"I was poisoned". That's the official verdict from the Peace Corps Medical office in Washington, DC about the problems I've had with my arm over the past week. This means I am no longer have to take a trip to Brisbane, Australia and I have no need for any further medical attention. After reviewing the symptoms I believe this is probably a proper diagnosis. I was probably suffering from Ciguatera Fish poisoning, Paralytic Shellfish poisoning or Scombroid Fish Poisoning.
A week ago today I had lunch at the Catholic Basilica and ate fried tuna. Within two hours I started to feel bad. I left work early and did not work on Friday. I did not eat again until Saturday morning, which is when I woke up unable to use my arm. I had numbness in the fingers on both hands and also had numbness on my tongue. What's strange about the illness is that I never threw up which is the first thing I always associate with food poisoning.
It's scary to me to think how much poison I must have ingested for it to still be impacting me a week later. Last week was not the first time I had eaten at the restaurant at the Catholic Basilica. And it probably was not anyone's fault that I got sick there. All three of the poisons mentioned above are impossible to detect and the fish comes out of the water that way.
***Other News***
The New York Times has an op/ed piece about the Peace Corps which is worth a read. Here's the Permalink to the article.
***Notes***
Many thanks to everyone for all the e-mails you sent to me this week offering your support. They have meant a lot to me.
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