Jinja: "Note to self: An overnight stay in a third-world hospital is not an experience to repeat."

I got malaria. Hey, one of the interns had to get it. It's like the lottery; somebody has to win, so it might as well be you.

I had been feeling like there was glass in my stomach for about three days, so on Wednesday morning I called Margaret, my Site Director and pseudo-mother, to ask about seeing a doctor. She came out to Kakira in her car and picked me up, along with Caroline, the American member of the FSD site team. They took me to Crescent Islamic Health Center ("Allah is Healer"--if so, I don't think he likes me much) and they tested my blood for malaria and tested my blood's acidity. My blood pressure was also really low--about 89 over 54. The malaria test came back positive, so they decided that I would have to stay overnight so that I could get three quinine drips. I didn't really want to mess around with malaria, and I have no idea of the treatment options, so I went with it.

I got a private room, and the bed was pretty comfortable. Hospitals here are basically semi-clean places with single-person beds. You get provided with one bed sheet and a pillow. They hooked me up to an IV on a rusty metal holder (you've probably seen them in medical shows, except they have wheels and are not rusty with paint flaking off). Some of the other interns came to visit me--thanks Becky, Kirk, and Amanda--and the whole FSD staff came too and checked on me/brought me lunch and dinner. So the first six hours or so were not bad.

Mama Fina came at about 7 pm to stay the night in the empty bed in my room. After about 8, she pretty much insisted that I lie down in the bed with a ridiculously huge blanket which made it sweltering. I saw no point in arguing, so I was basically in bed from 8 or 8:30. The night that followed was pretty terrible. I more or less didn't sleep and I started vomiting at about 3 am. This continued into the morning, even if I didn't eat anything. Margaret came back to see me around 9 am and took one look at me, then went out and talked to the doctor. He came in and was like, "Oh I guess it's the quinine that's making you sick. We're going to take you off of that." (This after I had gotten it pumped into my bloodstream for twelve hours.) Margaret told them to just give me the injection for malaria, and then I was like, "So...can I go home?" And the nurses said, "We don't want to send you home if you're vomiting." "Well whose fault is it that I've been vomiting since 3 am?" I was getting out of that place if it killed me (because staying there definitely would have, so I decided to take my chances).

Anyway, I insisted for about an hour and they eventually decided that I could leave, as long as I came back Friday and Saturday for two more injections and took the pills they gave me. FSD got a car to come pick up me and Mama Fina and we went home, where I showered and crawled into bed. I am currently resting at home, because I decided to play it safe and not go to work today either (sorry St. Eliza's! I've basically missed half of the week).

But yeah, so that was fun. Also, randomly, a cat kept trying to come into my hospital room and sleep in the middle of the floor in there. Just my room. It was really persistent. I don't know where it came from, but it really liked me or my floor or something. Many thanks to everyone who brought me books and cookies, talked to the doctors, and who genuinely cared about getting me healthy--Margaret, Caroline, and Jonan from FSD, Becky, Kirk, and Amanda, for cheering me up and keeping me company (and Becky for letting me have your book to read), the nice nurse who took care of me during the daytime, and especially Mama Fina, who stayed with me all night and fussed over me and kept trying to make me drink fluids. Thank you everybody!