Job Discussion Forums

[Gav22]

As I was thinking back over my time in Indonesia (Jakarta to be precise) - I got to thinking about the time when I was stuck in a single room with no A/C in a small town in west Java with my guts spilling out several orophuses for several days without any sign of letting up and no-one to help me to my feet.


While I have been ill before in minor ways, nothing could have prepared me for this bacterial invasion, which had me squatting over a hole in the ground every 2-3 minutes for well over 3 days, leading to sleep deprivation, dizziness, weakness and general all round insanity (the light in the room also died after it's first switch on).

I was just curious as to other peopels experiences with illness in Indo. It seems to be a universal phenomenon, and after it's gotten over, a source of humour and story telling for years to come. I wonder how it compres to India?

Anyway - tell me all about it, just for a laugh if nothing else.

[laughing_magpie06]

That was probably my worst illness too but not as extreme as your's sounded. I had an excrutiating pain in my stomach which one doctor diagnosed as pancreitis and went on to say (with a smile on his face) that I probably wouldn't survive and if I did would have to give up everything I love (booze, spicy food, coffee etc). He then couldn't find a pain killer in his surgery. So on to the hospital where I found I had a simple stomach virus. I should have taken a week off work than but diligently went back to the office to be told I would have a class observation that afternoon. It was at that point I thought they wanted to get rid of me.

This is the worst I had and think I was very lucky as many friends of mine had dengue fever, typhoid, malaria and one died after six months. Seemed to be worse the further I got from Jakarta.

[basiltherat]

hepatitis. I really thought my life was over. i don't recommend it.
best
basil

[Nabby Adams]

Almost the exact same symptoms as the op. And I got sick surpisingly often. In fact now I come to think about it.

WHY THE HELL AM I CONSIDERING GOING BACK?

[Wilkor]

Muntaber in a shitty hotel in Bandung. Toilet didn't flush, bak mandi didn't fill very quickly. Hence I spent the night first shitting liquid fire into the bowl, then throwing up into my own shit at close proximity. All. Night. Long.


not recommended. I did, however, save Rp 50000 on that night.

[tanyakenapa]

Yeh... muntaber... for about 3 days... finally got some antibiotics for it and I was fine..I couldnt even keep water in. I had eaten a "combro" ...never again!!!!!!!!!!!


Also when I was at school at JIS (about 15 years ago now) we went on a camping trip to Ujung Genteng (before there were roads built right up to the beach where the turtles come to lay eggs) anyway a long story short, I came back with typhoid. Was really sick for about a month. At first they thought it might have been either malaria or typhoid. Another student also got it as well, but she was a lot worse of than me. (sick for about 3 months)

I lost my best friend here to dengue, she was sick for about 5 days, left the hospital bed for a school examination then died about 2 days later. (She was 1.

[laughing_magpie06]

One positive of these and other horrendous experiences is now i'm back home in my native land I feel like the man of steel. Already survived a Melbourne winter without even a runny nose or cough. The immune system is in pretty good shape.

[Mr_Magoo]

Venereal warts back in the 70's - contracted in Jakarta's dockside area from sitting on a toilet seat.

A dear departed friend of mine was stung by a jelly fish someplace somewhere around some islands. He was sick for a very long time until his CNS and immune system effectively shut down, and he died from a common flu strain.

Concerning stomach ailments, gastroenteritis is a joy.

But a broken heart tops all pains and sorrows.

[tanyakenapa]

[Gajah Oling]

Oh, I had a really bad case of masuk angin. Yeah, doctor said it was because I ate fruit for breakfast instead of rice... Or maybe it was because I drove my motorcycle without first putting on a down ski jacket, winter gloves and a face mask. Lord knows it's freezing in Java.

[reog]

When I had the same symptoms as Gav22, I suffered for days and my employer thought it best to let me sleep it off. I finally left the Jakarta office and went back to our Bekasi branch where a co-worker told me I had the dreaded " masuk angin"!
I didn't believe him, but one glass of jamu (Tolak Angin) cured me IMMEDIATELY, and for the last 10 years any gastro problems have been treated the following day with one or two glasses of Tolak Angin.

A couple years later I came down with TB. After treatment, the cough returned, and for the last 6 years I've had a cough which Indonesian doctors can identify only as TB and which Canadian doctors can culture and deem non-contagious, but still not identify.
They're leaving my treatment to Indonesia.

(I think "masuk angin"--wind in"--is simply "catching a draft")

[Atoms for Peace]

[malu]

[Mr_Magoo]

Would you care to share your experiences of 30 years hanging around Jakarta's dockside toilets

[Gav22]

LOL....knew this post would get some replies.. Nabby, I find myself asking the same question. The answer would probably be a certain young Indonesian lady with melting brown eyes, a big white smile and a sweet, loving personality. Apart from that - good beaches, a place that keeps me constantly entertained, a real challenge and ultimately the draw of greater opportunity and a better lifestyle (living in the UK means one is effectively a slave, since the UK is now actually a game of monopoly that has already been played).

However - I can't help but ask the same question, and some days i answer it with a simple: I'm not - This is probably denail though![/b]