Malaria test - negative!

So as I said in my intro to this blog, I would include stories on our efforts to avoid getting Malaria. And as we've come to learn, Malaria is a real possibility here. We meet expats all the time who have had it during their stay and inevitably, everyone brushes it off as no big deal and they say it's just like a bad flu. Well, I'm sorry...Malaria is a big deal and people die from it all the time although usually it's because they haven't gotten medical treatment quick enough. So we've been told and have decided that the second one of us has any sort of fever, to go to the hospital.

I should preface this story with the fact that we both stopped taking our Malaria medications about a month ago because the one I was taking, Lariam, was giving me crazy dreams and making me feel like I was on an emotional rollercoaster and the one Alan was taking is a daily pill and it's just not practical to have to take medicine everyday for 2 years not to mention the risk to the liver! And after talking to so many expats here, practically no one takes the meds so we decided we would just use precautions like bug spray when we go out at night, and spray the mosquitos that gather at our doorway every morning scheming on how they are going to get into our apartment.




But last week I came down with some sort of stomach bug (sort of the usual travelers' stomach thing you hear about) so I just took it easy and because it wasn't severe and was inconsistent, I didn't think much of it. And by Monday it seemed all cleared up and I was fine until yesterday. I woke up feeling like a train had run over me (feverish, nauseous, stomach cramps, achy, the whole bit) but it wasn't until later in the afternoon when I actually started running a bit of a fever that we got worried. Alan (worry wort that he is) decided after speaking to the clinic at his Guinness plant that I should go to the hospital right away. It did seem a bit excessive considering my fever wasn't that high but like we had told ourselves...at any sign of fever go to the doctor. So after about an hour of driving through traffic to get to the hospital (and mind you, this hospital was like for the rich and famous in Ghana), we get settled in the waiting room. We learn that there is a fee for registering there, a fee for the doctor's consultation and a fee for the lab work and we were just crossing our fingers that we had enough cash on us to cover it (no credit cards as usual). I was quite impressed with the facilities though. The waiting room was very clean and orderly, not too many people, nice artwork...this is what money gets you I guess. I can't imagine the public hospitals look anything like this!

So we meet with the doctor who didn't seem the least bit concerned with my condition and suggested we take some blood. After being shuffled around to room after room I get the blood drawn and learn in about 15 minutes that I am Malaria free (and Salmonella free too!). Still not sure what bug is in my stomach but the doctor said stomach cramps + diarrhea + fever = bacteria in stomach and so he prescribed an antibiotic and that was that. Thank goodness I had exactly enough cash to pay the bill and I'll be off to the pharmacy today to get the antibiotic and hope it kills this stomach cramping fever producing bug!