Aneya & Lauren: Sickness revisited.

Lauren: So I owe Aneya's aunt Carol an apology. It seems a visit to the hospital and an IV was the necessary course of treatment. On Saturday night, when we left for Temuco, I was feeling pretty good. I had already started to feel better Friday, and I celebrated with a latte, a beer and glass of wine (in different meals, of course), and a million things a person recovering from a stomach illness shouldn't eat. I was sick of soup, rice, and mashed potatoes. None of those things had very much nutritional value anyway and was ready to get back to normal life! I was just so tired of early nights at home, boring cuisine, and wanted to get back to exploring Chile. Bad idea.

Aneya: Definitely a bad idea. Lauren just seemed so happy and healthy on Friday, and she was really craving a Nutella crepe. And who am I to say no to her? I asked if she was feeling better, she much, much better, and that she really wanted a drink, too. So we went about our day, ate lots of delicious (but apparently bad) food, and hopped on the bus to Temuco.

Lauren: So the first day in Temuco everything is fine. We settle down in the monastery near Daniela's uncle's house, have a lovely breakfast of bread, butter, and jam with hot coffee and set out for the countryside, which was absolutely stunning. The whole time, my stomach was at maybe the level of mild discomfort. But by Tuesday it was unbearable. I looked like I was in my third trimester expecting twins, and it hurt to walk, sit, and take deep breaths. From one day to the next things had completely reversed. This was when we all decided it was time to get a professional opinion.

Aneya: That first day was intense. We spent almost the entire time in the car, traveling to the countryside, visiting a lake town, then the ocean, then driving through very rural territory, then driving home. It was absolutely beautiful, but we were both exhausted by the time we got back to the monastary, but Lauren seemed fine, no complaints. The next day, not so much. We had a traditional Mapuche lunch, and Lauren could hardly walk afterwards. She really hadn't mentioned anything was wrong until then. Once she confessed to Daniela and I the extent of her pain, we decided a doctor was in order.

Lauren: It hurt to breathe deeply, walk, and sit. Basically, just being alive hurt. My stomach was huge, it looked like I was expecting, and I was just in a lot of pain. I had a reunion with my friend the vegetable at lunch, but could that be it?

Daniela's uncle found a doctor he knows at the German Clinic in Temuco and we all headed there, Daniela's Tio Jorge, Daniela, Aneya, and me.

Aneya: Off to the hospital we went! I was really surprised by how much pain she was in, she said it hurt even to sit down. For awhile I was afraid her appendix might have burst, because she was experiencing sharp pains on the lower side of her stomach. I was afraid of a lot of things, actually. Who the hell knew what was happening to her?

Lauren: Although I would say I'm fluent in Spanish certain words and phrases allude me, especially those pertaining to medical and legal matters. Phrases like "intestinal tract" and "I'm allergic to Penicillin" just weren't coming to me. So, to be sure there was no ambiguity Daniela came with me to meet with my doctor and got to hear all the details of my illness, while Aneya and Tio Jorge waited outside.

Aneya: The waiting room of the ER was really quite pleasant actually. No screaming children, no bloody bodies being brought. Just quiet people, watching TV, getting snacks from the vending machines, waiting to be seen. So pleasant compared to a hospital in the US! And clean too. It was all very impressive.

Lauren: The doctor decided some blood tests and an IV would be the best course of treatment, but because I was nervous there was a lot of painful probing for a good vein. That was the most unpleasant part. Other than that it was just laying around the hospital while the IV took effect and blood tests were performed. More than anything, I was scared that I wouldn't get better by the 10:00 p.m. curfew the nuns had at our monastery. If they didn't have me out before then, I'd be staying the night at the hospital whether or not I needed it.

Aneya: Tio Jorge and I waited for about two hours, and then Daniela came out to give us the news. Jorge left, I went in to see Lauren, who was quite upset, as she'd just been poked and prodded with a bunch of needles. I felt so bad for her. I also felt stupid. We shouldn't have come. We should have gotten her treated in Santiago. But she just seemed so fine, so healthy when we left. How could I know this was going to happen?

