#himalayan trust

[mxmollusca]

Rhysie would very much like for you to donate to the Himalayan Trust to help build and equip schools in the Everest region of Nepal.

[rachaelinnepal-blog]

103 days to go

Yesterday was a very long, hard day.

You might remember that, on Tuesday, I had the pre-BCG vaccine Mantoux test done and discovered that 45% of the population of Nepal have TB. My follow up appointment, to have the BCG vaccine itself, was at 8:30am. Keen to let the rest of my family have a lie in (it was Saturday after all), I got up at 6:30am and took the train into Bath before hurriedly walking the uphill mile to Oldfield Park clinic in some very cold fog. My new Rab jacket definitely came in handy there! I was quite surprised to hear the nurse continuing to stress that the BCG vaccine was totally optional and that its effectiveness in adults is reduced, even after I explained the high incidence of the disease in Nepal. She even asked if I would prefer to wait a couple more weeks before having the jab but, keen to get all this over and done with, I asked her to do it then and there. I remember sitting on the bed in her office and watching as she placed the needle under the skin on my left arm but memories are a little foggy after that. In fact, the next thing I vaguely remember is the nurse holding a cold cloth over my head and calling my name to get me to come back around again, as I had fainted! I don’t know why – I’m not really squeamish or nervous when it comes to jabs now that I’ve had so many – but it’s safe to say that I was pretty shaken up by the whole thing.

So, after getting my strength back in the waiting room over the next half an hour or so, I walked back down into the centre of Bath and headed straight to the nearest Starbucks to bring a spectacular end to my healthy, caffeine-free diet of late. A gingerbread latte and a couple of caramel waffles put me right for an hour or so, and gave me a chance to read up on what the expect after the BCG vaccine. Immediately after the jab was done, a raised and slightly red bump appeared on my arm. This is basically just the fluid from the vaccine under the skin waiting to be absorbed by the body. In fact, it’s gone down quite a bit this morning. Over the next week or so, the injection site will develop another small, raised spot/blister, which will eventually dry up and leave a small scar about 4-6 weeks later. I will need to cover the injection site if I want to go swimming, but I should otherwise leave it open the entire time to allow it to heal properly.

Spending seven hours on my feet at work when I wasn’t feeling well was incredibly difficult, but I felt much better after sharing a pizza with Jodi in the evening. This morning, I’m feeling (perhaps unsurprisingly) pretty achey and run down. My plan is to eat well and rest as much as possible until it passes.

Having re-read everything that I’ve just written, I don’t want you all to think that I am scare mongering or anything like that. I suppose everyone will react differently to vaccination, but I hope that someone out there will find reading a first-hand experience refreshing after all of the medical websites that they will surely encounter if they decide to go through the same thing. And, obviously, my own story is no substitute for proper medical advice.

On a more positive note, I have started researching charities that operate in Nepal with the idea that I could raise some sponsorship money for my Everest Base Camp trek. So far, I have been really impressed by the Himalayan Trust: a charity whose principles were laid down by Sir Edmund Hillary himself, and that strive to improve health, education and the environment for the Himalayan people. Here is their website: http://www.himalayantrust.co.uk.

Until next time.

R x