The Tag Alongs: A Very Delayed Part 2

So it has been 8 months since I last posted. And I had originally promised to post again later in the week. Well, don't get me wrong, I tried (multiple times) but was really having trouble finding the right words to encapsulate everything I was going through mentally, physically, and emotionally. But here I am, 8 months later, and I'm about ready to start writing again.

So here's the breakdown of what you've missed:
- I was away from school until November treating the dysentery. I ended up being accepted as a patient at the Tropical Disease Research Unit in Toronto. I visited Toronto a few times between November and February and during December I literally had medical testing of some sort to attend to every couple of days (which isn't easy when you're trying to write exams). I found out the following:

1) When shigellosis is found the lab has to do two rounds of testing on the cultures they obtain, just to be sure. The second round of tests showed that I DID NOT have dysentery (although this is likely what I had in Ghana). E. coli looks frighteningly similar to shigella bacteria, so I probably had an E. coli infection. Anyway, these results were obtained two days into my treatment period on cipro, but the lab forgot to contact me. Or call my doctor. So I was treated for something I didn't have. Luckily cipro is a generalized antibiotic, so it ended up killing whatever bacteria had actually taken up residence in my digestive tract.

2) I had also contracted schistosomiasis. "Schisto" is a parasite that you can pick up from swimming, bathing, or drinking contaminated water. It can cause restless nights, fevers, and sweating because they are mostly active at night. They also cause you to crave starch and sugars, because this is what they feed on. So that explains a number of the symptoms I was still experiencing post-cipro treatment. To be honest, I was lucky to only have a mild case. I swam multiple times in Ghana (I couldn't resist the waterfalls!), used the water for brushing my teeth (it was apparently treated in Hohoe, although I continued to use the water once I was in Tamale despite not knowing how safe it was), and I definitely drank out of the tap in Tamale too (I had heat stroke after visiting Abdul-Malik's family and walking down the street for a bag of water just wasn't happening).

3) I do not have HIV. I did not contract malaria. However, I could be carrying a dormant version of malaria that may become active within the next two to three years, so I'm supposed to be cautious if I feel like I'm coming down with a flu.

- When I returned to school I discovered I was eligible for "disability" status due to my longstanding health issues. This simply means the university will allow me to write my exams in a private room near a washroom where I can eat and drink and take breaks as needed during my exams. They'll also help facilitate postponed exams if I ever happen to miss exams due to illness again. If you have a health condition that makes three hour exam periods stressful, I would seriously advise looking into what options your university has to accommodate you--it can make a world of difference!

- I managed to finish my semester without dropping any courses (although four out of five of my professors suggested this would be academic suicide). I even wrote a paper about shigellosis and drug-resistant bacteria as a globalization movement, which got a much-needed "Excellent work, McCuaig" from Professor Mark Salter (although I still question if he was commenting on my writing skills or my ability to fight tropical disease). On top of that I was able to maintain my average so I didn't lose my scholarship. Looking back I honestly have no idea how I managed to do this. (Shout outs to adrenaline, genetic coding, and bullheadedness!)

- Second semester utterly exhausted me. Plus I was living in perpetual fear of getting sick again. I managed to curb this by focusing my energy on exercise and well-being. I also needed to change my thought process. As a visual thinker I decided the best way to do this would be to start a visual art project that I could contribute to every time I was feeling less than magnificent. I decided to create a wall of gratitude. I made a sign that says "Today I am thankful for..." and stuck it on my wall. Every time I'm feeling really awful about something I sit down and think of something that makes me happy, or helps the world, or allows me to live comfortably. Then I write it out or draw it and stick it up on the wall. Now every day when I wake up the first thing I see is a wall full of colour and thanks. It reminds me to keep things in perspective and to think positively.

