I'm back in Utah. My flight left El Paso at 1:25. Crocky was going to drive me to the airport at 11:50 so I'd have plenty of time before I left. I woke up that morning to a rather cranky stomach. I had some applesauce, juice, and toast for breakfast. No long after eating I was in the bathroom puking my guts out. I've only puked once before this. I've been sick for an entire month and I'd only puked once. This now made it two and it physically kicked my ass. But I now felt that since I'd completely evacuated the contents of my stomach, my flights would be rather uneventful. Getting through security and everything was a breeze. No hassle this time. I got on the plane and the turbulence was something else. I was praying the whole time that my stomach would just relax and that I wouldn't puke. But by the end of the flight my stomach couldn't take it anymore. I quietly became well acquainted with the airsickness bag. The two latinas sitting next to me were really nice about the whole thing. They asked if I was okay, if I needed anything, and if I was going to be okay. They even asked if I needed water or anything. When I disposed of the bag after the flight, one of the attendants asked if I'd gotten sick. I told her I had and she apologized apologized for the turbulence. I told her that I've been sick for some time and that's why I'm flying home. I was feeling so sick and weak at this point, I was too exhausted to be embarrassed at all. Turbulence is the one thing that I'm afraid of when it comes to flying. But I was so sick that I almost didn't care about it. If anything, my fear might be eliminated after that flight.

I had a stop in Albuquerque to change planes. I was supposed to leave at 3:30 and arrive in Utah after 5pm. My plane was coming in from Houston and it sat on the runway for about 3 hours waiting for permission to take off. Apparently there were horrid thunderstorms in the area. So I had a few breadsticks and then a quick cat nap in the terminal. Then I had some strange chicken noodle soup, that was anything but chicken noodle, and half a sandwich. I figured that I needed food in my stomach. I was getting shaky and weak. If I was going to puke, there was nothing I could do about it. My flight finally left Albuquerque at 6:30pm. The flight to SLC was thankfully quiet and uneventful. I got in just after 8pm. Sadly, my bag didn't arrive in SLC with me. So I filed a missing luggage report with the airline and headed home with my Dad. The airline said that when they found it, they would call me and deliver it. The drive home was long. Not that 60 miles is that far. But I was so sick and physically exhausted, that all I wanted to do was rest.

I got home and had a little dinner. Then at 10pm, the airline called and told me they found my bag. I don't know where it went without me. It may have gone on to Seattle. It might have been stuck in Albuquerque longer than I was. I told them to deliver the bag first thing in the morning, rather than at around 2am. My bag didn't get delivered until 4:30pm. All of the meds I've been taking were in that bag. All my clothes were in that bag. The cords for my PS3, my phone charger, my cross stitch... I'm just glad to have my bag back.

I still feel pretty sick today. I seem to have developed a new aliment. My ribcage aches all the time. Everything inside it aches. However, when I belch it's hurts. A lot. Normally burping feels good for my stomach. But now it's rather painful. Add that to the constant stomach aches, headaches, dizziness, constant weakness, strange and unpredictable hunger, and general body aches and I'm just a total wreck. I'm trying to get a Dr. appointment as soon as I can. I've been sick for a month and this shows no sign of going away on it's own. I need someone to figure out what this is. I need to get better. Yes, it's nice to be home and see my family and my dog. But I want to get back to El Paso and make the summer mine. Especially since I no longer own a car. While I've been gone, my car went to hell rather quickly. It became unsafe to drive. Literally, this morning, the kidney foundation came and took my car away. I have to make enough money to get a car this summer. I have to get better and get back to make some money. I need to get back to work and back to El Paso. I'm also just completely and totally drained. I have no option except to get better. I just hope I can despite my lack of insurance.

By the way, apparently I don't have Norwalk Virus. Now we're being told it's a less terminal form of E Coli. But I need that confirmed for myself and some serious medication. Until I get a bunch of tests that verify what I have, I'm not really going to believe a supposed diagnosis.

Although I am rather excited to be back for a few reasons. The largest one being the ability to see my family and dog. But I'm excited to be back so I can do stupid things like, get my hair cut and colored. Pick up my Special Edition of MGS 4. I fully plan on playing that tonight after the requisite blog update.

I've gotten much sicker over the past few days. I thought I was starting to get better since I went back to work last week Saturday and Monday. But then I got worse on Tuesday and I've been really horrible since. I've been sick for three weeks, but it seems to have gotten worse over the past few days. My energy level has drastically decreased. I hardly have the energy to do anything. All I want to do is curl up on the couch all day. I have no appetite, but if I don't eat I feel much worse.

