My third night in Egypt took me on a downward spiral that led me to the hospital. I wasn't feeling well before bed, but I just thought it was the infamous Cairo belly that everyone tells you about. The difference in food and air/water quality makes most expats sick in the first few months of coming. So throughout the night, I couldn't sleep at all because my body called me to the toilet every 30minutes like clock work. Throughout the night, I started to feel progressively worse. I knew I had a fever, but was still freezing cold. Our flat was super hot and I was sweating, but I also had goosebumps. And my body was very achy.
I woke Mike up around 7am to see if he would go to the pharmacy here to get me some meds that everyone recommends for Cairo Belly. He left and came back with some meds, thankfully. I took them and I think I was able to finally fall asleep for a few hours. When I woke up, I still wasn't feeling well and I started to feel super nauseous. I decided to text one of the teachers who had been here a while and ask her if those symptoms were normal.....she wrote back, "No, call Dalia."
So I called Dalia and she arranged to get the bus to come pick us up and take us to the hospital. I was a little nervous to go to the hospital but I really just wanted to feel better! And the other teachers had told me it was fine.
When we walked into the ER, there was a doctor waiting right there to greet us!!!! Can you believe it? This would never ever happen in the states. The doctor motioned for us to follow him into a room, where he then proceeded to help us! It wasn't---wait two hours for a room, get to your room, and wait two more hours! It was so fast! Oh, and they spoke perfect English.
When we got into the room, the nurse and the ER doctor took my vitals, asked my symptoms , felt around my belly.....and then told me I had food poisoning....probably from 2-3 days ago. Sooo that would have been something I ate on the airplane or in the states...Crazy! The doctor told me they would give me an IV with some meds and then give me some prescriptions to keep taking over the next 3-5 days and he gave me a strict biscuit and soup diet to follow for 3 days.
The hospital was clean. A little different from the states. Gave a white room a whole new meaning! But it was effective. The nurse took the needle for the IV out of a sealed package, wore gloves, the whole shabang. It was great service. This is what health care should look like!
My health insurance from the school doesn't start until Sept 1st, so the school actually paid for my visit. I don't know how much it was, but I am sure it was not much at all! The doctor gave me 5 prescriptions to take over the next week. When we got home, Mike took the script to the pharmacy and came home with the pills. For 5 prescriptions he paid less than 60le....which is less than $10!!! Crazy.
I will not fear the hospital here any more. It was so great. And don't we live in what some people consider to be a third world country? or even second world? I will take the health care here any day over what I would get in our first world country!
I woke Mike up around 7am to see if he would go to the pharmacy here to get me some meds that everyone recommends for Cairo Belly. He left and came back with some meds, thankfully. I took them and I think I was able to finally fall asleep for a few hours. When I woke up, I still wasn't feeling well and I started to feel super nauseous. I decided to text one of the teachers who had been here a while and ask her if those symptoms were normal.....she wrote back, "No, call Dalia."
So I called Dalia and she arranged to get the bus to come pick us up and take us to the hospital. I was a little nervous to go to the hospital but I really just wanted to feel better! And the other teachers had told me it was fine.
When we walked into the ER, there was a doctor waiting right there to greet us!!!! Can you believe it? This would never ever happen in the states. The doctor motioned for us to follow him into a room, where he then proceeded to help us! It wasn't---wait two hours for a room, get to your room, and wait two more hours! It was so fast! Oh, and they spoke perfect English.
When we got into the room, the nurse and the ER doctor took my vitals, asked my symptoms , felt around my belly.....and then told me I had food poisoning....probably from 2-3 days ago. Sooo that would have been something I ate on the airplane or in the states...Crazy! The doctor told me they would give me an IV with some meds and then give me some prescriptions to keep taking over the next 3-5 days and he gave me a strict biscuit and soup diet to follow for 3 days.
The hospital was clean. A little different from the states. Gave a white room a whole new meaning! But it was effective. The nurse took the needle for the IV out of a sealed package, wore gloves, the whole shabang. It was great service. This is what health care should look like!
My health insurance from the school doesn't start until Sept 1st, so the school actually paid for my visit. I don't know how much it was, but I am sure it was not much at all! The doctor gave me 5 prescriptions to take over the next week. When we got home, Mike took the script to the pharmacy and came home with the pills. For 5 prescriptions he paid less than 60le....which is less than $10!!! Crazy.
I will not fear the hospital here any more. It was so great. And don't we live in what some people consider to be a third world country? or even second world? I will take the health care here any day over what I would get in our first world country!
What awesome service! Glad it was nothing serious, and hope you are feeling better!
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