Now it is Friday night, and shortly after I finished the first part of this blog I went back to my apartment to spend the rest of the day in bed, laying in the fetal position... which is now one of my new favorite yoga postures because it's so comforting! I have been having digestive issues for the past week, but was hoping that with healthy eating and lots of positive intentions, it would just pass through. Well, at about 7:00 on Wednesday night I decided that I had had enough of the pain and took myself to the Chiang Mai hospital. When I arrived I had a fever, and was starting to worry that I may have the very common Dengue Fever, which so many of my friends have caught from the mesquitos that live here. After a few tests, an IV and some pain medicine (I'm not sure what child birth is like, but I'm quite positive that after this unbearably painful experience, I will be more than prepared) the doctor decided it would be best that I stayed until my fever went down. Throughout all the discomfort, I do want to share that as soon as my wonderful nurse found out I was an American she came into my room with a huge smile, waving her hand while saying "Yea Obama!" That definitely made me laugh! I stayed two nights at the hospital under the amazing care of sweet nurses and a very attentive doctor. I have a bacterial infection in my large intestine which is commonly caught through contaminated fruits and vegetables as well as poorly prepared street vendor food. I'm not sure if I have been carrying this little pest along since India, or if I caught it here... but either way it's like one of those uninvited guests at a very private dinner party who brings along his wife, and his mother-in-law, then stays well past desert and asks for an extra glass of wine! That is what it feels like! As if he as no intention of leaving, but I am determined to cautiously watch my diet and persuade him that it's not worth hanging around much longer. I have learned that the best way to treat bacteria is to follow a micro biotic diet which was modeled after Japan following the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The Japanes people's health improved rapidly because they primarily ate miso soup, seawead salads, brown rice and vegetables. So my diet is going to be pretty restricted for a while (at least until the ping pong match and intense bloating in my stomach dies down)... but that's ok because as most of you know, between being a vegetarian and having a gluten intolerance, I am pretty use to being the picky orderer at dinner!
What an experience that was! However, I am grateful for the new found perspective it brought... you know me, always have to find a positive message in everything! I really have never lost all of my strength before, nor been in fear of truly loosing my health. These are things I take for granted all the time. Waking, riding my bike, yoga, even fixing my own meals. Well, my hospital room was on the top floor and it had the most incredible view of the entire city, with the mountains as a backdrop. Apart from one book and a few friendly visitors, I had more than enough time to gaze out the window and watch the amazing sky smiling down on me throughout the day. I saw the sun rise in the morning, and then watched it set at night. I felt so much gratitude for my abundant health and for all that my body allows me to do each and every day. I felt appreciation for all the care and love that surround my life, and that I am able to reflect that love back to those around me. This evening I was sitting in my apartment stretching out my stiff bones from too much laying in the hospital bed, when I suddenly felt called by the universe to go outside and look up at the sky. I found a little hidden ladder and climbed up on the roof of my apartment building (totally safe, I promise) and sat down to watch the most breathtaking work of art I have ever seen. In that moment I felt all the beauty in the world gazing back at me. The sky danced between light blue, pale pink, peach, dark purple and deep blue, fiery red, fushia, bright orange and soft yellow. I saw all the beauty in the world, as well as all the pain and suffering. I saw each one of you, and I want to wish you so much abundant health, and so much peace! More than I can ever say!
I love you dearly
April
3 comments:
April,
One of the toughest things I have ever had to do in my life, is patiently wait and trust as you lay in that hospital bed. Then your blog entry made me laugh and made me cry. In the first paragraph, your "old Soul" that everyone talks about came shining through. How my baby can be an old soul, I will never know! I am proud and awed by the way that you look at the world. May you be heard by all! I loved your description of what the bacterial infection is like. An uninvited guest...with his wife and mother-in-law and an extra glass of wine. What a classic! You are so cute, that had me giggling! Then you brought me tears in the last paragraph when you described what you learned and what you saw and experienced. When I look at you, I see my little baby. When I think of you, I think of my little girl. But what you REALLY are, is an amazing woman who has grown up and who has so much to offer the world. I only hope that in February that you have changed the world enough to come back to Denver. Our little corner of the world needs you too, especially me! I am selfish in saying that, but I can tell you that so much of my heart is over in Thailand, and times like these make me long for you. Missing you, and sending all my love for a speedy recovery.
Love,
Mom
April:
There is nothing like a little bit of intestinal bacteria to make you realize how much of a blessing good health is.
It is really interesting to find yourself wishing with everything you have just to go back to a normal sense of your own body. And when you do get there, to be so grateful that everything is working the way it is supposed to again.
Unfortunately, it is so easy to forget that feeling of relief and gratefulness once you have been healthy for a while.
How you feel inside really affects how you see the outside world, and I am really impressed that you were able to see so much beauty around you while feeling terrible; that really is a gift you should be proud of.
I hope you get back to 100% soon, and don't let this stop you from eating street food, its a huge part of culture you don't want to miss!
Bryan Lupton
April!
I hope you are already on the mend. I'm sure that experience, while described poetically was a little bit scary. I am glad you were so well taken care of, and I do pray for your health! I love you--thanks for sharing your heart with all of us!
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