How Rob Got Sick--or Typhoid: No Longer Confined to Oregon Trail

*warning: long post ahead*

My friends. I am reporting to you once again, alive against all odds, from home base in Bangkok. I have had a pretty incredible experience in the latter part of my stay in Vietnam. Think "natural disaster" incredible, as opposed to, say, "Mr. Incredible" incredible. As you've probably guessed from the title, I somehow managed to contract typhoid whilst I was traveling in northern Vietnam. I know what you’re thinking...sounds like a disease from the 1800s, doesn't it? While that sinks in, I feel that I should explain the rest of the title...in elementary, one of the only computer games available to us at school was called Oregon Trail. The premise was simple; you were allotted a sum of money with which you would then purchased supplies and a wagon, and take your entire family out West along the Oregon Trail. The game was complete with hunting sequences, river crossings and encounters with wild animals (anyone else finding this familiar? No? *sigh*...ah well). Now, in naming our settling parties we usually included our close friends, so I might attempt the trail with Matt and Khalid alongside me. Unfortunately, the harsh realty for the settlers was that the trail was fraught with danger and hardship. Almost invariably, Khalid would get a snakebite, Matt would get diphtheria, and wouldn't you know it, Rob might come down with typhoid. At this point, you were given the choice to slow the pace down, maybe give some fresh fruit to your invalids, and try to encourage them back to health. To my great and everlasting shame, I was much more likely to leave them for dead in my hurry to reach the fabled Oregon. Obviously, it seems that I am paying for these computer game sins in some sort of terrible and twisted karmic backlash. Let no man say God doesn’t have a sense of humor. In any event, I tell you this truthfully: if ever again I play the Oregon Trail, I will be sure to nurse the typhoid victims back to health, no matter how much it slows down the party. Because typhoid really sucks. Seriously.

So, how did I get typhoid? Well, having being vaccinated, I was under the impression that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get this disease. Apparently not. You can get typhoid from eating something that is infected, and being in Northern Vietnam, the food choices were somewhat limited. Anyways, basically I arrived in Sapa on the night of the 7th, feeling good. I met up with my two Canadian friends who I had met in Mai Chau on the first leg of the trip, and so enjoyed some dinner and conversation with them. The next day, I woke up feeling a little bit off, but I was sure that once I began riding, it would pass. My friends suggested I follow them for the day, to which I agreed; they were headed to a remote village beside a lake, where they would stay the night before heading back to Hanoi. About mid morning, I was feeling decidedly unwell...a high fever, cold shakes, dizziness, and headaches. Not the best conditions for riding a full 8 hour day through some very tricky dirt roads, but what could I do? I managed to stay on the bike somehow, almost passed out with fever, and at 5 or 6 at night, we rolled into this little hill tribe village. Stumbling up the stairs to the bamboo stilt hut where we would be sleeping, I managed to throw my stuff in a corner before passing out on the floor. I was awoken for dinner, which I couldn't manage to eat. Unfortunately, one of the customs is for the men of the family to drink rice wine with dinner, and for me not to accept it would be extremely impolite...so despite my protests I was forced to raise a shot glass of home brew with the others and mime drinking (I poured the stuff out but I may have been busted). Anyways, I slept fitfully all night, by turns freezing cold and burning hot, tossing and turning. In the morning, I once again mounted up, and rode another full day into Hanoi, where we arrived at about 3PM. I won't bore you with details, except to say that the ride was miserable...never ride when really sick if you can possibly avoid it.

Having made it back to Hanoi, I dropped my stuff off at a guesthouse, and went to the Hospital—remember, at this point, I still didn't even know what was wrong with me. My friends thought perhaps malaria, so I went to the hospital to get some blood tests done. Upon seeing my condition, they basically said "you'll be staying here tonight," and I was in no condition to argue. Thus began my 8 day stay at L'Hopital Francaise de Hanoi. As hospitals go, it wasn't actually too bad...decent food, friendly staff, and reasonably competent doctors. However, that didn't stop them from first diagnosing me with a kidney infection, then either an abdominal infection or lymphoma based on my CT scan and ultrasound (yes Lymphoma is cancer), before finally settling onto a nice, even typhoid diagnosis. Truly bizarre. Anyways, I was in quarantine, so no leaving the room except for tests for pretty much 7 days...the first 3 of which I was really sick, so I guess it didn't matter, but after that, I definitely developed a little bit of cabin fever. Anyways, long story short, I was discharged yesterday, escaped Vietnam last night on a plane, and am now back at home recovering. *sigh*. What an ordeal. Want to here something strange, though? As part of my antibiotic regime for home, I noticed bottles of medicine to be taken twice daily for 5 days, along with my pills. Confused, I asked the nurse how to take the medicine. Why, by intravenous injection, of course! You mean like a shot? How am I going to get a shot twice a day? Well, I guess you will have to find a clinic that will do it for you...In other words, at home I now have to track down a clinic that will let me bring in my own medicine for them to shoot into me twice a day for the next little while. Both strange and annoying. But at least I’m free.

Anyways, let me end by saying I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers and support I have received from both friends and family. Being sick away from home is never fun, especially when it's something serious like typhoid. It’s always much more difficult to recover quickly when those people who make you smile and laugh are absent. It was great to get emails and posts from all you guys, I really appreciate your thoughts. I'm on the mend now, so I'll post soon with new plans...for now, stay well, and keep clear of the typhoid at all costs ;)