Deep Breaths

Really Africa? Why don’t you just throw some typhoid fever at me? Or maybe being attacked by a lion would be a little more creative at this point and shake it up a bit instead?

So after my joyous Monday finding out I didn’t have malaria anymore, I got back to work. Writing project proposals. Going out to the field. Same old, same old. On Thursday evening, I went over to Lyndsie’s house to discuss our projects. I had hit a bit of a wall and was trying to find my way around it; meanwhile, she was beginning her work plan. We were going to brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other like good little liberal arts students. However, work took a back burner as I started vomiting in her room. I thought I was feeling a little better and decided to leave after a few hours. As I was standing in the foyer talking to Lyndsie’s family and my host father, I realized standing was not such a good idea and decided to vomit again. Luckily, I made it to Lyndsie’s room instead of amusing her whole family with the sick mzungu. (This is the first of a couple thank yous to Lyndsie in this post. Thanks for the plastic bags love!) Since Lyndsie’s family is related to mine, everyone decided I should stay the night and probably not go to work in the morning.

As the evening progressed and I slowly developed a fever and headache, it appeared the malaria might have made its triumphant return. Turns out malaria has the exact same symptoms as septicemia. (Thank you, Lyndsie, for dragging me to the clinic again.) Bring on the new meds!

Focusing on the positives again: A. Talking the doctor out of an IV and direct anti-biotic injection equals no needles anywhere on my body this time. B. A few other interns had septicemia and the meds cleared it up quickly and efficiently. C. I now have had two negative blood tests for malaria, so I am quite sure I no longer have that. D. Any aversion I had to seeking medical attention and taking medication has been stomped out of me.

The main issue with my continuous inability to stay well longer than three days is that I am missing days at work. Granted I have only missed three thus far; however, they have been days I needed to be around. Add on the language barrier and the fact I answer to four different people, and I am getting really frustrated. After the initial weeks of observation, I presented abstracts of three projects I’d be willing to work on here to the first person I answer to. He went and discussed it with another person I answer to. They decided they liked the Afri-pad project. However, another person liked the disclosure site idea. I couldn’t get in touch with any of the manufacturers about Afri-pads so my disclosure site idea became the project. I wrote a lovely proposal, work plan, and budget then presented it to one person. She changed things around so that it wasn’t really disclosure sites but more a question answer seminar between children and parents. I tried not to let my control-freak-perfectionist side take over and went with it. But then the budget didn’t work out, two of the other people I answer to didn’t like it, and I had to work on weekends.

So things finally clicked with me today. I asked if I could meet with the three people in the organization I work with who have to okay and understand my project all at once. After outlining the various issues and several solutions I had come up with, all three people finally came to the conclusion that my original proposal, work plan, and concept was the best idea. As they were telling me this, I just wanted to ask why no one had considered this two weeks ago. But it is all good. At least we are all on the same page now. Now all I have to do is get the project passed by FSD. Once I receive the go-ahead from all sides and start putting things into motion, I will write about what I am doing here. But in all honesty, I am way too frustrated right now to try explaining the project again.