A lot of other things happened, but I'm ready to move on from the past so let's look at my present. Today I woke up and went to work at the Assembly of First Nations, an NGO that acts as a representative to the federal government on behalf of indigenous nations within the state of Canada. I started working there at the beginning of May as part of my university co-op program. My official job title is Assistant Policy Analyst and Strategist, but because I work at an NGO this essentially means I help out wherever needed. The main project I'm working on deals with First Nation governance and jurisdiction over determination of citizenship. The AFN's work is mandated by resolutions passed by indigenous Chiefs from across Canada, and last year they voted in favour of the AFN facilitating a national dialogue on First Nation citizenship, with the objective of generating ideas and strategies on ways to lobby the federal government to essentially scrap "Indian Status" (as outlined in the Indian Act) and allow First Nations to determine their own membership using culturally appropriate methods. I will be posting more about this over the summer, but for more information check out our Citizenship WebPortal herea. For more information on discrimination and gender rights abuses within the Indian Act you should watch the last segment of this episode of First Story (Kudos to Kelvin Redvers' whiteboard skills!).

I have recently decided to postpone my schooling until January 2012 after the Assembly offered to extend my contract until December. Although this decision caused me a lot of anxiety initially (it totally de-railed my 5-year plan, yet again!), I am feeling confident that my choice to stay is the right one. I love the people I work with, I have learned more in two months on the job than I did in two years of university, and I come home at night feeling good about what I'm doing. I've developed/improved a ton of skills, including learning how to use web content management systems, webcasting equipment, and teleprompter technology, boosting my graphic design capabilities, and pulling together briefings and condensed content descriptions within short deadlines. Plus I'm learning a lot about indigenous cultures and my own country that I never knew before. I'm even picking up some basics in a couple of indigenous languages.

The best part of my new job is the work environment. Last week we hosted a First Nations veterans' meeting so my day began and ended with a prayer and a drum circle. I can't even begin to describe the sensation of having drum beats and singing voices reverberating in your veins first thing in the morning. It gave me this incredible energy and inexplicable sense of calm that lasted throughout the day, despite a number of stressful situations arising. Over the weekend I attended my first real Pow Wow, and the only thing I didn't love was my inability to join in on the intertribal dances. Between the colourful regalia, beautiful ceremonial objects, beating drums, singing, and crowds of dancers, from the tiniest children to the most respected elders, I was in a state of awe. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Pow Wow I would highly recommend it--it is an exhilarating experience to say the least!

Aside from work I have continued to busy myself with volunteer projects. I have not forgotten about Gbi Special School. In fact, I am in the process of developing a project proposal for the teachers I have partnered with there in regards to their vocational training programme. Stay tuned for more...

