Casualties

“Please take this paper work and go to casualties,” says the lady working the desk.

Um, the what?  I don’t want to be in the casualties’ wing of this hospital!  Turns out the word casualties has a different meaning here.  I’m still not 100% sure what that is, but fortunately it did not seem to have the same meaning as it does for us back home.  I was able to get checked out by the doctor, get prescribed medicine, and avoid the casualties that we Americans know of.  It was an interesting moment though because I was already secretly longing for my mom and unsure about how the medical system would work here.

It’s funny though, I can move half way across the world, but the second I am “sick” all I want is to be home or to have my mom, my personal nurse, here with me.  I've spent my fair share of time in and out of the doctor's office, but today in an African hospital I was not nearly as brave. Universally, the layout is the same so there was no reason to be unsure, but I was. There were neutral colored walls, a TV on the wall, interesting artwork, and chairs that must be specially designed for medical offices. Paper work was a little bit different, but overall it was the same confusing questions I hate to answer. 

Fortunately, the doctor saw me quickly and what he suggested was simple enough, minus the fact that I am now broke!  Technically you have to do what you have to do though, and I am more than lucky that my “problem” was so small.  Knock on wood, I did not have to go for malaria, the flu, or some other bug that could make life a little miserable, but only for intestinal problems, which the doctor says can be a result of changing environments and a change in diet. 

As an additional note, I was blessed to have a mom that stayed awake until 4am her time waiting for me to finish at the doctor. She was available to comfort and pray for me throughout the whole thing, and for that, I am so incredibly grateful. On top of that, which I mentioned before, there were no casualties that I know of today.