Bugs

Dave and Amanda contracted a parasite 5 weeks ago after dining out at one of their favorite Hilo restaurants to celebrate the upcoming closing on Home-o-li’i. At first, they suspected food poisoning. They thought the next time we get sick, it’ll be nice that we’ll have more bathrooms.

A few days after moving their sleeping mats into the new house, the stomach bug struck again. They learned that while having more than one bathroom is nice, getting off the floor in the night when you’re in extreme GI distress is not ideal.

Amanda and Dave were perplexed by the second round of stomach trouble. Could they have been infected by someone or something else? Dave did a deep dive into the norovirus and concluded reinfection was unlikely.

Amanda’s Aunts Jeanne and Loyce visited from the mainland and came down with the stomach flu. Were they infected by Amanda and Dave? Or, did they catch something on the plane?

Jeanne and Loyce recovered while Amanda and Dave continued to be plagued by stomach pain, nausea, and all other associated grossness. Finally, they contacted their doctor.

Dr. H referred Amanda and Dave to the lab for a blood test and stool sample. They are happy to say their marriage still stands after home collection and preparation (shudder) of two stool samples. Although, Dave could not look at “the room where it happened” for many hours after his wife collected her sample.

Amanda’s labs returned normal. Amanda excels at giving normal labs even when her body is in great distress. While Dave’s labs indicated a high presence of a white blood cell that is a marker for a parasitic infection. 25% of Dave’s white blood cells were fighting the parasite. Dave’s body excels at fighting external threats.

Dr. H diagnosed Amanda and Dave with a likely parasitic infection and prescribed a course of medication. There were no side effects to taking this medication. The doctor warned that the medicine could not kill bug eggs. He said if any eggs hatched Amanda and Dave would need another round of drugs.

Amanda and Dave took their pills and went back to life sleeping on their floor mats. A week later, Amanda was struck down with another round of the parasite flu. Amanda took a second course of antibiotics, but continued to feel ill for an entire week. She missed a week of work and completely depleted her sick leave.

Dave was struck down three days later. This time Dave did a deep research dive into the parasite Giardia, pictured en mass below eating intestines.

Amanda agreed their symptoms aligned. Unfortunately, Dr. H was camping in a remote part of the island for spring break. So, Dave wasn’t able to get medicine immediately.

In order to deal with possible disease vectors in their house,they turned their hot water heater to scalding and ran all faucets for five minutes to rule out water borne infection. They used Clorox on all surfaces. Now that Amanda is recovered she will drive the bedding to the old house for laundering.

Despite the illness, Dave has amassed an impressive collection of yard tools. Their home inspector noted several trees that needed removal, including one large palm tree that was hitting the house. Dave removed all shrubbery contacting the house.

Dave aims to prune the southeast cliff to improve their view and expand their yard. He also plans to eradicate all plants from the driveway. Amanda has unsuccessfully hidden her frowns about the heap of lawn equipment, the ugliness of Dave’s landscaping, and the trail of grass littering the new house.

Truly, despite the bugs and Dave’s lawn project, they remain very much in love.