My body and more particularly my stomach has really been knocked around here in Bangladesh. I was hit with a bad bout of gastro on only day three in the country and although relatively unwell for my first month, was able to attribute it to the different foods and my stomach taking time to adjust. Since early August, however, I have been particularly unwell with various tummy bugs – and haven’t managed a full week of work since then – or to be completely well for more than two days in a row.
The last week and a half have been particularly bad and every time I seem to be getting better a new symptom arises. I have had a number of doctors appointments, tests etc and have gone through our entire dvd collection (including 20 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy – I am so sick of those monologues!) :)
I am weak and I am tired and I am miserable - and thus yesterday, despite having the option of an all expenses paid trip to a fancy hospital in Bangkok, I made the decision to go home to Australia for treatment and recuperation. Luckily, I was meant to be going for a long weekend in a few weeks for my brother’s 21st and have been able to bring that ticket forward.
I do feel a little pathetic about not being able to get myself better here – and incredibly guilty that I am able to go home to Australia and have access to good medical care, when I have not been able to get better here, despite having access to supposedly the best doctors in the country. What about the average Bangladeshi? The only way I can justify this in my own head is that currently I am no good to anyone here – and there is no way I can last another 9 months like this.
One of the lovely things though about being sick (always a silver lining), is that it has really made me appreciate my Australian friends here. I often complain about the “AYAD bubble” – where we all know each others business and spend an awful lot of time together (hard for me when I’m not such a fan of the ‘expat’ lifestyle) but during times like this the support network available has been wonderful. I have had people to accompany me to doctor’s appointments, call doctors in Australia for me, deliver dvd packages to save my sanity, make me soup, call to check up on me, buy me icypoles and lemonade, make me pumpkin, console me, advise me on medical things (yay for having a nurse in the group) and generally take care of me. I am so grateful to everyone and hope I can make it up to them (though hope none of them get this sick).
So I am looking forward to getting home and getting better...and then coming back here fully well and refreshed ready to tackle the next nine months.
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