Lauren: Well, it was best we were in Temuco! I'm sure a Santiago hospital would be more crowded, more people in the city more people in the hospital, right? And since we were in the company of Daniela and her family, they knew the area and where we should go. If it was just us alone in Santiago, I would have to talk to the doctor, describing my symptoms as best I could in my medical Spanish.

Aneya: Daniela and I left Lauren at the hospital and went back to get food and supplies, in case she needed to stay over night. When we got back, her book and ipod in tow, the doctor came in to give us the news. No infection, no virus, white blood cell count is good. They couldn't test her stomach because she couldn't give a stool sample, but he was confident she'd be fine. He gave her a strict diet to follow, some prescription medication, and we were on our way.

Lauren: A very strict diet. Everything I hate. Tons of bread, rice, potatoes, and chicken. Great. None of the starches had any nutritional value, so should I stick out the vegetarianism, possibly to the point of another hospital visit? No. When it comes to survival and wellness, I choose me. Sorry, chicken. Arroz con pollo, altiro!

Aneya: Oh, and by this time the sweet Tio Jorge was back, he picked us up, took us to the pharmacy, to the grocery store, he even brought us snacks! (Some crackers for Lauren, some blueberry pie for me!) He really was the best. So sweet, so kind, and, above all, genuinely concerned. Oh, what a crazy day that was.

Lauren: Tio Jorge was great! He was so thoughtful bringing us food, then running us around town before 10 p.m. when everything closes down. To the pharmacy, to the grocery store, and back to the monastery. Oh, what a day. Feeling so much better now! Still haven't had any raw vegetables or fruit incase they've been washed in water. What I wouldn't give for a nice, juicy nectarine right now.

Oh, and on another note. This whole thing cost me $130-$140. A hospital visit at a private clinic. An IV. Blood tests. Medicine. In the states, for an uninsured person a private hospital visit could leave them permanently in debt. Here I had enough cash on me to cover this whole adventure. I'm actually glad I got sick in Chile!

-- Aenya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Sickness.

Aneya: So basically Lauren thought she was dying for a couple days there. We don't know how it happened or why, but I could see she was seriously starting to deteriorate before my very eyes. I had had an issue with the ice a couple days back (we've been trying to stay away from tap water, but ice can be trickier). I felt horrible after drinking it, and my stomach was in cramps for the rest of the day. When I woke up the next morning, I was fine. Some Coke and a couple (non salted) crackers, and I was good to go. Not so for poor Lauren.

Lauren: Dizziness, nausea, cramps, vomiting, muscle aches, mild headaches. You name it, this week I had it. I saw it all: The blog would be renamed to "Just Aneya in Chile", letters of condolence being sent to my parents. We went from travelling the streets of Santiago, to staying home, hardly moving. Poor Aneya was stuck in the apartment with miserable me, while I just tried very hard to hold still.

Aneya: I just felt so helpless. Here was Lauren, in obvious pain, and there was nothing I could do to help her. We tried to brainstorm together. What had she eaten that I hadn't? She really hadn't eaten much at all. Being a vegetarian in Chile is harder than she thought, as everything seems to come with a surprise hunk of meat in it. Lauren had been mostly eating bread with palta, salads, vegetables, and the like.

Lauren: It started Monday, and unable to trace the source of my illness I just stopped eating and drinking all together, probably only exacerbating my sickness. Anytime I tried to eat, I felt super nauseous. Especially vegetables. I was simultaneously starving and desperate to eat something, but repelled by anything that I ate. It was complete misery. I'm sure I was not the face Aneya wanted to see across the dinner table.

