Ventured out on a field trip to the actual town of Rishikesh with Swati today (she was amazed that I had never been to town in over a month here). Destination: hospital. Result: e.coli diagnosis. Turns out my tummy troubles were a little more serious than I thought.
As I mentioned in my last post, I never fully recovered from V-Day sickness, though the day or two after seemed better. But for the past five days, I've had rather unpleasant stomach sensations and have spent lots of time in the bathroom. At home, like here, I tend to wait until a situation gets quite drastic before resorting to doctors or hospitals. So first, I just paid attention to diet. Rice, banana lassis, raisins, plain crackers, dhal. When I saw little change after a day, I went to the ayurvedic shop near my hostel and got some rehydration powder to put in my water. Drank that all day. No change. Next day, back to the ayurvedic shop, where I was greeted with a loud and enthusiastic, "Hello my friend! How's your diarrhea??" When I told him the problem had been persisting for a few days, he said it was too late for ayurveda and that I should go to a hospital for appropriate medication. Ok, I guess I might consider it. Next morning I had Hindi with Swati, and when I told her about my problems, she said I should definitely go to the hospital. It so happened that she was heading to Rishikesh town the next day for an eye appointment, and said I should go with her. Seemed like the right thing to do. Later that day, I stopped by her husband's stationary shop for a few things, and he told me the ayurvedic doctor just next door to their home was very good and treated many foreigners. So I went there right away, hoping it might save me a trip to town and to the hospital the next day. The ayurvedic doctor asked what my symptoms were, then took a quick look at my tongue, listened as I made the sound "Aaahhh" with my tongue sticking out, and said I had excess mucus descending into my stomach and that I also had excess "fire". This was his ayurvedic way of telling me I was going a little too strong, and needed to chill out, relax, take it shanti, shanti. He prescribed me 4 doses of 4 different natural, ayurvedic pills, 2 doses for that evening, two for the next day. Told me what I should and shouldn't eat. Said I should be feeling fine tomorrow. Total cost for consultation and medicine: $1.20!!! So I headed towards home, stopping at Oasis for a small meal of "should" items, and then home for dose #1 at 6:30pm. Had to wait 3 hours before dose #2, which proved to be very difficult, as my energy levels were very low. I couldn't even read. Somehow, I managed to stay awake till 9:30, took my second dose, and fell asleep right after. For the first time in a few days, I actually slept through the night, not waking up to go to the bathroom. So, something good was happening. This morning I took my 3rd dose, felt decent, but still had loose bowel movements. Decided to go to the hospital with Swati just to be safe. We hopped into an auto-rickshaw together and rode into town. When we arrived at the hospital (more like a clinic size-wise), she managed to get me to see the doctor right away, asking that I be put through as an emergency. Skipped the line. Felt a little guilty. But I only took about a minute of the doctor's time. He asked about my symptoms, and said the best would be to have stool sample to check for any parasites. I got a small plastic container, spent a few minutes in the bathroom, but no luck getting a sample. Seems the ayurvedic pills were effective in stopping the diarrhea. The nurse suggested I go eat something then come back and try again. So Swati and I went across the street to a roadside stall for some parantha (potato flatbread), then back to the clinic. Tried again, unsuccessfully.
(I wrote that part of the post last night, but started feeling nauseous and dizzy and having hot flashes, so I left the internet and went home to lie down. I think it was just a reaction to taking lots of new medication. Turned my fan on for the first time when I got to my room, and had a good sleep. Feeling better today. So here's part 2.)
