Thursday, March 13, 2008

Corn? I don't remember having corn...

It wasn't until I was posting photos here for the blog that I think I solved a mystery.

Just after our arrival in Akumal, Brad and I each got a little upset tummy. And that is the polite way to phrase it.

It just didn't make sense. First off, of the four of us traveling, Brad and I have the iron horse constitutions. Nothing gets to us. Everything gets to Lyle and Ricky. Lyle spent three days in a hotel in Shanghai surviving on 1 piece of toast (for all three days). Ricky lost it when he smelled the garbage outside of Howard Johnson's in Manhattan on a hot summer day.

Everything we ate, we ate together. Every meal we had the table sampled each other's food. We ordered communal appetizers. We sipped each other's drinks. We slurped soup together. No one person had anything that the other three didn't also try.

It just didn't add up. But there we were, Brad and I. Down for the count. Way down.

And then I discovered THE photo. And I started to do the math.

Corn - consumed on Sunday at approximately 1 pm.

Food poisoning can some on suddenly (within 48 hours) of consuming a contaminated food or drink. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea.
I was going to say that neither of us had any problems on Monday. But I remember just having soup Sunday night. I said I was "done with food." "Too full." "Needed something light." I said the same thing the next day when we stopped in Valladolid. "Soup please. Something light." And then it hit us and both of us were sick by 6 am Tuesday, well within the 48 hour window.

Traveler's Diarrhea (or "Montezuma’s revenge") can be defined as 3 or more unformed stools in a 24-hour period (yes, we all needed to know that). Travelers at risk: Those going from industrialized countries to developing countries. High-risk areas: Mexico

Then I saw it, the photo that solved what had happened:
Only Brad I ate the corn.

5 comments:

A Lewis said...

Corn? Oh my god. I'm grossed out. It doesn't digest, you know.
Love,
A velcro-loving, parachute pant wearing queen

Unknown said...

All hail Nancy Drew!

My adventures said...

That's what scares me to death, if I get something like that it can be deadly!! I am so paranoid about what I eat anywhere I travel and don't get me started on germs!! ha!! i'm trying not to get so paranoid that I won't travel at all. It's scary to get sick when you're alone and so far from home!! Been there!! Your trip sounds like a gas, I'm going to have to go back and read about Shanghai.

Carolyn said...

Just the whole idea of corn with mayonnaise made me sick when I read about it. That must have sucked...being sick with only the VERY exposed bathroom to be sick in.

willam said...

thank you ms. channing