Medical Check-Up
When you get home, there are a number of things you should prioritise to ensure that you are mentally and physically fit after your experience overseas. Firstly you should get yourself checked out medically to ensure that your health has not been affected by the different living conditions you experienced while abroad. With the excitement of returning home and the pressures of getting back to college, work or searching for a job, a medical check-up may be low on your list of priorities. However, getting used to being back home will be easier if you are in good physical health.
It’s important to get a check-up as soon as possible after you return. A visit to your family doctor is not usually adequate: you need to visit clinics that have specialist experience as well as the facilities needed for lab tests, such as the Tropical Medical Bureau. In rare cases a medical check-up can reveal unsuspected problems which would otherwise lie dormant for quite a while. Some people may be carrying unusual conditions like unerupted infectious diarrhoea, amoebiasis, giardiasis or intestinal worms which can be identified better by specialists in tropical medicine. In the majority of cases, however, a medical examination will provide reassuring confirmation that you are in good health.
It is important to be vigilant for any symptoms in the weeks and months following your return from overseas. Diseases such as Hepatitis-A can take 3 to 5 weeks to appear, and Hepatitis-B as much as 25 weeks.
Diet
It is important to consider your diet now upon your return; you may be deficient in micro-nutrients, e.g. calcium, iron or a vitamin. A vitamin supplement can be an effective way of combating any fatigue or ill-health as a result of a poor diet.
Malaria
If you have returned from a malarial area, you should continue to take your pills for some weeks after departing the country, or in accordance with the manufacturer’s or doctor’s instructions. Malaria symptoms might not develop for some time and some Westerns doctors are slow to diagnose the symptoms so make sure to tell your doctor that you have been in a malaria zone if you are feeling under the weather.
HIV
If there is any possibility that you have been exposed to HIV while overseas, you may want to have your blood tested for the presence of HIV antibodies. These antibodies can take up to three months to appear in your blood so if you are getting tested, you should wait until three months after the last possible instance of transmission. Modes of transmission are through practising unsafe sex, by receiving untested blood into your bloodstream, or by being injected with an un-sterilised needle. Although no cure, as yet, has been found for AIDS, treatment can help to stall the onset of the disease and people can now live healthy lives for years with HIV. If you feel you may have been exposed to HIV, there are numerous centres which provide a fully confidential service, offering blood testing facilities, information and advice. Don’t allow yourself to be tested before considering the implications of the result with your doctor or a trained HIV counsellor. If you do test positive, be assured that treatment and support are on hand. For a complete list of organisations around the country providing advice and testing for HIV and other STIs see SpunOut.ie. For more comprehensive health information for travellers, see the Tropical Medical Bureau or click here.
Exhaustion
The last few days and weeks of your overseas placement can be very stressful. There are many loose ends to tie up, emotional goodbyes and concerns about the imminent future. This can result in exhaustion for a returning volunteer. On returning home, take some time out if at all possible to relax and readjust slowly. Pushing yourself too hard immediately upon return can be very stressful and unproductive. Get plenty of rest to give yourself enough energy to face the new challenges ahead.
The next section provides more information about looking after your mental well-being and tips on mentally adjusting to coming home.