Buffalo Fever

June 23, 2010

Well, it wasn't a 24 hour bug. I thought I felt better the next day and dumbly went out to do research with very little food or water in my stomach. But yesterday, I woke up feeling really nauseous and weak. I went to class. When everyone got up to leave, I couldn't. I laid down on a little couch and felt my body go from bad to worse very very quickly. Within an hour I spiked another fever and became quite disoriented. When my hands and feet began to grow numb, it became a serious matter. I was scared, really scared. But Hannah and Caz phoned up the research coordinator, Tom, who sped here from town, and Paul carried me to the truck. Both of them tried very hard to keep me laughing. I could barely lift my head. One of the doctor's offices in town took me in right away. The doctor was so nice to me. He knew I was really scared (and probably thought I was 12). He first tested me for malaria, which, luckily I didn't have. And he decided that I had some kind of infection (which Tom has dubbed Buffalo Fever) and put me on iv antibiotics right away. He put some sugar and antispasmodic in the iv too. Soon enough, I could feel my hands and feet again, and my fever was subsiding. It was like magic. And the doctor sent me back to camp with tons of goodies...fever/pain pills with codeine, nausea pills, probiotics to restore my happy bacteria and electrolyte packets for my drinking water. So I went back to camp quite dazed and exhausted, but 1000 times better. Everyone here was quite nice to me and very concerned. Robert, the camp chef, said he'd make me anything I wanted, but I could only stomach a slice of bread, the first real food that I had had in the last couple of days. And Jenny, one of the students here, has just been a wonderful mom. But I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for Paul. He stuck with me through the whole thing.

I'm taking it slow and easy today, drinking some soda and eating some cornflakes. No field work for me today. I've learned not to push it. I want to let you all know that I'm just fine and I'm in good hands. I really don't know if I've ever been more scared in my life, but the worst is over. Now I've got two more weeks to make up for it.

Love,
Bianca