Worst Business Trip Ever

It's 3 AM in Jacksonville, FL. That's where I am. I can't sleep. It's not the jetlag - I'm dog-tired - it's the nausea.

Saturday, Amy was ill with stomach flu or food poisoning, we don't know which. It made for an abrupt end to date night and a foreboding beginning to this business trip. I thought I had come through unscathed, but Saturday night I was restless, feverish, and nauseated. I knew I had the bug, too.

My flight to Jacksonville left Sunday morning. The trip was unexpected. A technical account manager called me earlier in the week and begged me to visit his customer, who was having issues with the product that I support and threatening to move to a competing product. I have been looking for recognition from my peers for my hard work and dedication, and I thought this would be a great way to obtain it; I'd willingly go, with short notice, and save the day. They say pride cometh before the fall; it's true.

I booked my flight. In the interim, our support team solved the customer's problems. I didn't know why I was still going, but the flight, hotel, and car were booked, and the account manager asked me to go, to show the customer some love. The trip was on.

The schedule for my flight was bad. It's difficult to find good, cross-country flights from nearby Burbank airport, so I scheduled my flight out of LAX. The flight left at 11:50 AM; there would be no church for me.

Amy was still sick; I felt awful leaving her at home with the boys. I still felt sick, too, though Amy had the worst of it. Josh woke up Sunday morning and complained that he didn't feel good; the bug had spread.

The plan had been for Amy to take me to the airport, but she was in no condition to do it. My dad took me instead, after we gave Amy a blessing. An hour later, I was at LAX, through the security gate, and feeling hungry. I went to Burger King; every airport has a Burger King. They're overpriced and low-quality, but I know the menu.

The line was long, and as I neared the counter I saw why. Their computers were down. They were doing everything by hand; adding up the costs of the ordered items, figuring tax and change. I had five dollars; I thought I had more. I ordered a Whopper Jr. and a small Coke (best to go easy on my recovering stomach). The total was $5.88; I had just the Coke. I needed more than corn startch and caffeine to start the day, so I went to a bakery and bought a croissant, then returned to the gate to eat.

At about 11:20, I texted Amy my farewells, ready to board the plane. The gate steward made an announcement: there would be a 10 minute delay while they repressurized the cabin. I had a two hour, fifty minute layover in Dallas; ten minutes was no cause for concern.

Ten minutes later, the gate steward made another announcement: there was a mechanical problem, they were looking into it, they'd know whether we'd be able to use the aircraft at around 12:15. I called Amy and chatted, waiting for the next announcement, which came presently: the problem was bad, and we couldn't use the plane; they'd see if they could find another, and if not, they'd cancel the flight.

At this point, I hoped that they wouldn't find another plane. Nobody could blame me if my flight were cancelled and I couldn't make it to the customer site. A few minutes later, they found a plane. I headed to another gate for a flight that would leave at 1:50 and land in Dallas around 6:20. It would be close, but I chanced it.

I started to feel sick. The nausea was returning. I was anxious to get on the plane and rest. I boarded, took my seat, and felt terrible. I can't sleep on planes, so there would be no respite. I would bear it and try not to puke. We took to the air, and I had a cup of ice water. Between the water and playing a game on my cell phone, I was distracted enough that the nausea didn't bother me.

We landed and reached the gate in Dallas at 6:30; I was off the plane by 6:35; I hade fifteen minutes to make my connecting flight in a different terminal. I power-walked, climbed the escalator, and jogged to the Skylink. I was exhausted, out of breath, having given my last bit of energy to the endeavor.

I made my connecting flight, boarded, and fell into my seat, ready to throw up. There was turbulence leaving Dallas, and that delayed the drink cart. As soon as the seat belt sign was off, I made my way to the restroom; I wasn't sick, but I hadn't had any time to use the restroom in Dallas. I splashed some cold water on my face and returned to my seat.

I tried to rest and found that if I tilted my head a certain way (forward and to the right, leaning on my hand) the nausea was not as bad. I felt a little hungry, too, and suspected some of the nausea was just due to having had so little to eat. When the drink cart came, I asked for a three dollar cookie, in addition to my glass of water. I paced myself and began to feel a bit better.

At last, I landed in Jacksonville, got my rental car, and went to the hotel. I called to say goodnight to Amy and the boys. Josh was asleep; he'd slept most of the day. Amy's sister Debby and her niece Katie were there taking care of the boys so that Amy could rest. At the time, I felt better; I felt like I had had a fever and it had broken. I was exhausted, but sure that I was on the mend.

I logged my time and expenses for the day, changed into pajamas, brushed my teeth, and had a small glass of water; then I climbed into bed. The chills came immediately, and I knew that my fever was still there. I lied still; a single twist and my skin would come into contact with a cold sheet or a draft, sending me into convulsions. Unable to bear it, I climbed out of bed and put on my sweatshirt; that did the trick.

I slept fitfully for awhile, finding the positions that aggravated the nausea - the ones to avoid - and those that did not. I put up a good fight, and then it was 3:00 AM. The nausea had reached a peak, and I couldn't lie in bed any longer. I got out of bed, turned on the light, grabbed the ice bucket, and filled it with ice. I feel bad making so much noise for my neighbors, first groaning in feverish pain, and then filling the ice bucket.

I've had my ice water now, and it has calmed my stomach. I suspect that a lot of the nausea is from lack of food, and what feels like a fever is dehydration and exhaustion. It has been a bad day, however. Had I known that my flights would be so bad and that Amy and I would be sick, I never would have scheduled this trip. It's frustrating knowing that the impetus for the trip has gone, that this is all a political game now, sweet-talking and reassuring the customer.

I'm going to try and sleep again, after I have some more water. I texted Amy earlier, when I discovered my feverish chills. She had some good advice: get everybody that I come into contact with ill; they'll never ask me to Florida again. It's a plan.