Wednesday, July 19, 2006

next year, everyone gets typhoid vaccine

Ever since Tepic, I’ve been sick. In Guanajuato, I started taking Flagyl, thinking my magical garlic (which has cured any number of woes, from parasites to blood infections) had let me down. I spent 8 days on Flagyl with absolutely no relief. Today, I found the Centro de Salud in Zacatecas (no mean feat in itself) and after a short wait was seen by a doctor who diagnosed Typhoid. I’m skeptical but for 30 pesos I got an exam, 20 capsules of Chloramphenicol (in Spanish it is Cloramfenicol) and 10 pills of butilhioscina for pain. I can’t find an English equivalent for the pain pill but the side effects seem to be reasonable. The Chloramphenicol side effects are scary, so I’m stopping that drug until I’m sure it is typhoid.

Tomorrow I will second guess the doctor by going to the lab and having blood and stool tests done and then I’ll know for sure if I need something stronger than Flagyl for these super-parasites (my guess) or something different (like Cipro) for the Typhoid. Apparently, you can just let typhoid go and within a month it will resolved with either death (only 10%) or not, but since I’ve had whatever this is for close to a month and am not relishing death, if this might be typhoid, I’ll go with Cipro.
While I was at the clinica, the kids and Jamie rode the teleferico to La Bufa and took many photos. We were going to a museum afterwards, but Sissy had such a tantrum that we decided to try another day.

If you’re bored to tears, I’m wondering whether or not having Typhoid conferrs immunity. I’m also wondering if the typhoid vaccine efficacy is better than 65% (which is what it was when I got my last vaccine in 1987). Feel free to comment with your results; I’m off to nap. Again.
Lastly, I’ve been terribly remiss in responding to email and comments.  I’m getting there, slowly but surely.

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