Death and Life with Malaria

It Begins with Cold Symptoms    I was running around on my usual business, reading, and beginning to see the need of a secondary project when suddenly it hit me.  I wasn't feeling too well.  Not at all!   Thank goodness for my houseboy.  He fixed supper and after eating, I went right to bed.  Sore throat, headache, and fever.  I really sweated up a storm that night.  The bed was drenched.  I immediately looked up all the symptoms of malaria.  I didn't think so, but I spent the day in bed again.  I wished I could say I slept but I didn't.

Each day seemed to improve little by little but every night was so awful.  It was a miserable long night starting at 1:00 A.M.   I didn't sleep at all after that.  I used up the last of my Tylenol and aspirin.  I switched from Sudafed to Chlortrimeton.  It seemed to help.

After a few days, I felt good enough to go to Monrovia for a meeting.  The day went well but I had a horrible night!  I woke up freezing even though I was fully clothed and wearing a lined jacket.  I moved to an unairconditioned room.  I moaned, tossed, groaned, and sweated all night.   It was awful.  I threw up once and then diarrhea began.  I awoke from a strange dream and saw one of my friends.  She said I looked awful and put me back in bed.

The Symptoms      The Peace Corps nurse was contacted.  Needles, blood tests, and questions.  I had every symptom imaginable!  Gas, cramps, diarrhea, nausea, sore throat, congestion, headache, chills, 104 temperature, sweating spells, overall body ache, and exhaustion from lack of sleep.  I couldn't open my eyes because they hurt so bad.  It hurt when my eyes were shut.  I took aspirin and Tylenol.  It didn't help at all.  I asked for something stronger and the Peace Corps doctor kept forgetting.  I was at the point of refusing further treatment until something was done for my headache.

Well, I tested positive for malaria and shigella.  Shigella is food contamination.  I ate what people are always telling others to eat if they are mad at them.  In addition, I had become badly dehydrated because I couldn't take in fluids.  The Peace Corps nurse decided to take me to the hospital when it was feared my kidneys had shut down.  I was on an IV for 36 hours or more.  All I could do in the hospital was rest my poor, tired body.  My eyes still hurt so I couldn't read.

No Respect      My kidneys definitely did not shut down.  The nurse was pleased with the "present" I had for him when he came to visit.   Then, he flushed all that hard work down the toilet.

A few days later I was able to have visitors.  I spent two hours with with a friend.  She was told  I looked just awful.  I'd say I was looking thinner.  Who wouldn't after losing forty pounds?

I stayed in the hospital a week.  When I was finally released I had a ton of things to do in Monrovia.  By the time it was all done, I was drenched in sweat.  Both shirt and hair were soaked.  A policeman stopped me on the street to see why I was so exhausted.  He helped me get a taxi home.

Up, Around, and On the Road Again      Later, I went to see the Peace Corps nurse for my final OK to leave for Zwedru. She said my blood pressure was still too low -- meaning I need more rest.  I was grounded in Monrovia for three weeks before they okayed me to leave.  On my way back to Zwedru, I went to a party upcountry.  Most of my friends were there.  We went to a waterfall.  Guess who was the first to climb to the top?  Guess who was the first casualty?  The only one!  I slipped, slid, smashed into a boulder, sprained my thumb, and lost my glasses.  I hated to write to Monrovia about this.  I only mentioned that my glasses were "lost" on the trip back home.  No details were given on how they were lost.