Sick Day

Well, last night I went to the hospital again. But this time, it was for me.

Sunday night I got home from a dinner out and had goosebumps, extreme chills, and was sweating something awful. All day long I had had a headache.

I went to bed right away (8:45!) tossed and turned through the night, and got up at 7:15 to skype with my family. My throat hurt and I must have looked terrible, because they all looked really worried about me and suggested that I take it easy. Which I did, going back to sleep until I was awakened for our Monday reflection at 10:50, then to bed again until 1:45 when a friend brought me a plate of plain white rice. At this point my coworkers got kind of nervous that I had malaria (don’t worry, I don’t) and told me that I should go to the hospital.

I always like it when people tell me to go; I would never go otherwise. I’m always nervous that I’m not sick enough to warrant seeing a doctor.

Anyway, the Indian hospital was quite the experience. We were offered tea, the nurse took my temperature in the waiting hallway, and another patient’s consultation took place in the doorless room directly in front of me. They called me into the doctor’s room, and Crystal took a seat in the room next to another older lady who was there the whole time (I still haven’t figured out who she was). The door, which led directly to the waiting room, was open the entire time. The doctor was very nice and asked all the routine questions, got to the bottom of the problem, and announced that I have a tonsil infection. She then prescribed an injection, an antiseptic to gargle with morning and night, and three different oral medications.

I was then instructed to lay down on the table so that I could get my injection. They pulled closed the half-curtain which covered just up to my waist. I glanced at the old lady, shot Crystal an, “Ah help me!” look and then I focused my gaze through the open door into the waiting room, gripping the table as they gave me a great big booster shot.

And then it was over. I bought half of my prescriptions at the hospital and then walked down the road to get the rest at the pharmacy, praying that they were correct because the guy running the shop was not a doctor nor a pharmacist and he definitely didn’t speak English. I bought some pomegranites and oranges for vitamin C….and then it started to rain.

We caught a rickshaw to take us most of the way home, and the rain let up a little bit…until the rick stopped and it was time for us to walk. Of course then it decided to pour, which was very conducive to a speedy recovery J