African Kids

So I've always wondered why thousands of African kids die from dysentery and cholera each year. It's just a bad case of diarhea right?

Well I now know from personal experience that I was wrong. This week I had dysentery, malaria and an amoeba all at the same time and it's been pretty much the worst week of my entire life. Although the malaria wasn't that bad...I guess you know you were really sick when you think that malaria wasn't bad!

I wasn't able to get out of bed for 6 days straight and they even thought about putting me in the hospital which if you imagine the grossest, worst hospital you can think of this one was probably worse. PTL I did not have to be admitted, although I went prepared with my own sheets, pillows and water as none of those services would have been provided.

I was absolutely miserable and that's when I had access to various medicines, one to kill the dysentery, one to stop the cramping, one to stop the throwing up so all the others would stay down, one for the amoeba, one for the malaria and tons of ibuprofen. Plus I didn't have to mix my own rehydration solution, I just drank Gatorade, and my bathroom is an enclosed room inside my house as opposed to an open hole in the ground or even no bathroom at all.

Yes, I think I understand why thousands of people die each year although it is still unnecessary and with the proper education and access to medicines it wouldn't happen. And dysentery is infectious, it isn't like the parasites that you just get meaning that I got it from someone else, more than likely one of the families that I visit in the camp. I really want to know who it was, not because I'm mad that I got it from them but because I'm worried about their kids getting it and it spreads quickly. The rains haven't even come yet and there's already dysentery going around...It's going to be a really rough rainy season for a lot of people.

But a HUGE thank you to all my friends who helped me out this week, made me move in with their family so they could take care of me, helped me out at the doctor and were prepared to spend the night at the horrible hospital with me if necessary, brought me medicine at all hours of the night, checked on me every hour to make sure I was still alive. It was definitely a team effort and I've got an amazing team.