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Tomorrow I fly back to the United States. I face the unknown again, but it is not nearly as frightening when you've got friends and family near. I have come full circle as many of my Native American friends would say.
I came to Africa for a job, but truthfully I had more compelling me. A graduate school friend used to say in reference to being an archaeologist, "We're trained pattern recognizers." It's true. I had noted and written about symptomatic patterns in large scale African studies related to use of mercurial skin cream; the symptoms mimic Morgellons Disease. It seemed it was my destiny to take the teaching position in Tanzania. I'd hoped to connect with medical professionals who could look at the patterns more closely.
I did connect with a mental health professional. In April I was to present my recovery and research to one of the local hospitals. Then I got sick. For two days I found myself on some roller coaster. Maybe it was the flu, maybe more. I found myself contemplating leaving. I made it through a couple more days at work. On the weekend I started getting pins and needles in my left half. I decided it was enough to be concerned with (and others agreed).
I went to one of the local hospitals. There were mosquitoes swarming me, as I sat on the worn rustic bench outside listening to calls to prayer from the local mosque. An hour later, the "doctor" scanned my paperwork and in broken English said, "Yes, I know this. You have urinary infection." I nodded as he told me to go to their pharmacy and, "Buy drugs and come back in one week." A light went on in my head as I recalled a local friend warning me about a particular hospital which told everyone they had a urinary infection. I crumpled the test results in my pocket and caught a taxi back to my residence.
I contacted my primary detox professional, Dr. Bruce Shelton in Phoenix, and am having medications I couldn't get shipped to Tanzania sent to my mother's. I also am getting recommended herbals for parasite removal as outlined on Dr. Hulda Clarke's website (and recommended by a local homeopathic doctor). I will follow all the good stuff I recommend on this blog and get my system up and running again ASAP!
I will relax and reconnect with family and friends for a week or so. I have a good friend in New York City who is cyber-savy; she will help me get my website jwkeleher.com and a new website related to my YA Cliff Huggins series (introduction to 12 steps work for young people) up and running. I also hope to assist Patrica Springstead, RN in some extremely important research related to toxicity and the BP Oil spill. As always, I will seek the light path ahead of me (that is Quakerism. We talk a lot about the light).
I have come full circle. As I fly from the Dark Continent across the "Big Puddle" I will keep health in mind.
