Intestinal Parasites

Before Togo, intestinal parasites were foreign to me. Common illnesses chez moi prior to Peace Corps were mononucleosis (twice), typical winter colds (e.g. scratchy/soar throat, itchy/watery eyes, nasal congestion, etc) and seasonal allergies.

Needless to say, my body got quite the wakeup call.

My first illness wasn’t at all unfamiliar to the nurse practitioners at Peace Corps’ Medical Unit in Lomé. My insides babbled like never before. Did I mention this took place just two weeks into Training? A friend even dubbed her rambles Sigourney, referencing the leading actress in Alien. Strong yet subtle baritone notes and a roller coaster throughout the stomach and intestinal tracks are rambles worthy of such a title.

During Training, many pre-Volunteers need to become habitué'd (get used to) to living in a developing country. To this day, I blame the first round of diarrhea and vomiting to my diet in Park Slope, Brooklyn—i.e. homemade juices, fresh salads, exotic fruits, whole-wheat breads and pasta, etc. Not to scoff at Togolese food since I am quite fond of it now, however, beans and rice mixed with palm oil isn’t exactly a spinach salad lightly drizzled with walnut dressing. And no, not Snooty Samantha, it was just the grub of choice for more than a year.

Shortly after Post Visit, round two of gastrointestinal complaints commenced. I voiced my concerns to the medical officers, did my first ever stool sample, and impatiently awaited the results. It was giardiasis, an infection of the intestine with a flagellate protozoan. Boom. Yes, symptoms associated with giardia are unpleasant, however, the wicked designs left on my intestinal walls—after four tablets of Fasigyne 500 nuked these parasites—made me smile for days.

So what happened after?

After Thanksgiving, I impressively spent my weekend in bed—impressive because it isn’t an exaggeration by any means. The Monday following this weekend RESTathon I was advised by medical officers to do another M.I.F. kit and have it analyzed at Win Pang Hospital, a Chinese hospital in Dapaong.

My PCV neighbor, Maggie McRae, accompanied me to the hospital. Interesting? Picture this…two women on motos, one woman with tightly-sealed tube of her own feces in her locally-made handbag. We get there, and folks, this wasn’t my first rodeo. I’d already been to this hospital for an analysis of a different stool sample couple months ago. So I properly greeted health professionals, handed over my sample and then got a marriage proposal. Boom. If that’s not a boost of confidence, tell me what is!

Fifteen minutes later, I got the results. I have amoebas. What’s an amoeba? An amoeba is a single-celled animal that catches food and moves about by extending fingerlike projections of protoplasm. Amoebas are either free-living in damp environments or parasitic.

Surprisingly, it didn’t shock me at all. Over the weekend, I had plenty of time to review my S.H.I.T (Staying Healthy in Togo) book and thus linked my symptoms to those listed under the page-long description of amoebas.

A medical officer once again prescribed the fantastic Fasigyne 500. The kicker? This time, I had to take four tablets once a day for three days. Whoa. Okay amoebas, new ballgame!

McRae and McCullough then walked to Dapaong’s local pharmacy, bought “the goods,” parked our yovo asses on steps outside the building, sipped on a couple of Sport Actifs and greeted locals as they entered. That was fun.

The events subsequent pharmacy fun weren’t all that fun. To avoid the pity parade, I won’t go into great detail of my physical and metal state during the amoeba recovery. However, there was one moment when I graciously (and slowly) dropped from a couch at Dapaong’s PC Work Station to the floor and slowly (yep, slowly again) millimetered my way toward the bathroom.

On a positive note, I’m feeling pretty good and sent this text to McRae this afternoon:

“I’m not feeling 100 percent, but I just blared Lady Gaga and sang along. McCullough’s coming back!”