Or was it anyone of the multitude of surfaces that I touched? Hmmmmmm? Now that's a thought!
There are very few "sky ways" at India's airports....which means transportation to and from the terminal to the airplane is by bus...........and the driving skills and ancient transmissions force you to hold onto something......or you will become a human projectile......and not be very welcomed by your fellow passengers.
I am not a "germ-o-maniac"..........actually the name given to someone who suffers from the fear of germs is Mysophobic. GERM-O-MANIAC sounds better don't you think?
I may never know..........and even up to two days ago, I didn't even care to begin tracing where I picked up my "mystery bug"..........after dealing with the effects of my illness for the past 10 days.......honestly, I still don't care.........._ _ _ _ happens!
What I thought was my allergies acting up, or the beginning of a typical head cold, has progressed into one of the mysteries of modern medical science...........
On Monday October 11th I started feeling bad..............and I have a high tolerance for everything.......so when I say bad .............it means bad enough not to go to work......which for me is a huge deal. I decided to stay home that day and get some rest, as I was traveling the rest of the week......I wasn't doing well Tuesday....my throat was killing me, coughing.....etc.....I had my faithful NYQUIL, that I brought from the US as it is unavailable in India.........it didn't help.......I returned to Delhi on Friday......by the evening, 103.5 degrees of fever...........I had chills..........my body had just shut down. I was aching in my joints.....not just aching.......ACHING (I'll do my best to describe the feeling)
By Saturday morning I was fine.......Sunday ........no issues..no more fever............I sounded terrible........I had a very deep voice.........and was coughing up all of the colors of the Indian flag! Very patriotic don't you think? I still felt like I had been run over by a truck......and I begin resembling Harvey Dent!
Surely you remember Harvey Dent from Batman......the handsome candidate running for District Attorney in Gotham City, who ends up becoming the character "Two-Face" after suffering severe chemical burns on the left side of his face from a battle with the Joker.
The high fever I suffered on Friday night had caused these very unusual things to appear on the left side of my face......one under my eye, one on my cheek, one on my chin, and the typical fever blister type thing in the corner of my mouth. Just like Harvey!
By Monday afternoon..........my friend, Mr. Fever, had returned..............over 102.........no work....
Tuesday...........on and off fever and I had pretty much lost my voice............terrible cough, but nothing in my chest......I had ruled out in my self diagnosis that I had pneumonia........
By Wednesday evening, the chills had returned...........teeth chattering chills..........under a down comforter, the bed covering and two additional blankets.........no position was comfortable........I was/am miserable.
By 2:30am Thursday morning, the decision was made to see the doctor, an option open the entire length of my ongoing battle, but it is a "man thing"...........or I am genetically predisposed to delay seeking medical treatment.
What finally
As of the time of writing this blog entry..............I look like hell, I feel like hell and all I know is what I DON"T HAVE......!!!!! It is still a mystery!
My blood tests have come back negative for all of the diseases listed in the Center for Disease Control............I am a CDC mystery as well..........
Besides doing some work from home and answering emails between my numerous bouts of rest........I haven't felt like doing much..........nor can I.......I promised to describe the aches in my joints.....ALL of my joints....even my hair joints......if there is such a thing..........I A..C..H..E.........everywhere......in addition to looking like some cartoon freak............it feels like I am walking on golf balls.....my feet ache, my ankles, my damn toes ache.........not to mention all of the other moving parts......knees, hips, elbows,WRIST'S....oh my wrists......just chop them off......my feet are the worst..........like someone has just hit them with hammers.
Oh and my doctor.........a very well certified, US trained doctor from Harvard Medical School..........who also worked at the famed Parkland Hospital in Dallas just after the Kennedy assassination..........told me that it would be O.K. for me to "take a walk in the garden", "not for exercise, but to just get out of the house"......
I/we do not have a damn garden to even walk in.......and if I/we did, it is too damn painful to walk.......all I want is for him to properly diagnose me........which hasn't happened yet!
In the meantime, in addition to the drugs prescribed by Dr. C..........Ramesh has prescribed papaya juice made with both the pulp and the skin.......Linda has started referring to him as "Dr. Ramesh" ......which he insists on making for me........in addition to being healthy, they taste pretty good also..........and probably even a little better with some rum!
I may be on the edge of death...but I haven't lost my sense of humor............or my love for India......
Bye for now.
3 comments:
I felt your pain, friend! Literally!
All I can tell you is that with movement it DOES feel a bit better (I imagined myself as prematurely arthritic!) .. and that at the end of week four, I'm finally feeling better.
Hang in there ... and stock up on that papaya!
yikes - feel better soon!
Sounds like you had dengue fever. Chills, high fever, etc. Whoever gave you papaya juice probably saved your life as blood platelet levels can drop dangerously with dengue. Papaya is supposed to help keep the levels up.
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