Tony and his friends left last Sunday to return to Hong Kong and it has been a whirlwind. Matthew got sick on Monday and missed school. Packed him off to school on Tuesday only to have Tony come home complaining that he wasn't feeling well. Flu like symptoms, stomach issues and what not. He was running a fever on Wednesday morning and I asked him not to go into the office. He didn't listen to me. He went in and came home several hours later. Raging with fever and complaining of severe stomach cramps. Tony's lips and fingernails were blue and I didn't like what I saw. I called Mr. Miao and dragged Tony out of the house to go to the hospital. He kept insisting that all he needed was gatorade. He was probably right but I wanted to get a professional opinion on the whole situation.
He was running a 104 degree fever and was doubled over in pain. He was admitted into the hospital that evening for severe dehydration and acute gastroenteritis. Basically, he had a severe bacterial infection and was on demerol, IV saline, antibiotics and potassium. Four days later, he was released. Scary situation. We don't know what type of bacteria it was and how he got it. He'll be on antibiotics for a few more days. Luckily, we're living in Shanghai where there are decent expatriate hospitals and the doctors speak English. I keep wondering what would have happened if we were living in the middle of Sichuan or some small remote village in Suzhou. Not a pretty scene.
Tony's recovering and will be home for the next several days. He has to get clearance from his doctor before he can go back to the office. Meanwhile, I cleared out the import market of all the gatorade. I'm making sure he stays hydrated and is resting.
