Illy Billy

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Haven't felt well for days. Back in Kuta I'd woke up exhausted, head-achey and freezing one morning, had to put all my layers on and sit under the thin blanket before breaking into sweats less than an hour later. I hadn't even drank that much the previous night but the weird thing was that my lymph nodes were really swollen and sore but I guessed maybe it was really pulled muscles from my vain pre-clubbing push-ups last night.

Flu symptons set in quickly and faded just as fast but then when I got to Singapore I developed earache, the pain from which kept me awake for days continuously and gave me weird blood-shot eyes and that histamine-overproduction feeling that hayfever sufferers learn to know.

Something wasn't quite right...

I was supposed to get the bus north into Malaysia today but decided not to risk being ill in a country with less than ideal healthcare facilities, (rather like Britain really), and later that day when I found myself very tired, around 40% deaf in my right ear and fed up of popping pain killers, I wandered into the local doctors' clinic.

Within 10mins I was being examined, (it's only when you're abroad do you realise what a terrible state the NHS is in), by a really friendly GP who gave a loud Dr Hibbert laugh and said I had a serious ear infection that had spread to my lymphatic system though hadn't quite posioned my blood yet.

Gulp.

He popped out and returned with 4 vials of fluid, (the sight of which caused my eyes to dilate with fear), saying I needed an immediate injection of strong antibiotics, a course of strong antibiotic pills, antibiotic drops, strong pain killers, anti-inflammatories and massive 3000mg doses of vitamin C.

Shite! I thought it was only a bit of ear wax!

So glad I delayed Malaysia! Forgot to tell the Dr that I'd been in a Malaria zone though, bugger, I think that could have been important. Oh well.

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