Apr 21, 2010

Lesson D for Dengue a la Guadeloupe



As I type this I slaughter mosquitoes with one free hand using the mightiest of mosquito killers, the deadly red as I call it. It is an easy find here - see if I ever type that combination of words again - for just €9.99 in your local hardware store. Deadly red is a mini tennis racket in plastic and aluminum; rechargeable for your mosquito killing pleasure. Ours is red. I chose it as I felt it an appropriately aggressive color for the war against the mosquitoes.
Why so much talk of such tiny itch-creating things? One word: Dengue. Yeah, I caught Dengue fever. Don't know what it is? Here's a link to an extensive explanation by the CDC but I'll summarize:
Fever of 101F for four days, bones aching like the muscles are being pulled from them inside your body, achy joints, boiling hot one moment and shivering the next and sweating the entire time as if you are in a sweat lodge, zero appetite, a bit of nausea, dizziness, inability to move further than sofa and/or bed, total and complete discomfort of the most indescribable sort.

...and I had it EASY, from what I understand. I also understand that you can go through this a few times as there are a few different strains. Excellent news.

The upside? Nobody gives you any question once you've come down with Dengue. People offer support. It's no joke. Also, I lost those last seven pounds and as a consequence have a new-ish wardrobe on account of all the clothes I couldn't wear for the past ten months because I ate too many bokits and took a few too many aperos. Hey, I'm human. I figure if I chase the kids while they skateboard in the evenings perhaps I can even keep it off.

Ah...Guadeloupe... so much to offer, so much to teach me. I think people should get a special stamp in their passports after handling Dengue, you know, kind of like a Girl Scout badge. Bring it on, Gwada, bring. it. ON!