Len's mom closed the car door after Len got inside and buckled his seatbelt. He breathed out a sigh and rested his head on the window. He was incredibly nauseated. If he closed his eyes for more than ten seconds, he was certain he would become disoriented and vomit.
His mom jumped into the passenger's seat and closed the door beside her. She watched Len worriedly as she buckled her seatbelt. He had almost thrown up when he woke up that morning. He spent twenty minutes dry heaving over the toilet until he couldn't take it anymore and pressed his back against the wall and cried. She hated to put him in the car after that, but it was an appointment they had to make. If they didn't leave then, they would miss it.
"You doing alright, hun?" she asked him. Len glanced up at her and nodded, then went back to staring out the window. He had to look out the window or he would get carsick. He had a very sensitive stomach. His mom debated rescheduling, but he would likely be just as sick the next day and no closer to having any treatment. "Just let me know if you need anything, alright?" Len nodded absentmindedly and continued to stare out the window.
Why did it have to be during a school day? He thought to himself. He was grateful that he didn't have to go through the pain of enduring school again, but he frowned when he realized yesterday was pointless if he was going to miss a day anyway. All his hard work to keep good attendance...wasted on something he couldn't control. He wanted to cry in frustration, but he had cried all too much in the past two day.
His dad started up the car and took one last look at Len before pulling out of the driveway. He was afraid he'd have to clean up a mess before they got there.
Len sighed as he stared out the window. He could feel his bloated stomach gurgling again and again. Why was there so much air in his stomach? He had barely eaten or drank anything recently. There was no reason for him to have to belch this much. He tried his best to keep it in, but it had built up too much every now and again and he'd have to burp loudly to relieve himself. Turn the radio on or something, Dad...Jeez…
He almost smiled when he saw that they pulled up to the doctor's office and happily unbuckled his seatbelt. Burping had helped quell his nausea, so he didn't get sick in the car. He actually started to feel a bit better.
His dad got out and opened Len's door before he had a chance to reach for the handle and grabbed his hand to help him out. Jeez, it's not like he's completely helpless. He let go of his dad's hand and took a few steps, stretching his arms. It felt good to walk around after being stuck in bed all day. He let out a few more burps and sighed. He couldn't wait until he didn't have to do that to feel good anymore. He froze when he noticed he still felt a lot of air in his stomach though. He belched continuously as his dad waited for his mom to get out of the car. They always walked in together.
Len furrowed his brows worriedly. He couldn't make himself stop...He closed his mouth, but it still pushed its way out through his esophagus.
"Shit…" he mumbled to himself. He was fully aware of the unspoken rule of silence in waiting rooms. Every single person in that room would be able to hear him. He tried his best to swallow it down and be as silent as possible, but he couldn't help but let out loud ones. He looked at his dad, who had his back to him. He hesitantly reached for his shirt sleeve, then recoiled back a little, wondering if he should get his attention or not, then ultimately reached out again and tugged. His dad turned around to see who had pulled his shirt, noticing it was Len.
"What's up, Buddy?" he asked, slightly hunching over to be more eye level with him. He became worried when he saw the look on his son's face. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" He put his hand on his shoulder, waiting for his answer. Len drew in a shaky breath and looked away. He closed his mouth to muffle a belch, this time effectively. His dad stood there, waiting for his response impatiently. "What's the matter?" Len glanced up at him, then stared back at the ground.
"Can I sit outside until I need to go in?" he asked, refusing to look at him. He belched loudly again, and his dad seemed unphased. It was the polite reaction, but Len knew he didn't want to be that close to his face when he burped.
"No, we need to go inside so you can go in when they call you," he answered calmly. "Why do you want to stay outside?" Len clenched his fist and swallowed down more air. He didn't want to tell him, he was embarrassed enough.
"Nothing…" he mumbled. His dad knew there was a reason, and he debated pushing for answer. He decided to try one more time.
"Len, why do you want to stay outside instead of waiting in the waiting room?" At this point, his mother had noticed the conversation and was curious about Len's hesitation to go inside as well. She stepped up behind her husband and put her hand on his back. Len glanced up at her and averted his gaze yet again.
"Len? What's wrong?" his mom asked worriedly. She wondered if he felt carsick. Len muffled another burp, but it was still noticeably loud. He sighed and looked up at them.
"I can't stop…" he said, feeling his face warm up in embarrassment. He was sure his cheeks were red. His mom furrowed her brows.
"Stop what? Honey, can you please just tell me what's wrong?" His mom was becoming slightly irritated. Len sighed again and tried to talk, but he belched after every other word.
