ill bill

So woke up this morning to more paroxysms of retching violently and then hauled my sorry ass on the advice of a neighbour to a Muslim doctor in the far wilds of Pepiliyana. I was nearly faint with weakness having gone to the bathroom 12 times in the space of an hour. The hosue was calm and inviting; an oasis. It was not a practice as he was a private doctor and I was spared having to wait in line with raucous babies or with other similarly ill patients. Instead I sat in a walled garden where butterflies flitted among pink lilies and I waited. A bearded Muslim man came out, speaking full English and with all the uptodate tools and took the relevant measurements. Also practising in the ancient arts of ayurvedic medicine which uses traditional organic herbs and the like (that have been human-tested) to cure different diseases. He promises he can do something permanent about my asthma too. Turns out I have a nasty stomach virus and he was also concerned about dengue so I had to go to Durdans to get a blood test all the way in Colpetty. Durdans is a large, monolithic, luxurious (for Sri Lanka) private hospital. This is important because when I am sick, I do not want to use public health systems and I know that's horrible and I don't care. A nurse injected me, I didn't faint and I'm going back in a few hours to get the report. Am completely exhausted. But his touch was kind and gentle, just the way a doctor's should be.