A time when I was sick

             I had just pledged Pi Phi, and I was supposed to be giddy with excitement. Everyone was bonding, and although I was beyond excited, I felt like all I wanted to do was curl up in bed. My head was pounding, my body ached, the chapter room was spinning, and I felt woozy. I was able to greet some of my new sorority sisters with excitement and a smile. I went up to our new member coordinator to apologize for my gloomy behavior and asked to leave. She could tell I was not feeling well by my pasty complexion and had someone drive me to my dorm. As I was getting into my lounge clothes, I noticed an enormous rash on my leg. There was literally a target sign stretched across my left calf, with a red center and circles of red and white surrounding it. I completely freaked out and practically sprinted to the health center. The doctor told me I had probably encountered some new bacteria in the communal showers and gave me some antibiotic cream to slather on my outbreak, completely ignoring my other symptoms.

            I fell asleep that evening and slept over eighteen hours, something I had never done before. My roommate later told me that she had checked my pulse throughout the night, unsure of what to do. When I finally emerged from my deep sleep I tried to get out of my bed. My limbs would barely move, and I felt like I was a tin soldier that needed to be oiled up.  I knew something was wrong with me besides some new bacteria that my skin brushed up against. I had a scorching temperature and my RA said I needed to be taken to the emergency room. My friend rushed me to the hospital, and the nurse immediately identified my ailment as Lyme disease.  A tick had bit me sometime during rush passing on the infection. The doctor told me I was lucky that I had come in when I did, because the disease could have become fatal. I was prescribed bed rest for two weeks accompanied with a series of powerful antibiotics. I was too sick to fly home or drive home, so my mom came and we stayed in the Worthington for the full two weeks. I slowly regained my strength. Having missed out on several activities, I was finally able to joyfully bond with my new sorority sisters.