FAME Hospital
The Rhino lodge was on top of the Ngorongoro Crater, which is where we stayed on the first night of the safari. At this altitude, it would often drop below freezing at night. To keep warm, the room was equipped with a small wood stove that the lodge had provided with an equally small basket of dried dung to burn in the stove (Thankfully there was no smell). This stove was capable of keeping the room at about 40-45°F. For additional warmth, the bed was equipped with many thick blankets. Going to sleep with these accommodations was more rustic than we were expecting but overall pleasant.
However, around 5 AM I awoke in a feverish sweat. I quickly dashed to the bathroom where my body got rid of everything in my system. From both ends. At the same time. Then I very quickly got chills and curled back up underneath the many layers of blankets. I was convinced that I had gotten food poisoning, that it was finished, and that I would be feeling better in no time. (In fact, I did not even wake Katherine up at first to tell her.)
By breakfast time, 8 am, my body was still expelling things from both ends. However, at this time I was still under the illusion that I just needed a bit more rest. If we were to simply delay our start then I would be well enough to do our planned hike to Empakaai Crater and sleep under the stars. Katherine, Benedict (our cook), and Honest (our guide) were less convinced. They correctly surmised that I would be in no physical state to go on a walking safari or camp tonight. Also, they were in agreeance that they should take me to a clinic if I didn’t feel better by mid-morning. Honest told Katherine of a great doctor he knew who was from America and had a clinic not far from the crater. Katherine relayed this information to me and I reluctantly agreed that if I still did not feel better by noon then I would go see the doctor. With this agreement, Katherine negotiated with the hotel for a late checkout.
As the morning progressed, I was in a 50-minute cycle: waking in fever sweats, releasing the contents of my body, getting the chills, and going back to sleep. I was unable to keep down any water and was getting dehydrated. With each cycle, I was feeling worse. Over time, I developed a migraine and vertigo. And Katherine was there trying to help me.
When one of us feels sick, we like to have the other one nearby. She sat next to me for most of the morning, trying to help with the cycle. Given how sensitive my body was, the room needed to be dark and without noise, and I could not be touched at all. So she was sitting in the dark, silent, next to me (but not touching me), all while completely awake. I am grateful for her patience and how she took care of me.
At 10:30 am, Katherine and Honest decided we were going to the doctor. It was our goal to leave around 11 am. When it was close to the time to go to the doctor, Katherine helped me get out of bed, got me dressed, and ensured that I had some water in my system.
Bundled up, Katherine slowly walked me to the car where I sat in the front seat wrapped in the sleeping bag I had planned to use that night. The 30-minute drive to the gate was agonizing. Each bump on the dirt road sent my head spinning. It took my full concentration to keep the contents of my stomach inside my stomach.
At the gate, I used one of the public toilets and was able to keep the water down. I was still feeling awful and requested to sit on the steps for another 10-15 minutes before continuing the drive. As I sat there with Katherine, many guides stopped by and had some strong words with Honest. He later told us that they were demanding he take my unsightly self out to the hospital to ensure none of the other guests saw me sick at the park gate. Thankfully, Honest defended the decision and let me sit there to regain some of my strength.
Back in the car, we continued our drive. I was so happy that the rest of the way to the doctor was on paved roads. When we got to FAME hospital I was seen immediately. They had a triage area outside where a nurse recorded my height, weight, and blood pressure. I took a seating in the waiting area. Just as my butt touched the seat, my name was called and I was escorted to an exam room where I talked with a doctor and described my symptoms. Then he asked me a few additional questions like, “How long I had been in Tanzania?”, “What kind of water I was drinking” and “Had I recently been in a swimming pool?”.
After the exam, the doctor escorted me to the emergency room. I was put on a saline drip and they took some blood for lab work. After finishing the first 1L of saline solution I gave them a urine and stool sample and they gave me another liter of fluids. Less than an hour later, the results of the lab work came back. Everything looked good. I had a case of food poisoning. Nothing worse, which we were relieved about.
By now, I was feeling much better. I was prescribed: Secnidazole, Cipofloxcin, Zinc, and Imodium. Which we were able to pick up at the pharmacy next to reception. Overall, this was one of the best hospitals I have visited and by far the fastest lab turnaround times. In addition to all of that, they only charged us $150 USD in total. Which was the tourist price. Turns out they charge less for locals. Given that I have had more expensive co-pays in the US, this felt like a bargain for the visit. We were happy to pay. And happy to know that it will be spent doing a lot of good, as the hospital does a lot of outreach into the nearby Maasai community.
We then ate our packed lunch in the parking lot and headed to our newly booked hotel in Mto Wa Mbumosquito river. (Well, I have a single cookie and juice, everyone else had their actual lunch.)
The travel agency had found a hotel nearby, so I could rest for the remainder of the day. (This meant we did not do our hike nor did we sleep outside, but that was okay.) Benedict, the cook, made us the meal we would have eaten at our campsite after the hike. This meal was amazing! I tried my hardest to eat as much as I could with my limited appetite. At that point, it became our favorite meal while in the country. It was incredible!
That evening we did some research into the hospital and enjoyed reading about FAME (the Foundation for African Medicine & Education). We were particularly impressed with the founder, their commitment to staffing the facility with Tanzanian nurses/doctors, their community outreach, and educational programs. (They take donations!)