Healthcare

Well, with all the traveling I've been doing, I suppose it was bound to happen...I caught a parasite somewhere along the way.

On Saturday I started feeling really terrible. I was out with some friends and I needed to go home because I had so much discomfort in my abdomen. Sadly, it meant I missed out on going to a documentary I had purchased a ticket to see. I stayed home and continued to feel like garbage all through the weekend and into the start of the work week, so I stayed home, hoping it would pass.

It didn't.

The next day was a public holiday so I suffered through more pain and discomfort until I could see my doctor the next morning. I went in and she examined me and asked me to provide her with a few bodily fluid samples. We needed to wait for those to come back to get any sort of results so I was sent home with a doctor's note for missing the week of work and a list of rehydration powders for me to pick up so I wouldn't get too dehydrated. I wasn't eating much because it didn't sit well so I was also really hungry. In short, I was a mess.

I finally got the test results back on Thursday evening and although they were inconclusive, my doctor decided to prescribe me some antibiotics because she was pretty sure it was some kind of bug and these would do the trick. I had also been doing some Googling (of course, as every sick person does, for better or worse) and it was clear from all my systems, that Giardia was the likely culprit; a pretty common parasite picked up while traveling.

I've been taking the antibiotics since Friday and I am happy to say that I am feeling immensely better and I'm almost back to 100%. I finish the meds tomorrow and I'll also be back at work.

Although it was a shitty week (literally...), I am lucky I have a really caring doctor. She personally checked in on me a few times and got the care as quickly as possible, the tests were quick and easy and everything is covered by my medical aid here.

I have heard lots of good things about the healthcare system here in South Africa and how great the service and care is here and I can now attest to that, but I have to back up Canada on this one. I receive the same level of service and care when I am in Canada. The difference, I receive this care in South Africa because I have an employer who provides me with a good benefits plan (Discovery Insurance). I receive this care in Canada because I am a human being. It makes me sad that there are a lot of people across South Africa who are unemployed (the unemployment rate is at 40% right now) and they do not have the same access to care in their own home country that I am receiving as a temporary resident. I'm sure there was someone else in Joburg who was rocking a parasite last week just like me and it makes me sad to think they might not be feeling better just yet like I am or they might be footing a bill that they can't afford.