I'm starting to go crazy from being sick. I'm frustrated because I've heard twice that it's a virus and twice that it's a bacterial infection from all the various doctors we've seen. Then I've heard about a million other things that it could be from people that aren't medical professionals.

I just want to get better. I just want to stop feeling so crappy all the time. I just want some answers, but I don't know how to get them. It's becoming insurmountably discouraging and I don't know what to do anymore.

"Spit spot!"

Still feel like hot garbage. But I started on the meds this morning and they make me light-headed and dizzy anyway, so I figure I'll need a couple of days to adjust. So I'm home today. I've spent most of the day curled up on the couch feeling sick and gross. But I decided to play internets for awhile and found one of my most favorite cartoons ever.





Now I feel like curling back up on the couch to watch Kill Bill.

Also, I watched this while I ate lunch. Hopefully I'll feel good enough to make a real post soon. A real post with pictures and everything. I'm just sorry it's so late in coming. I didn't anticipate feeling like this for 3 weeks. :(

Hewitt finally managed to get a hold of a friend of his that is a physician's assistant. He told her all of the symptoms that we've been having for almost 2 weeks now. Her diagnosis, (without seeing or resting us), is that what we have is a virus. The problem we've been having is two-fold: First, because this is a new climate and altitude for us, our bodies are still adjusting. They aren't adjusting well because we're sick. That's why we can't get over the virus. Second, we're most likely very dehydrated. She wants us to constantly be drinking water/gatorade/whatever. Like 10 bottles a day. Being dehydrated is making us weak and lethargic and we can't do anything when we feel that way. She says to stick to foods that don't upset our stomachs because that's what causes the cramping. No more Jack in the Crack for me. Damn... So Hewitt and I have been pounding down the water and gatorade all day in an attempt to rehydrate. We're also being very careful about what we eat. Nothing to irritate our stomaches. That will probably be the new set of rules for the whole office. Hewitt and I are the sickest ones, but there are several others who are sick as well. The office is really only running about about half staff right now because so many of us are sick and can't kick this.

While I've heard tons of advice from numerous sources and heard a lot from several doctors, this advice actually feels right. The heat is difficult on us. I do feel better when I'm constantly drinking lots of fluids. I just need to keep it up. I need to drink more liquids that will help me feel better. I was one of the only people taking water with me to work every day and now I'm apparently dehydrated. Well hopefully this will work. I'm very drained from being so sick, both on a mental and physical level. I just want it to be over. I want to feel better. I want to work so much...

Other than being sick, my life is intensely boring right now. My upstairs neighbors are loud and keep me up later than I want to be. They've kept me up till 4am twice this week. I've left them a note to please keep it down. If they don't, I'll complain to the main apartment office. My day is spent resting, trying to appease my stomach cramps, and doing anything I can to keep myself from dying of boredom. Sometimes I play video games. I've been playing on Scott's Nintendo Wii for the past few days. All I do is make Miis. I've made around 45 because I'm a loser like that. I've gotten all of them from this website. Almost makes me want to buy my own Wii....

Hopefully I can post again soon. But when I have to borrow computers, it's difficult.

Next week, I will have internets. I cannot wait!

"I am Jack's raging bile duct."

I'm still sick with whatever this is. I watched "Fight Club" the other day. I might have to name whatever I have, Marla.

If I did have a tumor, I'd name it Marla.

Sometimes I start to feel better. Other times, I don't. But I know that I'm getting better. Both Matt Hewitt and I are going to try knocking later in the day so we can get back to working. The heat around the middle of the day absolutely kills me and makes all of my symptoms about 100 times worse. Then, when we feel better in the mornings, we might try going out to get some work in before the heat gets too bad. We would have tried going out tonight, but we had a fairly greasy lunch that rendered us both useless for the day. If anything, we learned that fast food is a HUGE "no-no bad dog" for us right now. But that's a good thing really. That crap isn't good for you no matter what. Besides, we're able to eat so many other things, that greasy crap isn't much of a loss.

I'm also working on getting actual internet for my place. I've felt way too crappy to do it today. I will tomorrow. Then I won't have to pirate interwebs from my neighbors or the apartment complex office. Then I can post on a regular basis, check e-mail, post pictures, whatever. I can't wait. That will be a bill I will love to pay.

Speaking of bills, I need to get back to work. I need some positive cash flow. I WILL hit my goals this summer and this sickness... Marla.... is only a little bump in the road. If anything, Marla has given me a chance to mentally get to a good place so I can really succeed this summer. I've also really gotten to know Matt Hewitt well. He's incredibly awesome and his friendship is a real blessing.