debsjsu

I really try hard not to complain about my little inconvinences in life, b/c others around me usually have it worse than me if I choose to look for them. I am however having a very difficult time right now and need to vent I guess. I got out of bed so I wouldn't wake my spouse again.. While I was in Jamaica about my 10th day, I got a slight rash, developed a nonproductive cough with laryngitis, and diarrhea, the rash went away, the rest didnt. Since 5/24/06 I have had laryngitis not really a sore throat just gets sore from coughing, and diarrhea. I went to my Dr. last Mon. he said he thought it was just a simple case of allergies gave me a shot of steriods and sent me home. About 4 hrs. later my temp spiked to 104 I treated this for the next 3 days with advile and tylenol. Now I just have a low grade temp all the time, 100. The diarrhea hasn't subsided at all, I find it hard to eat, I am getting weaker by the day. I am trying to keep hydrated with fluids,and soups for nutrition. My husband took me to the hospital ER. last night for blood work, chest x-ray ,to see if maybe we could find out what was wrong with me. That was a real joke. I was more upset by the time we got home than I was before we left. They said my chest X-ray was clear, Blood work was normal. It took them 6 hours to say this. I worked the ER as a nurse for 10 yrs. so I was very frustrated by the treatment I recieved. I did not however respond rudely to anyone at the hosp. I am still working a program. My sponsor has given me some stuff to read while I have been in bed that has helped me emotionally. Thank God for Sponsors!!! I have prayed, (b/c thats what I do when in need or not in need, I pray daily) I have done everything I know to do to take care of myself. I am just not getting better. It has been almost a month now and I am getting worried I might be exposing my family to something dangerous. I don't trust the Dr.'s. I do however trust God. I am still human so my strength is weak. I do not like how I feel physically, emotionally or mentally. Being sick takes a toll on me in many ways. I told the RN last night that I was an addict/alcoholic, would you believe they still gave me a script for an oipate. Well, that was given to my husband to deal with b/c I was just too sick to handle it. Needless to say he wasn't real pleased, but he handles himself with much dignity and respect these days. I am so very proud of him. For those of you who do pray. Pray for me please. Those who don't, thats ok wish me well anyway. Love to you all Debs

best

One issue is not more important then another when we look at people one at a time.
A stubbed toe hurts just as much as a broken arm. Well more so when it happens to be truthful.
I would say that through this be sure to drink plenty of water. Double your water amounts so you don't dehydrate.

I pray and will be praying for you.

brigid

Hi Debs, really hope you start feeling better soon. You really sound like you are dealing with this in the best possible way you can and I can appreciate how worried you are, I would be too.

Drink lots of water, there is this great food called yogurt which is really, really healing and don't forget that there are alternative health professionals out there. There are people who give massages, people who do psychotherapy, chiropractors, naturopaths, crystal healers ... , also, you can do searches on the internet if you feel up to it.

I am saying lots of prayers for you, hope you feel better soon!!

lots of love,
Brigid

debsjsu

Thanks guys for the well wishes, prayers and post. I can't sit here for too long at a time. I get up and read for a while then I have to go back to bed and rest for a while. I will continue to check this thread all day. Your encouragement and well wishes lift my spirits. Somehow that helps me feel better. Wow could that be another example of one of my "spiritual experiences" I think it is!!! You guys are so awesome and it really helps to here positive things... gets my mind thinking in the right lane... Love to all I will be back in a little while, Debs, Thanks so very much...

CarolD

Check out bladder infections.

Hugs and Prayers...

jcade

PRODUCT: Ackees all product types including canned, frozen,
raw, dried, etc. The ackee is known as the national
fruit of Jamaica and may be called "akee", "akie", or
"ishin"

PRODUCT CODE: 21S--13, 21R--13, 21T--13, 21U--13, 21V--13
21W--13

PROBLEM: ***Naturally occurring toxins*** Hypoglycin-A and
Hypoglycin-B

***(OASIS charge code = POISONOUS)***

PAF: ***BIO (Biological Toxin)***

PAC: ***07819***

COUNTRY: ***All***

MANUFACTURER/
SHIPPER: ***All, except those listed on the attachment.***

CHARGE: "The article is subject to refusal of admission
pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that the product
appears to contain poisonous and deleterious
substances, namely hypoglycin-A and hypoglycin-B, which
may render it injurious to health [Adulteration,
Section 402(a)(1)]."

