On Sunday I was sicksicksick.

I was sicker than I have ever  been before.

There are a lot of exciting, happy things I could write about tonight. But in the interest of being thorough, I think first I must write about That Time I Got Sick (Hey remember that time?). Sunday when I woke up I felt terrible: nauseous, sore throat, awful headache, back pain, chills, body aches, and gastrointestinal issues. Rocío called the director of my program (Bernadette), and she said that I should see a doctor. We had to go to the emergency room because I had a dangerously high fever. I was examined by a general practitioner, then I was admitted to the hospital. This involved a disposable gown, and an IV. The nurses were trying to bring my fever down so they put ice packs on my forehead (which made me feel better) and my belly (this was painful and torturous). I couldn't have a blanket, so I lay there shivering for a few hours. I'll spare you all the rest of the details and put the rest of my hospital stay into 2 lists: The Bad and the Not So Bad.

The Bad:

IV discomfort, intravenous pain meds, adult diaper, nausea, feeling very unclean, hobbling around attached to my IV like an old woman, worrying that I would accidentally yank out the IV (ouch!), very little sleep, confusing spanish/english night thoughts, PAIN.

The Not So Bad:

My host mom was really supportive, and so was Bernadette. They were with me in the hospital for hours and hours, and Rocío would have stayed overnight if I asked her to. They advocated and translated for me, because I was in no position to do anything except lie down and wait for everything to stop hurting. 

Hospital Angeles is brand new (well, 2 years old) and beautiful. It has all the latest equipment and enormous rooms for overnight patients. After the nurses moved me out of the emergency ward, they rolled me to my upstairs room, which had a couch, big windows, a tv, art on the wall (actual art that someone painted, not a print) and most importantly, a bathroom four feet from my bed that I didn't have to share. 

The doctors and nurses were all so friendly and helpful. They treated me like a person when I felt like a malfunctioning shell. 

I was discharged Monday at 2 PM. In fact, I was only kept overnight for observation because my fever was mostly gone by dinnertime (American dinnertime, not Mexican-dinner-at-9 PM). I'm glad I stayed overnight though. I think I needed the extra fluids and the bathroom. 

Now I'm home and I feel so different. I am so much better, but I'm still sick. My doctor (Gastrointerologist) prescribed medications that are strange and contradictory to me, and I'm not a big fan of over-medication. So I've been carefully considering what medicine to take, and when to take it. I have prescription-strength laxatives and anti-diarrhea drugs. Tell me, does it make sense to take them at the same time? I think not. I am taking the anti-diarrhea drugs until I get that situation cleared up. Then I'll start the laxatives. I also take antibiotics to clear up whatever infection caused my fever. I still feel nauseous almost all the time, and whenever I try to eat I have the urge to throw up (in Spanish: Tengo ganas de vomitar). I think I just need to give it time, keep eating soup and crackers, and drink plenty of water. My host mom called my doctor and he said "Take Dramamine." Umm, no. I know what Dramamine is. It's powerful anti-nausea medication that has a long list of side effects. The most common side effect is sleepiness, but other side effects include headache, pain or difficulty urinating, abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. I already have the last 3 side effects! I will only take Dramamine if my nausea is so bad that I can't sleep. 

Tomorrow I'm going to do a bunch of homework, and sleep a lot. Hopefully I'll be back to school on Thursday. I have a field trip on Friday that I don't want to miss. As soon as I get well enough to take the bus I'm going to buy vitamins and fiber pills. I'm going to take steps to keep myself healthy, including changes in diet. And I'm going to start exercising! I'm thinking yoga and swimming to help my back problems, and using the gym at CU. I've been asking around about the BUAP frisbee team because I know it existed 3 years ago, but no one seems to know if it still exists. I Miss Luna. 

I have a lot of other things to tell everyone, but right now I'm going to sleep.

Words of the Day: Tengo fiebre. I have a fever.