Chikungunya

It just sounds bad doesn't it? It from an African dialect meaning bent over because those with it are often crippled over in pain. It is a mosquito borne disease that is affecting the entire Caribbean.. and now me too.



Camelback water bag beside me so I can hydrate without moving

First I can't say enough about my husband, Brent, who has been an amazing nurse, 24/7. He has jerry-rigged water supply system so I don't get dehydrated. Sought out "bush doctors" for local remedies and been my Motrin supplier every 4 hours even if that is 3:00 a.m. He has made me litres of juice, brought me ice cream in bed and gone out to buy yogurt. He has turned the shower on and waited with me to help open the shampoo and help me step out. Just all around awesome.

I think symptoms started last week, my colleague Myriam is also realizing this as we are now both sick at the same time after initial mild symptoms. For me it was a very painful jaw, for her a fever. The sore jaw had happened to me once before and my dentists the Marinovich's had given me a deprogrammer for sleeping. It needs to be run under warm water to become pliable and with no running hot water it was a nuisance to remember to heat up water before bed. So most nights it didn't happen. When my jaw hurt, I attributed it to my lack of diligence and started wearing it nightly. Only the pain intensified so that bending over sent pain through my jaw.

Sunday we were supposed to go with Meena on a snorkeling expedition. Sadly Meena's grandmother

passed away and the trip was cancelled. I had commented to Brent that with my jaw being so sore it was probably a good thing as snorkeling would have been difficult. We did head out to Magazine beach and when I was there my shoulder started to hurt. At first just a little and the water felt nice on it. However as I was snorkeling I realized it was becoming quite painful and with no fins on I needed my arms to help me. I struggled to shore with Brent close behind and called it a day, instead reading on the beach.

By the time we got home I wasn't feeling well and just after lunch I realized I had a fever and a rash. I also had one finger and one toe with joint pain- weird, but enough to make me realize it was

Chikungunya. I laid down and Brent immediately went across the street for the local remedy made from young papaya leaves. Our sweet neighbours got the leaves and juiced them for us as we have no blender. The juice looks magical. It is a beautiful green colour that reminds me of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. However like Oz looks are deceiving. It is so bitter! Buckleys has nothing on papaya leaves. I spent the rest of the day in bed with little boys coming in to put butterfly kisses on my head.

Day two was not pleasant. My fever hovered just under 102 and now all my joints ached. Even the ones at the bottom of my toes. My knees did not like moving and
my shoulder went from painful to excruciating. Brent would have to haul me painfully upright because I couldn't bear weight on my wrists. You are supposed to move around so every hour or so I would get out of bed and do a little shuffle around the house, maybe get some juice and back into bed. No crawling into bed though, there is only one way I can get in and out. Every once and a while I would forget but my knees didn't and I would have to sit down and try to lower myself onto the bed. If Brent was around he would help.

A colleague had said going to the bathroom was the worst because your hands are so sore you can't pull down your unmentionables. I could do this, what I couldn't do was twist to reach the toilette paper behind me! Luckily the other bathroom has it in front of you, so now I shuffle down the hall!

Today I can type- slowly, but it is doable. Mainly because you don't need to curl your fingers. I still can't light a match or anything that would require fine motor skills. I am even almost dressed. Jammy bottom and a T-shirt! The bush doctors recommend the beach to soak in the ocean. That seems like a herculean effort to put a swimsuit on.

Brent ran into Paula today who also had "the Chikun", as most people call it. She recommended boiling water and immersing turmeric in it. We bought turmeric root last week because others had told us about using it. She said it was for the joint pain. So I drank the turmeric juice, don't notice much difference. However the papaya leaves took care of my rash in less than 24 hours, so maybe I just need to give it some time.

OK super tired now. Brent will add in some pictures including one of me in bed. Owen must have told be three times yesterday "Mom, you are really rocking that hairstyle". Gotta love kids and what they think will help you feel better!

Note: If bad things happen in threes our neighbourhood is done. Just noticed the Cuban doctors coming home- they live two stories below us. She is in a full leg cast. He had to carry her down all those stairs! I won't be seeing her for about 6-8 weeks!