Where've I Been?
on Phil Bradfield (The Gambia), 16/Apr/2010 10:29, 34 days ago
(Written 15/04/2010 17:00, My House, Janjanbureh)Apologies for not writing or posting anything for a few days, but I’ve been ill and not in the office. I felt pretty rough at work on Tuesday, but it got a lot worse that evening and when I checked my temperature it was up to 39.1°C (102.4°F to you, Kels). This was of course a worry, as all the medical advice says that in areas such as The Gambia you should“assume a fever is malaria until proven otherwise”. Great, I thought: first I gash my foot, now I might have malaria... not my week is it?!But, the good news is that it wasn’t malaria. I went to the Janjanbureh Health Centre that evening, and the nurses did an ART test, which was negative. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, got some antibiotics for my cough and my fever, and staggered off home to bed.Two days later, and I’m pretty much back to normal. I can tell I’m better than I was because right now I’m sat at my desk, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, and I’m absolutely soaked in sweat. For the last two days my internal temperature control’s been so screwed up that even though yesterday was close to40°C, I wasn’t sweating at all. Wearing dry clothes made a pleasant change while it lasted; now I just need a way to make it happen which doesn’t involve being ill. Suggestions welcome!(By the way, I’m sure youreallydidn’t need that image of me in my boxers, but I’ve had a rough couple of days and I feel the need to share the pain a little :-).)