Alas, It’s Come to This

Well… After cavalierly cavorting around Pune, cheerily scarfing down street foods and ordering take-out from heaven-knows-where, and convincing myself that I have NEVER (truly never) come down with a bad case of “delhi belly,” … here we are, in all its glory. Big lesson: It’s time for the eating-roulette game to end for Anita.

For the first time (in 6 visits to India), I have become extremely sick with a bad case of food poisoning. The good news is that my new landlord’s wife’s brother is a doctor, so on Saturday I got loads of meds — antibiotic, anti-diarrheal, anti-bloating, anti-cramping, etc etc. (Sorry, this blog covers “the good the bad and the ugly”, folks. Stay with me through it all, friends!)

The bad news is that I was NOT feeling better by Sunday. 😦 The landlady has checked in with me regularly, and Sunday evening she made me some khichdi (pronounced sort of like “kitchery), a soft and mild rice with a “yogurt soup” you put in it. It’s mild on the stomach.

Then they arranged for a different doctor to make a house visit to me. This doctor said I was on the right meds but needed to stay on them longer. She took my vitals and said I was ok, but just had a very bad stomach infection. She left me with increased dosages.

This morning (Monday) — still no improvement. Landlady called her father again, and he said my infection seems to be quite severe. I am to take now a whole different set of stronger meds.

If these meds don’t start having some effect by 5 pm tonight, they will take me to the hospital. I am holding out hope that I start to see and feel some improvement.

This has been a wild and unexpected ride. Many people develop a touch of “Delhi Belly” and manage it well within a few days. But this one grabbed hold of me like a — I don’t know, like a — t-rex, and is shaking me around in its teeth. It’s possible my immune system was weakened by my bout of Covid so close to leaving, I don’t know.

Anyway, I don’t mean to carry on — but just wanted to keep you all in the loop. It’s an odd feeling: I have no idea what meds I am taking, really. I don’t know where to go or what to do. But there are these angels around me who are checking in, making sure I am ok, making me food, and generally making me feel that I am not alone. I tell myself “this too shall pass” and I will be on my feet again soon. I also can’t believe my incredible good fortune to have located this flat, as it is the landlord and his wife who are taking such amazing care of me.

To end on a positive note: The landlord’s daughter invited me to her 5th birthday party in about a week, and she was excited to show me her new dress for the party! She’s a cutie! And she has an older sister who is 9 years old. By the way, the photo just behind her shoulder is one I brought of a sunset at our Maine cottage — a reminder of home! 🙂