Yes, food poisoning.
Yes, on our travel day to Trinidad, Bolivia.
Yes, it took 24 hours and I was sick the whole time.
Yes, both ends.
The most excruciating travel day I hope I ever have. I had been having a bit of an upset tummy for the past 2 days but nothing terrible. But then the day we were leaving I started having really sharp pains. I tried to ignore it, put on some peppermint essential oils and rested a bit before we left for the bus terminal.
When we arrived at the terminal we went and got some food and went back to the bus, got in line with our bags and waited. It was a long wait and I felt awful. I went to the bathroom feeling like my food was about to come back up…unfortunately it didn’t. So I went and sat longer and then literally had to RUN to the toilet. I barely made it through the crowd of people waiting for the bus, trash on the road, and paying for the bathroom (again). To say the least, all my food I had just eaten came up…and with nothing left in my belly, I felt a little better. I feared for the trip though…it was supposed to be a 30 hour bus ride and I didn’t know how long this bug in my tum was going to last.
We loaded the bus, and I sat with anticipation of just arriving. I told myself I wouldn’t look at the time at all so the trip would seem to go faster.
We made a stop a few hours in and when I came out of the bathroom, Jenny saw me and told me I needed to get a powerade or something with sugar…my face had no color. I picked up a powerade and got back on the bus feeling like a train hit me. Our driver wasn’t very empathetic so he didn’t stop much or care much about the fact that I was sick. AbbyLin and Jenny made sure I tried to eat some crackers, some dried coconut and my powerade. Unfortunately, the next stop we made I had to RUN to the bathroom, quickly pay and try to squeeze past a little Bolivian lady and didn’t even have time to make it to the toilet or lock the door before all I had eaten on the bus came back up.
Again, we got back on the bus and this time we didn’t stop for the whole night. Everything about this trip was uncomfortable but I tried so so hard to have joy…not easy considering the circumstances. I slept on the filthy bus floor for a couple hours just to be a little more comfortable, got back in my chair and NEVER looked at the time.
When morning finally came, we made a stop and I felt so weak but also a lot better (tummy-wise) so I decided to try to eat something. Two fried eggs and some plain rice seemed safe enough…so I went for it. My body needed the nutrients and I just hoped I could handle it. Immediately afterward…I regretted it. I felt so nauseous and just knew that it was going to come back up at some point, I just hoped it would be before we got back on the bus…it didn’t.
I made myself fall asleep when we got on and after a short drive they woke me up and I looked out and realized our bus, and we, were about to board a barge and go across part of the river. When we got off the bus, my food came up…thankfully it was before we got on the boat but I definitely drew the attention of all the people around us. EW.
We did 2 of these river crossings and although all my strength was gone, I somehow made it. I decided I just wouldn’t eat anything else for a while. (Except for some coconut, powerade and 7up sweet Jenny got me).
Then, Cami asked if I could ask someone where we were and how close we were to Trinidad. The man sitting in front of me told me we were already in Trinidad! Those words could have never sounded better to me than in that moment!
We had finally made it…and the trip that could have taken from 30 hours to 4 days only took us 24 hours! I had been praying for the last week that the rain would hold off so our trip would be quick and easy and He granted that. We felt so much provision and I was so grateful for the quick trip. I am definitely feeling so much better, I’m eating real food, keeping it down and my body is feeling normal again. We are now safely in Trinidad, living on our boat. We have such a kind host, Phil, and will be doing maintenance work on the RuthBell for the next 3 weeks to get it ready for its next medical trip in the Amazon Basin in February!
We don’t have wifi on the boat and will rarely have it this month. I am so thankful for my wonderful team, for our host and for this month where we get to work on the boat and serve with Samaritan’s Purse. Keep an eye out for another update (hopefully) soon.
