Blogs from Zanzibar City, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa - page 24

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 22nd 2005

Woke up this morning hoping for good health. Sadly greeted after short while with another bout of diarrhoea (three bowel movements). Took sample to hospital to be tested, also Widal test for typhoid again. After being told to wait for two hours for results, decide to go back to the house, as it's only a short distance away. I could have walked if I felt ok, but catch a taxi instead, costing the equivalent of 75pence. Back at house get diarrhoea again, even though I have not eaten breakfast, and there's virtually nothing left in my digestive system. After two further diarrhoeal episodes of essentially clear liquid (as well as two loperamide and plenty of oral rehydration solution) feel it's time to head back to the hospital. I was getting worried that I was not actually ... read more

The final doses of the drugs

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 20th 2005

m_a_stone

Once again, yesterday was spent resting. Not that much change. I thought about trying to go into the office in the morning, but still don't feel well enough. I took my last dose of the ciproflaxin at breakfast and my last dose of albendazole at lunch. The albendazole taken on it's own wasn't too bad really. Didn't feel bad like previous days, maybe that's due to the Hookworm's departure. Appetite improving. Feeling better generally. Faeces in the morning OK, though still not perfect. Pineapple, bread and a bit of some sort of pancake for breakfast, beef and rice for lunch, oysters and chapati for tea.... read more

Recovering and resting

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 19th 2005

m_a_stone

Yesterday I spent resting and recovering. I still feel pretty weak, and the drugs are still making me feel ill. I spent the day mostly watching TV, listening to the radio and reading a newspaper. My faeces are staying fairly close to normal, but still not entirely normal. Hopefully once I am off the drug, they will be entirely normal. Immediately after lunch I actually felt quite well, I think some glucose slipped into me in the gap between the old dose of the drug running out, and the new dose getting started. Hopefully the worms did not feel similarly energised. They should have much small energy reserves though, they are microscopic after all. I also received a phone call from home, which also helped. Being at the house all the time, I am a bit ... read more

An early morning and hookworm

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 18th 2005

m_a_stone

Yesterday wasn't a very nice day, and started much earlier than normal. I will let my diary of the early morning expain... Early Morning Bowel Movements 17/12/05 Immediately after diarrhoea shivering. The 5/10 minutes later hot flush and sweating. Wake up feeling thirsty and abdominal cramp. First bowel movement - small amound of faeces produced. Second bowel movement (shivering) - very small amount of faeces produced. Third bowel movement - Medium / small amount of faeces produced -some collected and frozen Time after third bowel movement 01:20 Treated with salt rehydration solution - 1 glass before bowel movements - 1 glass sipped during gaps finished off after third bowel movement. Drugs in previous 24hrs - Deoxycline (note mispelling, I was not at my best) 100mg taken with breakfast - Ciproflaxin 2 x 500mg in afternoon - ... read more

Al-Rahma Hospital and Kiswahili Lesson

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 17th 2005

m_a_stone

Again yesterday I had diarrhoea in the morning, sufficiently bad for me to go to the Doctor that morning immediately. I went to the government hospital again, and saw the same Doctor as before. He told me to keep taking the oral rehydration salts, ciproflaxin (an antibiotic which I already had from a previous doctor) and imodium. He told me to go to Al-Rahma Hospital for blood slide malaria test, widal typhoid and stool test. I did not take any imodium, as I wanted to find out what was wrong with me, and so provide a stool sample. At the Al-Rahma Hospital I was taken to the lab to provide a blood sample, and given a container for the stool. It was quite interesting to compare the lab to the ones where I worked in Addenbrookes, ... read more

Government Hospital

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 16th 2005

m_a_stone

Diarrhoea was worse again yesterday morning. I decided to take myself along to the Doctor again. This meant my trip to Jozani Forest was sadly delayed again, although Nuhu decided it wasn't a good idea anyway due to the election. The Doctor was a different one compared to the last time, even though the dispensary was the same. The malaria test was negative, which is good news, but I didn't find this Doctor as helpful. He prescribed me paracetamol and Becozinc TM. The paracetamol was because of the headaches yesterday (these were very mild, and given my tiredness, I will not take it, I am feeling sleepy as it is). The Becozinc was for my blood pressure of all things, which was measured as 90/60 which he said was low. I am no sure what exactly ... read more

Election Day

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 15th 2005

m_a_stone

Yesterday was election day in Tanzania, so sadly that meant I was stuck in the house. Election day is a national holiday, so I think the office was closed. Also there has been violence in the past, so I had to stay at home. The diarrhoea has made a return, so it wasn't the end of the world, plus I had a bit of a headache. I did some more reading for my English teaching. I don't think there was much violence if any, but being at home, I didn't see much. Water is still off, so still no shower. Maybe I should go swimming soon. No newspapers today, because of the election, so I just had to content myself with TV. There are many different channels, including a few Tanzanian ones, some South African, some ... read more

Back to work

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 14th 2005

m_a_stone

Yesterday I was back at work on the website, although I am still taking things fairly easy. The residential permit form has now gone off to the immigration department. Hopefully that will be done before Christmas. Still feeling a bit tired, but malaria destroys red blood cells, so even if it is (hopefully) gone as I have finished the course, I will probably take a while to fully recover. Red blood cells normally have a lifetime of 90 days, although I expect I will have more or less recovered quicker than this. The diarrhoea has pretty much gone. ... read more

110 000 shillings extra

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 13th 2005

Nuhu

m_a_stone

I was feeling much better yesterday, so I came to do some work in the office, just some preparation for my teaching. I also did some preparation for my residential permit, I changed some of my travellers cheques to get enough dollars to pay for it, and got the rest in shillings. However, there was confusion with this, with the cashier thinking I had changed more money than I had. With the language difficulties, the cashier did not speak English and I don't know the vocabulary for transactions, although my guide helped, I ended up with 110 000 shillings too much. (About 55 pounds). When I arrived back at the office to check again (in the much cooler air there), I realised I had been given far too much, and went back to return the money. ... read more

Malaria Positive

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Zanzibar City December 12th 2005

m_a_stone

Yesterday was a very stressful day. Again I went to church in the morning, hoping for the first time that I would last the full service, and I lasted 40 minutes, but again during the sermon I had to leave, this time not to go to the toilet, but because I needed to drink. The temperature was in the high thirties yesterday, and it was very hot in the Church. When I left I went to the restaurant and drank a soda and a bottle of water (500ml), before then needed to go to the loo. (I am really fed up with diarrhoea.) By this point I was feeling very rough and weak. At one point I wondered if I was going to be sick. Fortunately I wasn't, and breathing heavily I went downstairs and asked ... read more

Brief history of Tanzania

Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and po...more history

Forum Topics for Zanzibar City

Weather in ZanzibarPosts: 3

SafariPosts: 5

Kilimanjaro Sept 2011Posts: 3

travelling with childPosts: 1

info about tanzania & z...Posts: 1

safari weatherPosts: 2

Partner in CrimePosts: 5

Kilimanjaro Internation...Posts: 5

good itinerary safari?Posts: 8

Volunteer workPosts: 10

Kilimanjaro HeadlampsPosts: 4