Pure Misery: Episode II - Attack of the Antibiotics

When I wrote the first "Pure Misery" post, I didn't think there was gonna be a sequel. Sadly there is! Also I didn't think I was not going to write a post for such a long time.

I have some sad news and some really, really, really, really, really sad news. Sad news are, I'm not gonna write many more posts. Just the one about politics, I promised, and maybe 2-3 more non-specific posts. (I'll put a big fat THE END beneath my last post) because the really, really, really, really, really sad news are I'm back in London due to health issues. Had I just had Malaria, believe me, I would have stayed, because over there everybody has Malaria. But I didn't.

It started with a topical fungal and bacterial infection 5 days after I had arrived in Ghana (you may remember my post), which got worse over the course of 4 weeks, because none of the doctors I saw, were able to treat me probably. The doctors from the government hospital couldn't even make a propper diagnosis. It started to spread and two weeks ago (Saturday) I became really sick: Headache, nausea, abdominal pain ... but NO fever, which made the whole thing very strange. The following monday, I had a malaria test in the next door clinic in my village. I wasn't surprised, it was positiv, because that's always the result when you're sick and might just have a viral infection. So I took my Malaria stand-by treatment, Malarone, which you take over a course of three days. However, on Wednesday morning I woke up feeling hot as hell yet having no raised temperature. After two hours sitting in front of a fan and emptying the stomache, I took a taxi to go to the Nyaho hospital in Accra, which is supposed to be the best one in Ghana. The ride took 3 hours and it was the most horrible time of my life. Not knowing whether I would stay conscious until arrival, I had to keep convincing myself I was not going to die. My host mother was really great, because she actually came with me. In the Out Patience Department of the Nyaho hospital, I sat there waiting to be examined and actually translated some words into FRENCH for the receptionist, because there was a woman from Cote d'Ivoire who didn't speak. Translating into French is one thing I never dreamed of doing in my life! Anyway, the doctor there took a malaria, typhoid and a blood test, with the conclusion that I supposedly did have Malaria and should just take my last dose of Malarone.

So I left the hospital with the intention of staying in Accra for some days to recover and spoke to my local organisation, my insurance and Rainer Gerstner for some long-distance medical advice (thank you very much for that!). In the late afternoon, I went back to the hospital to be admitted, not feeling great. There a doctor had to admit me, so I explained everything again to a different doctor this time, who told that me that I didn't have malaria, but typhoid. He also took a blood and urine test for cultivation. The latter one showing two days later that I had coliform bacteria. After being pumped full with antibiotics and some anti-malarials - just in case - and staying at the hospital for 8 days I barely felt better. Nevertheless, when I showed the resident doctor the leaflet of my malaria-prophylaxis, Lariam - Mefloquine, and seeing that most of my symptoms (which now also inlcuded blood circulation problems) were written under side effects he was quick at blaming everything on the Lariam. Lariam is notorious for having some not so uncommon and some really bad side effects, but it could not explain all my symptoms. Most of my symptoms are very likely "just" side effects of the four weeks of 6-7 different antibiotics and partially maybe even the Lariam, but some are not.

I was then (Thursday) discharged on the grounds of just having side effects from Lariam and stayed in a hotel in Accra, with two other volunteers from my village. They came to the Nyaho clinic as well, because one of them was very sick, and was told by a different hospital in Accra that they could not find anything wrong with her. At least she doesn't miss out on that much because she's in Ghana for only another two weeks. On Friday I managed to change my flight to that evening, which means I arrived in London at 7:30 this morning.

To summarise and clarify my health:

I possibly, but not very likely, had Malaria;

I possibly, but very unlikely, had typhoid;

I did have coliform bacteria;

I currently have blood circulation problems, headaches and other pains, most of which is probably caused by the side effects of the antibiotics (hence the title) and Lariam, but I have a full check-up.

My immune system is very low (that's just a conclusion I drew, but I don't think anybody who knows my story will challenge me on this)



I really hate to have left Ghana early, because except for my health issues I loved it there. My plans for the near future are obviously to fully recover before making any definite plans. I will go to Germany this week and stay there, because my mother and brother are going there, because (for those who don't know) we are moving there soon. Whether I will go back to Ghana for the rest of my volunteer service, I do not know yet. However, it's not very likely, as I don't have the money for a return flight to Accra AND for travelling. Instead I was thinking of making a backpacking tour around the Baltic sea or through Eastern Europe. The idea of travelling through Eastern Europe is not a new one. My friends from school know I wanted to do it on a bike, but that plan was abolished/postboned because I was going to Africa. Now however, that plan creeps into my mind again:) Having met many Norwegians and Swedes in Ghana, I am also curious about Skandinavia now.

For those who have been been notified by me about this blog via internet: They will be notified by me again, should I resume this blog or open a new blog. If you've been told about the blog by my parents you'll have to hope they'll do it again. That is of course, if you liked the block or just wanted to spend some time in the office not thinking about work (sorry for reminding you:)

Just to remind you, there are 2-3 more blogs to follow (and I will write down the address of the new blog, if I start a new one). Recovering is not a very exciting activity so I might write a lot in the next posts and some irrelevant stuff (see below). After all, this and the next paragraph were written because I have time and I am bored:)



For those who did not (fully) understand why I chose the title: It's very obvious that this is a sequel to Pure Misery (at least the part where I talk about my health, and I truly experienced Pure Misery in the taxi to Accra). So that justifies the II. When I thought about movies that had a II in their name, I thought about Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. The Clones are sent in to fight the bad guys (the Separatists), thus keeping the Republic intact. But then, they start killing the good guys (the jedi), turning the Republic into an Empire...
I know explaining a title (or even worse a joke) kinda destroys it, but I'm bored! Remember?