Sunday, September 28, 2008
I'm tropically ill
I started feeling sick last night. Nausea, fever and a headache. This morning my brain hurt, my eye sockets hurt and my knees hurt. This afternoon I went to get tested for malaria at the hospital. We walked several laps around the hospital before ending up in the lab for a blood test. The lab tech drew my blood and I blacked out. I always hate hypodermic needles, but blacking out was a new experience for me. I was leaning back in my chair so I wouldn't fall and I was fighting to stay conscious, coming in and out for about ten seconds, and then I threw up in the trashcan. I tested negative on the malaria test, but I'm really sick and since malaria doesn't always show up on tests, I've started a 3-day course of chloroquine anyway.
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4 comments:
I've had malaria. One sure way to tell if you have it, besides have all the common symptoms, if you set your head in the natural setting, top of head towards sky (held vertical), you'll have an awful headache, but if you hold it horizontal, like laying down. You won't have the headache.
I crawled more than 200 feet with my head set horizontally to grab a soft ice cream out of the center's kitchen and then 200+ feet back to my room, on all fours.
we're praying for you, ben.
hey man--hope you feel much better soon. i guess malaria is much more common there, but have you also been worked up for Dengue? Per CDC it's endemic to Haiti...
Hope you and Lexi can have some good bonding time together puking and febrile. Love you lots.
T
Ouch. It was painful to read this description! I'm glad that you're feeling better now, but be careful. Malaria treatments don't always work the first time around, and dengue will keep ahold of you for a long time, especially if you don't show it the proper respect by resting a lot. I love you! Mom
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