13th updateAs written in last blog post, I came back to Akonfudi Saturday the 16th - a day earlier than planned due to illness. Coming home was good: Children ran towards me smiling and with their arms spread out, ready to give me a big group hug; women also hugged me as welcome home; and men smiled and shook my hand saying akwaaba (welcome). But then I opened the door to my room and found what I had feared…… my fridge turned off! With all my beloved, expensive and Danish imported rye bread and cheese etc. now completely mouldy and alive! Euw! Condense water mixed up with sweaty cheese covered my floor and made my room stink horribly. Lots of dead ants were all over my fridge also. Argh! I was furious! I really was. But my temper was probably reflected by my very high fever, and headache. I had had a horrible day of travelling in tro-tros and waiting for them to fill (altogether maybe 7 hours plus the stop in Kumasi) having fever at the same time, and what I really had been looking forward to was my Danish food. I got some frustrations out on the phone with Mom, and afterwards I called Dacosta over and yelled quite a lot at him. Come on! You don't turn off a fridge before checking if it is empty! And you don't lock yourself into another person's private room without asking permission first! The reason for turning off the fridge turned out to be fair, but he should seriously have phoned my before entering the room, and before turning off the fridge. I don't know what he was thinking - well, he probably wasn't thinking… Anyway, I cooled down, cleaned up the mess, unpacked my stuff, and went to bed.

Hospital admission
…only to have the worst night, though… I was feeling so so bad, and Sunday morning was the same, so I went to the hospital to get a malaria test (my symptoms were clearly on malaria). After being in the hospital for hours (and waiting three hours for the doctor, who was having a break, and there was no other) the test said no malaria parasites. They still wanted to give my malaria medicine, but I didn't want it as it wasn't malaria - so I went home to see if I would get better in a few days.

I didn't. Tuesday was really really bad. I went straight to the hospital again to get a new malaria test, but now it wasn't Sunday, and the view to be found at the hospital…… I think maybe 500 people were sitting and waiting! I took my seat and waited for some time, feeling very weak. Luckily I have a contact in the hospital who brought me to a doctor's office, where I could wait. Good I thought. But I waited and waited and waited - no doctor came. I was probably sitting on a hard chair in that office for an hour looking very weak and in pain and just wanting to lie down, and the nurses didn't do anything at all - they just looked at me and walked by. Finally they offered me a bed, and I though that the doctor would be coming soon. He didn't. I was lying in the bed waiting for even longer when the doctor finally came. At this time I was having an extremely bad headache, very high fever, and was sweating like never before. I was yelling for something to kill my pains, but all the nurses had to say was I hear you, it is coming, stop crying. When the doctor left I was sure I would get something for my fever and pains, but I just kept on waiting. THREE hours after I arrived in the hospital I finally got some drugs for my pains. Apparently there is no medicine in the hospital so when a doctor prescribes something for you, it has to bought elsewhere before they can give it to you. Crazy system. Bala, the OCEP director, was luckily with my and took good care of me.
When the drugs kicked in and I started to feel better, I was moved from the emergency room to the female ward. I was by then feeling pretty good and was almost sure I would be discharged the following day. Again: that was not going to happen - the painkillers were cheating me. I had the worst night. This rural hospital is so badly equipped and with too few nurses. The beds are uncomfortable, and you actually need a relative or friend to be with you ALL the time, so that this person can get a nurse when needed, and you also need people to bring you food because the hospital doesn't take care of that either. There is no air-con but instead lots of flies. You also have to wear your own clothes - no hospital clothes is provided. So when Bala left, I was on my own. And when I woke up at night feeling horrible, having extreme headache, vomiting and having fever, there was no nurse. I had to literally crawl out of my bed all the way to where the nurse on duty was sleeping, throw up on the way there, and finally be met by a tired face giving my some paracetamol for my headache which wasn't strong enough at all - this happened three times during that night.
Wednesday morning wasn't any better. I woke up at 6.30 having even worse headache. I couldn't even open my eyes due to the pain, and I was again yelling and crying for something to release me from the pains. Then the fever came, and my clothes were soaked. Still no medicine. Instead: Nurses saying Why are you crying, stop crying. Well, if you give me something for my pain I will stop crying! 10am - THREE AND A HALF hours later - they finally gave my drugs for my fever and headache.
By then I had had enough. While in my pains I had contacted the Danish Embassy who phoned my insurance and SOS International Denmark, and it was arranged that the German owned so called West African Rescue would come later that day and take me to a hospital in Cape Coast. They were indeed working very efficient and it was very friendly people who I and my parents were in contact with. The ambulance arrived at 9pm and we drove off - after waiting for the hospital to write my journal and discharge me (last moment as always…). Everybody at the hospital kept asking me why I would change hospital - they simply couldn't understand. Hmm…

