Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? (October 11, 2006)

I firmly believe that I am developing a peptic ulcer. According to Where There Is No Doctor, the worst book to read when you are feeling sick in a country where you have limited health care access, here are the symptoms:

"Acid indigestion and 'hearburn' often come from eating too much heavy or grasy food... frequent or lasting acid indigestion is a warning sign of an ulcer. An ulcer is a chronic sore in the stomach or small intestine, caused by too much acid. It may cause a chronic, dull (sometimes sharp) pain in the pit of the stomach."

Too bad I have been unable to eat for 2 days, have had trouble sleeping and have been vomiting stomach acid. Similarly annoying is that vomiting is a sign of every possible infection, and quite a few non-infections. It is also something I seem to be doing a disturbing lot of in general recently. Have you ever seen the episode of Seinfeld where he ruins his 16 year non-puking spree? Kenya is ruining my 12-year non vomiting run! As someone with a self-professed iron stomach, I am not pleased with this turn of events. I also found myself laughing at the statement that ulcers can be caused by too much heavy/greasy food. Hello, is there any other kind of food in Busia?

On the same note, I have been getting depressingly sick yet again. I'm beginning to seriously worry about my physical health, and I don't know if this has to do with being in Africa, or being kind of sad, or just having a bizarre family medical history to begin with. In the past 3 months I have been seriously ill at least 6 times, have had to have antibiotic treatment 4 times, and have caught everything but malaria, typhoid and dengue (all mosquito-borne). Now I am paranoid that I am developing something else disgusting and generally bad for me.

I would love to feel healthy, happy, alert, and energetic again.