Effervescent In Pink

Bizarro Durban Fail #45 - Hypochondriac Edition

So a few weeks ago I woke up feeling sick, all dizzy lizzy. I thought, this has got to be food poisoning, but from what? (Seriously, how many more countries can give me food poisoning??) Maybe it was a stomach flu... So I did WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO and googled my symptoms to see if stomach flu is common in Durban this time of year.

And, of course, flu like symptoms.... same as malaria!

Needless to say, worrywort here was half-conscious in a cold sweat, convinced she had contracted malaria from some rogue mosquito down from the north and was about to die a horrible spasmatic death.

But the chills passed and I managed to make a postponed meeting with Asiye eTafuleni in the afternoon. I tried to play it cool but was all, "I think I should go to the clinic to be tested for malaria". Tasmi took me seriously and said she and her boyfriend would take me there when he picked her up.

Waiting in line at the emergency room, a nurse asked me what I was there for.

"I think I should be tested for malaria."
"Oh! Were you in Kruger or Zululand this weekend?"
"Well, no."
"The mosquito bite, is it infected?"
"Well, no."
"And you aren't sweating..."
"Well, I did. For about 10 minutes a few hours ago..."

"Well, you can pay R400 ($60) to see a doctor but I'm pretty sure you don't have malaria."

Tas' boyfriend overhears and exclaims "WHAT? We came here for malaria??? HAHAHAHA! Aleks, I have had malaria three times, so believe when I say you do NOT have malaria. Let's go!!"

An obvious FAIL and an embarassing one at that.

Fastforward to yesterday. I'm back out doing fieldwork research, and one of our interviewed recyclers turns out to have TB. Sure, I only spoke with him for 10 minutes in the street, but I now have this nagging cough...

I wonder when's the earliest I can get a chest scan done without Sandile hearing about it.

posted by Aleksandra @ 12:53 AM