East Africa Day 99 (Sat Aug 20): Final Doctor’s Visit

I did a decent job of sleeping on the overnight bus back to Nairobi. We arrived at 5am, earlier than expected. When the sun rose I headed back to my apartment and took a shower and a nap, before heading back to the Centre for Tropical and Travel Medicine for my last (?) round of tests.



I saw Dr. Chunge’s wife, Dr. Ruth, for the first time. She runs the lab and is a top pathologist. She was surprised that I had not been tested for bilharzia, since I’d been in the Nile River twice this summer. She said that almost everyone she sees who has been in the Nile has bilharzia. Unfortunately my results won’t be ready until Monday after I’ve departed for the USA so I was given a prescription for the med just in case, and picked it up after my appointment. We re-did the stool, urine and blood tests. I waited for the lab results, and learned that I still have one of the diseases, but that it should be gone in five days. Then of course I still have the one that we just started treating about a week ago. Uhh I am SO TIRED of being sick, and even more so of worrying about catching something else. (As much as I love CTTM:)

That was the excitement of the day!

Heading home from the CBD ("town") to my compound, I was inspired to take this photo of the road that I have to cross every time I go anywhere. It's called University Way. The first time I crossed it, on my way to see the apartment for the first time, I thought it was the most dangerous road a pedestrian could ever have to cross without a bridge or any sort of traffic signals. But now, of course ... I'm used to it:) That's not to imply that I'll MISS it:)


photo: looking north from the CBD towards my apartment compound. The white vehicle is a matatu.