Week from Hell

This past week has been quite possibly the worst week I have ever had in Ghana.

Last Friday:

---4am: I started vomiting (first major problem), no pure water to rinse my mouth with after vomiting.

---4:30-night: other bodily issues, body pains, high fever (Ghanaian heat <3 )

---6:30pm: Hospital visit #1; tested for malaria; diagnosis:"Well we are not sure if you have malaria...your results weren't clear...so we will treat you for a stomach infection but if your fever and body pains don't go away within two days come back because that means you definitely have malaria and we have to treat you"

Saturday:

---Morning: slightly better; no more vomitting, other bodily issues had calmed down

---Night: Tried eating rice; nausea came back, had to sleep immediately so I didn't vomit everywhere

Sunday:

---all day: not able to eat except for a few crackers before my antibiotics, almost got sick each time I ate, fever and body pains gone

Monday:

---all day: same as Sunday

---overnight: no sleep, upset stomach again

Tuesday:

---Morning: woke up with stomach bloated out like I was pregnant-most of bodily issues had come back

---8:30am: Hospital visit #2; more lab tests; re-diagnosed as possibly having worms

---Afternoon/early evening: excruciating pain from the pressure inside my stomach/intestines, thought my stomach was going to explode

---8pm: Took my one dose of de-worming medicine and went to sleep as instructed by the doctor

Wednesday:

---7am: Woke up and my stomach felt better so I had clearly had worms that were now killed, tried going into work but was so tired I couldn't sit up

---afternoon: slept the rest of the day

---evening: fever came back with swollen glands

Thursday (Today):

Glands still swollen, can't tell if fever is back cause I am drowning it with fever reducer...ate my first meal in 6 days.


And all of this right after that newspaper article just came out in Glen Ellyn with me stating "I never get sick in Ghana...its pretty amazing"...serves me right

I might have officially screwed up my back by lying on that hard bed for the past week but hopefully it will go in time.

I have missed home more than I ever thought possible in the past week.

However, I have never felt as supported by friends and family back home. The amount of text messages, phone calls, bbms, facebook messages, e-mails etc. is something that I am eternally grateful for.

Hopefully I will continue to get better and be back to my normal crazy, busy self in no time at all.

Finally, I just wanted to point out a few things that made my week bearable which were 3 quotes from two friends:

After being told I was being de-wormed:

Peter Evans said "awe, its like you are pregnant"

Chris Getman said "I think I've had to give my dog de-worming medicine. what is going on with that?"

And then finally, an explanation of why I am in in such agony:

Peter Evans (again!): "you swallowed a worm that is now feeding like its thanksgiving?"

Excuse my poorly written blog, my writing is not quite up to par yet.