Why I Don’t Like Doctors
So for a bit of background, every time I have been to Africa and Asia, I have taken a minimum number of preparatory medications and inoculations. Usually what happens is, whoever it is in the party that took all the suggested crap got sick while my body never seems to care what continent I am on. So this time to Africa was no different and of course it followed with me having to listen to everyone else about how stupid I am for not taking malaria pills (even the story of the people we met who lived in the “malaria zone” we were in for 8 years with no pills while everyone’s malaria pills were causing them to have terrible stomach issues didn’t seem to help).
Well, it finally happened. I got sick. I haven’t gotten sick from anything in probably 15 years but it happened. I (as well as two of the other guys we went with) got a tick bite that resulted in tick bite fever. The lucky guy was the one who came down with the symptoms while he was still in South Africa. All he had to do was go to the doc there in South Africa, get some anti-biotics, and done. In my case, I got home before the tick bite fever set in. So, I went to my doctor, a real nice guy, and told him I thought I had Afrcian Tick Bite Fever and needed some antibiotics to get right again. Well, instead I sat and listened to this big line of what I can best refer to as “medicalese bullshit” that was basically a bunch of clinical talk I couldn’t understand other than that he thought I had a spider bite rather than a tick bite. Well hell… he is the doc right? So I take the prescription he writes and go home to start taking it. By the next morning I feel like complete hell and have broken out with what looks like a case of the adult chicken pocks. I go back the next morning. Doc agrees that wasn’t what was supposed to happen so he calls Dr. Whoever that was one of Denver’s experts in infectious diseases from Africa. He explains the situation and the infectious disease doc tells him that (SURPRISE) it is African Tick Bite Fever caused by a TICK. I am accordingly prescribed the appropriate anti-biotic and two pills later feel 100%. Talk about “practicing” medicine, what a waste of time… should have just let my body fight off. I would have saved like $250 worth of doctor visits, two prescriptions, and a bunch of hassle.
OUTSIDE OF TICK BITE FEVER HOWEVER, Southern Africa once again proved to be among the coolest places I know of on the planet. We spent two and a half weeks in South Africa and then about 3 days in Zimbabwe. We managed to land right on top of the first widespread rioting and violence in South Africa in many years as well as the CRAZY election situation in Zimbabwe and I loved every bloody minute. Anyway, pictures and more blog posts to come about the trip! In the meantime here is the quick highlight timeline:
- Dan, Chuck, and Sister Shannon spend twelve days hunting in the Limpopo province. We did awesome including shooting a beautiful trophy big bull Cape Buffalo, hands down the best hunting species I have ever experienced.
- Girlfriend Shannon and Pat arrive and we spend three days in Sun City relaxing. Activities included an elephant-back ride on the edge of Pilanesburgh National Park.
- The group heads to Mosethla Bush Camp for three days. 3 days of game viewing and sleeping among the lions and elephants and giraffes. We saw piles of amazing game but the climax was the last day when a mother elephant decided to charge our truck!
- All fly up to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Vic Falls itself was the highlight but a canoe trip among the hippos and crocs as well as the general experience of being in a place that is facing the utter crisis Zimbabwe is facing were a pair of “close seconds”
Doctors are humans and they do make mistakes. However, instead of the tick, you could have gotten bitten by a variety of mosquitoes, and Dengue fever can be fatal if untreated. At least it will put you out of business for a few weeks. the second time you get it, it may become hemorraghic and it could kill you even with supportive treatment.
You could have also gotten bitten in Zimbawe by the same mosquito, Aedes aegyptii, which carries both Dengue and Yellow Fever. If you get Yellow fever you you have a 50% chance of dying and there is no treatment except rest.
Also remember that after 21 your immune system begins to deteriorate. So you are more likely to get sick especially when you travel internationally since you have no acquired immunity; i.e., some indegenous poulations only show a 5% mortality rate for Yellow Fever compared to 50% for foreign travelers.
The fact is that there are about 30,000 deaths worlwide of Yellow Fever and another 30,000 deaths due to Dengue, but there are 50 million reported cases of Dengue in the world.
it happens.