I guess it has been a while since I have updated this thing so now would be a good time to tell all of you what has been going on. For those of you who have me on your msn list, you would know from my light hearted screen names during the last week that I have been sick. No, I do not and never did have SARS, but I was sick and here is the story.
On monday afternoon I was attending a rather boring international economics lecture when about halfway through I started to feel cold. I did not think much of it as the class was held in a heavily airconditioned lecture theater. As the class progressed, not only did I start to feel colder, but I started to feel bad in other ways. I got a little headache and I started to feel a little bit funny. After class I walked home with my friend who is also taking the same class and went straight to bed.
I awoke several hours later feeling even worse. My headache had intensified and I could tell I was running a fever. I asked around the guys on my floor if anyone had any tylenol, but oddly no one seemed to so I went down to the store. In the checkout line I ran into a friend who offered to lend me his thermomiter. When I checked my temperature for the first time it was 38.5 (101.3). The guys on my floor, having lived through the SARS episode in Sinapore (or China) told me that I should report my temperature on the NUS website. So, grudgingly, I did. It told me to go to the doctor or to go home and go to sleep, depending on how you interpret it. Seeing as it was already late and the campus clinic was closed, I just took some tylenol and went to sleep.
When I got up the next day, I was feeling no better. As the day went on and layed on my bed drinking water and watching streaming Bjork videos on my computer my temperature stayed in the mid 38 range and I stayed feeling like shit. Towards the end of the day I went to the university clinic. As soon as I went in they checked my temperature and, seeing as I was feverish, put a mask on me. A few minutes later I was talking to a doctor and a few more minutes after that I was on my way out of the clinic with pills in hand. That evening I went to bed happier thinking that I was on the road to recovery.
I was wrong. The next day I woke up feeling worse than ever. My temperature was above 39 and I could barely sit up. Luckily this did not last long. Soon after I took my pills, my temperature fell rapidly. By mid afternoon it was already in the 37 range and I decided to go back to the clinic for my follow up visit. The doctor said I was healing well and that I should just continue with the pills he gave me in the first place. Feeling confident from this positive doctor's meeting, I decided to go to my chinese tutorial that afternoon. This was a mistake. Although I felt ok at the beginning of class, one hour into the two hour tutorial I was already feeling like I had been on the first day again. Rather than wait to get fully sick, I excused my self and wend home to sleep.
The next day was one more struggle. I just stayed in bed watching internet tv and drinking water as usual but towards the end of the day I started feeling decent.
Finaly, friday I woke up and I was feeling good. I checked my temperature at it was an even 37 (normal). I was so relieved. That day I went to the immigration office to get my student visa (finaly, yeah I know) which did not entail nearly as much waiting as I had been lead to believe. That night, I went out to a bangara (punjabi dance music) night with some Indians I know. It was a good time even though I was didn't have much energy and was staying sober all night. I left early to get some sleep.
And that is how I beat SARS... I think I will resume my travels again next week so there will be more interesting things to write about.
On monday afternoon I was attending a rather boring international economics lecture when about halfway through I started to feel cold. I did not think much of it as the class was held in a heavily airconditioned lecture theater. As the class progressed, not only did I start to feel colder, but I started to feel bad in other ways. I got a little headache and I started to feel a little bit funny. After class I walked home with my friend who is also taking the same class and went straight to bed.
I awoke several hours later feeling even worse. My headache had intensified and I could tell I was running a fever. I asked around the guys on my floor if anyone had any tylenol, but oddly no one seemed to so I went down to the store. In the checkout line I ran into a friend who offered to lend me his thermomiter. When I checked my temperature for the first time it was 38.5 (101.3). The guys on my floor, having lived through the SARS episode in Sinapore (or China) told me that I should report my temperature on the NUS website. So, grudgingly, I did. It told me to go to the doctor or to go home and go to sleep, depending on how you interpret it. Seeing as it was already late and the campus clinic was closed, I just took some tylenol and went to sleep.
When I got up the next day, I was feeling no better. As the day went on and layed on my bed drinking water and watching streaming Bjork videos on my computer my temperature stayed in the mid 38 range and I stayed feeling like shit. Towards the end of the day I went to the university clinic. As soon as I went in they checked my temperature and, seeing as I was feverish, put a mask on me. A few minutes later I was talking to a doctor and a few more minutes after that I was on my way out of the clinic with pills in hand. That evening I went to bed happier thinking that I was on the road to recovery.
I was wrong. The next day I woke up feeling worse than ever. My temperature was above 39 and I could barely sit up. Luckily this did not last long. Soon after I took my pills, my temperature fell rapidly. By mid afternoon it was already in the 37 range and I decided to go back to the clinic for my follow up visit. The doctor said I was healing well and that I should just continue with the pills he gave me in the first place. Feeling confident from this positive doctor's meeting, I decided to go to my chinese tutorial that afternoon. This was a mistake. Although I felt ok at the beginning of class, one hour into the two hour tutorial I was already feeling like I had been on the first day again. Rather than wait to get fully sick, I excused my self and wend home to sleep.
The next day was one more struggle. I just stayed in bed watching internet tv and drinking water as usual but towards the end of the day I started feeling decent.
Finaly, friday I woke up and I was feeling good. I checked my temperature at it was an even 37 (normal). I was so relieved. That day I went to the immigration office to get my student visa (finaly, yeah I know) which did not entail nearly as much waiting as I had been lead to believe. That night, I went out to a bangara (punjabi dance music) night with some Indians I know. It was a good time even though I was didn't have much energy and was staying sober all night. I left early to get some sleep.
And that is how I beat SARS... I think I will resume my travels again next week so there will be more interesting things to write about.
