It hit me at 4pm on August 28th, 2013. While working as a photography assistant, loading in equipment, I got a sudden chill. I asked Phil, my roomate.
Shaka:”Did the temperature just drop? I forgot to bring my jacket”
Phil “Not really, it’s a little cool, you want my jacket?”
I got to the studio, sat down, and started shaking. Phil looked at me and said “Go home. Now.”
So much for a quick gig.
I had a bigger gig the next day, which involved flying to Minnesota and running the lighting for a huge wedding. I figured I should probably be rested before 4 days of non-stop work. So I went to sleep. Woke up at 10pm, packed and then went to sleep again.
The gig went fine, with the only exception that I didn’t sleep for 4 days, or eat at all. I had no appetite, and so much needed to get done, I was afraid that something would go wrong.
Week 2 – After getting back on Monday, I felt like I was past the flu, and I could rest for a while. Except for the fact that I had another gig working production for a video shoot at a mansion. I woke up feeling like crap, and barely made it through the day. I ended up falling asleep on the floor of the mansion. I went home, got in bed, and stayed there.
For a week and a half.
I would wake up, use the bathroom, and go back to sleep. I didn’t leave the house. I didn’t eat. I would try to eat and food would actually taste bad. It was suggested that I see a doctor. I refused. I could shake it. Since I never got the flu before, I figured that I was due, I just had to see it through and I’d be OK eventually.
Week 3 – I am able to get up and I wake up with a craving for watermelon and orange juice. I text a friend who goes to Whole Foods and picks some up for me. The next day I go to Publix grocery to get the same thing, and I figure I should see what I weigh, after such a weird past 2 weeks. 163lbs.
“Wow, I lost nearly 20 lbs.” I was gonna have to eat a lot of watermelon. The next week I still had no appetite. I weighed in at 150lbs. I couldn’t remember when I ever weighed that little. Middle school?
Phil was jokingly saying that I had to eat, or I was going to waste away. Then he said I really needed to eat, whether I was hungry or not. Then he was literally putting food into my mouth.
Finally I started feeling a bit better, which was good because I had a gig coming up in Honduras! Time to get back to work. Little did I know that it had only begun.