I want my mummy
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009We arrived in Kolkata 4 days ago to a human cesspool of waste. Although we found it completely confronting and couldn’t wait to get out, we had been booked a tour into a game reserve outside of the city and were looking forward to going.
Less 24 hours after we landed I (stephanie) started to feel sick. I spent the day with diarrhea and the night vomiting. I was completely beside myself and just wanted to fly home. I woke David to let him know and soon I was sobbing and the boys were awake. Things didnt get any better the next day and we moved to a cleaner hotel.
Around dinner time I called the doctor (36 hours was all I was giving this thing to pass before I needed help!). He came and gave me some antibiotics and other medications but advised that if it continued (I was up to the toilet every 10- 20 mins and once the vomiting passed -about 12 hours – the nausea was so terrible that I wished I was vomiting) I would need to go to hospital.
The nausea did impove a little by the 3rd morning but the diarrhea continued and we were taking a 17hour train ride to Dehli the following day. I was really worried that wouldnt I do very well in the state I was in. So I decided to go to hospital.
It was easy making the decision to go but once I got there, I suddenly felt terrified. I had my trusty bag of needles, gloves, alcahol wipes, but I didnt have an IV canula and the place was not particularly clean! I asked the doctor about the re-use of needles. He was very polite and assured me that everything was disposable in the hospital, so I bucked up my courage and was admitted to the ward.
I spent the night (an experience that deserves a blog entry all of its own) on a glucose drip and seemed to take never ending amounts of medication. It was a very frightening experience and I didnt really start to feel better until just before I was discharged the next day.
I was a difficult patient and called the doctor several times to check my (lack of) progress as the nurses didnt speak very much English and kept trying to feed me!! I felt like dying so food was not high on the list of my things to consider. I cried A LOT! Which the nurses found bewildering.
Finally, after a midnight visit from the doctor my diahrea cleared up (not sure what he changed) and the next day I was on the train still feeling seedy but happy to continue our journey.
The comedic phrase “I want my mummy” rang true for me in the last 2 days, and I caused poor David and the boys a lot of turmoil talking about going home on the next available flight.
Tonight we are in Delhi, and Jordan is taking his turn to be sick. Both boys and David have been unwell over the past few days but dont seem to have the extreme reaction I had. We spoke to a traveller at dinner that assured us that it is “normal” to be sick in the first week in India.
I have become the germ nazi and and purchased some chux cloths and disinfectant and cleaned all the nobs and handles in the hotel room, as well as insisting on the frequent washing and sanitising of hands for all the family (much to their chargrin).
Tomorrow we are keen to see the red fort and book our airfares to Nepal but we will just have to see how Jordan is feeling.
David, Stephanie, Jordan & Luke Mitchell