Caboose

Towards the end of my trip to the South-South I think something bit my left little toe. A week or so later it had got a bit painful and seemed to have formed a blister. It got less painful, so I ignored it for a while but it didn’t go away, time for a trip to the Zankli Clinic.

After a little while being ignored at reception I was whisked straight through the busy waiting room, the doctor took one look at my reddened little toe and pronounced that it was infected (she actually informed me that it was cellulitis but eventually relented and explained what that means). After a medical version of the chop-house game where she established which antibiotics they had in the pharmacy she prescribed some tablets and sent me off for the nurse to clean the wound.

There was a slight delay while the nurse was persuaded to actually come and do some work, as a result of which she seemed a little grumpy. In fact the only thing she said to me was “See, pus!” as she tore off bits of scab and delved around in the (tiny) wound. Afterwards she haphazardly stuck on a dressing and got back to the important work of chatting with her colleagues and reading magazines. This was quite a contrast after the very friendly and helpful doctor.

I’m now wearing sandals to work for a while to reduce the pressure on my toe and hoping that the antibiotics will clear it up before my planned trip up Mount Cameroon early next month.