After breakfast, I show my misery to the lady at the front desk. She hasn't heard of any one else on the ship getting this. You can tell that she's starting to worry for the reputation of the company. So she suggests I go show it to the doctor. Gotta try all the activities on board, don't I! The place, on the lowest deck open to the public is not easy to find. Only one set of stairs get there; I take a few wrong turns; there are no signs. Better not have an emergency...
When I get there, there is already a line in the little corridor/waiting area. Privacy is obviously not a major concern, and we get interviewed right there by a nurse in uniform. One older guy ahead of me looks pretty sick, rather green in fact. I came too late to hear where he hurts, but he'll get a chest X-ray. I hear the physician ask the nurse whether there is a decent hospital on St Barth, our stop of the day... not good. A twisted ankle and a whole swollen red allergic reaction-type arm are in front of me in the line. Nothing Benadryl and a hydrocortisone cream won't cure. That's what the doctor sells both of them. Actually the swollen ankle will give the Benadryl from her own pharmacy to the swollen arm, to save the $10.
Then it's me. They haven't seen this before. Don't know. The poor doctor, it's only her third day on the ship - any ship - like us. She says that the pattern of bites is called "breakfast, lunch, dinner" because the same bug goes triple dipping. Well, that works for yesterday's bites, but the ones that attacked last night, man, those guys are on a six-meal a day diet!
She suggests I order a complete clean up of the room. She doesn't charge me - I am really showing up here for the good of Holland America, to let them know that the ship has been infested before the whole 1800 guests start scratching like mad. But she does tries to sell me the Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream...
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