malaria...

Right now I am just recovering from a rather bad bout of malaria, something I NEVER want to have to experience again. On Sunday I felt that I had a stomachache, but left for Egerton (at long last I am actually going back to YASHA!). In the night it still hurt and I had very bad diarrhea so in the morning told Lydia that I didn’t think that I was well enough to go to school for the first day, in the process I blacked out on the floor, something that I have never done before, it felt bizarre, one minute I was feeling dizzy leaning against the wall willing the pain to go away, the next I woke up with Lydia worriedly saying “Bee! Bee!” so I stayed on timothy’s bed, suitably near the bathroom, while the others went to school. Lying still pretending to be asleep seemed to be ok but as soon as I stood up I felt dizzy and the headache started again.
Wilco came back to check at 10, I did not want to move at all, then he came back at 2, I had not eaten anything and still did not want to move but Wilco insisted that we should go to the clinic as he suspected that I had food poisoning like last time and some simple drugs would sort it out in a couple of hours (this had been true on the 27th when I was ill). So off we went bumping along in the Landover me in my pajamas still feeling sicker with every pothole, to the clinic in Egerton, I explained the case and some drugs were prescribed but as they were handing them over and I was complaining that I really just wanted to lie down, I found myself being carried to a bed. AGAIN I had blacked out. I was lying closing my eyes ignoring everything even the drugs that were thrust at me hoping that the whole thing would go away. But it didn’t. The doctor made me have the drugs and said it would be best if I went to a hospital where I could have a test for malaria. Personally I just wanted to go back to the Venter’s (Lydias and Wilco’s) and sleep, or pretend to at least. But he insisted so we went back to the house and, held by Wilco who was pretty worried I might collapse again, grabbed a few clothes and my phone. Off we went to Egerton hospital, poor excuse for a hospital as after making me WALK to the reception, THEN to the doctor’s surgery, not close places, he told me that they do not have the appropriate testing equipment or strong enough drugs! So off we go again, this time to town, me feeling sicker and sicker, not talking just wanting to lie down. Eventually we get to Nakuru Nursing Home (where I used to work for anyone who has forgotten) and I ask Wilco to get then to bring out a stretcher as I do not want to walk in then be made to sit and wait etc. I know that if you are on a stretcher they are much quicker at attending to you. Jane and Susan, two of my friends who work on the reception came out with a wheel chair looking suitably distressed. I have come in sick before (urine infection once, bicycle accident the other) but not this pale and ill.
They took me to the sisters’ office where I plonked myself on the bed, then, as Wilco revealed quite comically later, refused to move insisting that they move me on that, bear in mind this bed had wheels but it was not a stretcher bed but a normal one! There was no way that it was going to get through the door and around the corridors! So the wheelchair again, heading upstairs to a private room (ie has own toilet- kinda a must when one is nauseous and has diarrhea) and got straight in. immediately they put me on a drip to get back some of the fluids that I had been loosing rapidly and gave me the first anti malarials.
I had three strong doses of quinine through my hand into the blood, dripping painfully slowly into my blood over three days and periodical injections in my ass, both cheeks so that both sides hurt, great, then also a grand concoction of tablets. I was seen almost straight away by Dr Miner, the matrons son, not the one who’s wedding I attended but one that I have worked alongside in NNH and also at PGH which was pretty comforting.
The pain was horrible, for the first day, Tuesday, I was very weak, only walking as far as the toilet, the quinine gave me a very bad headache and loud ringing in my ears so that it was hard to hear plus also rather dizzy.
My friends were great, of course the ones from NNH came, but also almost straight away the Red cross friends also came, ones I knew well and those that I didn’t, I also received calls from friends from church. So I felt very lucky! Also not to be in PGH where I am sure that I would have come oput more ill than before. I also appreciate the fact that I can just go back to my bank account and know that there is something there to pay with.
So after two nights admitted I am out and on medication under strict instructions to REST! As the doctors know me well and know that unless instructed not to I would have the tendency to get straight back to work. Am feeling much better just tired.