Resurrection!

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I experienced personally this past weekend, not death and resurrection, but severe illness and now considerable recovery. Did I tell you that my very first night in Guatemala I brushed my teeth with tap water? I have such a great memory! For a week I felt kind of off, and the mountain roads didn´t really agree with me. I started having digestive problems on Friday of last week in the afternoon, though I spent from 10:30 in the morning until about 2:30 at a ¨retreat¨at the Anglican church (three services with breaks in between). After that, I retreated to the house briefly and then headed on to to Parque Central for the big parade that was happening, the last of several. It is a religious procession with a hand pushed ¨float¨ for each of the 12 stations of the cross and two other monster ones carried instead of pushed, at least one of which had about 64 men carrying it (34 on each side). I saw the procession as it started in Zona Tres and by coincidence was standing beside a couple from BC and Washington State. Pics and vidio later.

Friday night I became very ill and spent a lot of time running to the bathroom with vomiting and diahrrea. Saturday Helen was nursing me with special drinks, but by suppertime decided they should take me to the hospital. Sicne the public hospital(s) is/are very bad they took me to a private one quite close to the house, with a relative providing transport. After two doctors and sevaral tests, I was told I probably had Typhoid Fever, though that did not seem to concern them overly (it is very treatable). That was confirmed the next day, and also that I had three other problems. I don´t know if one caused the other or all were separate, but I believe I ahd an amoeba, a parasite, and severe dehydration, in addition to the early stages of Typhoid. As a result, I was on intravenous the whole first night, and though I felt much better the next day he insisted I stay a second night because of the multiple problems and I did receive antibiotics and other medication several times that day and the following morning as well. But finally yesterday before lunch I was released. Now I am on an antibiotic and also something to respore the balance in my digestive system (a liquid). The whole time I was in hospital I had many visitors from the school, including my teacher Luis who was there the first day twice for one to two hours each time and made a fantastic nurse! It is so fortunate I picked a very small school which is like a family and which emphasizes caring, not just money. The bill from the hospital was Q4600 and another Q1400 from the doctor. I could pay the hospital with VISA but not the doctor so the school paid it and I will pay them back when I get to a bank later this week. Luis said not to worry about it, no rush. The conversion is about Q5 or 5.2 to $Can1, or about $1200 Can I think? $US1=Q8.1 more or less. I need a pill a day for seven days which cost Q35 each, and the other prescription was about Q60 I think.

So I saw some of the lead up to Easter celebrations, especially the Thursday and Friday ones, but missed Easter in the church and community altogether. But I did experience a personal new lease on life for which I am very grateful. Though my stomach is not perfect yet, I am still somewhat dehydrated and a little light-headed at times, but each day should be better. MY teacher has another student in the afternoons who will graduate as a doctor soon, and he brought her to the house after lunch to talk to me informally. She speaks perfect English. After lots of questions and checking my heart rate and pulse she assured me I had no other problems. She also checked the prescriptions and said they were the right ones for that diagnosis, in fact the antibiotic will fight a variety of infections. So I am ordered to drink a mix of 1/2 Gaterade and 1/2 water, and get lots of rest. I am also not to eat any raw fruit or vegetables, or have any milk, cheese or yogurt for 15 days.

Today Luis came to the house for our session, and told me my homework was to get lots of rest! But I had committed myself yesterday to walking to the neighbouring zone to have a conversation with a friend of Helen´s who is preparing for an exam in English as a part of her course in Business Administration. It´s about a 10 or 15 minute walk normally, but I left early and took my time. I didn´t feel great but the conversation was good and she walked back to the house with me. I felt good enough at that time (6PM) to walk 5 minutes here and do this. Supper is between 7:30 and 8PM and it´s now 7:18, so I guess that´s it for today. I´ll try to do my other blog and upload pics tomorrow or the next day. Adios!

PS I did learn some vocabulary from this experience that I hadn´t expected to learn, and also got to know some people much better than I would have otherwise, so it was not a total loss. Even all the students from the school visited me (all four of them!) and the family continue to be great. Helen is feeding me lots of chicken and pasta soup, they are buying whole grain bread which tastes great, and serving lots of nutricious drinks including one called ¨mosh¨. She also has powdered Gateraid she gave me for breakfast and I see the can is still on the table.

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