Tasty and Hygienic or Note to Myself Not to go to Asia During the Monsoon

Unfortunately, not all things in Nepal and India are tasty and hygienic...

Thus, I have spent the last eight days making sure my husband didn't die from most likely typhoid fever. When I last wrote, I said he was on the mend...oh how wrong I was!

The last five days have found us surrounded by needles, iv's, blood samples and transitioning through three different hospitals here in India--k alternately burning with fever, shaking uncontrollably, sweating, writhing with nausea and unable to eat or drink for days and days. Scary business.

We were in the Namdroling hospital for two days. K laying in a three bed room next to a monk with typhoid. All the monks telling me not to worry, that everyone there gets typhoid and it's not a big deal. Oh yeah, except it can kill you!

Then we went to the Columbia Asia hospital in Mysore, which seemed like a step in the right direction, or at least a few hours closer to the airport! In Mysore, the doctor accused K of being a pill popper for taking round the clock Tylenol and ibuprofen for trying to control his fever of 104...When we said we wanted to be transferred to the Columbia Asia in Bangalore, we were told, "You'll have to take a tax because he's not really sick."

So after a three hour taxi ride last night, we ended up here at the biggest hospital in the area. I was immediately reassured by the real emergency room and how K was immediately whisked away and his vital signs checked and history taken. We are finally in really good hands here. And the best part? k really Is on the mend this time!! He hasn't had a real fever in two days and as of yesterday can actually eat and drink! The gray pallor is Gone! Woohoo...His doctor thinks we'll be able to fly Home Tuesday or Wesnesday-here's hoping...

A word of advice-if you ever go to Nepal or India, make sure your typhoid vaccine is up to date!

There had been a lot of talk of typhoid this trip. First, drolkar, karma chagme's daughter-in-law told us how she almost died from it a few months ago (she waited to go to the hospital and got super dehydrated). Then a girl we met named tsering told us how she once had it and was in the hospital for six days...

For some reason, k and I assumed our vaccines were still good... then k developed a fever. Not just any fever, but a fever of about 104 accompanied by uncontrollable shaking chills. A few days later he was also throwing up and having "loose motions," as they like to say here. Unfortunately, we were all too familiar with stomach issues here, but a fever of 104 for three days-highly disturbing!!

Yesterday morning found us in the hospital, k hooked up to iv's. Fluids, antibiotics and pain meds being dripped into his veins. Not a situation you want to find yourself in!

Thankfully, the doctor at the hospital here treats typhoid all the time, so to him this is nothing new or scary.

Luckily, k's doing much much better! He hasn't had a crazy high fever for almost 24 hrs! I'm happy to report he's on the
Mend!

To Circumambulate

The nausea. The humidity, the heat. The son of the begging blind couple standing near the stupa-how he hugs his mother while she runs her hands over his face. All the old and maimed people determinedly limping around the stupa. The nausea! The man all crumpled over on the ground-knees up by his ears-permanently bent in half. Mani mantras playing in the giant bhatbatini. All the old ladies circumambulating early in the morning before the heat comes on. The three men permanently in squatting position going round-one always holding the hand of a little girl in red shorts. Girls with long sheets of black hair down backs...Everyone navigating their way between masses of pigeons, dogs.

Nepal, still

Just

Just the head of a pig.
"Just a rat," said the front desk boy, when asked by Keith what he was chasing behind the couch (I fear the squeal will forever haunt me).