Bad Day

Yesterday was a bad day. First of all, I had been struggling with a weird kind of strep/flu thing when all of a sudden on Monday - I noticed a swelling on the right side of my neck. It was tender and sore to the touch. I always a little bit freak out about stuff like this - like I have some bizarre tropical disease - but given the sore throat, fever, etc - seemed likely to be a swollen lymph node. Monday night I demanded that Drissa take me to get a remedy - a cheeseburger, fries, and coke float from the only american restaurant in town (way on the other side of the river). Unfortunately, neither cheeseburger nor the American film I watched via itunes (the secret life of bees) kept my swelling down or fever away. I took some cipro thinking that this would wash away all the bad strep bacteria. Cipro is a tough medicine - it kills the good and bad bacteria and leaves your body feeling like a trampled battleground.

So I wake up wed and the swelling is worse. Rex proceeds to eat my computer power cord to the AC adapter (prob cause I have been sick and haven't given her attention lately). I wave this off and ask that Drissa give my RAs some data entry work to do and proceed to sleep for the day. I later im with my Aunt and cousin (who are the best fake doctors I know). Later my mom and her school nurse send word that cipro doesn't work for strep. I stop taking cipro and try to find some other antibiotics. I get my Malian Aunt to write a prescription for penicillin - (basically her writing onto a doctors sized notebook, but no stamp or letter head or anything), but the pharmacy says they only carry injectable penicillin - well I don't want that. Drissa sends his little brother to get their family doctor to write me a prescription - which after a lot of discussion - he does and then Yacouba (drissa's bro) brings over Ampicillin - which ends in cillin and should be ok. "Where there is no Doctor" reports that it is a suitable replacement for amoxicillin - so I take it.

Meanwhile, Drissa discovers that someone has stolen our car radio. He runs off into the night and tries to bounty hunt the culprits - which he is pretty sure - live in the neighborhood. I watch like 2 episodes of the new bachelor (which I don't even like but was the only thing I could find on youtube) and then fall asleep before Drissa is back.

Today I feel better. Besides the swelling and fatigue - my body feels good. I am going to force myself stay in bed again all day today and see what happens tomorrow.