Malaria- Athens

We just said good-bye to one of our friends not even 24 hours ago and who crawls into bed with body aches, chills and a head ache. I pray I don’t have Malaria. I check my temperature throughout the night, 102.2 SHOOT! An hour later 102.4 OH NO!! I take some ibuprofen and pray that it goes away two hours later 101.9 that a little better but I’m not satisfied, another hour later 101.7. By morning my chills are gone but I’m sweating bullets left and right my bed is soaked and I’ve already changed my clothes once cause I sweat through them. By 7:30 am when Carlie comes home my temp is down to 99.7 but my head is pounding like a race horse. We go to the hospital and both get tested for Malaria. Carlie’s comes back negative. Mine comes back positive .45%. Why do I have to be the one that gets a dangerously high Malaria count the day after someone dies from it? The doctor tells me I need to stay overnight in the hospital on IV Quinine but there is not a chance I would ever spend the night it that dirty rat infested hospital so I say “No thanks, I’ll take my chances at home” I get my prescriptions and head for home with Nurse Carlie to take care of me.

Monday- I layout my medical supplies on the table and Carlie prepares to start an I’ve on me. It takes her 4 trys to get it but she get it and we hook me up to the quinine. I’ve heard horror stories about this drug and im not looking forward to the side effects but right now the only thing I’m thinking about is how I will not be shipped home in a box!!

My head isn’t pounding as hard but it can still feel the pressure up there and my hearing is starting to get a little fuzzy but so far so good.

All my medical supplies.                                                                   

                                                                    



Tuesday- I get up to use the rest room but instead I end up dry heaving over the toilet. My head is spinning and my legs feel like Jell-o. I make it back to bed and lay down but the nausea doesn’t go away it just lessens. I sit up and nothing but green bile comes pouring out. Not the most attractive thing to see first thing in the morning.

Dr. Olen wants me back at the hospital to see how I’m doing but there is no way I could hold on to the back of a Moto. So Darren saves the day by driving us in a car which makes me feel claustrophobic because I haven’t been in one for so long. We make it to the hospital and I am up right just long enough to walk up to Olen with my bucket in hand and then I’m down for the count. Both hands on the bucket in front of me knees on the muddy ground while Carlie and Olen converse over my medical condition. I try one more time to stand erect but fail miserably and just head to the car to lie down. When we finally get back home I spend the rest on the day in bed. Carlie tries to make me eat and I try but not much of an appetite.

Ready to go. Quinine has to be administered
 with Dextrose to help prevent hypoglycemia.

                   

Wednesday- First thing I notice when I wake up is that my arm is sore, swollen and tight. My vein has gone bad. I wake Carlie up to start a new line but I’m so dehydrated and cold that my veins do a vanishing act. She tries 9 times and fails. Finally she calls for Darren to take us to the hospital again and the anesthesiologist get a line started. I stay at the hospital the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon to finish my IV Quinine in the dentist office in the dentist chair. I sleep through the dental clinic. I open my eyes and I see people setting up chairs. I open my eyes again and the room is full of people and patients getting their teeth pulled. I open my eyes a third time and the room is dark and everyone is gone but Marci who keeping a watchful eye on me.

The nausea is gone the IV Quinine is finished I have a little bite of an appetite and I down a yogurt and some rice and egg concoction and I’m sent home on oral Quinine pills for 5 days.

Monday- I’m back to almost normal. My energy is back to normal my head is pressure free and I’ve taken the last of that horrible Quinine. And tomorrow I head back to work. The only thing that is missing is my hearing. But I’m told it will come back gradually. I’m already hard of hearing and Carlie has to yell everything at me. YAY!! I survived Malaria!!!! Story to tell the grand kids haha J