Thursday, November 29, 2012

It's never fun to be sick

Illness is awful, especially when you're traveling. Tuesday I spent the entire day in cars, airplanes and buses getting back home to Bellingham. Somewhere around midday I began to feel a bit queasy but didn't think much of it. As I boarded the plane and faced the more-than-four-hour flight, I settled in with my iPad and read The Life of Pi. I downloaded the book to read because I enjoyed the movie so much, and it successfully held my interest throughout the long flight.

Then I had a two-hour wait for the airport shuttle and faced another three-hour-long trip north. As the day wore on, I began to feel less interested in my book and more than a bit crummy, but nothing much out of the ordinary with such a long tiring day.

However, halfway through the bus ride, I realized I was not well at all and was only saved by the bathroom in the back of the bus. I spent some time vomiting and dealing with diarrhea before I got off and into the capable hands of Smart Guy. He immediately took me home and put me to bed. My teeth were chattering so hard I couldn't talk, and I couldn't get warm for ages. Many more bouts to the bathroom with each end of my body wanting to get rid of its contents. It was simply awful.

At first I thought I had food poisoning, but then I realized I was running a temperature of 100.2, which you just don't get when you ingest something bad. All day long yesterday I spent in bed, no appetite and no desire to get up. Although I spent the entire day either sleeping or laying in bed moaning, I had no problem falling into a deep sleep last night.

I woke this morning to a normal temperature and feeling almost human in comparison to the day before. Well, it wasn't the flu, to be that short a duration, so I checked the Magic Box (you knew I would). I found that there is something called a norovirus that has a 24-to-48-hour time frame. This link gives more information, but I found this particularly interesting:
When a person becomes infected with norovirus, the virus begins to multiply within the small intestine. After approximately one to two days, norovirus symptoms can appear. The principal symptom is acute gastroenteritis that develops between 24 and 48 hours after exposure, and lasts for 24–60 hours. The disease is usually self-limiting, and characterized by nausea, forceful vomiting, watery diarrhea, and abdominal pain, and in some cases, loss of taste. General lethargy, weakness, muscle aches, headache, coughs, and low-grade fever may occur.
Yep, I can pretty much figure that is what I had. But some people don't think the laws of physics apply to them, so I got up and dressed this morning to go on my usual Thursday hike. By the time I had dressed, I was completely exhausted. Okay then, I'll just go the gym and take my usual class. Or maybe the yoga class would relax me. Ha! By the time I got there, I knew that it would take all my energy just to take a shower and sit in the steam room. Then I went home and have been sitting and relaxing ever since. My fellow Senior Trailblazers are out there hiking the Madrone Crest, which we last visited in April of this year.

One thing I am learning as I find myself actually ELDERLY, I do have to pay attention to what my body is telling me or face the consequences. Today I am still waiting for my usual healthy appetite to return and am eating the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). Although nothing is appealing, I know I need to eat and hydrate, so I am cooperating.

I took this picture on one of our trips to the Crest a while ago, with the lovely madrone tree's limb in the foreground. These trees are so interesting.
It will still be there when we visit it next, and I'll take a picture of this same spot then. For now, my task is to get well so I can have my usual vitality back once again.
:-}

33 comments:

  1. ugh...no it isnt...i have been home today with my youngest...he had swollen nodes...a headache and fever....i hope you are feeling better soon...sick while traveling is even worse....i read life of pi when i was traveling too...i did not get sick so it is not the book...smiles.

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  2. Oh DJan I can't think of anything worse than being sick when you are travelling. Lucky the bus had a bathroom! May you make a speedy recovery.

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  3. oh, you goofy girl thinking you could take on the world so quickly after your body rid itself of every possible thing! i'm really sorry you became ill - especially difficult en route! glad you are home and on the upswing, again!

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  4. So sorry to hear about your time with a bug – that is not a fun time for sure. As you say, you must take care of yourself and it takes time when we are a bit older – no DJan you are not elderly yet – that will be when you are in your 90s. Read books at home and in no time you’ll be back to your dynamic self. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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  5. Oh, ick! Al said you were sick. I'm glad you had the sense to stick around home today, getting well. You were missed, not to mention the brownies!
    We actually went on to Raptor Ridge where Al got blown off his feet. The wind was fierce. Lunch was lower, so we wouldn't get blown away. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

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  6. Aww, sorry to read you are poorly DJan, it's not a good thing, especially when you are away from home.
    Hope you recover quickly, and take some time to rest.
    Now off to read your earlier posts, I've had lots of Internet trouble lately !
    ~Jo

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  7. Ugh, what a horror to be sick in a bus bathroom of all places. I hope you're still feeling better today. I'm so glad your partner was able to meet you and care for you.

    Nothing at all wrong with elderly and actually much right about it. Personally, I'm enjoying my new take on things around me. It's almost like becoming a new person, but I don't like the associated aches and pains.

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  8. Yes, the tree will still be there. Now concentrate on getting well! Glad you are home safe and sound.

