Malaria. Since it’s consumed such a big part of my time here, I’ve decided it deserves a blog post. But trust me, I have nothing nice to say about it.
Malaria is pretty much miserable. I’ve learned a lot about it since I contracted it the first time, so I assume most of you know as much about it as I did before I came.
This is what I knew about malaria before I came:
-Malaria is a disease contracted by mosquito bites, found all over the tropical world.
-People of all ages die from malaria every day.
-Malaria is the #1 killer in Africa.
-When you travel to “at-risk” areas, you should always take a preventative medicine.
-Sleeping under mosquito nets and using bug spray are also good preventatives.
This is what I learned about malaria since I’ve had it:
-Malaria is a parasite which lives inside the mosquito. When the mosquito bites you, the parasite is transferred to your blood stream.
-After you have been bitten, the parasite will multiply INSIDE of your red blood cells.
-You won’t show symptoms of malaria for 7-10 days after being bitten.
-When the parasite has multiplied so many times in a blood cell, the cell will burst. This allows the newly multiplied parasites to enter into other red blood cells.
-This red-blood-cell bursting cycle happens every three days. On the day that the cells burst, you will feel miserable. Then the next day you’ll feel stronger, and the third day you’ll feel fine. The cycle starts over again on the 4th day. This is why so many people wait too long to be treated. Malaria is tricky since it makes you only feel sick for one day, and then better for two.
-Your body cannot build immunity to malaria. The reason being is that the parasite implants itself INSIDE the blood cell. The white blood cells do not know there is a foreign body until the parasite has multiplied too many times. Thankfully, your body can build a resistance to the effects/symptoms of malaria- making you stronger with each contraction.
-The medicine they put you on to kill the malaria is very strong. Essentially what it does is kill the blood cells which are hosting the malaria. For the three days that you take the medicine you will feel worse than before. Basically, you’re losing a LOT of blood.
-Everyone’s body reacts to the malaria differently, giving a variety of different symptoms. My symptoms are: Extreme exhaustion, weakness, dizziness, half-nausea half-hunger, achiness, head ache, head-pressure (your brain actually swells), apathy, oh and did I mention being tired? I’ll sleep for hours on end during the day and still wake up exhausted, head spinning…
-Since you lose so much blood, it takes about 28 days for your blood count to be back to normal. Meaning that it takes a month for your body to fully recover.
-Getting tested is easy. It’s a simple finger prick and a blood smear that costs only $4. If I have any inkling that I have malaria, I get tested. The problem is, if you get tested too early, the blood won’t have signs of malaria.
-If you do the math, my first diagnosis with malaria was confirmed on September 31st. This means I contracted it after being here only about 2 weeks. On Sunday October 30th I woke up feeling like malaria, but I tested negative. I was sure I had it on Wednesday when, after the tell-tale three day cycle, I puked up my breakfast. Testing positive today, November 4th, means that I contracted it for the second time at least two weeks ago. Not even long enough for my body to fully recover from the first time.
How do you cope?
-Malaria makes you crave sweet things. So, you pamper yourself with sweet things. (Tonight I’m sitting with a tub of chocolate ice cream)
-Being sick away from home makes you homesick. Feeling like you’re the sickest you’ve ever been VERY far away from home makes you VERY homesick. So you do your best to connect with home. (Things like snail mail can make the malaria blues go away pretty quick!)
-Watch dumb movies, sleep, watch more dumb movies, sleep, eat, watch more dumb movies…
I need your help.
Unfortunately, malaria and its lingering symptoms have been a part of 75% of my time here thus far. (Jet-lag covered the first 25%) And will continue throughout this next month as I recover yet again. So, I’m asking for your help in getting me through. Please pray for encouragement, strength, fast healing, and renewed motivation. Please pray I don’t get it again. Pray especially for protection against discouragement. (Our struggles are not against flesh and blood or blood sucking parasites…) Your prayers, emails and cards are truly sustaining me J THANK YOU!
Well, writing this made me feel better. But now, I better go sleep…
zzzzzz
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