The Sickness

Day 15- Sunday, December 31

When we last spoke, I mentioned that I was coming down with a fever, and my expected remedy for this was to sleep it off. That was at around Noon on Wednesday. That afternoon at work, I put my stolen British Airways eye-covers on and was able to get some sleep. Since Mr.Fever invited his friend Mr. Chills along to the party, I had that to contend with on the bus ride home from work. Seeing that I had made zero progress in my recovery, and expecting things to get worse throughout the night I made the decision to go ahead to the "Hospital" to get checked out and given some medication. The thing about hospitals in India, is that all medical facilities are called hospitals, so what I was actually taken to was more like an immediate care center. This really didn't bother me since I was going to get drugs anywhere I went and this doctor was as good at that as any. Plus Bob had went there for a stomach infection the night before and attested to it's cleanliness and speed of care.

As with most Indian medical facilities, the doctor's office was located on the second level above the pharmacy. I walk in, take off my shoes when asked (you know, to keep things sterile) and am immediately seen by the doctor. He asks whats wrong (fever and headaches), looks in my throat, checks my vitals, tells me I have the flu caused by a virus, writes a precription for three medications, asks if I want a shot for immediate relief, gives me the shot (after I made sure he took it out of a sterile package....that he probably put it right back in after using), and took my money. This took all of about 10 minutes. I walked downstairs to the pharmacy, they gave me my meds, I paid, and the driver took me back home. Including my tip to the driver, this doctor's visit with a shot and medication cost me 6 dollars. (I later asked an Indian if they were Socialists or something and he explained that competition is what was driving costs down. This leads me to believe that America can also drive it's medical costs down by over-populating our country)

Well the shot did provide instant relief, and I was able to sleep throughout the night. The doctor told me to rest for the next few days, and I am not one to take orders lightly, so no work for me. The fever/chills came and went throughout the day,but the big story was how much 80's TV they show here. I cannot tell you how many times they played Meatloaf videos. I mean seriously....Meatloaf. So I watched Meatloaf videos, Premier League Football (soccer), Indian National Team Cricket, and VHI Cribs (which is on MTV in America). I couldn't wait for the roommates to come home.

They did come home and announced that Professor Raghu had arranged for a really nice dinner at the Westin Sheraton. I assumed this would be the only high-quality Indian meal I was going to get while in Bangalore, and because I had just had a nice bout with Mr. Chill, I figured I was good to go.

BIG MISTAKE

The bus ride took over an hour and my condition during that time deteriorated from stable to not good. By the time we got to the hotel I knew I had to ask someone to take me to the hospital. So thats what I did.

I said, "I want to go to the hospital."
They said, "We will call the hotel doctor."
I said, " Ok."
They said, "We called your doctor from last night and he said you would be alright, we are going to TAKE YOU OUTSIDE BY THE POOL WHERE IT IS WARMER AND GIVE YOU A BLANKET."
Susan and I said, "I want to go to the hospital to have blood work done."
They said, "If you go outside and your chills don't go away within 30 minutes, we will take you to the hospital. Take this medication"
I said, "Fine."

After getting sick in the pool house, I came back to my cabana chair and passed out. I was woken up when everyone was ready to leave, put back on the bus, and told a car would be there at 9 to take me to the hospital (Susan had been asking around about the best one, Manipal Hospital was named).

As I went home that night, I knew things were turning around for me.

Song Recommendation- Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen