Sick and Tired of Being... Sick and Tired

Sound like a familiar tune? Well that is currently my theme song right now. As I mentioned a couple posts ago, my body has been in rebellion about living in a new country. I made a couple visits to the school clinic and local pharmacies, but this past week it got so bad the principal said he wanted me to visit the International Medical Center, which is a big hospital in Sherouk where the school is located. The human resources guru accompanied me since many of the receptionists/clerks only speak Arabic.

I was picked up from my apartment in one of the little school vans and we begun the 45 minute drive to the hospital. Upon arrival we had to drive around the perimeter to find a gate that was actually open, which took three tries. We asked for directions to the intake area, and found ourselves paying 200 EGP (which is roughly $30) to have a sheet of stickers printed with my information- basically like a hospital wristband, but more wasteful! After this we went up a couple of floors to the Gastroenterology unit and waited for about 40 minutes to see a specialist. He asked me basic information questions (brief history, medications, and symptoms) before palpating my stomach to see if I had any pain. I expressed my difficulties finding gluten free food here, but my belief that I was not knowingly eating anything with gluten in it. After a couple more questions he said that he believed I have been having a severe reaction to the new bacteria here in Egypt. While I don't doubt that is true, I doubt that "new bacteria" has kept me close to the toilet for nearly 6 weeks straight. I know that traveling to a new place can be a bit dicey at first, but it should not last this long. He then proceeded to write me a prescription which I filled at the pharmacy on the main floor.

Hoping to combat my sickness as quickly as possible, I quickly read the label on the box and popped a pill on the ride back to my apartment. Upon arriving home, I open up the insert to read the fine print about side effects and such. The very last line of the insert said this: "DO NOT take if you have Coeliac Disease or have a gluten allergy. This medication contains gluten in the form of wheat flour".

GRRRR! You can imagine my frustration at having already taken one, plus the fact that my doctor had prescribed something containing one of my allergens! I immediately threw the pills in the trash and contacted my doctor at home to explain my predicament. She and my mom conversed and arranged a prescription to be sent all the way from good old South Dakota in just 3 days. I have of course been tracking the package online, and saw that it was delivered to the school yesterday! Unfortunately, "delivered" does not mean exactly the same thing here as it does in the U.S. There was a hefty fee to the UPS man for him to tell me that my medications are being held hostage in the Cairo airport and I cannot have them until at least next Wednesday! :( Until then, I'm eating the blandest food I can find, and not straying too far from the bathroom.

Positive thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated friends!