Ouch!

As you well know, from reading my last blog post, Lance and I have been dealing with a bout of food poisoning caused by Domino's Pizza. It has been quite the adventure, so why don't I just chronicle it for you.

It all started on Saturday. We finished our trip to Valenciana and headed to Domino's in Plaza de la Paz. Lance and I were both excited about having a good pizza. We both ate our own personal pan pizzas and left. Both of us felt a little iffy right after eating, but we assumed it was just that "Wow! I ate too much!" feeling. We went on to the mall to catch a movie and then went home. Soon after getting home, Lance became quite acquainted with the bathroom. Later that night, so did I. The only thing, however, is that I was dealing with high fever. I was freezing cold when I went to bed, so I put on my sleep pants and a sweatshirt. Three hours later, I was hot and had uncontrollable shaking. I cannot ever remember feeling that bad ... being hot, sweaty, and unable to control the movements of my body.

Morning came and Lance and I still felt horrible. Queta (our host Mom) told us that she would take us to a doctor if we needed to go. After we told her what we experienced during the night, she said that going to the doctor would be the best idea. So, we got ready and went out on a rainy Sunday morning to the hospital. Believe it or not, the hospital is right next door to Domino's in Plaza de la Paz. We waited just a few moments and Dr. Lucero Gonzales saw us. All three of us (Lance, Queta, and me) went into the exam room and the doctor took a look at us. He asked us all sorts of questions and listened to our stomaches. He then diagnosed both of us with a Gastrointestinal Infection. I must say, he was a very good doctor. Polite, patient (and we needed patience with our Spanish), and very very thorough. The best part was that seeing him only cost $20.00.

So, Dr. Lucero Gonzales typed out our prescription on his old style, non-electric typewriter and we went off to the pharmacy. We had to buy 4 doses of an injectable antibiotic, 4 syringes with needles, a stomach calming medicine, Dramamine, and a fever reducing medicine. All in all, it cost about $90.00. So, after we got done at the pharmacy, we headed back to the hospital and went to the nurses station to get our shot. So, she took the syringe and vile that I bought and then proceeded to give me the shot...in the rear end. It was very painful.

What was also painful was our shot that night. Queta also happens to be an ex-nurse, so she gave us the shots. While she is a good shot giver, her shots seem to last longer than the nurses'. So, after our shot that night, we went to bed. The next morning, we left the house and went directly to the hospital for our third shot. By the time we got to the university for class, we were barely able to sit. My bottom was (and is) incredibly sore! We came back to the house tonight, just to have Queta inject us with our fourth and final shot. Yes, it hurt and it is still hurting. I don't know how I'm going to sleep because BOTH sides of my bottom hurt.

I am happy to report, however, that I have felt much better today. Very little nastiness still remains. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better. Through research, I have narrowed it down as to what caused our illness. I can't find anywhere that says that the drug we are using is used for run of the mill Botulism. However, I know it is used for things like Salmonella and E. Coli. Based on what I've read about unclean food here in Mexico, I think Salmonella is the most likely culprit. Thankfully, this medicine is really strong and should get rid of it.

I must say, I have been very impressed with what I have seen of the Mexican medical system. Cheap, clean, efficient, and quality. I am not happy, however, about the immense number of shots that I have had to receive...

Oh. And did I mention that I have seen 3 scorpions in my room within the past hour. Two of them have been in or on my bed! Just a nice thought to leave you with.