Blastocystys Hominis (TIG)

So, funny story.

I finally went to a clinic today, to Primeros Pasos, which is a non-profit clinic that offers low cost medical service. They have volunteer doctors from the States, so I got service in English. And the service was good! My doctor, Rebecca from Philadelphia, was like so awesome I can’t even describe it.

Anyway. I arrived at the clinic around nine in the morning. I was the only gringo patient there. I saw my doctor, explained my symptoms. They asked me to give them a stool sample. I had expected it. Well, you know what? I’ve been shitting my brains out for the past six days (last time this morning), not being able to eat anything. But when I need to give a sample, do I feel like taking a dump? No!

I found a little shop close by to buy something to eat – thing that usually made my stomach go crazy. There was a young girl there who kindly sold me a chocolate covered doughnut and a small bag of chips. I ate them. Nothing. I went back and bought two more doughnuts (she must have thought I was into sweets or something..). I waited. Half an hour, an hour. Nothing. How ironic! It was like the things inside my stomach knew: if we let her give the sample, they will kill us…

Then my doctor, very kindly, gave me some of her instant coffee. I drank half a cup. And yes! I felt something coming, run to the bathroom. I succeeded! How awesome.

I found Stieg Larssen’s book The girl who played with fire on the shelf, took it and went outside to wait for the results. A minute after my doctor came out and told me… that my sample was not pure (there’s a story there, but I will skip it) and I need to give another one. Nooooooooo!! You can’t do this to me!

Oh well, after two more cups of instant coffee and the feeling of wanting to puke by just the smell of it I succeeded again. I took the book and waited again. I got to page 20. Couldn’t really remember half of what I was reading. My doctor called me in.

And she said: “You have ameba.”

Ameba. I have an ameba?? Where am I, in a third world country?? (You betcha!) Well, parasites are common here. That’s actually probably the most common reason why gringos come to the clinic. But my case, she said, seemed bad. The worst she’s ever seen actually (and she’s seen a lot!). She said that she was surprised I am not dehydrated or in more pain (I have been in pain, trust me).

But the good news is, it’s treatable. Maximum dose for me. At least three days before I even start to feel better. Awesomeness.

Blastocystys Hominis. That’s the little bastard multiplying inside of me. But hey, like they told me about a hundred times at the clinic, TIG. This Is Guatemala.


(Could not find any good quote about ameba)

Bienvenidos a Guatemala

I’m shivering. The sun has gone hiding behind a cloud, and is soon to be set anyway. I’m wearing a sports sweater and pants, but the coolness of the mountain evening gets to me. I was warned that it would be chilly in Xela, but I had not expected to feel cold.

It is my first night in Quetzaltenango, and second night in Guatemala. I do not know how I feel or what to think. Except cold. I feel cold.

The hostel that I am staying at the moment, Casa Argentina, would make most of my friends turn around at the door. It’s very simple and ascetic, but has a Guatemalan touch; meaning there is no heating or insulation. Since the temperatures tend to drop below zero at night, I am fretting what is to come. I have three blankets in my bed, but I doubt they will be enough.

I’m feeling melancholic enough to almost want to return home. But just almost. However I’m well aware that this time travelling might be very different. I can’t quite get a hold of the feeling, but it makes me restless. I’m hesitating, and I rarely do. Hesitating whether the choices I have made turn out to be okay in my life. It’s a strange feeling, since I’ve never had it before.

I feel a stranger in this country. Which I am, of course. But a stranger in my life too. How to process that feeling, I do not know. Should I embrace it, or fear it? Accept it or get rid of it?

I feel the course of my life might change a lot during these months to come. To where, how, and what is the result, makes me wonder. For the first time in my life I feel somewhat lost at what I really want, or what should happen. It’s a feeling I want to welcome, because it’s a chance to grow and learn. But processing it is difficult.

But now. Time to face the inevitable: the night of Xela.

- - - Next morning - - -

I didn’t die! I didn’t freeze! And I slept well, wearing a fleece and long pants and covered with three blankets.

Fresh mountain air wakes me up immediately and I don’t feel tired like usually in the mornings. My thoughts from yesterday seem to be gone – at least for now. Just taking it one day at a time.

"I remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings