Lyme's Really Ticks Me Off

It was supposed to be a six day trip to Germany. The plan was to visit some doctors in Western Germany who knew more about Lyme's disease, as DH's symptoms were getting worse. Even though he had been on an oral antibiotic, then an IV antibiotic, it was so bad that he was stumbling through conversations, was having trouble maintaining his balance, and was tired of being sick.

Luckily, I hadn't begun working yet, and it was easy enough for the family to pack up and head up North. We stuffed ourselves and a weekends worth of clothes into the Jeep and away we went. A friend told us that the best way to go in order to avoid pre-ski season road construction was to head north of Milan, up through Switzerland and then into Germany. The trip that should have taken about 9 hours ended up taking 16. True, we stopped along the way to oooohhh and ahhhh at the Alps (majestic doesn't even begin to describe them), but until we rolled into the Fisher House, we were EXHAUSTED. For those who don't know, Fisher House is the military version of a Ronald McDonald House.

After a great night's sleep and ready to hear what they could do for DH, we headed off to the first doctor's appointment. It was there that we were told our six day trip was going to be extended to six weeks. HUH? Six weeks? As in a month and a half? But I only packed for three days! I don't have 2 closets worth of clothes because I like to dress the same way every day. This was truly a crisis situation. What do you do in a crisis situation? You eat. So off we set. We asked someone at the hospital where we could get some lunch. He suggested we go to a nearby base that had some restaurants. In less than 15 minutes we arrived at Ramstein AFB. We drove through the main gate, and then, like a gift from the heavens, I saw it. Ahead of me sat the largest Post Exchange (aka shopping mall) I have EVER seen. Our whole base in Italy could have fit inside this mall. In a state of euphoria, I floated inside. Lunch? Who needs lunch when there are clothes to buy. The shoe section rivaled Macy's. There was a whole mini Victoria's Secret. And Coach purses? The latest, the greatest, right there. Tax free. US dollars. No Euro to Dollar rate here. Six weeks? Make it six years.

Ciao' for now!