Warning: Entry contains discussion of lady stuff.
Sanibonani!
One thing no one tells you about Peace Corps is that your menstrual cycle will probably be really messed up for a while. This was the case for me from the start. They put me on stronger birth control pills to try to mitigate the issues. It didn't seem to work. For months, my situation has been so unfortunate that there are two days a month when I basically can't leave my homestead. The medical problem itself is exacerbated by the fact that access to a bathroom is never certain out in the community.
If you are a female future PCV, be prepared for this possibility. Some women had no period for months. For some, it's really heavy and unfortunate. For others, there's breakthrough bleeding. And you can't get tampons with applicators here, so prepare yourselves. My lovely sisters have mailed me many a box o' Tampax (thanks, ladies!). Anyway, I just want you to be aware. Our med officer says it's the single most common PCV complaint. So there's that.
As my problems continued, the fam urged me to seek medical attention. I went to the medical officer in the SWZ, and an abdominal ultrasound showed unusually thick uterine lining. Because the technical capabilities in SWZ don't go much beyond that, PC decided to medevac me to Pretoria, South Africa. I arrived Tuesday.
The doc here immediately found the issue: There's a mass in the ol' uterus. It's probably harmless, and they're going to remove it on Monday and run tests to make sure it's nothing serious. I'm excited to return to a more normal situation. Here's hoping it allows me to do my job more effectively. Additionally, they'll put in an IUD that should help prevent additional masses from forming. PC typically doesn't support IUDs, but they'll allow it this time because it has a medical purpose aside from contraception. I'm pretty happy about that.
The condition is just coincidental, they said, and doesn't have anything to do with being in Africa.
In the meantime, they're putting me up at a swank B&B and giving me a per diem for food, etc. There are movie theaters and malls. Jack came (it's school break), and we went to the zoo yesterday. I might get to get my hair cut! It'll be the first time since June. Exciting stuff.
Well, amigos, that's it for the moment. Sorry if I gave you more information than you wanted, but I want future PCVs to be ready for such issues (and I don't want y'all to worry about me).
Salani kahle!
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