I arrived at Cape Coast Regional Hospital at around midnight - very exhausted but else feeling pretty good due to all the drugs I was on. The doctors at the hospital were not nice, I found. The first one came to the car, looked at me, and said: How are you? I'm okay now due to the medicine. Why are you here? Because they think I have meningitis. I don't think you have meningitis. Period. The second doctor was actually laughing at me straight to my face saying that I am all fine and that it is probably just a flu (I haven't been coughing or having a blocked nose…). I realise that I came there without looking sick, but that was because I came from another hospital which had given me drugs! I am sick of the attitude of the Ghanaian doctors and nurses. They show no compassion, care or friendliness (with a few exceptions of course).
Well, I was admitted, and this new hospital was certainly miles from the one in Assin Foso: air-con, proper beds, hospital clothes, several nurses working at night (being awake and available), 3 meals a day with options even, well equipped with professional gear. The first night they even put on diodes on my body so I could hear my heartbeat all night… We were only three patients staying there, having two nurses on duty at night, and several in the day.
I had my 3rd blood sample taken which again showed no malaria. They are also certain that it isn't meningitis. Two horrible diseases crossed - very good! But then, what is it? I still don't know. I have been treated with anti-malaria medicine, typhoid medicine, and antibiotics, and I feel almost good by now, but I still don't have a diagnosis.

Yesterday, the 22nd, I was discharged. I was feeling pretty good with only headache as a problem (however, not in any way as severe as earlier), so I got some medicine for the pains and could finally leave Ghanaian hospitals, doctors and nurses.
West African Rescue and SOS International Denmark in particular have been amazing - so efficient and helpful. They took care of the transport to Cape Coast and the payment of my hospital stay in Cape Coast. They cover my taxi costs coming from Cape Coast to Accra and from Accra to the airport, when I am heading home. They have been very well updated all the time and well informing. They have also rebooked my flight for me - unfortunately this illness had blocked my possibility of climbing Kilimanjaro on February the 1st. I am so sad about this as I have been looking so much forward to Tanzania and to climbing Kili with Natasha. But my health says no, and that is what I am listening to. I will go back to Tanzania later this year and do my planned travels. For now, my next destination is Denmark. And I do look forward to this. A lot. It will be very good to see everybody again and come back to my life in Denmark - however not to the cold weather! I reach Denmark on Saturday. What a strange thought…

Not to be missed out is that SOS Int. ALSO covers three nights of recreation in a free of choice hotel before heading home… I asked for La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, where I have been using the pool earlier. I didn't think it would be accepted as this hotel is VERY expensive and luxurious!
But this time I was lucky: At the moment I am sitting in my 275 USD room using the free wireless internet, watching BBC on the big new tv, having a nice shower, a good bed, air-con, unlimited usage of the hotel gym (which I probably cannot use, but anyway :) ), a nice big pool to relax by, and a huge breakfast buffet. SWEET! I am staying here two nights now, and then one night before my flight home - paid by my insurance! :)

My last week in Ghana
Today is indeed recreation day: I started out eating very well from the big b-fast buffet, and after internet I will go lie by the pool and relax all day, I think :) Tomorrow I visit Naana, Ni and Natanie - one of my favourite families from my village who has moved to Accra, Monday I spend the day with Patricia and some of the other Danes I know in Accra, and Tuesday I head back to Foso and Akonfudi. I look forward to say properly goodbye to everybody, and then it is also time to give Dacosta the computers for good - I have been "taking care of them" until now, doing the last installations and so. I stay there two nights, then on the 28th I head back to Accra to one more night at the luxurious hotel, and on the 29th I have my flight heading towards Denmark.

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That is all for now. I hope your health is better than mine…

See you soon!
Signe