As promised we went on adventure downtown and got our immunizations today!!! With Hep A, yellow fever, typhoid fever and meningitis under our belts (and our skin) we are one step closer to being ready for Ghana!!! And now, according to the health nurse, our Valentines Day will most likely be spent with fevers, aches, sore arms, and headaches. So thats great. We discussed a lot of the health risks associated with going to Ghana which was cool but pretty scary! We are in a high risk malaria and yellow fever zone... so basically the second we feel like we're getting a fever, we need to BOOK IT to the hospital to get some antibiotics. And if we begin to feel the symptoms of rabies coming on, it's game over and we need to get our butts on a plane back to Canada within 5 days or else we'll probably die. I'm not sure what the public health nurse thought about us when we burst out laughing at the thought of getting all these crazy symptoms and side effects but we promised her that we'll take everything seriously.
We also learned what the side effects of anti-malarials are. Most include intense hallucinations, dizziness, stomach upset, diarrhea, and sensitivity to sunlight. So basically me (Lindsay) being the redhead is screwed and I'll probably end up with skin the colour of my hair (which I've experienced once before and never want to relive). And the fact that Kiri has a track record of getting the rare reactions from the flu shot means that chances are she'll be the one experiencing hallucinations while vomiting blood and everything. Which will be GREAT to deal with.
Anyways, in conclusion, we offer you a piece of advice. When you get shots, move your arms around. Especially if you're getting Typhoid vaccine. Because let me tell you, trying to pick up a glass of strawberry smoothie or type a blog post on the computer, will make your arm HURT LIKE THE DICKENS.
-K&L
We also learned what the side effects of anti-malarials are. Most include intense hallucinations, dizziness, stomach upset, diarrhea, and sensitivity to sunlight. So basically me (Lindsay) being the redhead is screwed and I'll probably end up with skin the colour of my hair (which I've experienced once before and never want to relive). And the fact that Kiri has a track record of getting the rare reactions from the flu shot means that chances are she'll be the one experiencing hallucinations while vomiting blood and everything. Which will be GREAT to deal with.
Anyways, in conclusion, we offer you a piece of advice. When you get shots, move your arms around. Especially if you're getting Typhoid vaccine. Because let me tell you, trying to pick up a glass of strawberry smoothie or type a blog post on the computer, will make your arm HURT LIKE THE DICKENS.
-K&L