It's been a hard week...
I love writing about the exciting new adventures I have been on, but if this blog is to be a reflection of my entire experience in Japan I have to share the bad stuff too.
A few days ago out of nowhere I picked up some sort of stomach virus. Don't know how or where I got it from, all I know is that the last time I had this sort of consistent stomach pain, I had appendicitis.
It was a normal day where I slept in a little, made myself a nice breakfast, and facetimed with Nick. Around noon I started noticing an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach almost like a hunger pain, but I had just eaten. It gradually became more and more uncomfortable and every now and then I would feel a sharp contraction for 15 seconds or so. I was confused and a little concerned, but I had to leave for rehearsal in just 20 minutes and I wasn't even sure how to call in sick if that's what it came down to.
So I met a group at the bus stop to travel to Disney, but I couldn't be bothered to engage in conversation because the cramping was worsening. (Sidenote: I'm one of those people that if you ask me how I'm doing, I'll usually start tearing up. I hate this about myself because I don't ever want to over exaggerate what I'm feeling for sympathy or pity.) Although the cramping was uncomfortable, I really didn't need to cry about it. I immediately tried to shut off the tears and hide my face because I didn't want that kind of attention. Although the discomfort was constant, the pain came and went very sporadically. I decided that I wanted to fight through rehearsal because I figured it was just gas pain and would pass since I've had spells like that before. I let the director and choreographer know that I was having uncomfortable pains so I wouldn't be able to do one of the lifts, but I was going to do everything else full out. And I did. In fact, I felt the best when I was dancing and performing because my mind was elsewhere.
I went home that night and the pain had not subsided at all. I couldn't sleep through the night and even had a moment where I couldn't help but cry because I was so uncomfortable and so tired and just wanted to sleep. I ended up facetiming with Nick around 6am because I was still awake and I just needed to talk to someone. That's the absolute worst thing about being sick and living by yourself in a foreign country, sometimes you just need someone to cry to. At this point, the pain was evenly distributed throughout my entire stomach region and carried into the backside of my ribcage as well. There was no way to get comfortable. Thankfully I fell asleep around 7:30 and got a few hours of rest.
The next morning was the absolute worst. The cramping, though still all over, was the most concentrated in the section above my belly button, mostly under the right-side of my ribcage and my back. My whole stomach felt swollen and was tender to the touch as well. I was in such pain I thought I was going to be sick so I crawled into my bathroom incase I needed to vomit. All of the sudden my entire body felt really hot and I started to black out and thought I was going to faint. I couldn't do anything but curl up in a ball and pray that the pain would cease. Eventually it calmed down enough to stand up and I immediately called the care team to set up a doctor's appointment for later that day. I went to go to work and went straight into the office so I could be taken to the clinic.
One of the care team members escorted me to the clinic so he could translate for me. It was a very quiet place (like the rest of Japan) and instead of waiting in a room for a doctor, you waited to go into the room where the doctor already was.
She spoke and understood very little English so the man that was with me had to explain everything that I had been telling him. She felt around my stomach for a little and then concluded that she thought it was a gastro-intestinal stomach virus/flu. I was a little confused because I wasn't experiencing any nausea or diarrhea and I've definitely had GI before (shout out to the Disney Dream day 1). She prescribed an old Japanese medicine to me that is just a little packet of powder that I am to take three times a day between meals and I can only eat soup and toast. She warned me it was going to taste really bad and wasn't going to be easy to take. She was right.
I had to miss the following day of rehearsals because although I was feeling a little better, I wasn't ready to dance and I didn't want to risk spreading the virus to anyone else.
The medication gradually started to help a little, but I began to experience more pain mainly when I was eating. It was almost like a constant "empty belly" sensation, yet when I ate, my stomach cramped up almost immediately as if it was rejecting anything that dared to enter. My body stopped allowing me to breathe efficiently because my stomach seized as I exhaled. It was excruciating discomfort for about 30 minutes that I spent crawling to my bed then curling up into a ball on my side or in child's pose until the cramping subsided and I could relax. It was such a sporadic discomfort because at times I felt absolutely fine then 5 minutes later I could hardly stand up without gritting my teeth, breathing deeply, and hunching over clenching my stomach to walk across the room.
Thankfully, I am feeling loads better today, yet I'm concerned for rehearsal tomorrow. Praying that I'll be alright to go in and learn everything I've missed!!!
Sorry for all of that drama...
On a happier note, my boyfriend, Nick auditioned for a show at Tokyo Disney today in Los Angeles and KILLED IT!!!! Praise God! I am beyond proud of him and will continue to pray that they will bring him out here!!!
Here is an audition video he made and sent to them early on :)
BBB Audition Tape - Nick Muller
My wonderful man also sent me a lovely care package full of goodies that I can't wait to enjoy once my body will allow me to eat them :)
I promise the next post won't be so depressing!!!!