"I can't….stop…" he paused to let out another obnoxiously loud belch. He reddened after he heard it. "Belching…" he muttered. His parents looked at each other, unsure of what to do. This had never happened to either of them or anyone they knew. They knew he was embarrassed to go inside and not be able to control himself, but they weren't sure what to do.
His mom gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Sweetheart, this is a doctor's office. People will just think you have an upset tummy, Babe. It's alright. Nobody's going to judge you." Len looked at her, unsure. His mom flashed him a quick smile to reassure him.
"Come on," she said, putting her arm around his shoulders. "We should hurry up and go in before they call us." They walked into the doctor's office quicker than Len would have liked. His dad went up to the attendant to check him in and give them their insurance while his mom led him over to the chairs so they could wait for their name to be called. Len saw all the people looking at him since they had just walked in. People always look to see who comes through the door, even if it has no effect on them whatsoever. Human curiosity. Len tried his hardest not to belch with all eyes on him.
His mom pointed to a couple of chairs next to a trash can. "Let's sit here," she said. She took him by the hand and led him over to the chair closest to the trash can. He gave her a look like she didn't trust him. She looked confused for a moment, then realized what the hate stare was for.
"Honey, I'd rather be safe than sorry," she said. Len sighed and sat down. His mom sat down next to him and rubbed his back. He quietly belched under his breath as they waited. He wasn't very nauseous. He actually felt a lot better. But he still couldn't make himself stop. He belched loudly a few times, which drew a few eyes on him (mostly old people who glared for him being so rude). He put his hand on his stomach to show them that he had a stomach ache. That small body language was all they needed to know that he was sick and couldn't help it. He was glad that his mom was right about that. He hiccuped, startling his mom who was busy playing Candy Crush on her phone. He groaned inwardly. Not hiccups too...He hiccuped again, burping soon after. His mom smiled at him sadly and he sighed.
A nurse poked her head through the door to the corridor that held all of the small rooms that belonged to the doctors. She read down the column of names on her clipboard and called out "Kagamine". Len's mom stood up and she smiled at them, gesturing for them to follow her through the door. Len stood up as well, but regretted it instantly when his intestines protested the sudden motion. His stomach gurgled painfully and he tried his best not to show it, but he did hunch over slightly and wrap his arm around his stomach. His mom looked at him worriedly.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Len looked up at her and nodded. They walked slowly for Len's sake. His dad told them he would just wait until they were done so the room wasn't too crowded. Len was thankful for that.
The nurse led them to a scale and a device to measure his height, he wasn't exactly sure of the name of it. She measured his height first, and he had grown half an inch since last time. The nurse smiled at him and told him he was about where he would stop growing, maybe another half inch to go. He was in too much pain to react. He belched again and clenched his fist.
"Alright, let's get your weight," she said. Len stepped onto the scale, waiting for her to tell him to step off. She froze for a second, staring at the numbers. She looked at his mom worriedly. She looked back just as worriedly.
"What's wrong?" she asked, afraid her son was seriously ill.
The nurse looked down at the chart again, then back up at Len's mom. "Well, the last time he was here, he weighed in at 104 pounds. Slightly lower than the average, but it was understandable since he did a lot of sports. But now he's down to 97…" Len looked confused. He lost weight? Why is that bad?
"What's wrong with being 97 pounds?" he asked. The nurse turned to look at him.
"You're eight pounds under the weight average," she said. "And based on what I've been told of your symptoms, it's because you're vomiting so much. I doubt you've eaten anything in the past two days either, have you? Please tell me you're at least staying hydrated…To lose 7 pounds in two days...That's very extreme." Len frowned when he realized that he hadn't really eaten anything at all. He sipped some ginger ale yesterday, but he never came close to finishing the can. And vomiting and diarrhea do cause fluid loss, and no doubt weight loss...He finally realized how big of a problem this was becoming.
The nurse looked at his mom. "Get him to drink something when he gets home, or else we might have to give him an IV to replenish the fluids he's lost recently," she said. She frowned at Len and gestured for him to step off the scale, leading him into the office that belonged to their family doctor. She pulled a small paper cup out of the cabinet and filled it up with water from the sink, giving it to him once it was full. Len took it hesitantly and sipped it slowly. He was going to vomit after this. The nurse took his blood pressure and then told them to wait there for a while and she would go get the doctor and tell them they're ready for her.
