This post was written on February 7th. I’ve waited to post it until now, when we’re safely here at debrief, so as not to cause widespread panic. Now I’m fine, my teammates are fine, everyone’s fine…so please just read the story and laugh.
From the first time at training camp that they mentioned sickness and incident reports and hospitals, I declared that I would go the entire Race without going to the doctor. I have the immune system of a fragile infant, so I knew I wouldn’t go 11 months without getting sick, but I’d make sure I didn’t need a doctor.
I survived a 103 fever in Peru, an ear infection in Ecuador, a parasite in Colombia, tonsilitis in Japan, and what I now realize was sun poisoning in Malaysia. All of them went away with nothing but rest and over-hydration.
And then the month 8 plague swept across Cambodia.
First I thought nothing of the fact that I slept through the entire three days we spent in our hostel; we’d had an exhausting few days of travel after a difficult month.
Then I explained away the stomach pains because we’d suddenly switched from eating tons of rice to eating tons of vegetables.
But I couldn’t explain the red spots.
All. Over. Everywhere.
I woke up with just my legs covered in them, then throughout the day they spread. By the next morning, just about every inch of me had these teeny tiny, non-itchy, non-bumpy red dots, as if a small child had taken a fine-point Sharpie and decorated me while I was sleeping.
After determining that I didn’t have lupus, hand foot and mouth disease, or rubella(WebMD is a drama queen), we decided I probably had mono(due to my constant exhaustion that hadn’t improved even after my hostel hibernation and subsequent daily 3 hour naps, and the stomach pains that never went away no matter how much I ate).
So my squad leader and I venture out in a tuk tuk on our Sunday afternoon, and walk right in to see the doctor with no more than 30 seconds of waiting. Asia rocks.
I show her the spots; she gives a cute little yelp of surprise(understandable, as there are tons of them) then quickly calms down and asks if they itch. I say not at all. She says “You are sure? Just a little itchy maybe?” Sorry, nope.
Blood work. I hate needles…I really really hate needles…huh. That hurt a lot less than it does at home. Okay.
Wait.
Doctor comes back. I fully expect her to say it’s either mono or nothing(because in America, every time I go to the doctor with a laundry list of symptoms, it’s always nothing).
“Sistaaaa…your blood test? Typhoid feva sista!”
#WAHT
I laugh. Out loud. And quickly apologize…but it’s just so unexpected, I can only find it hilarious. We looked at a list of 63 types of skin rashes, and not one mentioned typhoid.
“But…I don’t…there’s no FEVER!”
“Not always feva! Abdomen pain? Typhoid! Your rash? Typhoid! No feva, still typhoid.”
So, I’m not dying(except maybe from laughter). I just have a bunch of pills to take now.
Dear Future Racers, duly note: you can get all the vaccines and take all the malaria pills, and you still might get sick. But you will probably get less sick than you would without them, so still be smart and get all that done.
And maybe get the typhoid shot instead of the oral vaccine…I may be a cautionary tale.
Funny epilogue:
The next day my arms broke out in fiery, itchy hives from my hands to my elbows. I wondered why, and Molly asked if I was allergic to anything. I suddenly remember that yes, I’m deathly allergic to penicillen, and I didn’t tell the doctor that and have no idea the names of any of the three antibiotics I was prescribed…
I frantically call the hospital, but I couldn’t pronounce my doctor’s name, so they said they couldn’t help me. I ask them to read me a list of names and I pick the one that sounds right, and that was thankfully the one.
After Googling each medication, I’m relieved to find that none of them contain penicillen…my body just freaked out at first and didn’t realize that the medicine was there to help.
I never told my mom that story, so she’s about to read this and freak out.
