(Ed, I think this is another thing you probably should NOT mention to our parents...)
So apparently I exaggerated the number of bites I got. As it turns out, they aren't all bug bites. Some of them turned out to be hives due to an allergic reaction I had to the bites themselves. (and yes, I can hear the Cultural Equity Staff laughing incredulously already). We figured this out after three days of being out of the jungle, and while Simon's itchiness had subsided, mine was still just as terrible as ever and got a little worse with a 16 hr overnight bus ride from Lima to Arequipa where I got really tired and dehydrated. Simon suggested we see a doctor so we could find something a little stronger than hydrocortisone.
We showed up to a local clinic armed with snacks and books ready for a long wait. We showed up to the front desk, explained the situation to the secretary at the desk. She nodded and told us to come in back where a nurse examined me immediately. He gave me a couple shots of steroids and antihistamines and kept me there for an hour to make sure I was reacting well to it. A few doctors came by to see the carnage and they seemed pretty impressed. They wrote a prescription for some antihistamines and steriods for the next few days and sent us along our way.
We were there for about an hour a half, no wait, saw two doctors and a nurse, and got two prescriptions for about $60 USD without insurance covering any of it. (We've got a $500 deductible on our travel policy). And they were really friendly and sweet. I can't imagine what it would have cost in the states without insurance.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment