Sick

I won’t bore you with the gory details of what lead up to this, suffice it to say that after two weeks of fighting a variety of cold symptoms that were not getting better I decided on Tuesday evening after dinner it was time to seek “real” medical advice (as opposed to the kind you get from an Egyptian pharmacist).

I’m not sure how things work for Egyptians when they get sick and need a doctor, I suspect their experience is different than mine, but this is how my evening went.

9:15 – Amy to Michael: I think I need to see a doctor. I’m not getting any better.
Michael to Amy: Let’s go find Abouna (Father) Andraous.

9:18 – Michael to Abouna Andraous: Amy feels that she needs to see a doctor.
Can you call Sister Pina and see if she might be able to get an appointment for her?
Abouna Andraous: Of course. I’ll call her right now.
He pulls out his phone, calls and reaches Sr. Pina. Arabic conversation ensues. . .
Abouna Andraous to Amy: Is tomorrow good for you?
Amy: Of course, anytime.
More Arabic to Sr. Pina
Abouna Andraous to Michael and I: Okay, we can go now.
Michael: Now?
Abouna Andraous: Yes, Now. Is that okay?
Amy: Ahh sure let me go get my bag.

9:22 – Abouna Andraous pulls up in a car and I get in the back seat, Michael comes along for moral support and sits in the front. We drive maybe 40 minutes to the Italian Hospital in a part of Cairo near the Citadel

10:05: we pull up to the closed gate of the hospital. A young man comes forward.
Abouna Andraous in Arabic: Sister Pina please.
Gate opens. We drive to and pull up in front of a small building. We wait a few minutes and then Sr. Pina arrives. I’m introduced to a doctor and he asks me to describe how I am feeling. He listens and then within a minute I’m in an exam room with the doctor, a nurse, Sister Pina and I think one other person. The exam begins. They take my blood pressure and temperature. The doctor begins to listen to my breathing. He looks at my throat and feels my glands. Within 2 minutes the exam is done, some Arabic conversation between various parties occurs, papers are scribbled on and then we are leaving that building and walking to another one.

10:15 – We arrive at a building. Sr. Pina rings a bell, says her name and the door opens. A man greets us and invites us to follow him. I’m taken to a place for a blood draw. Blood draw happens (painlessly I might add) and then we are told to wait for five minutes. We wait less than five minutes. Sr. Pina, Michael, Abouna Andraous and an orderly who speaks Italian are talking amongst themselves – at this point I’m neither sure of the language nor of what’s going on.

10:20 – Sr. Pina is given an envelope with papers in it and we leave and retrace our steps back to the original building. At some point in the midst of all of this, I’m told that my white blood cell count is high, indicating that I’m fighting some kind of bacterial infection. We enter the first building, Sr. Pina hands the papers to the doctor. He prescribes three medications and explains to Sr. Pina (in Arabic) what they are and the dosage. More Arabic and then the Doctor asks in Arabic while looking at me: Does she speak Arabic?
Sr. Pina (also in Arabic): No. English.
Doctor to me in English: Okay, you’re welcome.

I stand up, we say thank you to the doctor and goodbye to Sr. Pina, get in the car and reverse our route.

11:05 – Abouna Andraous pulls up to pharmacy, goes inside and comes back with an antibiotic and two other medicines.

11:15 – I’m in my room taking pills and going to bed.

That’s pretty much what it was like. Confusing, a little chaotic and incredibly fast. Now one of the clear morals of the story is, when you’re at the Italian Hospital in Cairo, if you want something to happen say “Sr. Pina” and doors literally open, and people move.

I should say Sr. Pina is an Italian nun who has spent decades living and working in Egypt. She teaches in our summer English program two days a week, but she is also one of the chief administrators at the Italian Hospital. Sr. Pina has a wonderful spirit and, as you can see, if you’re in need of health care in Cairo, Sr. Pina is the person to call.

After two doses of antibiotics I’m finally starting to feel better. I return to the Italian hospital on Friday night. I think they want to do another blood test to make sure the antibiotics are working. I know now to take a deep breath before I start and be ready to move. And if in doubt just say, “Sr. Pina, please.” (I even know how to say that in Arabic!)