In the past two days, I think I may have walked about thirty
feet. I have been sitting/laying in my bed for the rest of the time. There’s
definitely something wrong with me, it doesn’t take my scientific background to
know that much. I have a pretty significant amount of mosquito bites, most of
them on my legs. Recently, more began to show up on my arms. The ones that don’t
itch have faded into a strange yellow hue and it makes me look like I’ve been
the subject of a marble tossing match gone wrong.
I feel weak. When I stand, my legs ache, my entire body
aches. My Ithacalves, my proud and beautiful rocks of leg muscle, are beginning
to deteriorate. It saddens me. I think that may be the product of how little I’ve
eaten in the past few days. Yesterday wasn’t a very good day. I spent a lot of
the day alone, gratefully, and I spent most of it trying to overcome this
emotional state I’ve been in. I woke up in a sweat, but also cold. Interesting.
I briefly skyped with my parents and my heart leapt when they brought my over
to Gary, who was indulging in a Milkbone. What a ham. I began reading and
playing Solitaire on and off. I’ve gotten pretty good at Solitaire, with a
not-bad winning percentage of 9%. Pretty impressive, I’d say.
I didn’t eat much yesterday. I took my malaria medicine with
trepidation. It went down alright. After not eating for a very long time, I
figured my body should take in some form of nutrient so I popped a Centrum. I
lie down, and about an hour later I find myself running outside. I threw up
again. Second time in less than 24 hours. I wasn’t feeling well at all. I drank
some water and waited for Frieda to come back to the apartment. I had to find
something to eat. I had no idea how to actually cook anything; Frieda has
things organized in such a way that it’s very hard to find things unless you’re
her. Also, I was a little worried about dealing with a propane tank with
absolutely no experience. The only thing I was left with was a pineapple I
bought at the market a day earlier. I heard horror stories about fruits and
vegetables in foreign countries, but I think I was beyond the point of caring.
What’s more illness on top of what I already had? I took the risk. I grabbed
the only knife, a mini-form of a machete, and went outside. I had no idea how
to cut it, so I put the pineapple on my lap horizontally and started to attempt
to carve it. I was pathetic, I’ll admit. Here I was, trying to cut a pineapple
on my leg, having eaten nothing all day and running on vapors. One of the
neighbors passed by, went inside her house and brought out a cutting board and
bowl. She had the pineapple chunked in less than two minutes. She was my hero
of the day yesterday. Once everything was cut, I was disappointed to see that
there was very little pineapple in the bowl, maybe a third of a pound. I went
to my lair/bed and ate it all in about ten minutes, even the core. I finished
and hoped that some entity would grant the pineapple safe.
On a side note, I want to point out that the pineapple was
incredible. It was white, which I thought was pretty odd, but very juicy and
sweet. I wish all pineapples tasted like that one.
Frieda came back about two hours after I finished the
pineapple and made me some rice. She put a spicy sauce on top. I picked around
the sauce, knowing that it would amplify my nausea. I had about three bites
until I was full. I spent the rest of the night as I did the entire day,
restless but tired. What an oxymoron that is. The night was warm and my
mosquito net didn’t help cool me down. I woke up in the middle of the night
with the net draped over my feet. Being too tall for my mattress certainly isn’t
the best bite prevention I can think of. I fixed it and returned under my
sheet, sweating but also chilly. Another oxymoron for you. I fell into a deep
sleep for the first time in a long time and woke up in extreme pain. My muscles
ached; I slept in a very strange position. I rolled my neck, trying to somehow
readjust it.
I woke up sweating, despite the cool day. I felt a warm
sensation on my arm and discovered that I had been on my right forearm. There
is a very large rash around it that concerns me. I tried researching potential causes
for painful rashes but the internet did not have an answer. It drew a line
around the concentrated area and the outside and plan on tracking its growth
(and hopeful shrinking).
I waited a few hours before taking my malaria medicine,
looking at the bottle once an hour or so in fear. I was terrified that this
would begin the vicious cycle of illness and nausea. The nausea set in before I
took the medication, but afterwards it definitely got worse. I drank a lot of
water. A few hours later, I was panting, breathing heavy, terrified that I
would throw up again. I began gagging, but managed to keep everything inside
for today. I remained nauseous for the rest of the day, even now.
Frieda’s mother visited the apartment today and brought a
loaf of homemade bread. I briefly went to the next room to say hello, but
couldn’t physically stand for more than five minutes. I apologized to her
mother that I couldn’t socialize and retreated to my bed. Another day of
Solitaire for me. Later, Frieda brought me a chunk of the bread to eat and I
slowly ate the entire thing. It was perfect. You could taste the love. I wish
she never gave me that bread, because nothing in Ghana will ever compare. I was
happy and the bread was staying down.
I took a look at my arm again after feeling some pain. It
looked as if the rash was branching out and it is beginning to (as I write
this) hurt my entire arm. Is this normal, to have a rash affecting the
functionality of a limb? I certainly hope so. I’ll be going to the doctor’s
office tomorrow to see if I can be healed. Until then, I’ll continue to play
Solitaire and hope for the best. Someone please eat a potato for me, I really
miss them.
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