I picked up a rather unpleasant dose of Giardia while in India last month. I suspected something was amiss shortly after I returned to London. A cluster of symptoms while in the USA left no doubt. I've contracted Giardia in India before, and several times in China, so I knew exactly what the problem was.
Giardia is a water-borne protozoan parasite that colonises and reproduces in the small intestine (that's it photo at the top of this post). It's symptoms are unmistakable. Bloating, flatulence and stomach cramps are the most common indicators, along with unbelievably foul smelling stools. I've also found that the bloating can induce vomiting at night as your stomach is progressively squeezed by expanding gases.
Over the years I've come to learn that such aliments are part and parcel of business travel. Diarrhoea and food poisoning tend to be the most common afflictions. I've experienced food poisoning in China more times than I care to recall. Surprisingly, booking myself into five-star hotels rarely reduced the risk. I've also endured bouts of food poisoning in New York and Paris. On each occasion I knew exactly which dish made me ill.
Thanks to a friendly doctor in San Francisco, a script of Metronidalzole has my Giardia on the wane. I'm also US$404 poorer. Unfortunately, such a simple cure isn't an option for my father. Tomorrow he goes into surgery to remove a malignant tumour from his lower colon, along with a section of his small intestine inflamed by chronic Crohn's Disease. He'll be in the theatre for four hours and remain in hospital for ten days of recovery. I wish him a comfortable and speedy return to full health.
Since his diagnosis last month I've discovered many friends and colleagues whose family members have also been diagnosed with colon cancer. It seems that this disease is far more prevalent than I've been aware. I am reminded of a period several years ago when three colleagues were diagnosed with breast cancer in the period of a year. A family friend also received a similar diagnosis last year. Once again, this cancer was far more common that I'd realised. My occasional bout of Giardia or Gout pales into insignificance.
Giardia is a water-borne protozoan parasite that colonises and reproduces in the small intestine (that's it photo at the top of this post). It's symptoms are unmistakable. Bloating, flatulence and stomach cramps are the most common indicators, along with unbelievably foul smelling stools. I've also found that the bloating can induce vomiting at night as your stomach is progressively squeezed by expanding gases.
Over the years I've come to learn that such aliments are part and parcel of business travel. Diarrhoea and food poisoning tend to be the most common afflictions. I've experienced food poisoning in China more times than I care to recall. Surprisingly, booking myself into five-star hotels rarely reduced the risk. I've also endured bouts of food poisoning in New York and Paris. On each occasion I knew exactly which dish made me ill.
Thanks to a friendly doctor in San Francisco, a script of Metronidalzole has my Giardia on the wane. I'm also US$404 poorer. Unfortunately, such a simple cure isn't an option for my father. Tomorrow he goes into surgery to remove a malignant tumour from his lower colon, along with a section of his small intestine inflamed by chronic Crohn's Disease. He'll be in the theatre for four hours and remain in hospital for ten days of recovery. I wish him a comfortable and speedy return to full health.
Since his diagnosis last month I've discovered many friends and colleagues whose family members have also been diagnosed with colon cancer. It seems that this disease is far more prevalent than I've been aware. I am reminded of a period several years ago when three colleagues were diagnosed with breast cancer in the period of a year. A family friend also received a similar diagnosis last year. Once again, this cancer was far more common that I'd realised. My occasional bout of Giardia or Gout pales into insignificance.
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1 comment:
Hope you are better soon Andrew and hope your father is doing OK too
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