Pink Eye

This morning I woke with my eye crusted shut. I’ve never had Pink Eye before but I’m hoping that is the problem. I look at my eye and I’m not sure where it got it’s name, my eye is blood shot red… why isn’t it called Red Eye.

While it’s no big deal in the States, I have to admit that I’m scared. I hate the thought of going to the Doctor here. What if it’s something else? What if the facilities aren’t clean? Is it rude to bring my own rubber gloves for the doctor to use?

I tell Nunu that I need to go to the hospital. No one here ever says they need to go to the doctor, it’s always the hospital. He tells me there is also one Clinic in town and he would rather take me there. It costs more but the wait at the hospital is at least 3 hours, but 5 hours is the norm.

We take the schapa into town. I feel bad that I’m on public transportation, I don’t want to spread my germs, so I do my best to not touch anything. We get to the Clinic and go inside but they tell us they don’t have the medicine for my eye… they suggest the hospital.

While we walk, I try to understand just how the whole hospital thing works. Apparently you go pay 1 or 2 MZN to get a number. Then you wait in one area and then you are moved to another area depending on your issue. It all sounds confusing. When we walk up outside the hospital, Nunu see a Policeman that he knows. He asks his friend if he can do anything to help us. The guy pulls a few strings and walked us up a flight of stairs and down an open-air hallway that is lined with people on each side waiting to see a doctor.

I feel a little bad as they have probably been waiting for hours, but I follow. I figure my issue is pretty simple and I will be in and out. We sit outside a door that says “Ophthalmologist” in Portuguese while the Policeman goes in. Nunu asks me if I have 50 MZN to thank his friend. I wasn’t expecting this but I should have, unless you get a favor from your best friend, you usually show thanks by giving a few MZN.

A few minutes later he come back for us. We walk through a waiting room of 3 people, all of who are holding their ticket. And I sit in the office while the Doctor is finishing with the girl before me.

I move into the hot seat and Nunu explains my issues. The doctor picks up a red plastic dollar store flashlight and points it at my eye. He makes no effort to touch me or open my eye which is swollen about half way. So with my right hand I pull my eye lid up and my left I pull my eye lid down and I move my eye all around. He puts down his flashlight and writes me a prescription to be filled at the Pharmacy and talks some more to Nunu… instructions I’m guessing.

I’m in the hot seat for less than 2 minutes. The Policeman brings us out down a back hall and we thank him for his help. He goes to shake my hand but I point to my eye and he understands and laughs.

On our way to the Pharmacy Nunu runs into a guy he knows. He greets me in English and goes to shake my hand and I try telling him about my eye. Nunu explains the problem and the guys response is, “I don’t care, you American’s care to much about some things.” So we shake hands and have a good laugh. He also says something about how it is okay because I have glasses on. Mozambican’s definitely view germs differently than Americans do.

I try my best to stay in my room and not let the kids in, but I keep forgetting. I chase them all down after they leave and make them use my hand sanitizer. I have Santos tell the kids at family time that I’m sick and they should come to my house for one day.

I spend Thursday hold up in my room watching movies… I guess it takes pink eye to get a day off around here. Just kidding, it’s been hard to take time off when I’m here such a short amount of time. But I get it I need a day off too.

The hardest part of pink eye is that I can’t wear my contact, which means I have to wear my prescription glasses and can’t wear sunglasses. I have sensitive eyes and at times the sun actually makes me sneeze. Thankfully it’s a bit overcast. And I’m happy to say that the medication works really well and my eye looks normal by Sunday! Yeah for the sun and sunglasses!

Prayer Request:

- Praise! For my eye healing so fast!

- Preparation of travel home. Everything from tickets to packing =)