RECOMMENDING
OFFICE: CFSAN, HFS-606 and HFS-300

REASON FOR
ALERT: CFSAN has determined, after a study of all available
scientific literature, that ackees contain two toxic
substances when the fruit is either green or over-ripe.
The seeds, ***pinkish membrane under the seeds, and
outer rind*** of the fruit contain the toxic substances
at all times. The substances are hypoglycin-A and
hypoglycin-B which are dangerous natural toxins that
have been known to cause poisoning and death. The
ingestion of ***immature*** ackee is conclusively
linked to "vomiting sickness" in Jamaica. The
literature describes the onset of vomiting sickness as
sudden. One or more periods of vomiting and quiescence
***can be*** followed by convulsions, coma, and death.
***In the unripened fruit, hypoglycin is located
throughout the fruit, seeds, membrane under the seeds,
and outer rind. In ripe ackee, the edible portion of
the fruit is safe to consume. The seeds and outer rind,
however, still contain high levels of hypoglycin and
should not be consumed.***

The above facts, plus the possibility that green or
over-ripe fruits or seeds could get into the cans
during commercial canning, or be consumed when eating
the fresh fruit leads CFSAN to conclude that all
shipments of ackees, ***EXCEPT from those firms
identified in the Attachment to this alert, ***should
be detained without physical examination. ***The
processors listed in the Attachment have food safety
controls in place to ensure that only properly ripened
ackees, without seeds, membrane, or outer rind, are
used for canning.***

***FDA is also aware*** of attempts to smuggle canned
ackees into the United States by either false
declaration on the can labels or by concealing the
canned ackees in containers of other food products and
not declaring ackees on the Customs entry. Numerous
detentions of ackees continued to occur during FY92 and
FY93. Others have been reported since that time.


Hope this helps you it also causes diaherea

John

debsjsu

Im still reading, Thanks guys, interesting info, So glad you guys are all here. My family members are all gone today and wont be back until very late afternoon. I couldn't go (no bathroom in the car) also I just can't be up very long. My neice is going to camp today and my hubby is taking her, it's a 2 hr. drive after church. bummer I really hate to miss it. She called me about 5 min. after she left the house to tell me she loved me and she was going to miss me and she hoped I got well real soon. She is 14, boy it can't get no better than that!! Right.. I may be sick but I am truly Blessed!! Absolutely!! I am the one who makes her do her chores and grounds her from the phone when she gets cought after hours talking on it. I am the one who whtches her report card and gets on her butt when she is not doing what she is suspose to. Im also the one that wont let her date yet even though "everyone else is doing it" so she says. And she calls to tell me she loves me and will miss me and hopes I feel better. Yep Im Blessed. Keep posting I will be back to read. Got to go rest for now and remember how Blessed I am. Love to all Debs. ( they are not suspose to like you at 14!)

laurie6781

Debs I hope you feel better soon!!!

When you went to the ER did you tell them this started right after your return from Jamaica, and what happened while there.

I know you can end up with parasites when in Mexico and I am not sure if Jamaica is the same. I have been infected several times, and there is a medicine (of course I don't have any left to remember the name) that I have had to take that clears it all up.

Pease have your hubby, upon his return get you some generic pediolyte and gatorade, just drinking water is not enough with persistent diarrhea.

You are in my prayers.

Love and hugs,

Don W

Being sick in recovery adds additional stress. I also work in a hospital here in Boston. Someone, already questioned about letting them know about Jamaica. The only thing I can suggest is to try and find someone from Jamaica and ask if they have knowledge about it. I hope to be back to work on Tuesday. I work with many from Jamaica, they might be able to help.
Many ties doctors and hospitals are not aware of things that only happen in other countries. I'm only comparing the situation to what happened to my dog. So please don't be offended. She is a Save-a-Sato dog from Puerto Rico. None of the Vets could find out why she was going blind. Then one of them checked and found a parasite that only exsits in Puerto Rico. There could be something in Jamaica they are not aware of. Anyway, hang in there. You're doing the right thing by talking about it.

2dayzmuse

I hope you have plans to see a different Dr. Prayers for you Debs. I hope you start feeling better soon.

