I'm doing a bit of spring cleaning, and I have found the following magazines collecting dust in my flat:

• Linux Magazine (Jan - May 2002)
• Linux Journal (May 2000, Dec 2001 - June 2002, November 2002)
• UnixWorld Magazine (August 1990, September 1990)
• Dr Dobb's Journal (December 1997 - February 1998, February 2001, January 2002)
• C/C++ User's Journal (February 1998)
• Packet (Q2 2000)
• ;login: (April 2000)

It's malaria.

(My apologies to Bryn.  Obviously I vastly underestimated his ability to call up disease (a tropical one at that).  Especially since it has been 11 months since I visited Uganda.)

I've just arrived back from the hospital.  I was admitted to the Emergency Room on Tuesday around 3pm, and spent about 4 hours there while my temperature was brought down from 40.2 degrees (celcius) and my shivers were brought under control.

Kudos to the ultrasound operator who was the first person to suggest malaria, which was eventually backed up by blood tests later.  Apparently I have plasmodium ovale, which is one of the rarer form, and can recur up to five years later.  It sat around for 11 months after my Africa Source II (site not available at time of writing) trip and decided that last friday was a good time to make its gala entrance.

After the ER, I was packed off to a general ward, where I've been since then.  The malaria causes a every-two-days fever, and so my first day was actually quite boring, since I was basically fine.  Ran a lower (39.2 degrees) fever on Thursday, had the malaria diagnosis given, and was put onto quinine (not the nicest-tasting drug - without the gin, I mean), and didn't have the Saturday fever at all, so was discharged.

And here I am.  (Well, after collapsing into bed for a nap since the move out of the ward was quite strenuous relative to my energy levels.)

Dear world,

The next time someone suggests I eat a tuna prego roll, convince me rather to shoot myself in the knee.  It'll hurt less than the ensuing food poisoning, and I'll recover quicker.

Thanks,

Neil

(Oh, I'll get you for this, Bryn.  Not today.  Not this week.  When you least expect it...)