Three weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend a week long conference in Moshi, Tanzania. I was very excited for this opportunity as it was my first time to travel to another African country. Moshi rests at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and we were treated to a beautiful view of the mountain every day particularly in the early mornings and early evenings. It was refreshing to go for a run through the coffee plantations surrounded by views of the various mountains in the distance and not being stiffled by the exhaust fumes you inhale while running in Kampala. It's a beautiful place, peaceful, quiet, a place to reflect and take in the beauty of nature and all that is around you.
Starting To Feel Sick...
I woke up one morning feeling really tired, at the time I didn't think much of it as we had all been out really late the night before. However, by lunch time I could barely keep my eyes open and decided to ditch out on the afternoon sessions as I could hear a pillow calling my name. I awoke a short time later with a high fever and soaking in sweat, my whole body ached. I began shivering so I decided to pull myself out of bed in search of a nice place outside in the hot sun where I could lay down and warm myself up. As the afternoon progressed my condition worsened. My fever persisted as I went from shivering cold to hot sweats and back again...every joint in my body continued to ache, and now I also had a pounding headache and severe diahhera (too much information?). As late afternoon approached it became clear that something was clearly not right with me as it became difficult to even walk...
The Hospital....
When I arrived at the hospital I was given priority and walked right passed the line of people waiting to be treated. I felt bad about this as I was sure that the only reason I didn't have to wait was because I was white, or perhaps because the place we were staying had a connection to the hospital...in any event I was happy to be marched straight in. I was brought into a room for a doctor to assess my situation, but as the doctor was asking me questions about my various symptoms etc. I was a little distracted by the man laying next to me with severe wounds all over his body who was dripping blood all over the floor.
While still being questioned by the doctor I had to ask a nurse to bring me to the restroom...in a hurry...The toilet was in a storage closet and as I walked in I realized there was no toilet paper...this was a problem. I asked the nurse if she could bring me some now now, and she told me that patients have to bring their own, but that she would see if she could borrow off another patient (patients also have to bring their own sheets, pillows, soap and food). Eventually the paper came and all was good. The nurse then wheeled me into my room in the intensive care unit that I would share with 6 other patients. The older lady next to me spent the whole night coughing, not just a little cough, but you know that cough that sounds like someone could die at any moment? That's the cough she had...all night! Then at about 4am another lady began screaming her lungs out. Let's just say it wasn't the best sleep I've ever had. In the morning I had about 5 people all doctors or nurses standing at the foot of my bed staring at me and speaking with each other in Kiswahili. I'm not sure what they were discussing as they didn't fill me in, but I assume it was about me...weird
The Conclusion...
My temperature was 39.2 degrees Celsius. I was tested for malaria twice, had a stoole sample done, typhoid test etc. and all turned up negative. They gave me some drugs and sent me on my way not knowing what I had. I took the drugs for a day or two, but they made my heart race so I stopped. I feel better now, but still don't know what it was...some of my friends here in the medical field said I could have had H1N1, not sure if they were joking or not...but who knows?!
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