Dude...I'm Sick

Well there we have it. In terms of things i've accomplished thus far in Africa, falling sick, check. The whole following post will be discussing my recent bout on the sick side, but know that antibiotics do wonders and restored me to health! I've done pretty well at avoiding sickness as compared with other people I trained with. I was almost six months in. What starting with a little cramping turned into a full blown fever and passing my day prostrate on the counch or enjoying countless trips to the bathroom. While I can't pinpoint what specifically I do know that it was something I ate. [yes, mom I know you are in your head telling me i need to be more careful with food] Hospital exams blamed it on too much bacteria in my system, or officially put...bacterial dysentery. On their records I did have "a little" malaria, but they are overly cautious with that disease and will over diagnosis. PCVs have no qualms about having a "poop talk", but for my first-world friends/family who might be a little more squeamish, let's just say there was no doubt in my mind I wasn't healthy.

So what's a trip to a third-world hospital in Batouri? Surprisingly,not so bad. Waiting, which one comes to expect, on the other hand not fun. Here is when receiving prefential treatment for being white was to my advantage. The doctor is the supervisor of, Jackie, the health volunteer here so he took me in soon as I arrived. Next came lab tests. The lab should open around nine but of course with the Africa time factor nobody came until 10:30. Luckily Jackie was there so I could pass the time with somebody. She was working in the women/children ward and I unfortunately passed the time watching women bring in their malnourished kids. One pays for their own needle and antiseptic swab thingie so that quelched that fear. Now for stool sample? At this point, I had been having horrible cramps every twenty minutes since 3 A.M., so stool sample on command was unfortunately easily obliged. But what did I use for a stool sample you ask? Well among my choices given were to find mango leaf or plastic bag. I chose the latter. Pretty thankful to have received a negative for Typhoid. If you are curious enough, i'll let you google what you've eaten if you test positive for it.

I fell sick with fever on a friday and it was better/worse, better/worse, until I woke it up with severe cramps Tuesday morning and my only direction for the next 5 hours was bed to bathroom and back. A weeks worth of antibiotics have brought me back to health. I have decided to de-worm myself for precaution sake every three months and lets pray/knock on wood there is not many more sickness to come!