My apologies to those who I haven't gotten back to this past weekend. I was laid up in bed with a wicked case of Giardia. Don't know what giardia is?

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Giardia is a tiny parasite (germ) that causes the diarrheal disease giardiasis. Giardia is found on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with feces (poop) from infected people or animals.

You can get giardiasis if you swallow Giardia germs. Giardia spreads easily and can spread from person to person or through contaminated water, food, surfaces, or objects. The most common way people get sick is by swallowing contaminated drinking water or recreational water (for example, lakes, rivers, or pools).
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Yeah, so, I swallowed poop water??? That's what I'm reading.

Awesome!

If I had to guess how it happened, I'd gander one of my kids did a cannon ball in the pool and splashed some water into my open beer can. But that's just a hypothesis, who knows?

All I know for sure is I didn't order a poop water at my local watering hole.

Regardless how it happened, it was brutal. Like, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy and I take back all the mean things I said about all the contestants on naked & afraid who got a stomach bug and tapped out. I felt like death, and I was in the comfort of my own house with my wife to care for me, air conditioning, and all the other pleasantries that the wild doesn't offer.

After I was about to give up on life, I called my doctor buddy in the states, told him my symptoms (I though it might have been appendicitis), and he thought it was giardia and to go to the pharmacy and get a specific antibiotic.

Within a day, my stomach cramps were gone, thank Jesus!

I still have some lingering bathroom trips, but they're getting better and less frequent, I'd say I'm on the mend....but I still have a slight cold.