Ok, where was I... yes, no stool sample even after food. So I went back to see the doctor and told him I had no sample. He prescribed medication for a regular, amoeba diarrhea (prebiotic and probiotic capsules: Diacowin Plus; antibiotic tablets: Ciproflaxin and Tinidazole, and some Immodium) since I didn't have fever or vomiting. Picked up my pills (still cheap, 200rs($4) for the emergency consultation, and 173rs($3.50) for my meds) then walked out to hail a rickshaw with Swati. But as we reached the street, I put my hand over my stomach and told her I thought I might be able to get a sample now. Went back in, went to the bathroom, and was able to produce only a tiny sample. Lab tech said it was enough for the test, so I left it with them to analyse and went to the eye clinic with Swati as we waited for the results. (She's having trouble seeing out of her left eye.) Her mother's home is near the eye clinic, so we walked there when she was done. Of course, her mother was uber-sweet and greeted me very warmly. She offered me tea right away, but when Swati explained my situation, she prepared a rehydration drink for me instead (water with lemon, sugar and salt). Swati's father was working at his roadside stall, and her mother's friend and sister were also at the home. They speak less English than I speak Hindi, so we didn't get to converse much, but whenever I spoke some of the little Hindi I know, all three women broke out in laughter. I thought I wasn't saying things properly, but Swati reassured me that what I said was fine. They were just so amused and impressed by my Hindi that it made them laugh :) When the friend and the aunt went back home (just a couple doors down), Swati's mother insisted on preparing Kichri for me. It's rice and lentils cooked together, with a consistency similar to rice pudding. It's a magical Indian dish for tummy troubles. It sounds quite plain, but was delicious. I had some of it there, and she packed the rest for me to take home for dinner. The kindness of people here is overwhelming. Swati's son, Arnav, goes to school in town near her mother's home (there are schools closer to when she lives, but not as good) and Amit (her husband) was coming to pick Arnav up while we were at her mother's. He came to meet us and offered to go back to the hospital himself to pick up my sample results. While he did, I visited Swati's aunt's home just a few steps away, and chatted with the ladies as much as I could. Amit returned with the results, telling me I had bugs in my stomach. When he showed me the paper, I saw that it was e.coli. Details of the test results (not sure why I feel inclined to share all this...maybe for those who know something about medicine...) were: Macroscopic examination: loose consistency; brown color; no blood; mucus present. And Microscopic examination: Pus Cells 6-8/hpf; cyst of e.coli and e.histolytica; no ova of any helminths seen. So, I was a little concerned when reading all this, but it seems that it's nothing too serious and can easily be treated. I'm on the initial meds he gave me for 3 days, and I'll go back tomorrow to see what I need next. Soooo glad this is happening now, and not while I was doing Trika!!! While my V-Day sickness was caused, I believe, by the Hello to the Queen, I don't think this is the same. It could have been caused by a variety of things, but I'd say that the pretty porcelain fountain that is labelled as reverse osmosis drinking water may have been the culprit. It's just in front of my guest house, and many others in Sudesh have also been sick. So, back to my day. I took some photos of Swati's family (her brother had also come home from his college classes while I was there... he is not married and therefore still lives at home) before I left, then hopped on Amit's scooter with Arnav and Swati. Arnav in the front (helmetless, of course), Amit driving, me straddled behind Amit, and Swati sitting sideways at the back. My first motorbike ride in India... loved it! Amit dropped us all at their home before heading back to his stationary shop (which his father watches while he picks up Arnav every day). I thanked Swati immensely for all her help and walked back home to rest. Energy levels very low in the evening. After a nap, I walked over to internet to blog, but that's when I started feeling off, as described earlier. Went back to my room, had the leftover kichri (forced it down as I had little appetite, but had to eat to take my antibiotics), and went to bed. Feeling much better today... fingers crossed for it to continue!
(Ouf, that was a long one... sorry!)
As I mentioned in my last post, I never fully recovered from V-Day sickness, though the day or two after seemed better. But for the past five days, I've had rather unpleasant stomach sensations and have spent lots of time in the bathroom. At home, like here, I tend to wait until a situation gets quite drastic before resorting to doctors or hospitals. So first, I just paid attention to diet. Rice, banana lassis, raisins, plain crackers, dhal. When I saw little change after a day, I went to the ayurvedic shop near my hostel and got some rehydration powder to put in my water. Drank that all day. No change. Next day, back to the ayurvedic shop, where I was greeted with a loud and enthusiastic, "Hello my friend! How's your diarrhea??" When I told him the problem had been persisting for a few days, he said it was too late for ayurveda and that I should go to a hospital for appropriate medication. Ok, I guess I might consider it. Next morning I had Hindi with Swati, and when I told her about my problems, she said I should definitely go to the hospital. It so happened that she was heading to Rishikesh town the next day for an eye appointment, and said I should go with her. Seemed like the right thing to do. Later that day, I stopped by her husband's stationary shop for a few things, and he told me the ayurvedic doctor just next door to their home was very good and treated many foreigners. So I went there right away, hoping it might save me a trip to town and to the hospital the next day. The ayurvedic doctor asked what my symptoms were, then took a quick look at my tongue, listened as I made the sound "Aaahhh" with my tongue sticking out, and said I had excess mucus descending into my stomach and that I also had excess "fire". This was his ayurvedic way of telling me I was going a little too strong, and needed to chill out, relax, take it shanti, shanti. He prescribed me 4 doses of 4 different natural, ayurvedic pills, 2 doses for that evening, two for the next day. Told me what I should and shouldn't eat. Said I should be feeling fine tomorrow. Total cost for consultation and medicine: $1.20!!! So I headed towards home, stopping at Oasis for a small meal of "should" items, and then home for dose #1 at 6:30pm. Had to wait 3 hours before dose #2, which proved to be very difficult, as my energy levels were very low. I couldn't even read. Somehow, I managed to stay awake till 9:30, took my second dose, and fell asleep right after. For the first time in a few days, I actually slept through the night, not waking up to go to the bathroom. So, something good was happening. This morning I took my 3rd dose, felt decent, but still had loose bowel movements. Decided to go to the hospital with Swati just to be safe. We hopped into an auto-rickshaw together and rode into town. When we arrived at the hospital (more like a clinic size-wise), she managed to get me to see the doctor right away, asking that I be put through as an emergency. Skipped the line. Felt a little guilty. But I only took about a minute of the doctor's time. He asked about my symptoms, and said the best would be to have stool sample to check for any parasites. I got a small plastic container, spent a few minutes in the bathroom, but no luck getting a sample. Seems the ayurvedic pills were effective in stopping the diarrhea. The nurse suggested I go eat something then come back and try again. So Swati and I went across the street to a roadside stall for some parantha (potato flatbread), then back to the clinic. Tried again, unsuccessfully.
