Malaria
When I went in for my Hepatitis A booster before I left, the doctor at the travel clinic suggested I fill a prescription for Malarone and take it with me so I’d have an anti-malarial on hand for Laos. Me – clever, miserly girl that I am – figured I would wait until I was in Thailand since I’d heard time and again that you can buy anti-malarials very easily and for much less expense once in-country.
I went to the pharmacy yesterday to stock up before leaving Chiang Mai. Pharmacies here (and most other places I’ve been) are more like clinics in the US, and eliminate the need to go to a doctor and get a prescription and then go to the pharmacy to get it filled. It’s like one-stop shopping. You go straight to the pharmacy and talk to the doctor there and he gives you the medicine. I asked for Malarone. He said they didn’t have it; that they only had Doxycycline. Anything-cycline is a no-go for me so I resorted to the tried-and-true method of simply ignoring what he’d said and asking again for what I wanted.
“You cannot get that here,” he said.
“I can’t get it here,” I asked, waving my hands around the counter and in his general direction, “or here?” now waving my hands around in the air.
He looked at me with a quizzical half-smile that confirmed my suspicion that two weeks without a normal conversation is doing very little to improve my already imprecise style of verbal exchange. “In Thailand?” I clarified.
He nodded, “It is not imported to be sold in Thailand. Only Doxycycline.”
“And that’s a broad-spectrum antibiotic, right?” Right.
Soooo we have a spot of trouble here. My body is highly intolerant of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The last time I took them (for 10 days), it resulted in a crippling three-month bout of digestive malfunction. Even before that, I’ve found that I get weak and generally very, very unwell from just a few days on antibiotics. And the kicker is that not only would I have to start them three days before entering Laos, I’d have to continue taking them for four weeks after leaving.
I’m not sure what to do. I emailed the travel clinic in Pasadena just to make sure I have all the information.
Obviously, I can’t justify running the risk of being exposed to a fatal disease…and I also can’t justify putting myself in harm’s way with the antibiotics either. And I can’t decide which is less bad (aaaand I am sick and tired of being presented with two almost equally horrible options and getting to decide between them – free will, huzzah!).
One thing I’m thinking is I might turn around and head back to the southern border of Laos and then cross over into Vientiane since the capital is the only guaranteed malaria-free place in Laos. But that would mean missing the Mekong boat trip & Luang Prabang which were at the top of my very, very short list of must sees on this trip.
I have to decide soonish because my Thai visa is ticking down and I’ll need to do a border crossing in the next week & a half or so.
If anyone has suggestions, I’m all ears.
Tags: Chiang Mai, Thailand
sandra_101
Hey girlie! I’m still catching up on all your entries, but I wanted to write to make sure I got something out to you tonight. I’m sorry you are so under the weather, but please take care of yourself first. You can always make arrangements to visit the other cities/countries, whatever when you are feeling better. I worry that you will get too sick and need to see a doctor, which I don’t trust so much in foreign countries. (Enough motherly advise.. just take care of yourself and get healthy!) xo
Sorry I’ve been out of touch. I was in LV last week for the PB Club opening.. that and Moon and Nove. The venues are absolutely amazing. The set up is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. I’m sure you are familiar with the floor plans, but it truly is just incredible. We will go there for our long overdue night out when you get back!! PROMISE!
Now back at the office and onto the next events.. AVN, Super Bowl and NCTA. I still have yet to meet the new guy, but I’m sure that will happen soon as he wants to approve everything. I’m actually ok with that.. it covers my ass in the end and provides job security, in a round about way!
Enough about boring work. I will write more from my desk tomorrow! I want to catch up on all your entries, too.
Take care of yourself, and smile! 🙂 You are one tough cookie… I could never do what you are doing!
Can you get Mefloquine for Laos?