Infection by Insect

"Infection by insect" - that is the diagnosis for the elephantiasis-like appearance of my face. My biggest fear while living in Africa was getting sick because of the lack of medicine and healthcare here. I have always loved modern medicine, but this week I found out I NEED modern medicine. This whole dramatic situation began about a week ago when I was putting on my makeup early before my flight back to Uganda. I had been in Senegal for a week for our mid-year conference (for fellows) and I woke up at 4 to catch my flight. As any respectable girl would do, I covered up what I thought was a pimple or mosquito bite with concealer and went on my merry way.

About two days later, I woke up and the pimple/mosquito bite was getting larger and very, very sore. I tried to squeeze it and nothing came out. I decided to measure it with a pen before I went to sleep that night to check and see if it had changed in the morning.

The next morning I woke up with a swollen eye and a lump where the supposed pimple/mosquito bite was near my eye. I also noticed a line going from the red area to the corner of my eye and that is when I got concerned. By this time, I knew it was not a pimple/mosquito bite, but some type of infection.

So, like any smart person would do, I decided to Google it to see what I had growing in my face. This was a HUGE mistake. NEVER look at Youtube videos of an ailment because they always have the most extreme cases posted for everyone to watch. I watched video after video of larvae being pulled out of peoples' faces and bodies. It was disgusting. I decided the next day that I would go to the doctor. I began asking around for the best place to go in Kampala and asked Megan to call her driver for me. I did not want to go to the clinic on campus because they have limited resources as do the clinics in Mukono. I knew that I wanted to go to the place that other ex-pats take their children. So, I decided to go to The Surgery in Kampala (http://thesurgeryuganda.org/). Megan and I left about midday because I had a final exam to give in the morning. We arrived at The Surgery and registered with the front desk. Of course they didn't take my insurance, so I called my insurance company to confirm my benefits while waiting. This place was definitely the gold standard of care in Uganda. The place was gorgeous with new wooden benches, couches, and a coffee bar. As soon as we saw the coffee bar, we knew we were not walking out of there without a delicious drink. We waited about 30-45 minutes to see a doctor. The doctor was South Korean and very, very nice. He listened to my story with sympathetic eyes and told me about his experience with the same sort of thing on his back. He even pulled a worm out of his dog...gross!! I laid on the table and he began draining the infection. Megan was with me and she was a huge, huge help. Megan has delivered many babies here in Uganda and you could tell that she knew how to coax a patient through pain. She held and rubbed my legs as the doctor pulled out disgusting liquid from my face with various needles. It was a very painful procedure, but I was happy to get the gunk of out my face! After he was done, he dressed the wound and gave me follow-up instructions. I asked him if he knew which bug bit me and he said it was hard to tell because there are so many harmful bugs here. I left with antibiotics, antihistamines, ointment, and a delicious latte.

It has been two days since I started the medicine and I have seen a dramatic improvement in the appearance of my bite and my pain level. Greenish liquid is still oozing from my face, but I know I am getting better. Now, I just need to keep dressing the wound, taking my medicine, and hoping for no more bites for the next seven weeks.