Hospital Experience

Life in Uganda continues to be filled with new adventures. As of this week, I can now talk about hospitalization in Uganda. Last week I visited a doctor at the private patient clinic at Mulago Hospital (the national hospital) suffering from severe cough, wheezing and shortness of breath. He diagnosed acute bronchitis and decided I should be hospitalized! I looked at him and asked, "Am I THAT sick?" So off I went to the private ward and found myself placed in the VIP room where I spent the next 4 nights, mostly waiting for the labs to open (closed weekends) and for the doctor to review the results. Clearly my experience was not a normal Ugandan experience - nurses actually tended to me and the doctor came every day. My young friend Monica and her baby Patricia stayed in the room with me as patients are expected to have caretakers. I was so thrilled to be released yesterday. The lung x ray came back clear, and the cough is improving.

Reflecting on the experience, it was amazing how calm I was - and I have to thank God for that, as many people were covering me with prayer. My fellow students and lecturers were praying, calling and visiting. People from Fort Portal and the US were praying as well. I shared with a friend that the last place I ever expected to be was Mulago Hospital - when I first came to Uganda the only thing I knew about hospitals in Uganda was that people tended to die there, and I had been advised to avoid them if at all possible! To God be the glory - the Great Healer. Continue praying for all who find themselves hospitalized in Uganda and elsewhere.