ok so, I´m ill.
we all knew it had to happen sometime, but really I´m the fourth person out of five in my house to get sick so I´m not doing too badly. here´s how this whole getting sick thing works in ecuador.
our neighborhoods have friendly dispensarios right close to our houses. very handy. whenever you feel something funky going on, you run down to the dispensario and pick up a caja para examen de heces (heces, a word I didn´t learn in high school spanish but somehow understood the first time I heard it). then you go home and take a stool sample, put it in the caja and return said caja to the dispensario (cost of caja = .10, cost of examen = 1.00). the dispensario is only open from 7:30 to 12, so either the next day or later that day if you can talk the guard into it you can pick up your results, a printout listing color, aspecto, parasitologico, y otros. then you call a doctor, and the doctor tells you what meds to take to kill your unwelcome guests. run to the pharmacy (which is never open when they say they´ll be open) and ask for whatever you need. done.
I currently have ascaris lumbricoides, which I´m told is roundworm? and entamoeba histolytica, which is amoebic dysentary. yay. the doctor suggested zentel and secnidal. whatever those are. but I´m taking the zentel right now and will start the secnidal in a few days. I spent less then ten dollars on medicine. zentel has not actually helped much…but I´m hoping it´s a going to get worse before it gets better thing. I feel better, I just am spending more time in the bathroom (things you did not need to know? probably). also, pham, the water goes down counterclockwise.
so it is true, you can learn everything from poo.
well at least you will get the good care, not like me getting sick in texas and losing 10 lbs. not that i didn’t need to, but not like that. get well soon! love
I would like to thank phampants for that link… I am planning to use that in my gastrointestinal lecture later on this semester, I will find someone smart to embed it in my powerpoint and students will think I’m cool. Ha!
I hope you feel better soon. I bet you can just walk in and buy all sorts of interesting stuff in that pharmacy. I cannot find any info on that 2nd med. Drink lots of fluids (without parasites in them).
Hey there…sorry about the parasites! I can relate…actually, I am learning how to do those fecal exams for the kids here in Guate, and Ascaris is one of the most common worms. I know more about that type of worm that I ever wanted to know, ha ha.
Anyway, I hope you feel better! Have fun in one of the most amazing countries in the world!!!