Still sick...Friday deadline...My dreadful mistakes...
This morning after another dreadful night, I'm still ill. The raging case of some type of intestinal bug is playing hell with me. If I'm not better by Friday, I'll begin a three to five day dose of Ciprofloxin, commonly referred to as Cipro which we have on hand.
I despise the necessity of taking antibiotics and will do so only when in dire need. Now, perhaps the second time in less than a year, I do so hesitantly. So far, we haven't been able to find an English speaking doctor.
If we did, I couldn't make the long walk through the Medina to get out to the road to take a taxi. At the moment, I have trouble walking across the room, let alone dressing to go out and riding in a taxi.
Home care is the only way to go at this time. I realize many will disagree with this idea but for now we have no other options. I don't know if this intestinal issue is related to my occasional fever, bouts of sweating and shivering, tiredness and general malaise. For now, I will assume they are related and begin to treat it as one.
Taking the Cipro will tell all. If after doing so for three to five days and if there's no improvement, I'll have no choice but to go to a doctor. Hopefully, that doesn't happen.
Why wait until Friday? After reading what the CDC has to say, I should give it a little more time since in many cases it will resolve on its own but can take up 30 days. Actually, the intestinal thing started after we were here only a few days.
Here goes...it was all my fault. I ate all the wrong things when dining out the second day after our arrival. Here's what I did wrong:
1. Salads in almost every occasion when dining out: Salads contain lettuce and raw vegetables washed in local tap water
2. Salad on first time we ate out made with fresh seafood and uncooked calamari.
3. First few times out, I ordered beverages with ice. Tap water used in making ice except in fine dining restaurants and nicest hotels.
What was I thinking? I knew better in each of these situations. Any one of these scenarios could be responsible for my illness, or all three. The bottom line, I must further curtail what I order. Why did I fall short of following our own
guidelines?
I can only equate my error in judgment to complacency. When dining out in Kenya we stayed with the restaurants at the nicer local resorts who were diligent in avoiding illness for their overnight guests. If guests were to get sick, reviewers would write negative online reviews, affecting future business. Only once, did we eat at a standalone restaurant when I ordered a steak and cooked vegetables and no ice.
In South Africa, the local water was relatively clean, although we drank bottled water, as we often do. When I cooked four or five meals a week I washed raw vegetables in a bowl of purified water. We always dined at local resorts rather than standalone restaurants. But, we were always able to eat salads with raw vegetables without incident.
By the time we arrived in Marrakech, I had become complacent. Also, there are some of us traveler that perceive, after a period of time traveling the world, that we become invinsible. That was me, a mistaken rationale, so wrong in the assumption. Now, I pay the price.
With 58 more days in Morocco, I've promise myself to proceed with caution. No more salads, no raw seafood or cooked shellfish, no uncooked vegetables and no ice in my beverages when in restaurants, which I cut out two weeks ago. (We make our own ice from bottled water at home).
Hopefully, with Madame Zahra cooking, I can begin to heal. Tonight, we asked for cheese omelets, beef tagine and chips for Tom. No spices.
When one isn't feeling well, the strong Moroccan spices are especially overwhelming. In Madame Zahra's meticulous desire to feed me well, she's prepared three or four vegetables each night along with meat. Eating this much fiber in my current state has obviously been detrimental. For the next several days, I won't consume any vegetables at all.
After an entire day spent lounging and reading books on my phone, lying on the sofa in the salon with two of my bed pillows, another day of the same awaits me, as soon as I post for today.
The photos we posted yesterday and again today, are photos we've saved that we'd yet to share, all taken last week before I became immobilized. Hopefully, soon, we'll be able to return to our regular lives, go on our previously cancelled outing and book our trek to the desert and Atlas Mountains. At this point, everything else is up in the air.
Thanks our family members, friends and reader friends who have written expressing their good wishes for renewed health. This means the world to both of us. And, thanks to all of you for continuing to read our less interesting posts while we're housebound.
Note: Samir stopped by as I wrote her this morning. He suggested that when and if needed, he will arrange for a doctor to come here while he translate. After reading from the CDC''s website an alternate drug is suggested if Cipro doesn't work. Seeing the doctor will enable me to get the necessary prescription. If I start Cipro on Friday, by next Wednesday, after five days of dosing, we'll know if the doctor is needed. As always, there's comfort in knowing we have a plan in place.
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| The moon as we dined across the way from a third floor rooftop. |
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| As dusk fell, the brightness of the moon became more evident. |
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| Tom pointed out this late afternoon moon. |
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| A horse and buggy driver awaits his next customer. What a nice sky! |
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| The souks are filled with tourist over the weekends, thinning out by Tuesday. |
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| These sparkly baskets were eye appealing but not practical in their small size and lack of an option for fully closing, making them a target for possible pickpockets. We've yet to see any interest in these as we walk past this display when we enter the souk. |
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| Late afternoon Saturday, before the arrival of the crowds for evening dining and shopping. |
1. Salads in almost every occasion when dining out: Salads contain lettuce and raw vegetables washed in local tap water
2. Salad on first time we ate out made with fresh seafood and uncooked calamari.
3. First few times out, I ordered beverages with ice. Tap water used in making ice except in fine dining restaurants and nicest hotels.
What was I thinking? I knew better in each of these situations. Any one of these scenarios could be responsible for my illness, or all three. The bottom line, I must further curtail what I order. Why did I fall short of following our own
guidelines?
 |
| This vendor combined the less popular baskets with spices and other items. |
In South Africa, the local water was relatively clean, although we drank bottled water, as we often do. When I cooked four or five meals a week I washed raw vegetables in a bowl of purified water. We always dined at local resorts rather than standalone restaurants. But, we were always able to eat salads with raw vegetables without incident.
 |
| Many vendors carry a variety of products. |
With 58 more days in Morocco, I've promise myself to proceed with caution. No more salads, no raw seafood or cooked shellfish, no uncooked vegetables and no ice in my beverages when in restaurants, which I cut out two weeks ago. (We make our own ice from bottled water at home).
Hopefully, with Madame Zahra cooking, I can begin to heal. Tonight, we asked for cheese omelets, beef tagine and chips for Tom. No spices.
When one isn't feeling well, the strong Moroccan spices are especially overwhelming. In Madame Zahra's meticulous desire to feed me well, she's prepared three or four vegetables each night along with meat. Eating this much fiber in my current state has obviously been detrimental. For the next several days, I won't consume any vegetables at all.
 |
| The use of these colorful glass bottles is a mystery to us. In Morocco, many offered items are more decorative than functional. |
The photos we posted yesterday and again today, are photos we've saved that we'd yet to share, all taken last week before I became immobilized. Hopefully, soon, we'll be able to return to our regular lives, go on our previously cancelled outing and book our trek to the desert and Atlas Mountains. At this point, everything else is up in the air.
Thanks our family members, friends and reader friends who have written expressing their good wishes for renewed health. This means the world to both of us. And, thanks to all of you for continuing to read our less interesting posts while we're housebound.
Note: Samir stopped by as I wrote her this morning. He suggested that when and if needed, he will arrange for a doctor to come here while he translate. After reading from the CDC''s website an alternate drug is suggested if Cipro doesn't work. Seeing the doctor will enable me to get the necessary prescription. If I start Cipro on Friday, by next Wednesday, after five days of dosing, we'll know if the doctor is needed. As always, there's comfort in knowing we have a plan in place.