An update stymied by illness

So, last time I posted, I mentioned I was going on a very long-overdue working vacation.  This was something I had wanted to do for years, and had planned for six months - it was to be a working vacation out on one of the islands in Casco Bay, where I could do research for Peace Island at my leisure.

Unfortunately, the morning after arrival, I became so ill that I had to be shipped back to the mainland hospital.  I lost consciousness soon after leaving the house, and did not revive until arriving at the emergency room at Portland Maine Medical with an IV drip in one arm, a bandage on the other, and EKG strips on every part of my body.

The causes for this are not known definitively...  I was diagnosed as having ingested something poisonous, but the only things I had eaten that morning were a protein shake that had been packed between two bags of ice, a piece of bread from a loaf I had eaten the previous night, and about four ounces of tap water.  I did this, assuming that the house was getting their water from Portland - which is among the cleanest and safest in North America.  I later found out that it was well water.

I made a point of gathering samples, which I later tested at home, that gave some rather troubling results - including indications of dangerous levels of copper, and more than just a trace of pesticide.

Now- fortunately, I was released from the hospital after just a couple of hours, but for the rest of the weekend I was dizzy, my vision was blurry, and I had a very hard time remembering things.  As a result, the "vacation" turned out to be very unproductive, and not at all pleasant.

When I returned on Monday, I had another attack of the same intense illness, necessitating another 911 call.  The paramedics who arrived, after reviewing the hospital paperwork, warned me that this might be a recurring issue for some time, until my system has finally gotten rid of the pathogen that I ingested.

So- unfortunately, this means that I have nothing to show from the trip, either in terms of story or image.  I find myself thinking that it will be a very, very long time before I have an urge to visit one of the casco bay islands again - and to me, that’s the saddest part of the whole affair.

THANKFULLY, WORK CONTINUED WHILE I WAS AWAY.  Due to my mind still being a tad fuzzy from the continuing illness, I am still trying to catch up, and will have a more in-depth update in a couple of days.  This update was more of an attempt to keep my promises, and to let you know what was going on.

More and better Peace Island news in two days!