Motorcycles, 10K, 3 hours & an I-Phone

What do a motorcycle, a run, three hour wait and an i-phone all have in common? They all are memorable items relating to my recent forays into the world of seeking medical care in Brazil. This story starts off two weeks ago when I got burned by the exhaust of a motorcycle on a moto-taxi ride. There was no big crash, no crazy medical emergency, just riding down a road full of soft sand on a moto and when the moto stopped, to keep from toppling over, I just got off. Unfortunately, inexperienced motorcycle rider that I am, I got off on the wrong side, which take note all you other non-motorcycle riders out there is the right side. Never get off of a motorcycle on the right side. Always on the left. Why? Because the exhaust or muffler is on the right side and you have a natural tendency to put your leg next to the muffler where it gets burned. So this happened to me. I resigned to my fate and spent 10 days without doing research for my burn to heal. I was about 90% there, and so back into the field I went!

I traveled back to Itarema, to meet up with the President of the Fishing Cooperative and her family to do some more research in the next town called Acarau. However, this proved to be a bit more difficult than originally thought. The day I traveled to Itarema was a few days before Brazilian election day. The Fishing Cooperative’s family was very involved in campaigning for the local candidate with the slogan of a Pescador (fisherman) should vote for another Pescador. Anyway this meant several days of delays without a research assistant. The family graciously offered for me to stay with them for the several days and without another plan, I accepted.

A note of minor importance. The family lives in Porto dos Barcos, about 10 K from Itarema in a tiny fishing village. There are no restaurants in Porto dos Barcos, and little to do if you are not fishing, or looking after your children. So I spent several days reading in a hammock, hours trying to analyze data and perfecting the post-lunch nap. However, because I was living with the family, I was a little unclear about the food situation. I had offered to pay to stay there, but they refused, saying I could donate to their church if I really wanted to. And with the family out most of the day spreading the ‘Get out the Vote’ message, I was often times left wondering if I was getting lunch or dinner, or if there was a family meal planned and I felt uncomfortable just helping myself to whatever was in the fridge. I spent a couple of fairly hungry days, not doing research waiting for election day to pass.

On my third day there, my hunger reached new found levels as did my boredom and I decided I would attempt a 10k run into Itarema where the world of restaurants awaited me. I had a look at my 90% healed motorcycle burn and figured it looked good enough. This would prove to be a mistake. The good news is that I was able to run 10K, without stopping (yes!) into Itarema and eat an entire pizza! I can’t even begin to explain how delicious it was. However, once I got back to the house (by moto-taxi), I noticed there was a red ring around my burn and it was starting to itch. I thought maybe it was just increased blood circulation from the run and maybe the itch was part of the healing process. 24 hours later, it was itchier still, and I inwardly sighed as I resigned myself to having to seek out a doctor in Itarema.

Onto the third item, the three hour wait. Seeking medical care in the remote area of Itarema required a trip to the hospital. Apparently the only doctor for non-medical emergencies is at a walk-in clinic located at the one and only hospital in the area. Just a note on healthcare in Brazil, there are public and private hospitals in Brazil. Public ones are free and anybody, Brazilian or foreigner can seek free medical care there. Downside: free = lots of waiting. So I waited three hours at the public hospital to see a doctor, who by the way sat behind her desk the entire time and didn’t look up from filling out my paperwork while I was there. She wrote me a prescription for some anti-bacterial burn cream and shoo-ed me out of her office because it was time for lunch. A three-hour wait for a three minute appointment. Hmm….

Well the results spoke for themselves, 24 hours later, my burn was itchier, redder and more swollen than before I started using my doctor prescribed cream. So being unimpressed with the medical care I received in Itarema, I thought it best to return to Fortaleza, the land of private doctors and better medical care.

Enter the I-phone. A sign of status and wealth here in Brazil. Also enter my new doctor. That’s right, he has an i-phone. I found myself a fancy pants doctor upon arrival in Fortaleza and not only did he do house calls, but he spoke English and had an i-phone which he used to take photos of my burn to compare for my follow up visit. Wow. The diagnosis: an allergic reaction of the sensitive skin in and around the burn. He prescribed some super duper allergy pills, told me to stop using all medical creams on the area, use a special anti-septic, anti-biotic soap on the area, and to follow a special diet. Now two weeks later I am almost as good as new and in another week I can be back in the field collecting data!

My Fulbright experience is quickly drawing to a close, and on the brighter side (if there is one from these lost weeks of research) is perhaps a more complete experience now that I’ve had a taste of Brazilian medical care. Bring on the vitamins, exercise and eating right for the rest of my time here!