's pretty much spread by mosquitoes, and only ones that bite during the day at that. The CDC says that to prevent the spread, I am supposed to try "to prevent mosquitoes from biting the patient and going on to bite others in the household". Seriously?!? I can't get my dog to reliably do what I say. What hope do I have of dictating on whom a mosquito can dine, an in what order?
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferYou can be sure that "adventure" is not one of the adjectives I have used to describe the experience.
It is nice to be upright again.
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|200.56.143.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s NancyI am so glad you are better! But not nearly as much as you are, I'm sure.
Did you have to deal with the department of health? We know a family who had a dengue patient and the department of health sent over the full house spraying team. It sounded awful.
See you soon!
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferNo, nothing so dramatic here. Which is good. I don't think I could have dealt with the health department in addition to the plumbers during this.
I am really impressed with Mazatlan and all the measures they have in place to prevent and combat Dengue. We get the visit every few months just like everyone else from the health department inspecting for standing water, educating about mosquitoes, and handing out the mosquito dunks. I think its great that they come eradicate when they know of a Dengue case.
Chuck has been taking care of spraying around here. It is helping, but I don't think there is any hope of completely getting rid of the little buggers.
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|200.56.143.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s NancyI agree it is good that the health department comes around to our houses but where it really needs to go is to the ruins around town that are incredible breeding grounds. There are 5 or 6 ruins in the block around my friend's family (who had the dengue) and inside you can see piles of junk, wet areas, standing water, etc. And yet the health department sprayed the friend's house, not the ruins. Wonder where the mosquito came from?
End of rant. But it seems I am not alone, the Noroeste had an article on the front page of the Local section today, basically saying the same thing.
But glad you're over it and can't get that type again!
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferYou are right. I hadn't thought about that. Maybe because there aren't a lot of ruins near our house. I wonder what the local law is about entering those properties without permission and how hard it is to track down the owners?
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|187.149.30.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s SansDavid got dengue about a month ago as well. No visits from the Health Dept here either.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferIt seems to be a bad year for Dengue. At least I have personally heard about a lot more cases. I wonder if the unusual heat has anything to do with it?
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|200.66.52.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s santiago5 yrs. here and most cases I have heard of. News said the city would be spraying more this year. Locals tell me something is not right with what they are spraying. Does not have the same smell!!!!!
Am thinking maybe they cut it down and thusly more cases.
Make sence?
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|66.169.114.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s wglockI have been told that garlic is a natural mosquito repelant. I cook with a lot of fresh garlic and I don't get bitten by mosquitos here in Texas...so perhaps that may help? I don't know...if you don't like garlic you may be in trouble.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferI looooove garlic! But in the summer, I am not doing much cooking.
Actually, I have given up on all natural repellents - which didn't work - and gone back to good ol' Off with DEET. That's the best thing I have found.
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|24.22.104.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s Gayle - general MZT lifeJennifer (& Nancy, Will, et.al) - just found your site & appreciate your comments, photos, etc.
I'm retiring to Mexico next year & will be in MZT for 2 weeks end of Jan 2010 to check out longterm rentals, medical facilities (Sharp), etc. I read that the expat group is large, but is there any organized support groups available? An Enlish-language library? I'm not much of a 'joiner', and my Spanish is fairly fluent ... but, do you remember when you moved away? It's that fear of the total unknown, I guess - moving away from the town I was born in can be daunting! Though, I've lived in Torreon as a teen, and spent a few months in my hippy days VW-ing the country through to Oaxaca ... I'm just a 'little bit' older now, and my Spanish a little rusty.
I'll be looking for a 6-month to 1-yr rental, hopefully some place with access to a pool, beginning in ... Sept/Oct 2010. Got to sell my home first, in a buyer's market..ugh. I don't know what I'll be able to afford...!
Signed: Gayle, Portland OR nopogayle@comcast.net
thanks for any info you can provide...
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferHi Gayle,
The expat group here is large, and there are two groups that meet regularly to socialize and exchange information. The first meets at Canuck's in Centro every Friday at 4 pm pm. The second meets at the Las Flores Hotel in the Golden Zone every Sunday at 4 pm. There are also numerous groups that meet for charitable work, theater, poker, bridge, sewing, art and any number of other interests.
There is also an English language library in Centro and an English language used book store in the Golden Zone. Just about any service or activity you are looking for you can find in English - doctors, movies, restaurants, dentists, veterinarians, etc. If you stay in the tourist areas, you can transact everything you need entirely in English. Of course, if you do this you are really missing out.
Really, moving here is more exciting than scary. I am sure you will feel much more comfortable after your exploratory trip. And make sure you make it to at least one of the weekly gatherings. The people there are generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences when they made the move.
Good luck,
Jennifer
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|24.22.104.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s Gayle - Earlier BommentDuh, never mind ..! I just discovered the 'forum' page & have registered.
Looks like lots of helpful info already there...
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|24.22.104.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s Gayle - SimpaticasThanks Jennifer/Nancy ... you've both been kind to answer some of my questions via blog & email, both. Yes, I am excited (not scared) to be moving there. Still just so much that needs to be dwelt with before that happens, as I'm sure you'll recall.
Met a native Spanish speaking woman close to my age at the local last night, and we've agreed to meet every night - para placticar. Nice. I thought I was going to have to enroll at the community college w/20-somethings aghast at a wrinkled face. Or else ask a spanish-speaking teen (from my morning commute) to come to my house for an hour each weekend for $10+ an hour. (Do you know they actually use the english term 'like', every other word even when speaking spanish?!! Like, gross!)
Interesting to read about dengue; never heard of it before. I'll look it up tomorrow on my computer at work. Glad you're out of imminent danger now!
Again, thanks for the blogs, the info, for sharing. Hope to meet you all in late January... Gayle
Overcast 64 oF • 18 oC
Glad to have ya back in the land of the livin. Bet yur glad to be back. Missed ya.