WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE 15000 KMS FROM HOME – GET SICK!
Tuesday night 10th- Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th —
Excruciating Earache pain, sore throat, very high temperatures, and a hacking cough in my chest.
I feel sooooo awful! I wanted to die!

Not good when you are in a foreign country and even though you are travelling with your own family doctor, he cannot help you at all.

What started out as a sore throat, which I thought was just from getting chilled and wet at one of the waterfalls we stopped at earlier in the week …. blew out to being quite sick!

Arriving in Faskrudsfjordur, …east Fiords of Iceland for the night, I was awoken at 2am with an awful earache. I thought that was bad. What followed was worse!

On our arrival in Akureyri, we went shopping and bought a few essentials, like boots for me and a jumper for Marc and enjoyed doing some window shopping, enjoying the smells and sensations of this pretty new place where we were to stay for two nights – actually we were undecided about how long to stay but my worsening condition and the overhanging threat of blizzard conditions swayed us that a ‘rest day’ was in order. 

We explored – what else would you expect travelling with Marc – It was snowing but that really did not make a difference to us as we walked to the top of the church steps (straight up again yes!) and talked to a few people who were arriving at the church for Choir practice. It was funny wandering around in the snow but we continued meandering around this delightful city, settling on a soup and salad bar for dinner. The brightly coloured lights on the houses enhanced the setting favourable, and so picturesque when trying to capture it with our camera. It was here that we discovered that our small Lumix pocket camera has a snow setting and it caught the images beautifully – much better than the expensive Canon camera ….so guess what we are using now!

What was so beautiful were the ‘real’ Christmas trees, complete with their own coloured lights and snow! Standing there besides the shop windows or out the front of a house …our grandchildren would love it!

Wednesday, we basically chilled. We were staying in a beautiful old hotel, which had character all its own with friendly staff, warm and cosy. 

After going for a walk in the morning on the newly fallen snow (and seeing our car completely covered in snow from top to bottom) we settled in the newsagency/ library café with another delightful hot chocolate! (nope no going home with any lost weight that’s for sure).

The afternoon was one of sleeping and watching the snow settle in – it really began to snow and was quite delightful watching it fall outside our windows. Gradually with the hypnotising effect of white glistening snowflakes falling exquisitely in front of me, my eyes began to close and the snowflakes tumbling in front of me changed to pleasurable dreamy obscurity.

Dinner beckons, once more soup and freshly made bread! To quell the sickness and the constant heart pounding pain of my earache I was feeling, a whole bottle of wine was consumed between us – the first alcohol we had consumed whilst in Iceland and at the price of $84 for the bottle, you can understand why. However, it did not make much difference (so sad to waste that wine!) Relentless earache and pain mingled with my tears as I sat in the restaurant trying to be sociable with Marc but not greatly succeeding! Making conversation as the tears are watering your wine, was not my idea of being good company believe me. Back to the hotel we went!

That was where it hit. Now I have honestly not been sick for the past three years at least.I have developed an immunity to Australian viruses working where I am and living with whom I do, I have not had even as much as a sniffle! However, here in  Iceland -so far from home high temperatures enfolded my body of over 40 degrees (I asked the Dr travelling with me) whilst I shivered and shook with rigors under the covers – I was sooooo cold. 

My ear thumping excruciating madly away without any relief at all, except the ibuprofen we had bought that day, I really felt like death warmed up! I could not get warm. I could not any relief, I simply cried and cried and cried…I was such a mess…(have not cried like this for such a long time either).This went on for hours and hours. I have not ever felt so ill!

I wanted to die

I just wanted to go home

Neither of them certainly were not an option either!

Poor Marc!

Praying hard through the night that I would eventually sleep and then wake up feeling healthy…I succumbed to exhaustion about 4am. But, no , that did not work either ! Yes, I woke up with my temperatures slightly better , but now my head had expanded to a fully blocked snowball all its own. Pain , coukd not hear very well – I could not hear out of my left ear (and that’s my good ear!) ( and you have to keep saying ‘ pardon’ or totally ignore what they said to you and smile ! 

Being optimistic I went down to breakfast (no I did not eat much) and we packed up as we were leaving Akureyri today (Thursday) to head to the western side of Iceland. Nope, that did not happen straight away either!

I ended up at Akureyri Hospital Emergency department as I was feeling so awful. We did ‘the right thing’ and tried the local doctors but received the same answer we sometimes have to give tourists in Brunswick Heads, “Sorry, we cannot fit you in until much later. If it is urgent, you can go to the hospital.” Now I fully understand what our visitor patients feel like when they are turned away and making a decision as to what to do!  Basically Being concerned about flying to Norway in two days and my ear so blocked and so much pain, I just could not go anywhere. But  I really felt like I was letting Marc down because I was upsetting the travel plans to which he quickly got stroppy with me (cross actually )and said it was not my fault and to stop thinking like that (I am sure I was a catholic in a past life, feeling guilty about things beyond my control!) 

To the hospital  emergency department we went.( Trying to find it is another story completely!)

On arrival, I knew it was the right decision. The receptionist was so lovely and as I stood there with tears flowing down my face she took my hand and said she was here to help, “We are here to help you”. She was extremely lovely.  

One and half hours later only ( amazing), armed with reassurance from a lovely Hungarian doctor that I was not dying and was going to definitely live, my prescription for antibiotics for the infection I had in hand , ( dr says probably from the secret lagoon – with its lovely thermal water I had soaked in ) – actually on reading the fine print the tablets covered primarily std’s as well – hmmmm , ( is there something I am not aware of ) , we left the emergency department of Akureyi Hospital.

$800.00 AUD later, ( yes not a typo error- 800.00 – this is what it cost to get medical assistance for about 20 minutes as a foreigner) we still felt we made the right decision to attend the hospital as I was certainly. not going to get better without medical intervention. 

Today – Friday 13th , i can say Definitely the right decision- now , with a croaky voice and my earache (still half blocked and swooshing sound ) but under control with Pain killers and strong antibiotics we can only journey onto better times ahead!  Both health and travel !!