Wednesday, April 2, 2014

In sickness....

Words seem inadequate to describe the assault on my body in the last few weeks. Starting with travelers diarrhea, which seemed to pass and then didn't, which seemed to resolve after Cipro and then didn't, which then got to be much worse and I needed IV treatment. Then flagyll for parasites which made me feel so much worse that I stopped after 3 doses. But the side effect of heightened sense of smell made being in McLeod Ganj a constantly nauseating experience. Of course I got intellectually curious about the parasites, thinking that perhaps i should have taken the full course, and discovered the fatal abscesses that might occur is some people, sometimes........ So I started in on the full dose, full course ( full sensitivity to smells). I got sicker, went to get a massage for comfort and she pressed so hard on my "points" that I was in great pain in my hips for 4 days afterwards! The third Flagyll morning the news headlines looked like someone had poured bleach on the page - I couldn't see a full headline, no matter which way I turned my head. After breakfast it got better, but my fear increased by a large number. A nurse practitioner friend from home advised me that I was taking 3 times the standard US dose (though the correct one for India) and to stop. I stopped right away ..... Then I began to plan on leaving. That morning the raptor which has a nest in a tree right next to my balcony dive bombed me twice and scraped his claws, painlessly, along my head. I heard the message loud and clear... GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!

So here I am, back in Pune, 2000 miles to the south and much hotter. I have cocooned myself at the Marriott, where a $500/night room in the US is about $100/ night here. Where I have a soft bed for the first time on this trip, except when I stayed with my friends as we visited Machu Picchu. Where I have had my first hot soaking bath in 8 months. Where everything is set up for my pleasure and peace of mind. Where I have just had a world class massage - so perfectly pressured that my body could listen to itself whisper where it needed help. Even though I had to leap from the table twice to use the bathroom, I feel as if she was the first person or treatment which has actually helped me in 3 weeks. My body trusted her, my mind trusted her, and my stomach feels much less agitated than it did an hour ago. I might even get through the night asleep, instead of bouncing up and down 25 times.

Things are looking up! Perhaps the next blog will be. "And in health!"

 

 

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