Well, I never thought I would say it, but Yes, I went to Africa and I got malaria! Yes, I was one of the crazy ones who decided not take malaria medicine. For this trip, I could either get 20 vaccinations (that cost a fortune!) against everything from rabies to typhoid or I could get the one mandatory vaccination (yellow fever) and call it a day, so I did! Looking back I still don’t know if I would change things because I am still saving money by going to this hospital in Lithuania and getting treated for malaria rather than getting all the vaccinations and medicines… LOL! I mean what am I gonna do, I have malaria and there is nothing I can do about it now. Malaria might sound like a super scary thing but honestly it was just like having a bad flu. Especially in Africa it is very common and not scary or taboo at all.
Needless to say, my first 10 days in Eastern Europe have been interesting. It all started on my birthday, February 27th! It was a great birthday! I was able to get wifi and talk with some friends and family back home. My parents and sisters surprised me with cards and little presents that I’d had in my backpack since Launch. My team and squad surrounded me with birthday greetings, smiles and hugs! I was feeling great and excited to arrive in Estonia! We spent the night at a hostel in Estonia and that night we were able to go out for a celebratory team dinner and walk around Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Then, we headed to Lithuania on the 28th. I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, so the 28th I was not feeling well but assumed it was just exhaustion from traveling. Then, March 1st, I got a migraine. Because I’ve gotten migraines off and on since I was 8, it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. But that night I started getting really bad shivers then getting really hot and it was becoming difficult to eat. On the 2nd, I thought I was feeling better. I was able to go to church with my team and walk around the city for a tour. As soon as it was over I felt awful. My body started feeling extremely weak and incredibly nauseous. Finally on the morning of the 3rd I was convinced it was not just a migraine and I needed to go to the doctor.
The hostel we were staying at recommended an American clinic where the doctors should speak good English, so we headed there. Because I was so out of it Derek, my team leader, took care of EVERYTHING. By this point I was starting to get very light-headed and dizzy. The clinic was very nice and the doctor was great. She asked about all of my symptoms and took my temperature: 104 degrees. She became worried and said that I probably had malaria and that particular hospital did not have the tests and medicines I would need. She said I would have to go to another hospital and suggested I take an ambulance. I didn’t want to do that so we took a taxi to the other hospital. Luckily she gave us a card with the hospital information in Lithuanian.
We took the taxi to the other ‘hospital’ but when the driver dropped us off, we couldn’t even find the entrance. Ultimately we found the right entrance on the non-marked, old brick building. They rushed me right in but I barely remember the next couple hours, just a lot of doctors talking in different languages sometimes stopping to ask me a question. They took my blood and took me to a room where I was finally able to lay down and sleep! They admitted me into the hospital right away and within two hours had diagnosed me (with malaria) and began treating me.
I was at the hospital until today, Monday, March 10th. I felt like a science experiment a lot of the time. The doctors and nurses rarely see malaria so they were all very curious. I even had a group of medical students stop by a couple of times.
The worst part was that the nurses did not speak English. They had to take my blood often and my veins are so hard to find. As a result, they just seemed angry and frustrated and I was in pain but we couldn’t communicate. Also, most of the time I was not sure what they were putting in my IV or what pills they were having me take, I just had to trust them.
Well, the worst part might have been the food… haha! The first couple of days I did not have an appetite at all so it was not too bad. Towards the end, I began to feel better and it was very difficult to eat some of the things they served.
It was also extremely lonely. A couple of my teammates would come by everyday and hang out but they would have to leave by 9pm. I had lots of doctors coming in throughout the night. Again, no one speaks English. :/ On top of that, I hated that there was no wifi access so I could not talk to my family, which made me really homesick.
BUT I am sooo thankful that I got great treatment and that I got to the hospital when I did. I am so thankful that I am feeling SOO much better! I am thankful for my team leader, Derek who has been talking to Adventures in Missions, my squad leader, my insurance and the doctors for me! He’s also been bringing me things from my pack that I want, going to the grocery for me and bringing fruits, water, etc. He even smuggled in KFC chicken strips for me! I am thankful for my team being loving and supportive and giving me tulips to brighten up my hospital room! I am thankful for my parents communicating with my squad mentor and not freaking out that I could not talk to them but still knowing they were thinking of me!
I am super thankful for my huge support group. I was overwhelmed with the Facebook messages, posts, emails, etc. that I saw when I finally got wifi today! I really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers. I could really feel them. Looking back the week actually went by quickly.
Now I am back with my team in our apartment in Vilnius, Lithuania. I am feeling better but still have some improving to do. It is still very difficult to eat and headaches continue to come and go.
Please keep me in your prayers that I continue to recover and gain strength. Pray that I can join back with my team and experience the real Lithuania! Also, please pray that my feelings of homesickness would go away!
Thank you all, more to come later!!
