"My psychiatrist diagnosed me as a Hypochondriac. I said, "Okay, can you prescribe me a placebo?"
"Not for Type-2 Hypochondria," he said. "Your type would just fake faking. Then we would have a real problem."
Brian Spellman, If the Mind Fits, Shrink It
"Not for Type-2 Hypochondria," he said. "Your type would just fake faking. Then we would have a real problem."
Brian Spellman, If the Mind Fits, Shrink It
1960-1967: Elementary School
My collywobbles in elementary school led to a great number of absences, as evidenced by
my report cards. I have no idea what the half day was, but it was a good second quarter!
1972: First International Trip
Despite a trip to the emergency room and a return trip to my doctor for what I thought was appendicitis, but was actually the collywobbles. I made it to the airport to join my friends, Felice and Karen.
2002: London, England
I was alone in London with a terrible head cold, but I didn't let it stop me. I crossed the
Millennium Bridge for the first time, two years after its opening, on my way to the Tate Modern.
 |  |
2002: Athens, Greece
I woke up with vertigo in the middle of my first night in Athens. It lasted the entire time
I was in Athens and then came back with a vengeance when we returned from a road trip
outside the city. Still, I managed to see some sites on my own, thanks to medication for
the nausea. Doctor said it was the air conditioner. I say it was Athens.
I was in Athens and then came back with a vengeance when we returned from a road trip
outside the city. Still, I managed to see some sites on my own, thanks to medication for
the nausea. Doctor said it was the air conditioner. I say it was Athens.
 I was staying in the Philippos Hotel, conveniently located near the Plaka and the Parthenon. |  |
I managed to take a walk along the Plaka, where umbrellas were already advertising the 2004 Olympics.
Our Athens city tour later in the week was difficult for me due to the vertigo. Thirteen-year-old
Zohar, pictured her with a feral cat, held my hand throughout our visit to the Acropolis.
 |  |
The first time I saw the Presidential Guards in Athens, it was drizzling, and they were in their
khakis, not their iconic whites. I was excited to see them in their full glory on my return.
2008: Scotland
I had a severe case of the collywobbles on my tour of Scotland for reasons I never knew. However,
not feeling well just made me more anxious, creating an uncomfortable cycle. I did my best to
enjoy the land of castles, sheep, and grass. It helped to have some great people on tour with me.
From the left are Mark; his mother-in-law, Nancy; wife, Jan, and me. We enjoyed excellent whisky at the mill in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. The whisky and new friends alleviated some of my collywobbles.
Ardoe House Hotel in Aberdeen offered traditional hospitality, food, and a lot of men in kilts.
I spent a good deal of time on the internet waiting for a response from my doctor.
I spent a good deal of time on the internet waiting for a response from my doctor.
 |  |
 Dr. Christopher Ryan took care of me for over fifteen years, recognizing my anxiety well before I did. However, he couldn't help me from thousands of miles away in Scotland. |  I wasn't too sick, however, to try the haggis on the last night.It was pretty tasty! |
2012: Peru
Altitude sickness and food poisoning were the culprits on our trip to Peru. Almost
everyone ordered the ceviche in Lima (left). Susan, like most everyone else who ate it,
got sick. I was very glad I ordered the loma saltado (right), avoiding the food poisoning.
 |  |
Despite a slow ascent along the tour, most of us still got altitude sickness. There
were four solutions: Diomax (altitude sickness medication, my doctor wouldn't
prescribe), oxygen in a can, oxygen in the hotel, and coca tea.
Before entering Machu Picchu, we stopped at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge (below left) to use
the rest rooms. The entrance to the archeological site only had one toilet. Between the
altitude and the ceviche, people started falling sick soon after we entered Machu Picchu.
 |  |
Me at Machu Picchu
2015: Washington, D.C.
I wasn't feeling well during my summer and fall tours, but I stuck with them, seeing various
doctors when I was back in the DC area. Drinking and eating were particularly difficult.
I had to leave the chicken masala on the table and couldn't enjoy our farewell dinner in D.C.
 |  |
Three doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. On December 7, 2015
I was diagnosed with a gangrenous gall bladder and had emergency surgery.
 |  Above: My daughter Rachel came to take care of me at home and cooked Jewish penicillin to help me feel better. Left: They allowed me to eat a bagel and cream cheese before leaving the hospital. |
2020: Cuba
I traveled to Cuba on March 10. 2020. On March 11, my birthday, the World Health Organization
declared Covid-19 a pandemic. On March 13th the United States government declared a national emergency. On March 15th they sent us home on a chartered flight. I will travel again.
 |  People were just starting to wear masks. When we left there were only four cases of Covid in Cuba, three of them Italian tourists. Above is my last mojito in Cuba at the Hotel Nacional. |
Our shortened stay in Cuba ended at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana. This was
the view from my window. We didn't get to see much of Havana. With new U.S. government
sanctions on Cuba restricting Americans from staying in Cuban-government owned hotels
-- all of them -- it may be a long time until any of us can return.
