I started feeling pretty under-the-weather again yesterday after not eating much all week due to nausea and then my IV stay at the hospital. By the middle of the day I knew they had probably misdiagnosed me, and that I likely had a parasite since the antibiotics weren't working and I felt exactly like I had hours before I got violently ill the first couple times. Lucky for me, it was the middle of the day, and I was able to get in contact with the doctor at the local clinic after-hours.
After describing a few telltale symptoms I won't name, the doctor immediately told me over the phone that I had the protozoan parasite giardia. He said I'd have to come by the clinic at 9am when it opened the following morning (today) to get the drug that would kill it, and that I should only drink clear liquids until then to avoid increasing my nausea. I settled in for another long night of feeling weak and uncomfortable, though I'd learned how to manage the symptoms a little better through my experiences earlier in the week.
Around 10pm I stumbled down to the bar for the first time since the early afternoon to get a soda water. As it turned out, one of the managers had had the same parasite months ago, and still had four tablets of the medication left. Someone went to get it for me, and ten minutes later I had the required initial 2-gram dose of medication to kill most of the parasite. I almost immediately was able to sit up straighter and feel more comfortable, with high hopes of being able to fall asleep after all.
This morning I went up to the clinic and met with the doctor to review the other details, and he ended up prescribing more of the same medication to keep taking every 12 hours for several days to ensure that the organism was killed off, since I had a pretty bad case of it.
Still unclear where I picked it up, though it could have come from anywhere. It's not for lack of trying, but there is definitely a lower level of hygiene here than at home.
Apparently the doctor also deduced that I am sensitive to cyanotoxin, which occurs in the lake and cannot be filtered out. So for the rest of my time here, I am to avoid the triple-filtered water that we have, as well as the ice cubes, etc., and only drink bottled water.
Fortunately I am pretty confident I was correctly diagnosed this time, and am on the road to recovery. I can tell it hasn't been killed off completely yet, but that's why I was prescribed the extended course.
Hopefully I'll return to normal health and appetite soon, and can focus on my next move after I leave here in January.
After describing a few telltale symptoms I won't name, the doctor immediately told me over the phone that I had the protozoan parasite giardia. He said I'd have to come by the clinic at 9am when it opened the following morning (today) to get the drug that would kill it, and that I should only drink clear liquids until then to avoid increasing my nausea. I settled in for another long night of feeling weak and uncomfortable, though I'd learned how to manage the symptoms a little better through my experiences earlier in the week.
Around 10pm I stumbled down to the bar for the first time since the early afternoon to get a soda water. As it turned out, one of the managers had had the same parasite months ago, and still had four tablets of the medication left. Someone went to get it for me, and ten minutes later I had the required initial 2-gram dose of medication to kill most of the parasite. I almost immediately was able to sit up straighter and feel more comfortable, with high hopes of being able to fall asleep after all.
This morning I went up to the clinic and met with the doctor to review the other details, and he ended up prescribing more of the same medication to keep taking every 12 hours for several days to ensure that the organism was killed off, since I had a pretty bad case of it.
Still unclear where I picked it up, though it could have come from anywhere. It's not for lack of trying, but there is definitely a lower level of hygiene here than at home.
Apparently the doctor also deduced that I am sensitive to cyanotoxin, which occurs in the lake and cannot be filtered out. So for the rest of my time here, I am to avoid the triple-filtered water that we have, as well as the ice cubes, etc., and only drink bottled water.
Fortunately I am pretty confident I was correctly diagnosed this time, and am on the road to recovery. I can tell it hasn't been killed off completely yet, but that's why I was prescribed the extended course.
Hopefully I'll return to normal health and appetite soon, and can focus on my next move after I leave here in January.
No comments:
Post a Comment