Back from Cabodia, only a one week left with the whole crew in Hyderabad, and I caught something nasty. That's not fun. Went to work on Tuesday with high hopes for the week. Kick off HTML store building. start wrapping up my projects and shop, go out etc pretty much every night of the week. My how that was derailed.
Tuesday Phoebe was there visiting, we had a meeting, she wanted my bargaining skills. Left work at 2pm for Shilparamum, this great outdoor market in Hyderbad that's only 5 min from work--scarves, bangles, bedding, pottery--you name it, they probably have it, and all at the right price. Also, I have a friend there. He calls out 'Googles, Googles' when you walk by. I mean, as if I didn't stand out enough as a white person, I also apparently stand out as a Googler, even in India--sweet. Well, something worked b/c after sitting in the heat sorting through Pashmina scarves for a half hour, we ended up with about 12, and bargained him down pretty low, even on the nice ones. YIppeee, finally I learned something in India.
We returned to work and I realized something wasn't quite right. I felt feverish, had the shivers in the 40 degree heat (celsius people--imma go with about 104 degrees), and I was sweating. Immediately I blamed Jason and figured I'd caught the fever he had. And so I headed home to rest up--there was a managers dinner that night I didn't think I should miss.
A/C on full blast, still really really hot, slept for two hours, somehow made it to dinner. Left early and went straight to bed--woke up in the morning with tummy pain. ugh. Today was our big training day, I needed to go in. Only till noon, and then i couldn't make it anymore. Back to bed, where I slept all day again, only I kept waking up bc of the pain in my tum. To be graphic--it was just this terrible gassy feeling and gurgling. At least I didn't have a fever anymore?
Thursday I saw Alysia at our last 'Thirsty Thursday' dinner at Fusion 9...I'd only ordered chicken soup--how terrible to only order chicken soup at Fusion 9! Alysia's eyes about popped out of her head when i told her the kind of pain i had--she convinced me I had a bacteria and was probably bleeding internally. Awesome. Apparently I needed to go to the doctor, again.
Friday morning Sayeed and I head to the doctor, not Apollo, the 'fancy' hospital where all the expats usually go, but Care hospital--the hospital that used to be a 4 star hotel, and is now super busy and confusing. They'd told us to arrive at 10, but at 9:45 when we arrived they doctor was still doing rounds, and would be for another 45 min. I showed Sayeed my pictures, he loved them. That was fun. Finally we see a guy who's white coat says Dr. Mohammed something something, my doc--and Sayeed follows him back into the room where he'd disappeared. In we go, past the others waiting. I have to explain to the doctor (and Sayeed who'd come with me to translate just in case) what was going on, the tummy pain, the other stuff I won't make public to the entire internet....Doctor FREAKS out because I was in Cambodia, asks if I am on prophylactics--well, umm, yes. I have Cystic Fibrosis I say, my doctors from home told me to start taking Cipro, so I did last night. No he said, Malaria pills? Oh, yes, Malarone I say. No, no, not strong enough. No fever, not dehydrated, still he wants me tested for Malaria..umm, doesn't malaria involve a fever i ask? No he says, there are kinds you can develop in Cambodia that will be resistant to your malarone and do this to you. If you'd stayed in India, I wouldn't worry, but you went to Cambodia. Interesting, tell that to mom.
Ok, upstairs, doc wanted me to get a blood test, and at this point I just want to know what's wrong with me. So I do it. I mean, it's not such a bad hospital right? Indians survive this kind of medical care, I can be tough, right? We go up to the lab and the guy does not wear gloves, nor does he wash his hands before he begins to put the strap thingy on my arm. NO I say, please wash your hands, Sayeed says it in Hindi, he rolls his eyes and grudgingly goes to the sink. I then watch what he's doing with the needle, notice that it's taken out of a plastic container, but not a plastic sealed bag--new, right? Sayeed sees the needle and makes that noise he makes, sucking in air thru the sides of his mouth, shocked at it's size. Sayeed! I say, Don't scare me like that, you just said I had to be tough!
And that's it, I return home with more antibiotics and these weird electrolyte packages. When I tell Priz and Jason I got blood taken they freak out and start sending me stories about kids who got HIV from used needles in Indian hospitals. Thanks guys. I am going to bed.
I missed seeing Race with the team that night bc I was too sick. I ate noodle soup for about three days straight and I missed all the fun 'out' nights before everyone left. Luckily though I recovered enough before meeting Taylor and Evan for our weeklong adventure. But let me tell you, being sick in india is no fun, even with your surrogate family and everyone there to take care of you. Oh, and when you are sick, stay far away from WebMD, it has a great way of freaking you out and thinking you have just about any disease that even remotely resembles the symptoms you exhibit--Giardia? Dengue? you name it, I was convinced I had it.
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