S.O.A. in Lima, Peru
After a year long delay, I FINALLY made it to Peru! For those of you who don’t know, I had planned to go to Peru in November of 2013. However, two months before my trip, I was involved in a car accident that resulted in me fracturing my pelvic bone. Needless to say, I could barely walk, let alone think of hiking up Macchu Picchu.
Fortunately, I made a full recovery–and have had Peru on the brain ever since the day that I had a full week with no pain, which was about six months after my accident.
As you can imagine, in the weeks leading up to my rescheduled trip, I became paranoid that something would happen that would again require a postponement. Fortunately, I made it to the airport a-okay.
What I did not anticipate though, was being S.O.A. (sick on arrival). Not just sick on arrival to Peru–I started feeling bad almost immediately after getting to my gate for the first leg of my trip. I had been on a typhoid vaccine for the last six days. The day of the flight was day six of eight days that I am scheduled to take the medicine. (Yes, I know that I should have started the medication early enough so that I would finish it prior to my flight…but I didn’t.) Every other time I took the medicine, I took it before dinner or right after dinner with a full stomach. The day of my flight, I took it in the morning on an empty stomach. Worst. Mistake. Ever. About two hours after taking the medicine while sitting at the airport gate, my stomach starts to feel bad. I have prior experiences with stomach pain–this was not an “I have to throw up” type of pain. This was a John Hurt/Dancing Alien from Spaceballs type of pain. A nawing, stomach trying to digest itself type pain. That lasted from about 9:30 in the morning until after 2am when we finally arrived in Lima. And the pain progressively worsened to the point where I could barely walk to the cab once we left the airport.
I have had the unfortunate pleasure of getting food poisoning and motion sickness while traveling at the same time…this was byfar worse.
The good thing is that I woke up feeling better and finally have been able to eat without pain today. But needless to say I am scared to death to take that last dose of the typhoid medicine. I will play it by ear. I guess a 13 hour plus stomach ache is better than contracting typhoid fever…but I can’t even lie and say that I’m not weighing the pros and cons of this last dose…
So the lesson for the day–whatever you do, follow your medications to the T and don’t do anything foolish like yours truly that will make your plane ride miserable…