Colds

I have successfully made it through 5 years living in Africa without getting majorly sick. I suppose this should be cause for some sort of celebration. I have never had malaria and after the stories, I am happy that I have not. I have heard from various people comparing it to something like being hit by a train and that you wished you could die. So take your pick. I have had little things happen to me, more often than not related to stress.

Of all the things that can happen in Africa I would not expect the common cold to be the one that knocks me out. I had gone four years with very little illness and then we moved to Maputo I have had two colds and the flu in the last year. I am trying to figure out what the difference is. I was a lot more stressed in Chimoio. Maybe the warmth kept it at bay. The weather changes here have been more drastic. Maybe it is the pollution. Maybe it is because we have more contact with people. Maybe it is my daughter who catches illness from the children in the park. Whatever the reason, I have had more here than the first years combined in Mozambique. And they aren't little sissy colds. I remember in Denver I would go to work at the tree nursery in the snow and cold hauling trees around when I had a cold. It was no big deal. Sure I didn't feel good but it was not enough to put me down.

The first cold I had in Maputo gave me the worst sore throat I think I have ever had. It lasted for like 5 days. There were big ugly white spots on my throat and I could barely swallow. I got the flu in October and it was not overly bad in and of itself. I had a fever and aches and pains the first day. The second day, however, I went to the bathroom and sat down and before I knew it Jenny was waking me up. I had crushed my head and kneck on the floor after passing out on the toilet. I went to the doctor thinking it must be the beginning of malaria but it seemed like just a virus.

This last week Nadia came home with the sniffles and stopped eating. A cold we thought. I remembered the horror of the soar throat from the first cold I had. I tried to avoid it but I had not been sleeping well. Our neighbors had had a party and it had been especially hot the week before. I went to work the first day but the second day knocked me out. Nose running like crazy and a splitting headache and no energy. I wanted to stay in bed all day. It was a holiday and we went out for breakfast but the sun made my head hurt worse. I wanted to sleep all day and I was not much help around the house. Today it is a bit better but the sore throat and cough are coming on. I feel like such a wimp. Why am I getting beaten by a common cold. The only thing I can think of is that since we are on the other side of the world, my body does not have as much resistence to the type of colds that are circulating in this area and so they hit me harder than they would in the US. It makes me scared what I would do if I ever do catch malaria.