Day 10 into The Illness of the Year and I feel the tides are finally turning. I was able to eat a piece of bread without punching the wall between chews. If there is a bright side to this ailment (besides spending 10 days with the cat), I’ve lost some weight. But that is a very very dim bright side. I’d rather be plump and comfortable than an angry, hungry ball of pain.

While back in the States we look for immediate relief in our medication, I think here they tend to go more for treating underlying issues first. I don’t know what my underlying issue is or what kind of medicine they gave me. I assume it’s some herbal remedy as that’s all I’ve ever been given here. So it’s hard to tell if the medicine actually worked or if my immune system woke up from its nap and decided to catch up on some work.

Speaking of catching up with work- although I’ve been home for 10 days, I’ve been able to get work done but not as much as I would have liked. It’s hard to do much of anything besides sleep when you’re feeling ill, much less conjure enough concentration to bang out some creative designs. This past week has made me realize that without health, you’re nothing. Once I’m able to eat more solid foods and get out of my apartment, that’s on the top of my list. No more oily food, vegetable stir fried until their last remaining nutrient is sucked out of them, or “juice” that’s all sugar and water. Sometimes it’s hard to find healthy alternatives, but if I don’t look out for my body, who will? Illness doesn’t take a day off.