But this was worse. As someone told me a few days ago, "It's like drinking a cup of your tears." I would say it's pretty much like combining a cup of sweat with a cup of yellow gatorade.
Apparently my life is a game of Oregon Trail these days. I have just had my third bout of stomach flu-dysentery-food poisoning-cholera in two months time. I am sorry to be talking about it here. But it has not been pretty. And this kind of sickness is much more common in the tropics than more temperate climates. As a friend so eloquently told me recently, "It's the luck of the draw. If the fly that lands on your food has just come from a pile of dog crap, you'll never know until you're face down in the toilet."
My latest attempt to recuperate has led me to Oral Rehydration Therapy, a common treatment for dysentery in rural areas of Africa. It is basically the 3rd World version of Pedialyte. And though it tastes like sweaty back, believe it or not, this well studied treatment actually even has its own wikipedia page. Developed throughout the 1800s and 1900s, Oral Rehydration Therapy has saved millions of lives throughout the continent.
ORT, as it is known, is a ratio-ed solution of salt, water, and sugar. 750 mL of water is mixed with 6 level teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. The solution is then drunk (gagged down) with the promise of feeling entirely better by the next day... or two. This solution is made of easily accessible items, though one can also purchase ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts) packets to carry as first aid. The use of this solution has become so standard in our country, that I am told the printed directions are given to new parents as part of birth certificate paperwork.
Let's hope it works. I am ready to get off the Oregon Trail at any time.
