Monday, February 19, 2018

Why Pesticides are Poisons

Buddy and I travelled to a resort in Cayo Coco, one we have visited seven times in the last 5 years. Irma resized the beach to a much lovlier one but it also swept away much of the beautiful larger folliage, the gorgeous coconut palm trees amongst the mix.
  The resort staff at each resort was was made to be the clean up and be repair manpower to get things back into a viable functioning vacation spot and it was impressive to see how much they accomplished to be able to accomodate their ususal fiock of guests. Buddy and I were given a lovely corner suite with the balcony that had both ocean and pool view. All started off with friendly Olas from staff and we felt quite at home. 
  The weather vortex that hit the north made it’s way here too so we had to wear jeans and sweaters and it rained for three days but not continuaously. We carried on with walks and played games. We were happy.
  Finally on the fourth day the sun appeared but the wind was still strong. We stayed on the lovely beach and chatted with guests for about three hours but could not go into the wild sea yet. The nexr day the sea was calm and the sun shone brightly so we stayed at the beach longer and braved the cool ocean water for a bit too. And then we left to prepare ourselves for supper and the evening show. It was Michael Jackson night and Buddy always loved that. Back in our room later that night I found I had to urinate a bit more than usual but no alarm went off.
  The morning was again a windy rainy one so we spent most of our time in our room. In fact we both were quite dazed. It was a chore to get to dinner and after a bit of walking around the resort we headed back to our roon to watch the show from our balcony as it had a view of the stage. And then I began to feel a bit uneasy. I had more urination issues but much worse than before. I took my allergy med and a tablet to calm me down but that did little to change what was wanting to leave my body. We went to bed as usual but I headed to the toilet every thiry minutes and by midnight I was clearly getting dehydrated. I needed medical help so I called for the doctor who came promptly with her assistant. She checked my BP which had shot up. She wanted to give me BP pills but I refused as I do not tollerate pills well and then we concluded I need electrolytes to get me better. She left and came back with the powder that we mixed and I drank as much and as fast as I could. We taught Buddy how to call for help should I get worse and she said she would be back at 9 am. For now that was it. I spent the next few hours holding Buddy’s hand for I had learned years ago physical contact with another can greatly add to a positive healing. By four am I returned to my bed and prayed for the best.
   The doctor and her assistant arrived as promised and brought more powder mix. My BP was lower and my dry mouth was improving. The doctor asked Buddy how he was and he said he now had diahrrea so he was put on the mix too. She insisted we head for breakfast and that We have lots to drink. We followed her advice. She was happy to find us at a table when she and her assisrant came for their meals. And thereafter at each meal she came to our table to see how we were. You see I had no fever nor the runs which is what most guests tend to have. It puzzeled her and me too. But not for long. The cause became clear.
 On our last day we stayed at the beach . It was lovely. It was perfect. Later in the afternoon we had to pack for our night flight home. It was during that time  that I noticed a very strong chemical smell around the sink area. And that is when I knew what triggered my reaction. It was insecticide.
  The Cubans want give guests pest free resorts and rooms. To achieve this they fog the outdoors at dawn and dusk. Since Irma it seems they spray parts of the roons where nasties may appear. Most days rooms are well ventilated so there was not a strong residue but on rainy days It was different with ventilation and we had remained a whole day in our room. The bug killer was affecting me. I was having the same symptoms that the drug has on bugs. They die ment to from dehydration after coming in contact with pesticides. I guess I got too much of it?
  Poisons clearly affect humans although manufacturers claim we are far too large for the stuff to do us harm. Ha! I now know first hand so people will react. Too bad.
   We loved our many trips to the island but it seems my body is now telling me to stop. Buddy and I are sad about all the pestcides and have concluded a break must happen. 
   And I feel that many guests who blame food for their illness may not have that right. The food is perfectly fine. The fogging is really the culprit as is the room spray. It just does not seem to be well understood yet. 
  Poisons are being abused. Surely there are natural ways we can cohabit with insects.