"Health is not valued till sickness comes."
Thomas Fuller
Hello there, full-time weekenders!
We have all been sick. And at times it's been a really tough thing. Be it a thing of bad luck, predisposition, pandemic or just the kind of thing you'll catch according to your location, sickness is one of those states of being despised by everyone.
One of the worse times for me was during the end of High School. I had been already accepted in college and was in Caracas to hand over my papers and be done with the some administrative errands. The night before going, I had gone to get some junk food with my eldest cousins. They were the ones that introduced me to drinking and some fun things. It was a celebration of sorts. Unbeknownst to me, it would be start of the worst case of amoebic dysentery of my life.
The symptoms started during my time at college and they just got worse and worse. I had to spend the time at my uncle's place in Caracas and it was such a hassle that I got sent to the Army's Hospital. His wife works there as a medic and since he was part of the Army, he could just send relatives over if needed. Dehydration and the whole diarrhea thing got me so bad and pale, I spent hours between bed and the bathroom carrying a saline connected to my veins every time I stood up to the bathroom.
They also got me some very powerful antibiotics the same way and the thing seems to improve by that Sunday when I was going back. The weirdest thing that happened after was that when I was getting my jeans on, they fell to the floor. And I could believe I was able to stick both fists stacked in front of each other between my waist and the jeans.
But that's not where the story ends. The treatment for amoebiasis tends to include two phases of antibiotics. One is to kill the amoebas; the other, for their eggs. The medicine I got for the latter was so strong it sent me into this fits of disorientation. After a while, I learnt that I had killed all my bacterial flora in the intestines. And this lead to several other problems.
I believe this was the only time in my life when I have rejected food. I felt disgusted by the smell of it. And of course, couldn't eat anything without going to the bathroom right away. I spent almost two weeks on this. After the first one, we went to the doctor again and I got a prescription for some pro-biotics. And I had to spend weeks taking them in their various presentations until I could feel good again.
Of course, this episode led to some consequences. From time to time, my intestines get pissed and I spend some weekends having extra trips to the toilet. But nothing so severe as that. And I haven't stopped eating junk food. I just don't eat at that place anymore. Funny to think that place is just over the avenue from my neighborhood.
I was considering to either tell this story or the one about covid. But I think this one wins for a mile of the whole being-sick-for-the-weekend deal. It spun for two complete weekends!
It is a fate I wouldn't wish for anyone.
Ok. Maybe for corrupt politicians
- Photos 馃摲: taken by me (Redmi Note 8)
- Editing 馃幀: by me, made with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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