Illness struck and Mike has a combination (from the symptoms) of Typhoid Fever and TB, with a touch of gout thrown in for good measure (uric acid levels elevated by a combination of the Lithuanian binge and lack of food).
In addition to losing one stone in weight from lack of food due to stomach pains and diahorrea and an alcohol free period (cannot face the stuff now) I managed to top the lot by fainting on the toilet (whilst reading the Economist about the decline in livestock in our rural vision) – having done this before (reading Virginia Woolf) I wanted to avoid biting through my upper mouth as I did before – so grabbed a towel before heading for the floor.
I woke up feeling groggy and wondering where I was and on looking in the mirror was bleeding from a graze near my left eye. Coincidentally when ordering my new glasses the optician had said that the Lithuanian emergency set, which I had cheaply purchased after having my expensive rimless ones nicked in Vilnius, wouldn’t be allowed in this country as they have a thick edge which could cause damage in an accident – caveat emptor. The glasses were also twisted so it was back to my prescription pair of sunglasses and the odd looks from people when it was raining.
At work I figured I could fix the bent glasses so sitting on my aeron chair I twisted the frame and the lens promptly fell out on the floor. Instinctively I wheeled the chair back to see where it had gone and could hear a ‘crunch’ and the lens had been shattered into 5 pieces. So sunglasses for a few days until the optician kindly fitted a new lens so I don’t get so many funnny looks on dull days now and can read late into the night again.
So back to the doctor for blood tests (8), stool samples (2) and prostate exams (twice just to make sure) – and no-one seems to be ruling out my theory of bubonic plague. Gout has hit hard so several vinegar baths later I ruled out alternative treatment and ignoring the health warnings in the press I swallowed Ibuprofen until the pain eventually went away and I could hobble around.
Now on Colchicine for a quick fix for the pain of acute gout which is back with a vengeance – but taking cherries and drinking gallons of water as a definitive cure for gout as opposed to long term medicine.
