June 25, 2005
The On-going Dilemna
Warning: I'll be talking a lot about poop today.
Ok, so here it is: the on-going dilemna that has been bugging me for the last few months. Since I can't decide what to do, I want you kind folks to decide for me.
You remember the crap load of pills and shots I mentioned, right? Well, there's still one more thing I *might* need to take. I have found so many conflicting things about malaria. Many sources say: Yes, it's safe to visit Kruger National Park in the winter because temperatures are cooler and mosquitos are fewer. Besides, if you cover yourself up and use deet, everything should be just fabulous. And then: nope, you should absolutely take an anti-malarial because you could get bitten and poop your guts out and die. Then I heard that the side effects from the anti-malaria drugs are totally worse than taking the risk of possibly contracting malaria. Side effects include: seeing things that aren't there, stomach pain, runny poop, throwing up, and just generally going insane. Soldiers don't call the day they take their anti-malarials "psycho Tuesdays" for nothin'!
So I ask you, what would you do? Should I risk getting infected and just be reeeeealy reeeeeeealy careful or take the pills and risk frequent poo-poo problems and insanity? Hmmmm..... now that's a dilemna!
Oh, and keep in mind that I actually have had malaria before (after taking a jungle tour in Mexico on our honeymoon) and it wasn't THAT bad. Unpleasant and very poopy, yes, but when I started my drugs I felt better. Hey, and you can't foget the 10 pounds I lost in the first week. I may have felt like crap (no pun intended) but I looked great!
Posted by Hannah at June 25, 2005 05:09 PMThere is a kind of anti-malrial you can take that doesn't have all those terrible side effects. The catch is that you have to take it every day the whole time you are in a malaria-risk area and for 30 days after you leave. It's an antibiotic--doxyxycline, I think it was--so it does have the usual side effects of antibiotics if that's a concern. We opted for it when we went to Cambodia and Vietnam last summer, and other than the pain in the butt of taking a pill every day for almost six weeks, I had no complaints. As they say on TV, ask your doctor!
Posted by: Arin at June 25, 2005 10:25 PMeek! i think arin's idea is best!
Posted by: linda at June 25, 2005 11:56 PMAtleast if you got malaria, you wouldnt feel the effects until you got home. I personally would rather bathe in deet and take my chances. Besides, not every mosquito in the area carries the disease, it is just more prevelant in the area.
Posted by: meggie at June 26, 2005 11:41 AMWow, that is a real dilemma. I wished I had wisdom to share. Are you any more or less susceptible to malaria if you've had it before? I don't know how I feel about taking an anitbiotic for 30+ days if I don't need it, but it may be worth it in this case.
Posted by: Elaine at June 26, 2005 03:14 PMLOL Hannah. It is the rainy season when you get here and I doubt mosquitoes will be around. I chatted to a friend of mine who went to the Kruger in July and she said she did not see one mosquito buzzing around. We never take malaria tablets when we go into that area and have never contacted malaria. Now if you were going into darkest jungle Africa, then yes, I would definitely think twice about it. Anyhoo, you come to CT first. If you have doubts, you can get tablets from a pharmacy here. Don't worry. If you get sick, you can stay with me for a month whilst you recover *wink* and I won't charge you.
Posted by: Michelle at June 26, 2005 04:35 PMNo no no no!! Stop right there, people.
I took chloroquin for 6 weeks (only one pill a week, a total of 6 tablets) and had absolutely NO side effects. Nor did anyone in my group, nor did any of the 45 people my mentor took to Honduras earlier this year. NO ONE. The absolute only side effect I had was that I wasn't hungry the day I took it and the day after. No nausea, no poop, no seeing things.
Not sure about the mosquitos in SA, but the risk of the pills was well worth the risk of contracting malaria where we were... the bugs were overwhelming!
Just remember they have to list every single side effect every single person has while taking the medicine. Sometimes it's not related (which is why virtually every med has headaches listed as a side effect.)
The old malaria medicines were quite toxic. I did a paper on them my 1st year of grad school for some random reason. Chloroquin is really easy on your system!
Posted by: girl from florida at June 26, 2005 09:06 PMIf it was me going to S. Africa, I would take the pills.
Posted by: Allison at June 27, 2005 10:19 AM