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  9. That would be a nightmare for me--to be sick on a plane or a bus. Thankfully you were close to a bathroom. You poor thing! I just got done with my long bout and it's no fun being noodle-like and miserable. I'm glad you are recovering quickly, though you must listen to your body! Take care of yourself and rest up. :) :)

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  10. Sorry to hear about the noro virus. Had friends who were in Las Vegas a couple of weekends ago and caught it. They said it was the sickest they'd ever been. It's going around here too.
    Hope you have a speedy recovery.

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  11. Sounds awful..glad you got home so that Smart Guy could care for you! I hope he doesn't get sick too. Rest and drink fluids..more fluids than normal to catch up. I am sure you know all that..
    Sorry you missed the hike..I remember those Madrone Trees they are beautiful:)

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  12. wow, you were really sick! Hope you feel better real soon, DJan.

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  13. I can think of so many ways that you lucked out: your family visit wasn't spoiled, you didn't have to plant yourself in the toilet on the airplane!, You had a bathroom on the bus! OH, my, it could have been so much worse. It was bad, but now you are already getting better.

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  14. pFeel better!Nothing like a few lane trips to make you sick. Some passenger sneezes and the sneeze travels throughout the plane and...gloms onto you.



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  15. Oh dear..I'm so very sorry to hear that you got sick.
    Continue to rest and take care of you, please.
    Hugs,
    J.

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  16. Poor you. The last thing I'd be thinking of doing after being that sick is expending energy. I'm surprised you didn't just do a couple of jumps instead. ;)

    Seriously, I hope you're feeling much better before you even read this comment. Look after yourself.

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  17. I am sorry sorry that you are poorly. And it is a testament to your usual vitality that you were even able to contemplate exercise. What a good thing that you didn't start the hike.
    Get better soon - sending cyber hugs your way, as you have so often sent them mine.

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  18. Glad you are home safe and sound. sorry, you have been smitten with a bug of some sort. Did you ever notice that people that fly always get sick when they are on their way home or after they get home. I think the germs infected you on the plane. Glad to hear that you changed your mind and tucked yourself back into bed or on the couch. Yah gotta give the body time to heal. Heck, DJan, your're just a kid yet - you got at least another 25 years to go before you are considered OLDE. Take care :)

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  19. Oh my.....I do hope now that I'm trying to catch up with my bloggin' buddies, that you're feeling much more like a human again!!! I feel for you. And as active as you are, I'm sure you felt like you were missing out on so much. Time to take some time to relax and be quiet for a few days. Be well soon.

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  20. Thanks for correcting the BRAT diet for me. I always thought it was bananas, rice, apple sauce and tea. I'm so sorry you got sick. I thought you had the stomach flu because it seems to be going around. It is one of the perils of traveling, I'm afraid. Please take good care of yourself... and don't push yourself.

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  21. Djan, hope you are feeling better today. Birthday cake time for you? Have a good one.
    I am recovering from bullous myringitis talk about being wiped out. Pam K

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  22. Checking back to let you know that I hope that you are feeling better....
    J.

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  23. Well if you want to be well for your birthday!!! you'd better rest up my girl!
    GET WELL SOON - VERY SOON.

    X Star

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  24. My husband and I just had this too! It is clearly making the rounds it appears. We are pretty sure hubby picked it up first on the long plane ride home from China - 13 hours, then passed it to me. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck for about 30 hours, sleeping about 26 of the 30. Fortunately, it passed quickly, and by the end of day two I was back on my feet, but man oh man did I feel horrible prior!

    Glad you are back on your feet. I likewise hate, hate, hate being sick. No time for it! :-)

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  25. I came to visit from Texwisgirl...congratulations on winning her prize...My brother in law lives in Bellingham...

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  26. Stopping in from Tex's blog. Congrats on winning the drawing. I hope you are feeling better. Hubby and I have done some hiking in the Pacific Northwest is a beautiful area. Have a great weekend!

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  27. Bummer, travel sicknesses are the worst. I can relate due to a similar experience I had once. Now I am so fearful of it happening again that I travel with a bunch of Purell and towelettes to use before I eat. Unfortunately, the food is beyond our control. Feel better soon.

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  28. I just saw a headline about norovirus but didn't read the story. Now I see from your commenters that it's going around. So sorry you were so ill, but I have faith that you'll bounce back. You, young lady, are definitely not a malingerer!

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  29. Oh, I'm so sorry you got sick on your way home from your trip. I wonder if the others in your family also got sick. I hope not. I'm glad you listened to your body and took care of yourself.

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  30. OH how horrible for you to get sick while on the bus, you poor thing. :( I've read your later post so I know you're doing much better now but, yes, the norovirus can certainly play havoc with the body. I felt for you while reading this post. xx

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  31. Dear DJan, right before I read this posting, I left a comment on your other blog about my needing to rest up for the past week or so! And now I come to your second blog and discover just how sick you've been. I'm so sorry to learn that you had those miserable days.

    Thanks for the paragraph on the norovirus. That is good information to know.

    I hope you are feeling better, even recovered by today, which is December 8. Peace.

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