The Sickness

I have only felt like I was dying 3 times in my life: 1. When my gallbladder was malfunctioning (stupid gallstones) and it was resulting in my pancreas failing. 2. When I caught a virus from a kid in Tanzania and couldn't hold down food or liquid for three days. And 3. When I got food poisoning here (*no one actually knows what it was, but we believe it was food poisoning).

3 weeks ago I started to feel pretty sick during Gillian and Rachel's drama final but I stuck it out and went back to my res to lay down. 12 hours later I was so sick I was crying. Fever, chills, hallucinations (about my research paper for politics- which was super weird), nausea, unable to keep anything in my system, I was super week and fairly convinced that I needed a doctor- which I did- but I didn't have any airtime (minutes) on my phone (stupid stupid stupid Caitie) so I couldn't call an ambulance. It was a Saturday and the doctor I was assigned to here didn't open again until Monday. I have never felt pain like I did for those 2 days of being curled up in my bed. I finally made my way to the doctors on Monday- no food in my system since my lunch on Friday, and barely any water- almost fainting on my way there. He put me on an all liquid diet and told me to rest, he also failed to mention what was wrong with me (Worst doctor award goes to this guy). No meds, no blood work, nothing. I ASKED FOR BLOOD WORK! Ok so one of my biggest fears is needles and for me to ask someone for blood work is kinda a big deal. I have a ridiculously high pain tolerance but this sickness was too much for me. In total I didn’t eat for 5 days, and by the end of it I had lost 10lbs and felt like a breeze would be enough to knock me down.

I was stupid and I should have gone to the hospital. Within a few days a few more internationals started to get sick, but they took meds and only had to suffer 3 days. None of us really know where it came from, but we all believe that it was E.Coli. I have never felt pain like that before in my life and I hope to never again feel it. The 5 of us that got sick believe that it was from the food/food preparation in our dinning halls, but oddly enough the 4 others are all in the same dinning hall and I’m completely separate. Who knows, but from watching the food service on this campus I know that the prevention of cross contamination and food safety are not nearly as strictly enforced here. 

Its been 3 weeks and my body’s still not back to normal. I try to eat normally but I know I need to see my doctors at home  and get some blood work done. But in the mean time I will continue to suck it up and eat the food I am given and study for exams

Cheers,

A thinner American