Thursday, July 12, 2007

Minimum Two Night Stay at the Reddington Hospital!

And I thought I was invincible! I had just commented at lunch on Tuesday that I have been pretty lucky that I have not gotten sick yet, but I spoke too soon! This past Tuesday (July 10) I started to feel ill around 12:30PM and it just got worse to the point that I was miserable by 4PM. I had the chills all over my body, a terrible headache, felt faint and as I waited to be seen by the doctors at the clinic I started to feel nauseous and started to have stomach issues. Because I had a fever and the chills, was dehydrated, and had a high white blood cell count based on the blood work, they decided to start me on IV antibiotics and fluids and admit me into Reddington Hospital for observation. My diagnosis was a combination of a bacterial infection and dehydration. The hospital (and the ambulance I got to ride in) was very nice and I had the opportunity to stay in the Royal Suites on the 6th floor because the suites on the 5th floor were full. The food was just OK, but I sure would have rather been home eating dinner made by our wonderful cook. The eggs were tolerable but I ate very little of the lunch (spaghetti and chicken) or dinner (creamy chicken soup). I just got home this afternoon (Thursday, July 12) although I have been asking to go home since yesterday. I don’t believe that I needed to stay the second night as I was having no problems drinking fluids on my own and I could deal with the stomach issues in the comforts of my own home. It seems as though they are extra cautious about the health of the expats here, which is a good sign but calls for a little extra time spent in the hospital. I think I got the stomach bug from the cafeteria at work and upon admission the hospital one of the doctors said that the number of "my company name here" expats being admitted to the hospital for gastrointestinal problems is alarming. I plan to mention something about this to management as an obvious problem needs to be addressed. As for the dehydration… I probably did not drink enough water to balance out the coke, beer, and wine I drank while in Ireland. ; ) I am now at home writing this note on the comforts of our couch and have to finish my antibiotics (Cipro) orally over the next few days and get some rest.

Unfortunately I was already familiar with Reddington Hospital as I had been there about 2 months ago when Bob was admitted for a malaria scare. We went on a trip up north and he started to feel ill but still continued to go hiking in the heat. He would wake up feeling fine but as the day went on he would develop a fever and then have chills through the night. These cyclical symptoms are typical for malaria. When we arrived back in Lagos, I made Bob call the doctor and based on his symptoms she directed him to go straight to Reddington Hospital where he was observed for 3 days and two nights and was then released with a clean bill of health. Based on the blood work, he did not have malaria or a bacterial infection, but a viral infection that would go away with time.

As the subject line says, it seems as though there is a minimum stay of two nights at the Reddington Hospital!


6 comments:

IamMBB said...

Yikes! It seems that those bugs that at home are no big deal can be quite problematic over there.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see that you are feeling better! You'll be back to the beach and the mall before you know it!
Cheers, n.laidlaw

Anonymous said...

Hello there Lisa and Bob - I've been looking for the email you sent with the link to your blog for weeks now, just found it and got caught up on the latest news. Glad to hear you are doing better. Hospital visits are no fun any way you see it. Ireland trip must have been incredible, i love the photos you took.
I now have link saved, so i'l check it periodically.
Be safe!
Mary Rivera

Unknown said...

HI BOB AND LISA

WHAT MORE DO YOU KNOW ABOUT REDDINGTON HOSPITAL. I AM A BRITISH-NIGERIAN GP AND I AM LOOKING TO APPLY FOR A JOB AT THE HOPSITAL AND MOVE TO LAGOS.

DID THE HOSPITAL APPEAR WELL ORGANISED?
WHERE IS IT IN LAGOS?

Lisa said...

Reddington is where all expats of the company we work for (a large international company) go for medical attention when our clinic can not take care of the issue. I felt pretty comfortable with the care I received but it was not like being in the hospital in the USA.

The hospital was well organized from check-in, through the two night saty and upon release. Every morning the physician and nurses would come in to see me with an older British man (not Nigerian) who I assume was chief of staff.

I have also gone there to meet with a Dermatologist for a persistent rash on my face, which does not seem to go away with the cream he prescribed. I think it is a side effect of Malarone. That appointment went very well as they were well organized.

I do know a pharmacist (Nigerian) that I believe still works there. If you would like, I could contact her to see if she is OK with me giving you her contact info.

Lisa

Ash said...

hi, Myself and my partner are also expats in lagos- where is the reddington hospital based in Lagos? Thanks x