An unexpected bump

It doesn’t often happen but somehow it did and we didn’t see it coming. We hit a bump in Berlin. The impact was confusion, uncertainty and frustration.

What kind of bump I hear you ask?

Well, Steve got sick.

For any woman who has had a sick man you know what this feels like.

For any man you know the feeling too and will resist and struggle on no matter what.

After the long flight from Singapore to Berlin (Thursday 12/5/16) Steve had ‘razor blades in his throat.’ We sought out lozenges at a pharmacy in Berlin and he soldered on.

We went here and there, did this and that, Steve coughing and spluttering as he went. By the afternoon brain-fog descended and he needed to rest.

Gooey and grouse

The next day the same thing happened. In the morning his right eye got gooey, and I mean puss coming out of it at a regular rate. We needed to stop often so he could wipe it and be able to see and it was really red. But he soldered on.

By the afternoon his other eye started the same process and at times I had to lead him around. Between the coughing, puffy sinuses and gooey eyes he was a mess and needed to retreat back to our hotel to sleep. Not that he would admit that.

Sleep did not come easily as the symptoms worsened. His usual loud snoring turned into a fog horn or noisy vacuum cleaner, which woke him up and frustrated me.

Steve woke at one point saying ‘I cannot open my eyes. They are glued together!’ It was pretty grouse but I had the presence of mind to take a photo of my hot mess of a hubby.

So, he couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t get comfortable and the symptoms worsened until he admitted he might need a doctor. What the?!? What, a man admitting he needs help. Well, well and yes you can hear my sarcasm and frustration.

To wait or not to wait

So there I was on a Sunday evening deciding whether to take him to hospital or wait till Monday morning to find a local doctor because his brain was not working. The temperature outside and the late hour meant waiting won.

I spent an hour or so searching ‘on-the-line’ for an English speaking doctor which with a slow internet connection and having no idea where to look meant it took ages. I resigned myself to getting up early and heading down to reception to ask about a local doctor.

So, I crawled in to bed next to the fog horn monster wondering how I would get to sleep with that going thinking it would just be easier to smother him with a pillow!

The alarm went off at 8am, I did my sun salutes to stretch my body and calm my mind, showered, dressed and headed downstairs ready to take on the world – well, the lady at reception and the doctor.

A blog is generally about 500 words and I have now reached that.
Plus, I want to know how many people are actually reading this and will read on…
So, PART TWO – A BUMP IN BERLIN can be found by clicking here – thanks for playing.