Sick of it

Hummmm.... Where to begin? It's been an interesting few days to say the least. After a very nice visit in Michigan, I returned to Mexico with my mom, dad, and sister Deb. We got here on Thursday evening and settled in for the night. About an hour after we went to bed, my dad got sick. He thought it was something he ate on the airplane and we figured he would have an uncomfortable night but hopefully feel better in the morning. But he didn't get better. He got more and more sick as the night went on - from both ends. Sorry if that's Too Much Information. But it was horrible. It never quit. I started to get very worried. My dad has a history of heart problems and high blood pressure. I wondered if it had something to do with his heart. Then I wondered - even if it wasn't a heart problem - if this could cause another heart problem. I didn't sleep at all that night. Neither did my mom or my sister. Michael woke up when it first started, then went right back to sleep. By morning, it was still not getting better. Plus, my mom started having the same problems. They were both miserable. So I decided to take them to the hospital.

The long bumpy drive down our pothole-filled dirt road must have been completely terrible for them. I located the hospital, found a woman who spoke English, and she took us to the ER. They each got their own room and I darted back and forth to find out how they were doing. My dad was much worse than my mom - but they were both in pretty bad shape. While they ran some tests, I went back to the house to check on Deb. She has MS and I was worried she might get sick too and need some help. When I got back to the house she was sitting comfortably under a blanket watching TV. That was a relief. Although, I think we both felt a little sick to our stomachs after the long night.

When I got back to the hospital, the doctor informed me that my parents had a bacterial infection - most-likely caused by food poisoning. We're pretty sure it was the pasta they had on the airplane. My dad's while blood cells were at 22,000 - which is very high. Mom's count was at 14,000 - also pretty high. I didn't quite understand what normal is but I thought he said around 9,000. Anyway, they were both very sick. They were admitted to the hospital.

I went back to the house to pick up Deb and we went to the mall to grab something to eat. We decided to share a little meal since we both lacked a healthy appetite - but we knew we should eat something. Then we headed to a store to pick up some necessities to clean up two of my three bathrooms that became ugly casualties of the illnesses onslaught. Deb joked that her friend Sandy comes to Mexico to shop for fancy jewelry and she gets to pick out a plunger, toilet brush and Lysol. We got a sympathetic look from the cashier when we purchased the items. Then there was no price tag on the plunger and it was quite an ordeal to get a price check. Of course!

Mom and dad are doing a little better today. The doctor kept them both for another night. They have to be in separate rooms because the rooms are not big enough. I think they are bored to tears. They're watching television in Spanish. Maybe they'll be more fluent than me by the time they get out of there. They are in good spirits. I'm hoping and praying they will be better soon. The doctor said mom is getting there and should be released tomorrow, but they will probably have to keep my dad until Monday.

So now we are trying to figure out what to do about the trip we planned to Puerto Vallarta. I scheduled the vacation when we got here Thursday night. We are supposed to leave Monday and return Friday. Right now we are fighting with the people we booked our trip through. We purchased a "Total Protection Plan" that covers you in case of death, illness, or legal issues. However, now they are jumping through loopholes and telling us they don't have to honor that. Michael talked to them and could not get a straight answer about why. We just want to push the trip back one or two days, but they are telling us it will cost $150 per person - plus more money for the different dates. So I'm not sure what we will do about that yet. I guess we'll have to see how dad feels. Please pray that they both recover quickly and completely so they can enjoy the rest of their vacation.

Deb, Michael and I went to the market in Saltillo today. Deb got to see first-hand the pig heads, goat hoofs, cow intestines and whatever else was hanging in the booths. Yuck. She also got some fun souvenirs. Then we went to a road-side stand and bought a pineapple. Yum!

It's just been a very exhausting few days. I have more to say, but it's getting late and I'm beat. Please say a prayer for my parents. Thanks!