This letter references the period in high school when I missed about three weeks of classes due to a severe viral infection. I lost so much weight and got so dehydrated that when I went to the doctor to have yet more blood drawn for work, they could find a vein anywhere, so they had to strap me down to tap a femoral artery. I learned my lesson from that incident, so when I was very sick the last summer (e coli!), I at least knew to stay hydrated! I should have taken out stock in Gatorade, so much of that did I drink last year.
The illness was right before I was scheduled to leave on a trip over Easter Break to the Soviet Union, as it was still then. Needless to say, this was a trip I didn't want to miss, because you couldn't just grab your passport and head to Russia in those days. (Who knew that a few short years later that Communism would fall?) Regardless, I wanted to go on the trip, despite all the hesitations of boyfriends, grandmothers, and doctors. The latter were especially worried about me. We were all warned not to drink the tap water in Moscow, that maybe the water in Leningrad/St. Petersberg "might" be okay. Because my system had been so comprised, the doctors warned me to stick to bottled water/Pepsi products the whole time. Please! Water consumption was the least of what the authorities should have been worried about. What about the indignities that my lower anatomy had to face because of the toilet paper!?
I'll post photos of the Russian adventures later this week.
Oh, and catching up on school work wasn't a problem. In fact, that's the only section of chemistry that I ever understood that year (Voles?) because I had to teach it to myself. I learned my lesson too. There was no reason for me to be stressing out over high honors science classes like Chemistry or Biology, because I just had no aptitude for it. Why take high honors or advanced placement in those classes when it was clear I was on an English/history track?
14 Mar 1988
[Temple Mission
Kensington, MD]
Hi Honey,
Is[sic] makes me sad to learn you are having a health problem and Doctors don’t seem to be able to find the Cause.
Hope you feal[sic] better today and will not have to[sic] much problem catching up with your school work.
When are or were your plans to go on this trip April ? Will you being sick interfear[sic]? Cause you not to go.
Found this story in wash room and read it with interest thought you might to read it. [Penny Royal by Yvonne Yaw, published in McCall’s, May 1987, pgs 63-66].
Take care.
My hip and leg are much better. But move slowly. Don’t want the hard pain to come back.
It’s cooler today and windy. We didn’t have much rain. We had a very pretty warm day last week. It will be hot one day. Expect the Cherry Blossoms here in full beauty soon.
Love you
Be good
Lots of Love
Grandma
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