Papaya, Papaya, Covid Rant
It's official folks, Jim has contracted a very mild case of Dengue fever, or as I like to call it 'Dingy Fever' Per the doctor he is getting papaya juice and extract of the papaya leaf. There is no real official medicine for it, just those to treat the symptoms.
I had it as a kid, along with a pile of other things common here mosquito and bug borne. Living in South Louisiana before they started the wholesale spraying whole communities for mosquitoes means I (for once) have immunity to many of the nasty things one can contract in Costa Rica. I figured there have to be some small benefit growing up in a hot hellscape amidst Exxon's fumes. Who knew it would be this?
Here's the funny thing. It's not like you can walk into a pharmacy here and say "One bottle of papaya leaf extract please!" You have to cut the leaves yourself, wash them, strip off the stems and break up the leafs into tiny pieces and boil the whole mess up in water. Tastes so bitter.
But I am drying some of the leaf too and will be passing it on to someone in my family, like me, who has platelet issues and anemia. Might be worth trying.
He is lucky because some folks that contract it have such a bad case of platelet failure they need transfusions. He's just got the dizzy, tired, achy, sick variety.
On the pet front we have two stray kitties who have decided to adopt us. So now I'm feeding three cats instead of one.
I know the last time I posted here I was very down on various wealthy Americans here. Feeling slightly better about it since many have flown out of the community. It just gets overwhelming during a pandemic when you witness so many of your fellow countrymen behaving in such very appalling ways. I was somewhat mollified to see almost everyone in the Auto Mercado this morning wearing masks for a change.
That is one thing I dislike about writing and modding No Longer Quivering. The piles of stupid coming from the mouths of people like Lori Alexander. We get it, masks are not fun to wear. Stopping and continually washing your hands does a number on your skin. Social distancing is a drag because you cannot hug people. Not being able to travel or anything else makes one jumpy. No beach on a sunny summery day is just irritating. Being quarantined is boring. But ALL of these things is so much better than spreading a disease for which there is no good treatment at this time.
But we do it. Not for us, but for everyone else. For the kids on immunio suppression. For those older folks. For everyone else. For once this is not about us in any way. But the minute you ask one of those good self-proclaimed Christians to show the slightest amount of sacrifice or care for others and they flip out.
The evil mean bad part of me sort of hopes that all those protesting and carrying on in the most selfish manner would contract this and remove themselves from the gene pool.
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