Barbara J. Hamby

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Kiss of a Virus--Kiss of an Iguana

Today I read up on Norovirus, formerly known as Norwalk virus. I’m pretty sure my symptoms match. However, the information was that it’s normally over within a few days, although the victim may be contagious for a couple of weeks. If that’s the case, and I actually have it, this is my second round and I should feel better in a day or so.

If I go on another cruise I think I’ll take about 50 pairs of those plastic gloves so I can wear a pair every time I have to hang onto a handrail, or grab a crew member’s arm to get from the ship onto a tender, or touch public restroom door handles, etc. Also, I’ll carry antiseptic wipes with me everywhere I go. On this last trip, I washed my hands incessantly and even washed orange skins with soap and water before I peeled them. I wiped down the television remote and the telephone in our stateroom. Of course, after I got sick the first night, the haz-mat boys wiped and sprayed and scrubbed everything down several times that night and the next day.

Tonight I skimmed through the 275 pictures on the digital camera. I’m anxious to see them full size so we can cull out the duds and print the goodies. I need to finish the roll of film in my old fashioned camera to see if the guy who took the picture of Al and me with the iguana captured that ugly beast kissing me on the cheek. I didn’t see him coming or I would have washed his tongue first.

The iguanas we saw down there reminded me of a day a few years back when I drove to my son’s house, parked in the driveway and did a double take to see an iguana on his lawn. This was in Vancouver, Washington. I walked past the large lizard and into the house. “Kurt,” I yelled, “there’s an iguana on your lawn.”

“Oh yeah, right, mom.” I had to take him outside to convince him I wasn’t hallucinating.

When I left, the iguana was still parked in the front yard, not making any move to leave. As I recall, Kurt put him in the bathtub and canvassed the neighborhood to see if anyone would claim him. I think Animal Control finally picked him up.