The Tag-Alongs: Part 1

It's late, but I can't sleep. The last couple months have been hard on me, but I think I'm finally ready to start sorting things out. I'm sick again, which is probably why I can't sleep. I haven't slept very much lately, so I've spent a lot of nights just tossing, turning, and thinking--about everything. The whole of my life. And 20 years is a long time to sift through. But I won't give you 20 years of thoughts here. This post will be a health update. Reflection will follow, when I have more energy.
To begin with, I have dysentery. I had a whole slew of health problems after returning from Ghana, including digestive issues and weight gain, but all the testing I went through gave me a clean bill of health. So I started eating better, picked up running again, and got a natural detox going (just to be sure I didn't have any microscopic passengers tagging along from Ghana). It didn't take long before my old jeans fit again and I was back on top of my game. I was ecstatic! Then last Friday, out of the blue, I was doubled over in pain trying to serve customers at my new job. By 8:30 I was sitting in Ottawa General with my poor sister-in-law waiting to see a doctor. I was so dehydrated from being sick I thought I might pass out. I felt bad for the doctor they sent in to see me, he was a resident and obviously had no idea what he was getting into when he asked for my medical history. He furiously scribbled away for half an hour while I rambled on about all the different things I'd been diagnosed with in the past. The tests they took were horrible. The nurse kept poking my right arm but all my veins were dried up from dehydration so she couldn't get any blood out of them for samples. She then moved to my left, at which point I got queasy feeling. Her response to my warning of a potential "man-down!" was "Just think happy thoughts!" She seemed genuinely disappointed when she asked what I was thinking about and I said "Nothing. My head feels like a bubble." She then requested if I could please try not to pass out on my way back to the waiting room. My condition had only worsened, they had not given me an IV, and yes, as shocking as this may sound, they were sending me home because they just didn't have room for me and according to the head doctor "It's not our problem". I walked out of the hospitable at 2:30 AM wondering whose problem it was...
I went to my brother's for the night so I didn't have to be alone and decided to travel home the next day with his family despite intentions to stay in Ottawa over Thanksgiving. I couldn't look after myself and had no family left in town that weekend to rely on. The trip back to Peterborough was one of the longest I'd ever made, including all the Greyhound milk-runs I've been on through the years. We had to keep stopping when I felt sick, my niece was grumpy from pulling her first all-nighter, and my nephew didn't understand why we weren't "there yet". The comfort of arriving home didn't last long though. At 3AM my mom rushed me to Peterborough Emergency, my second home, because I was in so much pain. I went through the ropes again. The waiting, the medical history, the waiting, the testing, the waiting... But this time I was rewarded: HELLO SALINE INFUSION! It only took three tries to get the IV in (a new record by Canadian healthcare professionals-I currently look like a junkie I have so many holes and bruises up my arms) and then sweet, sweet, bliss! (Saline is one of my best friends to date, although I'm hoping we see each other less often in the future.)
I returned home on Sunday with a little more pep and hope that I would get some news soon about my condition. Thursday rolled around. I was still sick and I still hadn't heard anything. So I called my doctor, who was on vacation. I called his on-call, who isn't open all day Thursday or at all on Fridays. So I called the on-call's on-call, who is open all day but only answers the phone between 7-10 AM and 2-4PM. Fed up, I called Emerge and asked to speak to the "Charged Physician", which I was told isn't usually okay, but I must've sounded desperate enough that the operator put me through. The doctor on-duty put me on hold while he went down to the lab to personally look for my file, which they "forgot" to send to my doctor or call me about. Turns out I have a shigella bacterial infection, causing dysentery. The doctor figures its the same infection I had while I was in Ghana, but the doctors there only gave me enough treatment to put the little guys in remission. Last Friday was their "Welcome Back" party (don't be offended if you weren't invited, the party games sucked). The doctor had never seen a two-month lapse before, but then again, he'd never had me for a patient either. He wrote me a prescription for ciprofloxacin and asked me to stay in town due to my bad track record with antibiotics.
I also found out that, in Canada, shigella infection is considered a rare disease. By law, the hospital had to report my case to the Public Health Unit, who then had to report to the government. I also received a home visit from a nurse so she could write up a report on my condition and inform me as to how I should proceed. Essentially, read the info packet on shigella that was downloaded off the internet and wash your hands lots. It was very enlightening!
I am now off school for another week, after already missing a week and three midterms, while I wait to see whether or not these antibiotics work. I'm not getting my hopes up--these are the same antibiotics I was on in Ghana, and shigella are known to build resistance to treatment, especially after multiple drug exposures. The cipro has already started to wreak havoc on my stomach, which constantly aches when empty. To try and counteract the terrorization of my gut I'm downing a 50 billion count acidophilus capsule once a day (the highest dose you can legally obtain). I like to think of them as my little mercenary team.
Today was a better day. I didn't nap once, got through some homework, and was able to take my dog for a walk without feeling like I was going to collapse. I also ate a veggie burger and a piece of apple pie--it sure beat broth and jello!
On the upside I am incredibly thankful that I am at home where I can get treatment for this sickness, even if it is slow-moving. Dysentery kills numerous people every day who simply can't afford, or don't have access to, treatment, healthcare, hygiene education, or sanitation facilities. I have all these things, along with an amazing support team made up of all those I love. There are a lot of sick people in the world who have no one but medical staff to rely on and illness is scary enough without having to go through it alone. I'm really one of the lucky ones, and that's what I'll think about next time anyone asks me to "think happy thoughts". Also, I would take a hundred cases of dysentery before I would ever regret traveling to Ghana, so if you're thinking about traveling overseas to learn something about the world, don't let this stop you! A little infection is a small price to pay for a wealth of knowledge. Shigella is just one of the many exciting things I brought home from Ghana, so be sure to read my follow up in a couple days!

Sweet dreams world...