Aneya: For some reason Lauren was really craving mashed potatoes, but ended getting a salad with rice instead (I'm telling you, ordering here is tricky!) She looked like she was about to throw up with every miserable bite. I sat in front of her, eating my ham sandwich, trying to think of what food she could eat, because she was obviously starving. But I was drawing a blank. Everything was making her nauseous.

Lauren: Mashed potatoes sounded amazing. My dad thinks they're God's gift to man ("They're just the perfect food. Everything you need".) And it seemed like something bland that might actually stick.

Of course, my first thought was "I need to call my mother." But before that, I called Daniela, asked about good over-the-counter products in Chile, and she recommended what the pharmacist said when we visited: these drops in a small vile. The only catch was that you couldn't eat for 24 hours, which seemed like it would only make the dizziness situation worse. Aneya suggested we turn this into an international situation, and soon phone calls were placed to different parents in Santa Monica, Las Vegas, and Marseille, France.

My mom said to listen to a pharmacist "who looks like he knows what he's talking about," and maybe abide by a strict BRAT diet. It might not be drinking the water, but eating things rinsed in water, like vegetables.

Aneya: I called my dad in Las Vegas, who, as usual, overreacted. He then called up his "medical team" of specialists, who were put on the phone to assess Lauren's symptoms. The whole thing was just crazy. One nurse told us she needed to go to the hospital, asap, and get an IV fluid in her, because she was seriously dehydrated. She also said she'd need antibiotics, stat!

Lauren: Aneya's dad, Tilak, was very kind and genuinely concerned. He could hear my low energy over the phone, and things weren't looking good. He suggested that Aneya rub limes on my feet, a technique done around the world, apparently do it and it works wonders. I wasn't exactly sure how Aneya would feel about that.

Aneya: My dad then suggested that I get some limes and rub them on Lauren's feet. "People do it everywhere!" He protested. Because that wouldn't be awkward at all. Next thing I know he'd tell me to sprinkle a warm bowl of water over her belly. These people weren't helping at all!

Lauren: So, since we were already international, we thought we'd get Aneya's mother, Terri, on the line and run the symptoms by her. She thought that a visit to the homeopathic pharmacy was in order. Seeing as this was the less harsh option (compared to hospitalization, getting an IV inserted, rubbing limes on my feet), we decided to follow this course plus the BRAT diet.

It was, of course, a "we" situation. Although it was my sickness, Aneya and I have started making all major decisions. "We're hungry," "We could go for a sammich," (Aneya: This is how I pronounce "sandwich". And now Lauren does too). "We think he's cute," "We should go to the homeopathic store."

Aneya: I was so glad I called my mother. Finally, a rational perspective on all this craziness. She was very calm about the whole thing (as she always is) and told us that she wasn't surprised the vegetables made Lauren sick, as they could be filled with pesticides or be rinsed in dirty water. (Apparently, when we'd gone to Nepal, they told us to stay away from all produce. I don't remember this, I was only 6 or 7).

Lauren: There was a consensus among the mothers: It was the produce. My friend the vegetable had turned on me. All I eat is fruits, vegetables, grains, and light dairy. If I can't eat my produce, then what?

We decided a homeopathic store was the least harsh alternative, and made a quick run to the homeopathic store (of which there are many).

Aneya: My mom also suggested Lauren ask the pharmacist if this was a common travel's sickness, and to be very clear about all her symptoms. We thanked her and made our way to the Homeopathic pharmacy, praying they could help.

And that they did. The men working there were every sweet and patient, and listened intently as Lauren listed all her various symptoms. They then got out those tiny little bottles filled with little white pills and told her which to take, and when. And voila! A cure was found!

Lauren: I was given three bottles of different homeopathic remedies for nausea, dizziness + nausea, and something else. I was a bit wary of the price, since in LA homeopathic medicines are exorbitant, but all three bottles cost me about $4.

Now, abiding by my BRAT diet, taking my pills regularly, and hydrating again, it seems I (hopefully) am well on the road to recovery ... with a couple of bumps in the road.

-- Aneya & Lauren