Oh memories...
We all have those memories that cause us never ending laughter every time we think back or tell the story to someone...
That one memory that is your go to story when you want to make someone laugh or just down right shock anyone with the fact that this really happened to you.
Well that story for me began in Nepal.
I will warn you...this story crosses all lines of dignity for myself and while it is embarrassing... I've decided to be out with it... So you're welcome!
My team and I had just begun our 9th month on The World Race. I had been sick on and off for the past 9 months...lost a lot of weight...and by this point I was almost use to getting sick to my stomach multiple times a day.
After a few days of landing in Nepal I was feeling pretty great. No sign of sickness and my energy was feeling up to par. I was excited to be in a new country and starting a new ministry for the month.
That's when it hit...
I went to take a nap in my room because I wasn't feeling really great... I had lost all energy... my head was pounding... my stomach was in knots.
I laid down for about an hour...curled up down in my sleeping bag even though it was 80-90 degrees outside and hoped that I could sleep it off. About an hour later I woke up to my teammate coming to check on me and that's when it happened....
I felt so sweaty! I kept thinking man I must be burning up...sweat was all over me at this point and that's when I realized...it wasn't sweat I felt on my back...there's no other way to put it folks... I had messed on myself. Plain and simple. I was so sick to the point I couldn't control my bodily functions anymore.
I remember looking at my teammate and laughing and crying at the same time... How do you tell your teammate that you are a 26 year old woman and you just pooped on yourself...down in your sleeping bag... well the answer is you just tell them and hope they are still your friend.
Poor Rachel...Poor kind Rachel... she just looked at me and said I'll clean it for you don't worry about it. I was so sick I could barely hold my head up so there was no way I could clean it up and she volunteered without even asking. Folks that is dedication to your teammate 100%!
I got cleaned up and walked myself over to the house where all my teammates were and I found Grace.
Let me just tell you right now...her name was Grace for a reason in that moment and the moments to come!
Grace and our hostess hailed a cab where we drove to the local hospital to hopefully get some help and an IV for dehydration. Once arriving to the hospital I got even more sick... I was dry heaving and trying to hold it together. Grace was by my side...rubbing my back...holding my hair... speaking softly to calm me down.
Word got around that I was an American and several nurses, doctors, and random people came to see what was going on that an American was needing to come to the hospital. They were wanting to take pictures for their bulletin board in the hospital. You know.. action shots of the doctor putting in the IV in my arm...taking care of the American...normal stuff. And during this photo session it happened again... I went to dry heave and I couldn't stop it.
I remember just looking up at Grace with those "help me dear Lord" eyes and she laughed and said "you did it again didn't you?" At this point there wasn't a reason not to laugh. I was being photographed while I pooped myself in a hospital in Kathmandu. Grace...with all the grace in the world... helped me to the bathroom and helped me get cleaned up...yes folks... she didn't bat an eye and helped me get cleaned up. Grace.
They finally admitted me to the hospital that night to get more fluids in me. My team leader Abby came to stay that night in the hospital with me. I spent most of the night sleeping but at one point in the night I woke up with a huge pain in my arm. That's when I noticed that the IV solution bag was running empty and there were no nurses in site. Abby looked around for about 20 minutes and could not find the first nurse within a mile, so we took matters into our own hands. That's right... Abby and I...two people with no medical training whatsoever...two people who can't really stand the site of blood or needles...we sucked it up and changed my IV bag.
I remember thinking...Lord if I make it out of here alive and with my sanity...
After 4 bags of saline drip I was finally hydrated and no longer feeling sick to my stomach and was able to head back to our house.
We all have those memories that cause us never ending laughter every time we think back or tell the story to someone...
That one memory that is your go to story when you want to make someone laugh or just down right shock anyone with the fact that this really happened to you.
Well that story for me began in Nepal.
I will warn you...this story crosses all lines of dignity for myself and while it is embarrassing... I've decided to be out with it... So you're welcome!
My team and I had just begun our 9th month on The World Race. I had been sick on and off for the past 9 months...lost a lot of weight...and by this point I was almost use to getting sick to my stomach multiple times a day.
After a few days of landing in Nepal I was feeling pretty great. No sign of sickness and my energy was feeling up to par. I was excited to be in a new country and starting a new ministry for the month.
That's when it hit...
I went to take a nap in my room because I wasn't feeling really great... I had lost all energy... my head was pounding... my stomach was in knots.
I laid down for about an hour...curled up down in my sleeping bag even though it was 80-90 degrees outside and hoped that I could sleep it off. About an hour later I woke up to my teammate coming to check on me and that's when it happened....
I felt so sweaty! I kept thinking man I must be burning up...sweat was all over me at this point and that's when I realized...it wasn't sweat I felt on my back...there's no other way to put it folks... I had messed on myself. Plain and simple. I was so sick to the point I couldn't control my bodily functions anymore.
I remember looking at my teammate and laughing and crying at the same time... How do you tell your teammate that you are a 26 year old woman and you just pooped on yourself...down in your sleeping bag... well the answer is you just tell them and hope they are still your friend.
Poor Rachel...Poor kind Rachel... she just looked at me and said I'll clean it for you don't worry about it. I was so sick I could barely hold my head up so there was no way I could clean it up and she volunteered without even asking. Folks that is dedication to your teammate 100%!
I got cleaned up and walked myself over to the house where all my teammates were and I found Grace.
Let me just tell you right now...her name was Grace for a reason in that moment and the moments to come!
Grace and our hostess hailed a cab where we drove to the local hospital to hopefully get some help and an IV for dehydration. Once arriving to the hospital I got even more sick... I was dry heaving and trying to hold it together. Grace was by my side...rubbing my back...holding my hair... speaking softly to calm me down.
Word got around that I was an American and several nurses, doctors, and random people came to see what was going on that an American was needing to come to the hospital. They were wanting to take pictures for their bulletin board in the hospital. You know.. action shots of the doctor putting in the IV in my arm...taking care of the American...normal stuff. And during this photo session it happened again... I went to dry heave and I couldn't stop it.
I remember just looking up at Grace with those "help me dear Lord" eyes and she laughed and said "you did it again didn't you?" At this point there wasn't a reason not to laugh. I was being photographed while I pooped myself in a hospital in Kathmandu. Grace...with all the grace in the world... helped me to the bathroom and helped me get cleaned up...yes folks... she didn't bat an eye and helped me get cleaned up. Grace.
They finally admitted me to the hospital that night to get more fluids in me. My team leader Abby came to stay that night in the hospital with me. I spent most of the night sleeping but at one point in the night I woke up with a huge pain in my arm. That's when I noticed that the IV solution bag was running empty and there were no nurses in site. Abby looked around for about 20 minutes and could not find the first nurse within a mile, so we took matters into our own hands. That's right... Abby and I...two people with no medical training whatsoever...two people who can't really stand the site of blood or needles...we sucked it up and changed my IV bag.
I remember thinking...Lord if I make it out of here alive and with my sanity...
After 4 bags of saline drip I was finally hydrated and no longer feeling sick to my stomach and was able to head back to our house.
It's funny the things we experience when we are traveling out of the country and especially in a country that would be considered 3rd world. It's funny how God forces you to rely on others in your weakest and most embarrassing moments.
Learning to depend on others and bowing out (not so gracefully) is and will always be a never ending voyage.
HOW did I not hear the first part of this story? I knew about changing the IV bag, but everything before it...? It's okay though. Nepal was when I pooped myself too. No shame as it is an appropriate rite of passage. Love it!
ReplyDeleteSam I kept this to myself for quite some time.. now its the go to story I tell everyone haha
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