(I wrote that part of the post last night, but started feeling nauseous and dizzy and having hot flashes, so I left the internet and went home to lie down. I think it was just a reaction to taking lots of new medication. Turned my fan on for the first time when I got to my room, and had a good sleep. Feeling better today. So here's part 2.)
Ok, where was I... yes, no stool sample even after food. So I went back to see the doctor and told him I had no sample. He prescribed medication for a regular, amoeba diarrhea (prebiotic and probiotic capsules: Diacowin Plus; antibiotic tablets: Ciproflaxin and Tinidazole, and some Immodium) since I didn't have fever or vomiting. Picked up my pills (still cheap, 200rs($4) for the emergency consultation, and 173rs($3.50) for my meds) then walked out to hail a rickshaw with Swati. But as we reached the street, I put my hand over my stomach and told her I thought I might be able to get a sample now. Went back in, went to the bathroom, and was able to produce only a tiny sample. Lab tech said it was enough for the test, so I left it with them to analyse and went to the eye clinic with Swati as we waited for the results. (She's having trouble seeing out of her left eye.) Her mother's home is near the eye clinic, so we walked there when she was done. Of course, her mother was uber-sweet and greeted me very warmly. She offered me tea right away, but when Swati explained my situation, she prepared a rehydration drink for me instead (water with lemon, sugar and salt). Swati's father was working at his roadside stall, and her mother's friend and sister were also at the home. They speak less English than I speak Hindi, so we didn't get to converse much, but whenever I spoke some of the little Hindi I know, all three women broke out in laughter. I thought I wasn't saying things properly, but Swati reassured me that what I said was fine. They were just so amused and impressed by my Hindi that it made them laugh :) When the friend and the aunt went back home (just a couple doors down), Swati's mother insisted on preparing Kichri for me. It's rice and lentils cooked together, with a consistency similar to rice pudding. It's a magical Indian dish for tummy troubles. It sounds quite plain, but was delicious. I had some of it there, and she packed the rest for me to take home for dinner. The kindness of people here is overwhelming. Swati's son, Arnav, goes to school in town near her mother's home (there are schools closer to when she lives, but not as good) and Amit (her husband) was coming to pick Arnav up while we were at her mother's. He came to meet us and offered to go back to the hospital himself to pick up my sample results. While he did, I visited Swati's aunt's home just a few steps away, and chatted with the ladies as much as I could. Amit returned with the results, telling me I had bugs in my stomach. When he showed me the paper, I saw that it was e.coli. Details of the test results (not sure why I feel inclined to share all this...maybe for those who know something about medicine...) were: Macroscopic examination: loose consistency; brown color; no blood; mucus present. And Microscopic examination: Pus Cells 6-8/hpf; cyst of e.coli and e.histolytica; no ova of any helminths seen. So, I was a little concerned when reading all this, but it seems that it's nothing too serious and can easily be treated. I'm on the initial meds he gave me for 3 days, and I'll go back tomorrow to see what I need next. Soooo glad this is happening now, and not while I was doing Trika!!! While my V-Day sickness was caused, I believe, by the Hello to the Queen, I don't think this is the same. It could have been caused by a variety of things, but I'd say that the pretty porcelain fountain that is labelled as reverse osmosis drinking water may have been the culprit. It's just in front of my guest house, and many others in Sudesh have also been sick. So, back to my day. I took some photos of Swati's family (her brother had also come home from his college classes while I was there... he is not married and therefore still lives at home) before I left, then hopped on Amit's scooter with Arnav and Swati. Arnav in the front (helmetless, of course), Amit driving, me straddled behind Amit, and Swati sitting sideways at the back. My first motorbike ride in India... loved it! Amit dropped us all at their home before heading back to his stationary shop (which his father watches while he picks up Arnav every day). I thanked Swati immensely for all her help and walked back home to rest. Energy levels very low in the evening. After a nap, I walked over to internet to blog, but that's when I started feeling off, as described earlier. Went back to my room, had the leftover kichri (forced it down as I had little appetite, but had to eat to take my antibiotics), and went to bed. Feeling much better today... fingers crossed for it to continue!
(Ouf, that was a long one... sorry!)
Read you this blog today Sunday while watching Oscars.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Oscars, wow... forgot about all that stuff!
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