The Full Meal Deal Part 2; My Experience with Dysentery

We were warned about what our life-style should "look like" in Mexico. The University met with Mike more than once to give him the facts, like don't brush your teeth in the tap water and stay away from fresh unpeeled fruits and vegetables. In our possession is enough paperwork on the subject to keep us busy for a long time. Not only that, we are students who like to read and prepare ahead for such a thing as taking our family to a tropical, underdeveloped country. But, the truth is, we tend to get laid back at times and can be overly optimistic. On one hand, I feel as if we have blown it big but on the other, I feel so blessed. Mike was told that 50-80% of Americans who travel to Mexico will come down sick within the first week. OK- let's do the Math... there are 6 of us and we have been living here now for 10 weeks, I'd say we are doing pretty darn good! And, most Americans are traveling for vacation purposes, visiting the beach towns that cater to American travelers' needs, like providing purified water. Our family has been living in a town that is as authentic as it can possibly get.

Let's be realistic though, the recommended precautions would be extremely difficult for a family who is living in Mexico verses visiting for a couple of weeks.

*Buy purified water and use for all cooking and drinking, or boil your water for 10-15 minutes
*Don't brush your teeth in the tap water
*Stay away from all fresh fruit and vegetables unless it can be peeled
*All foods ingested must be prepared with heat to kill any organisms
*No cold drinks prepared with ice or water in the market place
*Avoid unpasteurized milk products, raw meat, shellfish, salads
*Avoid all food prepared by street vendors or others whom you don't trust their sanitation methods

That doesn't look like much but actually walking it out week after week is extremely difficult! First, that means I have to do ALL my own cooking for my family for weeks on end. We are prohibited from even picking up an ice cream cone in the market place. In La Huacana, the streets are lined with vendors selling fruit cups, fresh squeezed orange juice, tacos, refreshing fruit drinks, home-made ice creams, home-made breads, interesting treats of all kinds, most of which we don't even know what they are and most prepared in people's own kitchens. Do you realize that it rules out me making the famous Mexican salsas and guacamole? They both contain tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cilantro which would all be no-nos. Following the guidelines would reduce us all down to saltine crackers. Comparing to the choices available to me at my local Winco, supplies are very limited. Every single store has just about the same stuff, most of which is fruits and vegetables and toilet paper. Without salsa and guacamole, I am not sure what we would eat. Preparing food for my family in Mexico has been an ongoing challenge. I'd say that American grocery stores are what I miss the most about my home, including my own bed.

What is dysentery? It is the result of ingesting unsanitary drink or food that contain micro organisms. These organisms take up residence in the intestines and cause infection and damage to the lining of the intestinal walls. There are two kinds of dysentery, amoebic and bacillary. Amoebic is parasitic and is commonly spread through fruits and vegetables and through negligent hygiene. There are many form of bacterias, some you might be familiar with are samonella and E-Coli. Basically, the person who is preparing your food can forget to wash his hands after using the bathroom then pass the amobic or bacteria to you. It is commonly passed through human feces. The reason Americans are easily infected is that they haven't acquired the immunity that those have grown up in the area. I 'd say the local residents have guts made of iron! This is a common problem in tropical climates and underdeveloped environments that have less than ideal hygiene and sanitation methods.

We have no idea what took up residence in my gut but I know one thing, my gut didn't like it all. After searching online, I decided that I was infected with a very strong case. My Mexican friends are sure that it was the fresh milk but then again I am sure they don't understand the level of poor sanitation in their own community. You might gasp to see how food is prepared in my current town, usually with no running water or refrigeration nearby. As I observe Mexican chef's prepare my food I always wonder where that knife was laid last, when the hands were washed and in what water or when the last time the wooden cutting board was replaced that is oozing in meat juices in 95 degree weather. Worse yet, watch the local butcher cut-up your carne! At these moments I am reminded that I could resort to only saltine crackers, but instead, I gratefully say "gracious" and devour the scrumptious food provided to me. Yes, I have experienced Mexico to the fullest degree and my bout with dysentery has changed a few habits around here but after thinking on it further, I am sure there was no way it could have been avoided. We are praying that our family can make it back to the US without Mike or one of the kids contacting it. We are thankful that we have made it this far with only one of us coming down since we have broken every rule there is.

For an update on me, I am much stronger today, up and out of my bed and caring for my family. I get tired easily, still have no appetite to speak of, have infrequent bouts of diarrhea but feel more like myself again. As of yet, I am not anxious to sample anyone's authentic Mexican cutlery; saltine crackers and I are close friends.

Maybe next week.