Hospitalized...in InDiA!!

It was our last day of the tour; we were in Varanassi and would be taking an overnight train that night back to Delhi to say goodbye to the group and go our separate ways. We planned to have a leisurely day stopping at a few temples and finishing up the last of our purchases at the local market.

But when I woke up, something was wrong. When I got out of bed, my hands and my feet were so soar at the joints that I could barely walk. It felt like I had arthritis. “The weirdest thing happened to me this morning,” I explained when Lex woke up after I limped out of the shower. I told her what happened and she suggested maybe going to a doctor. “Yea, maybe,” I responded. I walked back into the bathroom in my towel to brush my hair and gasped. All over my back were blotchy red and purple spots.

We immediately told our tour guide and he took us right to a hospital, without even telling the rest of the group that the plans for the day were cancelled. Although the symptoms were bizarre, I wasn’t really nervous. I just figured I get some meds and be on my way in a few hours.

When we arrived, I was rushed through the emergency and waiting rooms, and shown to a doctor eons before any Indian person, I’m sure. Looking back, it’s probably because they were afraid I had swine flu.

Anyway, the doctor told me it was potentially serious, and that I would have to be hospitalized for two or three days. TWO OR THREE DAYS?!! I burst into tears. I’d never in my life been hospitalized before, and now I’d be hospitalized in India, in the hands of strangers, and would have to leave behind almost everyone trustworthy person (except for Lex who was staying with me, thank goodness).



After being tested and given lots of mysterious meds, I started to get comfortable in my private room with a satellite TV, couch, extra guest bed, and room service. Plus, the travel insurance company was so helpful and had already picked up the bill! I really didn’t feel too bad, except for the fever, joints and rash, so once all of the paper work and travel plans were settled, I was able to relax.

But three days of relaxing became very, very long and tedious. We ate luke warm hospital food and strange fruit. Lex made trips out to the real world to use the internet. We watched terrible movies like Conan and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. We watched and laughed as about 100 random staff members came in and out of my room, cleaning, tending, asking if I needed anything. In this case, it was a little too much.

strange fruit!

Finally, on Day 3 it looked like I was healing enough to leave, and the doctor gave me the OK to go the next day. “By the way,’ I asked, “Do you know what’s wrong with me?” “Not really. Possibly some mutation of Dengue Fever, but there’s really no way to know,” he answered. “Fantastic!” I replied. At least I was off to Thailand in one more day…

once in thailand...covered in calomine lotion for the rash