Yesterday afternoon, I developed a headache after lunch. We continued working — Megh and I watched some skin lesion removal surgeries — and then had dinner like every other day. Except when I got back to my apartment, my headache had evolved into more of a fever. Not only did my head hurt intensely, I had become very weak and had pain all over my body. I drank a lot of water and went to sleep in hopes that I would feel better in the morning.

Morning came, and I was still feeling feverish and weak all over. I told Johan and Megh that I would join them at lunch, because even though I still felt unable to go to work, I was feeling better than last night. I went back to rest and try and sleep a bit more.

In less than an hour I was woken up by the phone in the apartment ringing. I didn’t make it in time to pick it up, but then I checked my messages: turns out Carol, our supervisor, had brought me some medicine recommended by Dr. Carlos, and told me that she had left it with the doorman in the lobby of the apartment building. I went downstairs to pick up the medicine, and the apartment building manager was there and he told me that if I needed to go to the doctor or drive to pick up medicine, he would take me. Still being stubborn, I just said thank you and went back to rest in my apartment.

Carol had sent me more messages asking if I wanted to see a doctor, but I had replied that I just wanted to rest a bit. She also asked if I wanted Johan and Megh to get me some food from the hospital, or even one of the panificadoras (bakeries) around here. I said I was going to try and make it to lunch, so no need to worry. I didn’t know if I would be able to yet, but I had some granola and yogurt with me just in case.

Again, in the next hour the phone rang again, but this time I managed to get up in time. It was Carol: “Hi Pablo! How are you feeling? I scheduled an appointment with a doctor to see you now. Can you come?” And so, I gave in. It became clear that the people of the hospital were determined to make sure I was healthy and there was no use in being stubborn anymore.

When I went downstairs to the lobby to meet Carol, the apartment manager was there again, and he offered to drive us to the hospital. We made it in less than five minutes, and in the next thirty minutes I had seen a doctor and had some blood taken at the pathological laboratory. Dengue, a tropical fever, is less common during this time, but still a possibility — the doctor who saw me had just had dengue last week!

I went back to the Consultório 4, our room where we work every day, and talked to Johan and Megh to tell them that I was feeling better and would come back for lunch. Truth is, I was in fact feeling better. Not only that, I was hungry! I went and saw Dr. Carlos to say thank you for the medicine, and he offered to drive me back to my apartment. The apartment is a five minute walk from the hospital, and I already felt that I had taken some time from these doctors who are working with cancer patients, so I told him thank you but that I’d walk back. I had to insist a few times — he was almost done with this patient and he didn’t want me to get more sick and it wouldn’t take that long — but I managed to convince him to let me walk back. Before I left though, he made sure that I knew that Johan, Megh, and I were all invited to his house tonight for a churrasco (barbeque).

After a few days of being at the Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, I had noticed the positive and happy feeling from the hospital staff. However, today I experienced and saw a bit more of what the Hospital’s slogan “O Hospital do amor” (the hospital of love), was all about.

Muito obrigado (thank you very much), Hospital de Câncer de Barretos.

 

P.S. I should be getting my blood test results this afternoon or tomorrow, but I am indeed feeling a lot better!