Fair warning, this is a TMI-kind of a post. Cease and desist if you are too delicate of nature.
So, by now, I was supposed to have been gleefully digging in the dirt at an archeological dig near Mossel Bay.
But, as they say, "you plan and the goddess laughs." (Anyway, I say that.)
As I mentioned previously, I caught some sort of nasty bug a few weeks ago. And it's been a pain -- literally -- ever since as I battle with an wicked foe: IBS.
According to my mom, I've always had a fussy stomach. But it wasn't until 2001 that this particular tale of woe begins. I went, early that year, to the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico. It was an amazing trip, learning first-hand what Zapatista country is like. However, the bout of intestical disarray I endured while there was ... well, let's just say it was too traumatic to recount here ...
Anyhoo, ever since then, I've had an even more fussy stomach. I went to doctors -- had tests, allergy tests, etc., and they never found anything conclusive. And although sometimes annoying, it was something I could deal with OK.
But whatever it is that I got a few weeks ago here in fair Cape Town was apparently the straw that broke my wimpy stomach's back and plummeted me straight into full blown IBS. The first week was hell, with cramps & pains as I had never experienced in my life. And at the end of that week was precisely when we were supposed to go to Mossel Bay. In desperation, I tried taking some antibiotics, and although they helped a bit, a physically demanding archeological dig was just a bad idea at that point. So off Aaron went (he was expected and really couldn't back out of it, besides, the hope was that I could go a few days later ...)
But recovery has been slow as I try to get my digestion back to normal -- or as normal as it ever is. I'm taking monster doses of protobiotics and brewing up some homemade kefir, which in the past has been remarkably helpful for my digestion. Oh, and why am I bothering to make it at home and not just buy it -- if such is my need? Because kefir apparently has never been heard of here in Cape Town -- not even in health food stores. Thank goodness that I brought dried kefir starter with me from Minnesota. (I'm like a friggin' Girl Scout -- always prepared!) My first batch isn't ready yet though ...
So, for the moment, I have to be really, really careful about what I eat. A bite of cheese (or any dairy of any kind for that matter) and I'm back to laying in bed moaning. And while at the archeological site, I have to eat what everyone else eats and can't be requesting plain white rice and steamed veggies, please.
So, here I am, stuck in Cape Town, and very much bummed. I'm used to being left behind whilst Aaron goes on digs, but this time I was supposed to join him! And dang it, it's unbelievably frustrating! It's also lonely!!! At least at home I would have my friends and family with whom to kvetch ...
But oh well, the good news is that I AM feeling much better. And the range of things I can eat is growing ... And hopefully I might still make it out to the site ... even just to visit ... we'll see ... In the meantime, send my tummy good vibes!
Meet Bubbles, my baby kefir (water kefir by the way, not milk, as I'm very lactose intolerant right now.) Water kefir is something like kombucha. Anyhoo, here's Bubbles, fermenting away ... I had to wrap her up to ward off the Cape Town winter chill. She needs a nice warm environment in order to do her thing ...
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