Rebecca A. Foster

I haven't spoken much about the health issues I've had from getting dysentery and giardia while in China. The Peace Corps doctor told me giardia can be recurring and there is nothing you can do about it, and I heard this from other sources too, so I've lived with the flare-ups, discomfort and bloating since then. (I hide my stomach as much as possible and joked I brought home parasites as a special souvenir.) My awesome nurse practitioner told me that didn't sound right based on her work with refugees when she was in Brooklyn and sent me to a referral-only, awesome Infectious Diseases specialist. There aren't a lot of these specialists in my area due to the low demand so I had to wait over 2 months to see her but she gave me the great news that yes, it can be treated and after one or more rounds of treatment I can expect to be protozoan free! (She told me they are referred to as protozoans, not parasites. Protozoans sounds so much nicer, I think.) She also told ...

Today I mailed off the paperwork to donate my body at death to the University of Utah Medical School. I already knew I wanted to be cremated and scattered, so it made sense to me to add this part to it. I checked with my family, because they are the ones this decision would affect, and they were very supportive of it. The medical school cremates you when your service is finished. I had the option to:  1. Have my ashes buried in a donor's plot at the local cemetery; each year, they bury the ashes of donors who wish to be buried there and conduct a memorial service for the families, medical students and anyone else who wants to attend.  2. Have my ashes mailed to my family by certified mail, with return receipt. This caught me off guard-- I had no idea you could mail ashes. Technically, you could mail them to somewhere random and boom, that's your final resting place.  3. Have your family pick them up at the medical school. This is the option I chose. My sister asked m...

Have you ever licked a salt lick? We used to buy little ones for our rabbits and big blocks for our goats and of course I had to lick one once, just to try it. (In the store, before the rabbits licked it!) Well if you want, you can lick me; I taste about the same. (For about an hour, that is.) This is my way of saying my salt therapy has been a big success, even though my skin is very salty these days. I don't think the salt baths are very practical, but the magnesium oil I bought has turned things around faster than I anticipated. It was literally almost overnight. I don't think magnesium oil prevents or cures eczema in any way, but it sure healed my existing patches quickly. A word of caution: you know that cliche 'like pouring salt on an open wound'? Yeah. It hurts like a mofo. Be prepared for some intense stinging for about 10 minutes. I don't recommend this for kids at all, who might not understand the pain. I bought my magnesium oil (not really oil, just...

My brother got me this mug for Christmas and I think I actually squealed with delight. I've written before about my love for the show Community , my favorite show on tv right now. I'm obliged to sing the "Troy and Abed In The Morning" song whenever I talk about this mug. My favorite thing about it is that the picture is the same on both sides, which means holding it in my left hand I can still see the picture, unlike my panda mug, which makes me stare at panda butt. Yay for double sided mugs! And Troy and Abed! ____ My Chilean mom gave us tea growing up as medicine, so I was quite prepared for this aspect of Chinese culture. I was not prepared for the tea itself, though. When the swine flu was going around, my school boss gave me a bag of bark and twigs and told me to make tea out of it to protect myself. With all due respect, no way was I doing that. I could smell the tea through the sealed bag, not a good sign. G. had a bad cold and tells the story of going to...

Most of you know Chinese culture views privacy differently than American culture, most easily explained as 'there isn't any expectation of privacy in Chinese culture.' I knew this affected personal space, family and friendly secrets, neighbors knowing what you're up to all the time, everyone always in your bidness, etc.  but I didn't realize it also extended to the body. It does. In my experience, bodily functions aren't considered private in China. Sneezing, burping, coughing, passing gas, peeing: all these things are viewed as natural functions of the body, so you don't have to say excuse me, you don't God Bless anyone, and you definitely don't feel embarrassed when they happen...if you're Chinese, that is! Many North Americans...it might take a while to get to that point. (I think this is also why babies and little kids pee everywhere and no one freaks out. Babies pee and poop...why NOT on the sidewalk?) When you first get to China, you...

Next week I have to go to the dentist, so I thought you might like to hear about what that’s like. The Peace Corps has a designated dentist we go to in Chengdu, the city where PC headquarters is located. They’ve verified her skills and credentials, materials and clean water supply, so that’s why we all have to go to her. Here’s how the trip goes: I take the bus 1 1/2 hours to the train station in my city. (On a good day—one time it took 2 1/2 hours and I missed my train.) I take a two hour train to Chengdu (yay, high speed trains!). In Chengdu, I take a 45 minute bus from the train station to the university where Peace Corps offices are located. I walk 25 mins from the bus stop to the PC office, near the campus hotel where I check in to spend the night because I don’t have time to take the train back the same day. I walk 25 mins. back to the street, then take a 20 minute bus ride to the dental office. After my appt. is over, I have the evening to hang out in Chengdu. In the morning...

This is difficult for me to write. (My dad, before he died, was very open to sharing with others the lessons he learned from having cancer. He wanted people to not to feel alone. He was also a very good listener, and encouraged people to share with him things they didn't feel anyone else would understand. I'm trying to follow his example.) Anxiety is a problem for me. From stories my mom told me about my childhood, it's something I've probably always had. I've struggled with it as long as I can remember, but I thought everyone did. Some things that cause anxiety are easily forgotten. Anxiety sometimes resulted in achievement, due to panic, so I haven't always recognized it as a problem. Some things that cause anxiety are long-term, and not easily forgotten. In the past, I've dealt with anxiety through medicine and self-medicating, not by addressing the anxiety itself. I don't think this is uncommon. Just prior to arriving in China, I had an exp...

I’m home from my visit to the other city to see the doctor. A few things: 1. The train was indeed fast (200 kph, or about 125 mph for you Imperialists), but not pressurized, so my ears popped about every 10 minutes. It’s like they get so close… There was a storm on the way home so it was a little easier because the barometric pressure had dropped. I know this courtesy of my 5th grade obsession with weather reports. 2. The skin appears to be non-melanomic. I was given some medicines to put on it twice a day and see what happens. If it doesn’t clear up, they’ll send some off to the lab. I kinda wish they had done that lab thing now, just to be safe, but I’m sure it’s fine. 3. While I was gone, I got a text message from someone at my school that 13 students had been quarantined for (possible or confirmed? No one has told me) H1N1 flu. What they didn’t say is that at least some of them had been quarantined downstairs from my apartment. For those who don’t know, I live in my universit...

I've enjoyed learning how the Chinese believe food affects your health. Every food is categorized as hot or cold, and they believe you need to eat a balance of these foods in order to be healthy. (Not hot or cold by temperature, but by the effect the food has on your body.) When the seasons change, you should adjust what you eat so your body stays in balance. Hot and cold foods should be eaten in a certain order to take advantage of the the temperature effect on your body. For example, at Chinese banquets, someone knowledgeable about hot and cold dishes orders for everyone, and the dishes are served in a precise order. There is an art to how food is eaten here. I think it's pretty neat, so different from our "make it cheap and filling" food mentality in the West. (I also wonder if this is one reason people here are so thin? Perhaps they eat in a way that makes maximum use of their metabolism by keeping everything in balance. I have no idea, just a thought.) They also...