Being Sick

Rainy Season in Chad = Getting Sick!

After James had recovered from 'Attack of the Kidney Stones', our family could not escape the local sicknesses being passed around by the millions of mosquitos breeding in and around our house.  Despite the fact that we slept under but nets, we still got sick.  The worst sickness we have experienced in Chad so far was Dengue fever.  Eliana and I both got sick at the same time, and it hit both of us very hard.  I went to bed with a headache and woke up the next morning like I had a severe case of the flu (minus the runny nose).  The symptoms just started to pile up from that point on, including but not limited to: severe body aches, fever, throwing up, pain behind the eyes, a change in taste, exhaustion, inflamed liver, water retention, tiny red rash all over, rash like a sunburn all over, and more.  James said it could be about 4-7 days before we began to get better, and though I was hoping for 4, it ran it's course for all 7.  Then finally the fever broke.  It was probably day 5 though that James realized how dehydrated I really was, and our friend Brian, who happened to have expertise in putting in IVs came to the rescue.  After 10 liters of fluid I was finally feeling alive again.  The trouble was, I was so weak, that a trip to the bathroom left me feeling like I had just run a marathon.  I could sleep all day and still sleep all night...except the two nights that my hands were so swollen that I couldn't stop itching them.  Finally after two weeks of lying in bed, I was able to be up and helping with the kids again, and some of the tasks around the house.  James did a fabulous job putting on all the 'hats' of Doctor, caring husband, Mr. Mom, cook and house keeper.  Our house helper Fatuma also pitched in to make everything keep running.  In the end, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy!  Sadly, just when we were leaving Chad, we got a message from our friends that Brian and two of their kids had just come down with the same thing.  Thankfully after a few weeks they have recovered as well.  When leaving Abeche, one of our kids said, "Dad, next year if we go on vacation, can we leave during rainy season?"  

Here are a few photos of Eliana and I at our best...or maybe our worst?