Bahamas...in a word...nightmare

The last seven days have been some of the worst ones I have had thus far. I am going to give you the shortest and most complete version because it still stings. Rewind to LAST Thursday afternoon. Great lunchtime flight, a couple of drinks, a relaxing dip in the warm Caribbean waters with my sister and Kelly...and then it all turned to flaming porch shit.

It was definitely SOMEthing I put in my mouth (pun not intended)...a.k.a. POISON
The "I've had too much to drink" kind of sick is nothing like the violent and desperate "Something is VERY WRONG HERE and I want my Mommy!" kind of sick. I know this because the By 7:00pm Thursday night everything in me started racing for the exits and didn't stop completely until yesterday morning. That's 7 days people...of puking!

Side note: Hey ladies...want to drop a quick couple of pounds before that "Big Night"? Whatever this thing was....oooohhh eeeeee....dropped a dime-piece! Git back...watch yourself!


OK, so it's one thing to get "Montezuma's Revenge" from the water, but this was like the Nursing School memory recall kind of sick. I didn't leave the room the entire weekend except by wheelchair to the Nurse's station or the hospital (just wait) or finally to leave. I spent $300 for the first nausea med injection given by the doctor (which provided 8 hrs of relief...a.k.a.the eye of the hurricane) and $200 for the second one (0 hours of relief). By Saturday afternoon I knew I needed I.V. fluids (thanks Nursing school) so they took us to Princess Margaret Hospital by taxi. This was the free public hospital. You know...for people without insurance, or shoes, or all their mental capabilities, or teeth. I was seen in the Accident and Emergency Department. We paid $30 to register and nothing more. We didn't even realize there was a better place to go until we were standing in the parking lot waiting for the taxi to come back for us...at 11:45pm at night. Which is exactly when light is usually shed on us in these kinds of situations. Oh irony, you are just so predictable in hindsight.

10 hours of pure hell. We couldn't wait together before, during or after. I had the ice bucket and a towel from the room while I sat in chairs for close to 2 hours trying not to throw up. There was a woman moaning in pain on one of the beds right next to where I was waiting. Another man died in another room while I was being examined and there were about 25 of his closest relatives in the waiting room who all found out at the same time. I have never heard that much immediate and intense sorrow from a group of people. I just laid there and the tears fell out of my face. I told the nurse to go tell Jennifer that it wasn't me. They had no idea what was going on. MISERABLE!

Fast forward 10 hours...I'm treated and streeted back to our hotel. I kept it together as best as possible before our flight out. IRONY INTERJECTION: The flight kept getting delayed while we were waiting in the airport and then on the runway...stupid summer weather in FL (a total of 2 hrs). Let me say here that it is quite the convenience to clear Customs and Immigration in the Bahamas versus the FLL airport. Because if we had to do that, I probably would have lost it.

This whole thing didn't begin to finish until I saw my Dad pull up in the Electric Blue Fusion. I'm at the curb, sitting in a wheelchair and I can only imagine what he is thinking. We never called our parents while we were away and I didn't want to tell my Dad until the very last possible moment.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! Yep, the flight got in on Father's Day (isn't it ironic, don'tcha think?)

I have the best doctor in the world, so I got in on Monday morning and got some medications. I was eating by Wednesday night (7 whole days without food either) and by 5:20pm on 6/23/11 I feel really good. Safe enough even to tell you, if you got this far...

Me and Gatorade and Sprite and cutting everything with 1/4 to 1/3 water...we cool.
Raisin bread, toast, and watermelon...yeah, we're good.
I finally feel normal again. Normal enough in my body anyway...
The new issue of bon appetit just came in and I can't wait to see what I am going to make first. Unless of course you would like to take me out to dinner...


Real World...Friday....here I come! Gingerly and with eager curiosity...