It’s funny how things can come back and bite you in the backside.  This year I resolved not to get sick at all.  I’m very proud of being very healthy, last year I only got sick three days.  This year I thought I’d break this record, yeah right!

The funny feeling started yesterday morning.  I set the alarm to ring at 4 am.  I was planning to hit the punching bag for a few rounds in the home gym, and then go off to work.  When the alarm rang I felt really odd, very tired and week.  So I just shut it and went back to sleep.  I woke up around 7 am.

I spent the whole morning in Riffa Views (see the relevant post here)  And as the day progressed I kept on feeling worse and worse.  I was planning to teach at Zen-Do all day, but I just didn’t have the energy.  I could hardly focus during the meetings with my GM and Marketing and Operations Manager.

After the meetings ended I went home, probably around 4 p.m. or so.  I went to bed and slept.  But I had an uncomfortable sleep.  As the day progressed I got worse and worse, eventually spending virtually the whole night vomiting.  It was really painful – torturous actually.  My poor wife stayed up all night taking care of me.  To say I got a nasty stomach bug would be an understatement!

Staring the Insanity Monster in The Face
I’ve never spoken about this publicly.  This happens to me every few years.  I actually lose my mind for a brief time.  It happens when I have fever and/or when I’m dehydrated (which I can get quite quickly).  I start to become delirious, and start rambling like a buffoon.  I might start to cry, then laugh, then sing, then speak in German, then hum, and on and on.

It started happening last night around 7 p.m., and lasted most of the night.  Interspersed with violent vomiting.  It’s a strange feeling when it happens.  I know I’m doing it, but I can’t control myself when it happens.  I lose all impulse control.  I know that it’s not appropriate to burst into song, or to start making incoherent noises, but I have no self-control at all.  Is this what it’s like to be crazy?  Trust me, it’s a horrible feeling.

In The BDF Hospital
I had an incident about 4 or 5 years ago, and my wife called an ambulance.  They rushed me to the BDF hospital.  All the while I was making incoherent conversation with the paramedics.  When I arrived there I was taken care of by what was probably the meanest nurse in the history of mean nurses.  I remember reading the words “clinical madness” on their report.  They gave me some drugs and an IV drip.  I only stayed there for a few hours and then went home.

It Doesn’t Last Long
These periods of madness don’t last very long, usually just one night or less.  I remember when I told my father about this a few years ago he started laughing.  He told me of a Saudi prince he knows that goes through something similar.  Apparently he becomes Robin Hood and starts talking in old English, can you imagine?

Anyway, as I write this I’m feeling much better.  I think I’ll be back to work and my usual routine from tomorrow.

Thanks for listening…