debsjsu

Thanks guys for all the post. Some of the questions you posted are some of the reasons I have been frustrated. I am a RN and I did research before I went to Jamaica, I thought I had protected myself. But as I said before we were working with sick children and adults and we were not given gloves or mask b/c they were not avaliable. I am the mother who if a child hugs me I hug them back. I was very close to many children who were sick. They needed to feel a human hug the warmth of the arms of love around them for that one day might be all they got b/c their just wasn't resources avaliable to provide for their needs daily. These places did the best they could but they were limited in what they were able to do. I could not keep my arms off these children or adults. I felt love for each and every one of them and I wanted to let them feel it from me. Anyway I was not prepared for all this. So who know what I came in contact with. I explained this to the Dr. and requested specific test be done for most prevelant diseases at this time (per my instructor) to rule these out. Since I had been sick for so long and had not gotten better with the treatments that had already been tried. It was just a simple request for 3 different lab test not a big deal. I have the symptoms for all 3 of these diseases. This made the Dr. angry and that is why we were in the ER for 6 hrs. b/c he didn't like "being told how to treat his patients" He didn't even do a urinalysis. which is one of the first things I would have done if It had been my pt. to rule out the simple stuff like UTI or dehydration especially with a history of diarrhea for 3 weeks, dehydration is a very possiable diagnosis and so is UTI. He refused to do a Urinalysis. Any the frustration was becouse I only requested the lab work I didn't demand it and I requested it b/c my instructor told me that these were the diseases I was most likely to have come in contact with on our trip. The Dr. wouldn't understand me when I tried to explain. And he speaks my language. I have even worked with this jerk (opps) before. I just didn't understand why he was being so unresonable. I guess it was his night to have the God Syndrome. I hope I miss my day to have it. It's not pretty. I will be back in my Dr.'s office Thursday to get the test results he did order. Hopefully I will find out something then. Thanks for all the post. I need all the encouragement right now. I have prayed, cried, prayed some more, cried some more. I come read and Im grateful, I try some of the things you suggest, Thanks to all who care. God gives me back what I give. Love to all Deb. Im exhausted now got to go for a while be back later to read.....

2dayzmuse

Shame on him.

AndrewBeen

In light of the broad array of potential pathogens that you were explosed to, he SHOULD be ashamed at not doing a full work up.

I know from my dealings with my HMO: good care requires persistence.

debsjsu

My feelings exactly Andrew, even if they were all neg. in the area of public protection from pathogens (what I might be exposing others to by not knowing what I have) A full and complete work up should have been done. Not just for me, but for the protection of others! And why would any Dr. be insulted if you provided information about the diseases that were present where you were when you got sick. Would that not be helpful in possiably giving you specific areas to investigate? I am not going to allow this one Dr. to totally upset my spiritual balance in recovery. Being sick takes a very big toll on me. I do not like having to let others take care of things for me. I guess that is a controll issue for me. This is very hard for me. Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and if I am not very careful it can have a very dangerous impact on my recovery. Like when that Dr. wrote me that script for the narcotic when I was d/c from the ER Sat. night. Thank God I did not want to use drugs or alcohol at that time. How long would it take in this condition for me to loose my resolve, my recovery, not being able to go to meetings, or to be around people, talk on the phone, no real contact with anyone or anything in recovery. I have really thought about that lately. I do not want to drink or use today. How long would it take, how much could I endure, I do not know, Today I pray and do the things I CAN do to stay sober and clean in recovery. I call my sponsor. My sponsor knows I can't talk, I call and just listen. It really does help. I listen to Taped speaker meetings, read my literature. My spouse called my Dr. this am and explained what happened this weekend. He said to see him Thurs. Lets get the test results that were ordered. If nothing is there we will order more and get to the answer. I am not afraid anymore, but I don't feel any better yet. I will not give up!!! Love to all Debs

Autumn

I'm sorry you're feeling so bad. What a drag. I understand how understaffed and overworked an ER staff can be at times, including Docs, but that's no excuse for the treatment (or lack thereof) you received. You have been sick for a long time now. Any second opinions or follow-ups in the works?

Best wishes for a speedy recovery....

debsjsu

I am sicker now, having leg pains in my bones, along with the other symptoms, I should get my test results Thursday. Not out of bed much.

CarolD

I am so very sorry...
Prayers and Hugs

janeeyre

Aw, Debs--I didn't see your thread here until now. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time of it, and I hope you're feeling at least a little better today. I will certainly pray for you. If you're up to it, let us know how your test results turn out.

Love,
Jane

debsjsu

My hubby went to my Dr.'s office this am and got my test results they are neg. for bacterial infection. that is all i know for now. have to go back to the Dr. myself for more test if I am not better tomorrow

debsjsu

My Dr. called and wanted me in his office today. I went, he obtained some more "specimens" He said the test that the other Dr. had done were not adequate, so he is ordering more test. I should have those results in a few days. He was very concerned and ask many questions, he was very through with his exam and my spouse was with me and helped me answer the questions that I had a hard time with (due to I have no voice). Anyway I think that maybe now I will get some real answers, at least I hope so... Thank you to everyone who has been concerned about me and posted well wishes. I truly appreciate your kindness. Debs