Fresh Meat

Habari,

Folks, this has been a tough week.  I must have been gone from Nairobi too long because the bugs here thought I was fresh meat when I returned.  The first day back to the office, I decided to work late and the mosquitoes had a feast.  The worst part about it was that I didn’t feel the bites.  The next morning I woke up feeling lethargic and sore.  When I looked in the mirror, I had bites all around my neck and across the right side of the face.   I mean, I was just talking about a few lumps, I looked liked a battered woman. 

When I made it to the office, my staff was stunned by the number of bites and concerned about how they were swelling.  I was going out of my mind with the itching and scratching, but I had to stay in the office because we had auditors onsite.  I was scheduled to be interviewed by the auditors that morning and I couldn’t disappoint them.  You all know how auditors can be. 

The funny thing was that our CFO was scheduled to be interviewed with me. Michael is known for coming to the office very early or staying late at night.  So, needless to say, he was also the victim of the mosquitoes. 

When we went into the room to meet with the auditors, their faces said it all.  We looked like a drug addicted couple who had just had a fight.  LOL.  With his arms all tracked up and my neck and face swollen the auditors couldn’t help but wonder what the hell happened.  One auditor even asked the CFO, “What happened to you?” He explained the infestation we suffer through in the office and her eyes bugged out a little bit. 

I had gotten to the point where I wasn’t obsessed about taking my malaria pills, but at that point I checked my supply and documented the last pill I took.  The itching and scratching was driving me crazy and I wanted to go back to my apartment and slather myself with anti-itch cream.   Having clothes on at that point was offending me.  Finally, I left the office and returned to my apartment.

Within a few days the itching subsided and my neck and face returned to normal.  Next thing I knew, five tiny bites showed up on my right hand in a trail.  In no time at all, the bites started to swell.  By the next day, my hand was the size of a small loaf of bread.  Everyone agreed that I should go to the emergency room.  Now, this was the one thing I swore I would not do while I was in Kenya.  I had heard all kinds of horror stories about the hospitals and I really didn’t want to go unless I was bleeding profusely or completely unconscious.  I know that sounds crazy, but this is the point I had reached.

However, my arm was continuing to swell and it freaked me out.  The itching fits I went into were making everyone else in the office itch.  Needless to say Master Pu told me to get out of his daily meeting and go to the hospital.  Now, with my preconceived notions about what Kenyan hospitals were like, there was no way I was going to the emergency room alone.  I asked my trusted employee Kangai to accompany me to Aga Khan Hospital.

I had heard good things about Aga Khan, but I still didn’t want to go there.  I don’t know if I thought I was going to go into a refugee camp of something, but I was scared to death.  Once we reached the hospital, I was pleasantly surprised by the normalcy of the waiting room and it wasn’t crowded!  The second concern I had was whether my insurance would be taken. 

I heard stories about having to pay cash before doctors would even touch you.  I couldn’t imagine how much money I would need.  Now, I was also thinking with an American view.  When I got to the admin desk, I discovered that my insurance wouldn’t kick in unless I was admitted (scary thought).  Then he told me the fee would be the equivalent of $15.  I was relieved because I had that amount in my purse. 

After I paid the fee, we were told to go wait outside of the exam room.  It wasn’t long before the nurse called my name and I went into the exam room.  I was pleased to find that the exam room looked a lot like exam rooms in the States.  My pressure was taken using the same machines we use in the States.  I wasn’t surprised when the nurse told me my pressure was up.  I had worked myself up thinking about what I would find in a Kenyan hospital. 

The only strange occurrence happened when the nurse went to take my temperature.  She looked at me strange when I went to open my mouth.  Why wouldn’t I open my mouth, isn’t that where you put thermometers?  Well, not here.  She put the thermometer under my armpit.  Had couldn’t help but laugh at myself.  LOL

The rest of my hospital visit was a non-event.  The doctor told me I had an allergic reaction to the venom of the bug that bit me.  Now, I never saw the bug and I still don’t know what it was.  I had my landlord replace everything in my apartment and fumigate the place.  I wear strong bug repellant to the office and I carry bug spray to work.  It doesn’t matter how I smell, I’m convinced my prince charming is not in Kenya. L  Anyway, the doctor gave me antihistamines and I got some Benadryl. 

You will all be happy to know that my arm has returned to its normal size and the bug bites are disappearing without any marks.  It has taken a few days for me to feel comfortable again in my apartment and I still jump at everything that brushes up against my skin in the office.  I hope I don’t have any more incidences like this in the next 21 and half months I have left here…yes, I have started to count.

Well, I will see you all back here next week…hopefully bug bite free.  Stay tuned.

Asante sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2012 by Della Rochelle Williams