A Visit to the Doctor

26 September 2010

Swapna, my hostel mom, her son Satim, and I, armed with delicious, but potentially deadly masthanis

It was bound to happen. One too many street snacks and a CHEAP mastani made with ice got me pretty sick on Thursday. I don't really need to describe this in detail, but let's just say it didn't agree with me. After a long night and a phone call to the program director, I took my temperature. Yes, I brought a thermometer with me to India. Yes, I realize I probably overpacked a smidge. Nevertheless, the plastic stick of wisdom read 103. I realized this was more than just a traveler's stomach. I skipped Hindi, which really killed me since that class is the kind of sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, write-the-script-and-listen-and-try-to-keep-up type. I waited for my ride to the doctor's office with Preston, a wonderful staffer who did the Alliance semester as a college student and now works as an assistant. He explained that while I had an 11:45 am appointment, so did the other 10 people in the tiny waiting room. Shoes outside the door, as is the custom, I glanced around at the people who appeared much sicker than I. In Public Health, we're learning about the delivery systems in place for healthcare. Private insurance is super rare. Our professor has worked extensively in rural communities so he has a breadth of experiences to share, including a common thought that pregnant women should eat less so the baby won't grow as much and delivery will be less painful. Another professor told us a man explained his apprehension of condom usage since he believed his wife's vagina was directly connected to her throat and that she would choke and die if it slipped off. After these kind of stories, I wasn't sure what to expect. Preston explained the 2 important body motions: the hand wave from the  secretary (it means 5 minutes, and to go stand outside the exam room), and her subsequent head nod (go inside). Once I got into the office at noon(efficiency to see 6 patients in 15 minutes!), I met the kind doctor who took my vitals, looked at my throat, listened to my symptoms, and promptly gave me a laundry list of prescriptions for "intestinal health, fever reduction, headache, rehydration therapy, etc". I ended up getting the electrolyte powder pack made by the World Health Organization. The best part: my visit was 100 rupees, cash on the spot ($2.12) and my scripts totaled to 125 rupees. AWESOME. I felt better even that afternoon!

A nice first day of school picture with Sarah, my fellow Georgetown counterpart:)