Pneumonia is Out — Rabies is In

Life is returning to normal. Yay! Although, I’m not quite sure what normal is any more.

My pneumonia is no more. It took two peanut butter shots, enough fluids to sink a battleship, umpteen days of nothing but rest, and a small—OK, a big—miracle. But when I went in Sunday morning (we got a call at 9 AM asking why the blazes I hadn’t come in for my daily recheck yet), I was pronounced pneumonia free! I was now just really sick! Yay! Life is looking up!

So on to other things. Alakanuk is trying its hardest to blow away. No kidding. We’ve been having crazy winds here for two days now — about 50 miles per hour, with gusts up to 70. This might not be a big deal in most cities or towns or desolate places, but here, where buildings are up on stilts, it is. A big deal. It makes houses shake. By the time this is over, we may end up in Oz.

And why are buildings on stilts? Because the Yukon River floods every year. When an Arctic Circle of snow melts around the same time the rain hits, the results can be quite impressive. It even washes all the garbage into the ocean. The garbage dump is cleared out of a lot of stuff, and so is the town. Most people here look at that as being a good thing. Seriously. I’m sure the fishes really appreciate it. But what these people don’t think of is that all the villages up river are “cleaned out” the same way. Yup. It stinks being at the bottom of the trash (and crap) flow. That is why we boil and filter water here.

So—we have now officially entered rabies season. You’ve heard of cold and flu season? Apparently, there is rabies season too. Strange that it coincides with lack of sun. I wonder if it could have anything to do with deficient vitamin D? Anyway—turns out that a crazed fox raced out of the trees and attacked a landing bush plane. Tried to chew the tires right off of the thing. Of course, it had about as much success as a Chihuahua attacking a speeding Buick. But the pilot had enough sense to stay in the plane. No cargo is worth risking rabies for. Now the fox hunt is on. So far, no luck. Either the poor thing has died, moved to warmer climates, or got blown away to Oz.

Pneumonia Strikes

So I have come up with the #1 rule of living in the Bush: DON’T GET SICK! Simple as that.

Turns out I have pneumonia. Joy. So far, I haven’t found the humor in it—-but I’m still looking.

They gave me a peanut butter shot—-some A-bomb of antibiotics. It hurt like crazy. In fact, before he gave me the shot, he asked me if I have ever fainted. He said the shot is so painful it sometimes makes people faint. Now there’s a comment to instill confidence. The aide is a really nice guy—-name of Paul.

Paul phoned the doctor on call (in Bethel), and they wanted to fly me out to the hospital tonight, but there were no more flights tonight. So they gave me the peanut butter shot, put me on antibiotics, and let me go home until morning with strict instructions to drink lots of fluids. If I haven’t improved drastically, they will fly me out in the morning. I am hoping for a miraculous recovery so that I don’t have to leave Taco. (But just in case, we’ve made arrangements for him to stay with another couple until we get back. I would go by myself, but last time I went to a hospital by myself, I almost died because of shoddy care--literally. So we don’t want to make that mistake again.)

My biggest gripe about all this (other than being so sick and possibly having to leave Taco while I fly in to the hospital) is that I can’t go the Potlatch tonight. I feel like the only kid in town to miss out on the local hoedown. It stinks. And I wanted to be there for my friend Stephanie. She puts so much work into these things.

So meanwhile, I have a super sore butt (that shot was a killer—although I am proud to announce that I did NOT faint); I feel like I’m breathing through a straw; I ache from head to toe; my head feels like it’s split open; I have a horrific cough. And there is a rabid fox in town.

I know there is some humor in here somewhere. I just need to find it.