Parasites in Paradise

This story starts with an optometrist in Cali, Colombia and ends at a health center in Weligama, Sri Lanka. This is a tale I never wanted to tell but it is worthy of telling so here goes...

I had an eye exam with a new to me optometrist a few weeks before leaving for Sri Lanka. At one point he said, "I see you're having intestinal problems." To that I said, "No, my stomach feels fine." Two days later I realized that he wasn't asking, he was telling; or maybe predicting...or cursing me!

I starting having intestinal problems. Diarrhea to be specific. I had fun calling him a witch doctor who had cursed me as I went on with my life expecting to just let it run its course. Most days weren't too bad and some required Pepto Bismol. Fun fact: Pepto has been banned in France since 1970 due to neurotoxicity that even killed some people who were taking high doses. I discovered this on our long layover in Paris where I switched to Imodium!

Some people are overly diligent and go to the doctor at the drop of a hat. Some people resist, thinking that it isn't bad enough or it just needs to run its course or they just hate the ordeal and figure it will go away eventually so why bother-unless it gets really bad. And some have a good balance and maybe a little more sanity than me because I'm the second type!

After managing for 5 or 6 weeks with otc medication; testing a day or two without here and there to see if it was done I gave in and decided to seek medical care. At this point I was pretty sure I was experiencing my first bout with parasites and I was ready to evict them! So how do I choose a doctor in a small beach town in a foreign country? A facebook group for foreigners in Sri Lanka of course. Someone recommended a place called Asia Medihealth Services which is right next to Food City, our grocery store. I'm about to share the greatest medical experience in my 56 years of life. If it was always this easy, I would visit the doctor more often!

They are open 24 hours and no appointment is necessary. Chelsea and I rode our bikes over just after 8 am and walked in-she felt like going for a bike ride so she came along. I immediately went to a window where a woman took a look at my passport, confirmed my phone number and asked for 2000 rupees ($6.72usd) which I paid with a credit card so I have all the prices in usd for the exchange rate of that day. She then pointed to a woman who was standing in the waiting room (where nobody was waiting) and said to go with her. We walked down a hall and she opend the door of a small office. The doctor inside was direct with her questions and our conversation took maybe 10 minutes (or less). She wrote out 4 prescriptions which she explained: an antibiotic, an anti parasitic, an antacid which she explained was because one of the other meds would cause overproduction of acid, and a probiotic. She told me not to eat meat, fish, eggs or leafy vegetables for 3 days and handed me and my prescriptions off to another woman.

I was led to the inner waiting room where some other people were sitting and asked to wait. In about 3 minutes a man cam out with the antacid and the anitbiotic and explained how to take them. He asked me to pay the lady at the window and told me to fill the others at a pharmacy. I paid $3.36 usd and headed to the pharmacy where I bought the antiparasitic and probiotics for $17.07 usd. The probiotics were the most expensive by far and the ones I have to take the longest.

$27.15 was my total cost for consultation and 4 medicines with no appointment and no waiting. By the end of the first day of medication with no imodium my diarrhea is gone! If all doctors visits worked like that I would go more often! If you are ever sick in Weligama got to Asia Medihealth Services!

P.S. I am writing this on the third day....Last night, my feet and lower legs swelled up enough to give me pause. I lay in bed with them up the wall until they felt good enough for me to sleep. As I lay there searching my brain (not enough potassium? too much salt? What's going on?!?) I looked up possible side effects of the medications. The antacid was the only one that said it could cause swelling in extremities and to see the doctor if it did. I didn't take it in the morning and I went back to the clinic. The experience was similar except that they sent me right to the doctor without charging me. It was a different doctor. He heard my story, listened to my stomach and checked out my feet which weren't as bad after a nights sleep and wearing compressions socks for a little while this morning. He told me to stop taking the antacid and antibiotic and if it wasn't perfectly normal in 1-2 days do come back but he was not at all concerned.