On the Mend

Treatment included plenty of rest, a diet of soup and bread, and bad-tasting pills.

Overnight and throughout the day most of our team came down with multiple cases of a stomach ailment that causes nauseau and diarrhea. It strikes quickly and seems to be contagious. We have had 9 athletes/coaches fall victim to it in the last 24 hours, but no one has gotten sick since about 4PM this afternoon. And the majority of those who did catch it are now feeling better than they were earlier today.

Curt Wildes, our Athletic Trainer, is taking good care of us. He has separated the healthy and sick athletes, provided nourishing food such as soup, bread and rice, and is administering medicine that is supposed to speed the recovery of the body. I imagine our next challenge will be to rebuild the body and gain back weight after the symptoms have subsided and normal food intake can be resumed.

Half of the team did miss out on training today, but any who are still not well by tomorrow morning (we slide at 8AM), have been given permission to train in the last session of the day.

Luckily, I have been spared the illness so far. But that doesn't mean I escaped completely. When Curt and I were shopping for vitamins this afternoon at a supermarket in Innsbruck, I set off a security alarm as I exited the store. I wasn't allowed to leave until I had removed my pants! It turns out the pair of jeans that I bought last month still had a magnetic tag inside them, causing the alarm to sound every time I passed the sensor.