Blood, Bills and Buses all in One Day


The picture above is of Reed's (top floor) and the fast food joint, Chicken Republic/St. Elmo's.

I’m sitting on my bed, under my mosquito net and mosquitoes are still biting me but I must finish this post!

Peeps, it looks like my buka days are over. Don’t be fooled by those posh restaurants that I blog about. I love my buka joints! But it turns out that my body doesn’t. Recent blood test results have revealed traces of Typhoid in my blood! Gasp!

When I heard, I thought there must be some mistake. I cannot recall having malaria, talk less typhoid. But it makes sense because every since I resumed work in Lagos I have really become a restaurant hopper. I wonder which one of my "customers" gave me this bacteria or is a virus? What is typhoid anyway? My mother must not hear because I won’t hear the last of it. For years, she has been warning me and my father to stay away from bukas. He complied. I didn’t.

But on the brighter side, like the Doc said, it’s just a trace. So why did he prescribe 4 different drugs? As I sign my hospital bill, I grumble to the nurses that too many pills will make me look like a sick person. I would have called it a money making gimmick but the nurse pointed out that the drugs only cost N2500 out of the N9,500 bill. Come to think of it nine five for what? Yesterday I whined to the doctor about my symptoms, they took my blood and today I picked up my drugs. If not that my insurance was paying I would have made a fuss about that bill!

But I wonder which one of my regular lunch spots is the culprit?

Mosquitoes are still biting me.

I plan on getting an inverter to supply me with light. I no fit pull gen. Neither can I stand up in the middle of the night to turn off the gen when NEPA blinks. The inverter automatically switches itself off when there’s light and on when there isn’t. Smart ey? If I don’t talk about it by next month please ask me. This is the year of Just Do It.

They should bring light jo!

These days I’ve been forfeiting my free ride to work so I can sleep in. But that means that I have to gear up for the morning crazies at the bus stop. You should the folks at my bus stop. A bus going to Obalende arrives. I always wonder how people know where the bus is going because the conductor never calls out the destination yet 6 people will dash for the bus and clamor for one spot. They won’t even allow the person that wants to get off to come out! That can go on for 10 minutes with the same people doing the mad dash. I don’t join them oh. When I do, like I did this morning, I’ve calculated that I will get a seat. How can I get jabbed in my rib and stepped on for nothing?

They still haven’t brought light. Mosquitoes are still in my net, but there’s a cool evening breeze.

Comments

  1. LOLLLLLL@..I wonder which one of my "customers" gave me this bacteria or is a virus?
    babes' i tink its iya basira :)
    *thank God it was only a trace, abeg take ya drugs o' i no hear say one thing do one thing
    take care'

    @6 pple clamoring 4 one spot...OIN
    (only in 9ja)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another well written and witty piece. Joo, make it once a week s'o gbo? Your stories help some of us anonymous followers maintain that naija link that you can't get in newspapers. Cheers, girl.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pele/Ndo/Sorry o! When I was going to Naija to visit last year (after 15 years away) it was recommended that I get the vaccine to prevent Typhoid Fever. If I remember correctly the bacteria is from the water or food that has come in contact with the feces of an infected person (gross eh?). Anyway, I guess that means anyone who has Typhoid but doesn't wash their hands properly after using the loo could potentially pass it to an unsuspecting person, and this could happen in bukas as well as those fancier joints.

    I swear if we had a hidden camera in some of those places where they prepare food for general consumption we'd never eat out again!

    I'm glad your medication is covered by insurance: use it and I hope you're 100% well soon.

    And those mosquitoes! They are vicious! They eat me alive wherever I go (and I have the scars to show for it!).

    ReplyDelete
  4. When did they start having health insurance in naija?

    Anyway, come on over to the awards. I haven't seen u there.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have been enjoying and following your blog, MsBraveAfroBabe...

    power failure
    food poisoning
    bussing it
    no a/c
    arm-robbers
    fighting for petrol

    nightmare ... scared ... will i ever go back ... i'll head for Abuja ... Lagos is just damn too scary for me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. -LG, yes I finished up my drugs. thanks hon!

    -anon, thank you ;) yels, I’m working on making my posts more regular. My goal now is one per week.

    -GNG. That is soooooo gross! I try not to think too much when I’m eating out. But I keep my eyes wide here. Food attendants are fond of using their bare hands to touch my cutlery. Yuck.

    -NBA/sting Recent legislation in the past few years helped with the creation of several HMOs in Nigeria. Good stuff really. I’ve cast my vote on the awards site! But my name is not on the blogroll oh! Why now?

    -Secret Diary. When I lived in Abuja, I also had a fear of Lag, but it isn’t as bad once you jump into the lifestyle.

    ReplyDelete
  7. i know a good place u can get ur inverter from! dat thing is a blessing i swear!! gen comes on at 6 or 7 goes off at 11 or 12, and inverter works till 8am in the morning, by which time im in d office anyway, heaven i tell u!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts