Aug 28. 2014. -aches

There are many words finishing with –aches: headache, stomachache, and backache… I think we can add any part of body with –ache to make something+ache. Aching somewhere is a natural part of our lives, so we can simply take some painkiller and go to bed early to recover from that ache. But the –aches that we did not take it seriously can disguise themselves as a life-threatening red alert.

Ebola Symptoms - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Last night, I was awakened from sleep at 2am. I felt that something must be wrong with my stomach. I had an upset stomach! I went toilet in and out all through the night, but I could not get over the stomachache. Then, a deadly fear swept over me. ‘Is this Ebola?’

Early symptoms of Ebola are fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, unexplained bleeding or bruising, joint and muscle pain, weakness, and lack of appetite. Ebola patients normally start with ordinary symptoms that we experience ordinarily; fever, headache or cold. Thus, it may not possible to distinguish between a slight cold and early symptom of Ebola.

The date was August 27 at dawn, which has almost one month passed since I was exposed to Ebola affected area, so I should be okay to think I am Ebola-free man. Nevertheless, I was prepossessed with dodgy idea that the maximum “21 days” of Ebola incubation period may not apply to me. I could be an outlier! I could be a real oddball whose Ebola incubation period is 30 days! If I would die of Ebola now, I would contribute to update that period as 2 to 30 days. I know I am such a crybaby but I was reluctant to be because we do not know the exact information of Ebola yet. To declare Ebola outbreak is over, two consecutive incubation periods, 21 days x 2 = 42 days, should be passed without even single Ebola case from the date of the last Ebola case. I may also need 42 days to say with confidence that “Oh, this stomachache result from overeating every day!”

2014 Annual Progress Report: These mails
will be sent to sponsors all over the world

It was true that I worried myself about this stomachache could be Ebola symptom, by any chance. Sore pain in the stomach bothered me all day long, and I lost my appetite. However, I did not give up eating because there was free food at Nam Hotel. World Vision sponsorship team was preparing for sending mails in the Nam Hotel’s conference room to those who are sponsoring Tanzanian children. Each mail was enclosed with an annual progress report that explained how sponsorship have helped sponsor’s child during a year. Sponsors would receive news about their sponsoring children how they are doing. I did eat last lunch at this place two days ago, but nobody complained of a stomachache, so I assumed that this food did not cause my stomach pain. So I ate, a little less yesterday.

I did not want to make a great fuss about that, so I decided to wait until today morning to see if the pain still does not go away. I was confident that this should be simple upset stomach. I had a long and boring sleep and arose from slumber. My stomach? Oh yes, it was fine. It was confirmed that my stomach has been tired of eating new style of food in Africa for 3 months, so it must have become ill. There is an old saying, “Once bitten twice shy.” When you have had experienced some unpleasant accident, you may be much more startled by similar experience next time. Staying in Sierra Leone was not easy, and the experience in that country has still been making me fray my nerve. Whenever I felt or saw some abnormal symptoms, all kinds of slight –aches, slight scratch on my skin, unfounded red rash, diarrhea, and exhaustion, I was suddenly suspicious, ‘Is this Ebola?’

It was not so funny; my chronic fatigue, regardless of physical, mental, or nervous, and muscle pain from pushup hectored me that this could be an Ebola symptom. Luckily, I have never had serious symptoms – fever, vomiting, bleeding – and combined big symptoms – diarrhea + joint pain – so I considered myself that I should be fine. A combination of stomach pain and lack of appetite just for 1 day did not threaten me enough to go to the hospital to ask "Is this Ebola?" I realize again about the importance of body management; exercising every day to keep myself in good shape and to treat myself right. The stomachache caused by overeating anything did frightened me; I may have to eat in moderation from now. Merely, I am just sad by the thought that I would not ask Niongeze Kidogo! (좀 더 주세요!) again to use portion control.