Jan 3rd early
Trip Start
Dec 26, 2004
1
8
59
Trip End
Jul 14, 2005
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Pune, India
Monday, January 3, 2005
I paid for it and then handed him more money (cause the price seemed so ridiculously
low or I just wanted to see him smile, I don't know. We're talking about like 25 cents here. Anyway, he looked at me like I was a martian and wouldn't take it. Also, yesterday when I got a massage at the ashram I offered the therapist a tip and she also refused. (being a therapist that surprised me a lot as well, considering the cost for an hour and a half was only about $50--so I knew she was making maybe $35 at the most.)
I guess it just takes time to adjust to the money here. I am able to negotiate with the rickshaw drivers better now.
I don't want to go into it too much but last night I had a a crisis and I benefitted greatly from the actions which I took. I went to bed at 8 p.m. after taking the sleeping medicine the nurse at the ashram had given me and I fell asleep with the tv on. Apparently there was a power cut because at 10:30 the tv came on and woke me up and I proceeded to have a rather severe panic attack. At one point I realized that I had to act so I used the name of a nearby hospital the nurse had given me and went there. It was around 11 p.m. They gave me a sedative and I was finally able to fall asleep and didn't wake until 7:48 a.m. I felt reborn. I had gone 6 days with almost no sleep and that 7 hours of sleep--well it felt to me like it saved my life. I wouldn't wish the experience I had on my worst enemy. I had had some memory of being told the anti-malarial I was taking Larium could cause side effects such as panic attacks or even seizures. In fact the nurse at the vaccination clinic in Fairfax VA had given me TWO antimalarial Rx's saying I should try Lariam first because there is less resistance to it and if I had any side affects to get the other--Malarone.
Since you start Lariam a week before you go to the affected country the reasoning was that I would have the side affects before I left and so then would be able to switch.
Well apparently that is not the case. I asked liese to check out some web sites on it and she said that she found a report by a Peace Corps volunteer who had almost exactly the same experience as me.
anyway, I am so happy and feel so much better today. I will go to the hospital again today for more sleeping aides and if have a sleep tonight like last night I think my whole outlook on the trip will change. Last night I was ready to come home.
By the way, I would MUCH rather have malaria than what happened last night. There is not a doubt in my mind about that.
If you know anyone being given Lariam tell them to write the word POISON on it and throw it in the trash after writing an angry letter to Roche, the manufacturer.
Jan 2 at 11:10 a.m.