Len stared at the cup of water. He didn't want to drink it, but he knew that if he didn't, he could get dehydrated and pass out. He'd had that happen before at practice, the coach had to carry him down to the school nurse. It was quite embarrassing to wake up with someone sponging his forehead and having to ask them what happened. He didn't want to pass out again. But eh...he didn't want to throw up either.
"Len, please drink it," his mom instructed, her eyes filled with sadness. Len frowned and nodded, taking another sip. It felt like the water pooled in his belly, its icy feeling suddenly burning once it settled in his stomach. He became nauseated quickly and opted to put the cup down, but decided it would be for the better if he just finished it off. He took a swig and gulped it down uncomfortably, trying to ignore the swishing sounds in his intestines. Both of them could hear the gurgling. Len belched a few more times to help with the pain and decided to lie down on the paper covered bed, curling up in a ball. He began to shake, feeling both sweaty and cold at the same time. His stomach burned and froze at once. The feelings conflicted and he couldn't tell if he was hot or cold.
Their family doctor entered the room, not very surprised to find Len lying down in the position he was in. His mom smiled at her.
"Hello," their doctor said, smiling back. She sat down at her small desk and pulled up the ancient computer to check out his file. She was aware of the call, she was able to remember this case. Much different than the other casual checkups. But she couldn't quite remember specific details. She clicked her pen as she read through his file. That weight was concerning. Blood pressure not too good either…
She turned around and looked at him. "So you're here because you have an upset stomach, right?" Len looked at her and nodded, too tired to sit up. She nodded back, getting a good look at him.
"Have you had diarrhea or vomiting?" She stood and walked over to him, gently pulling his arms up so that she could have him lie flat on his back. Len didn't want to lie down all openly, it hurt to stretch out. He wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep. Sleep is the only place you can go when you're sick where the pain goes away for a while.
"He's thrown up a lot since he first got sick, and he spends a lot of time in the bathroom," his mom answered for him. The doctor nodded and snapped her gloves on. She gently pushed down on the lower right of his abdomen. He winced, feeling the pressure in his stomach increase.
"Any tenderness here?" Len nodded, biting his lip. The doctor moved on to the middle below his bellybutton. He winced again, letting out a small noise of pain. The doctor loosened her pressure and gently let her hands rest on his stomach. Len belched loudly, feeling the relief immediately. It felt like his stomach was lighter.
"I'd like for you to collect a stool sample for me," she said, nodding to him. Len raised his eyebrow.
"Um...Right now?" he asked warily.
"If you can, then the sooner the better," she said. "But I can print off some instructions for you to take home if you need them." Len stared at the floor for a while. He absolutely would not want to/not be able to do this.
Len belched again. The doctor looked at him curiously.
"Have you had excessive amounts of gas and belching as well?" she asked. Len hesitated.
"Belching, yeah…" he answered quietly. He'd never admit to anything else. "I've just been really nauseous and gotten sick a lot...That's really the main thing." The doctor nodded.
"Do you just want to stay bed all day?" she asked. Len nodded.
"That's the best idea I've heard yet," he said, smiling at his "joke". He couldn't force a laugh though.
The doctor stared at him for a while, thinking to herself. "Someone else came in yesterday complaining of similar symptoms," she said. Len furrowed his brows.
"Who?" he asked.
"He was a young teen like you," she said. "Lui Hibiki." Len frowned. Lui?
"Do you know him?" the doctor asked. Len nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "He's on the track team with me, he goes to my school." The doctor nodded.
"Well, he came in last week and his test results came back today," she said. "And if I'm right, I'd say you both probably have the same thing." Len looked at her worriedly.
"What is it?" he asked. She sat back down in her chair.
"There was a parasite in the ponds and creeks up where Lui had his hiking trip," she said, looking at Len's worried face. "A trip I assume you went on?" Len nodded. "That's what I thought. And you two must've been messing around in the water, because it seems you've both ingested the parasite." Len grew more worried. They had splashed each other quite a lot..."Giardiasis." Len looked at her, confused.
"What's Giardiasis?" he asked. He'd never heard of that before.
"It's essentially like food poisoning," she said. "You must've swallowed some of the water when you were up there on the hike. Swallowing the parasites can lead to infection, which sometimes, but not always causes symptoms like belching, upset stomach, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea." Len frowned when he realized that none of this would have happened if he hadn't messed with the water.
"Am I gonna be okay? Do you need to do surgery or anything?" Len stared at the doctor worriedly. He was terrified of the thought of going under the knife. He couldn't imagine trusting someone to cut him open while he was asleep.
"No, you don't need to have any surgery," she said. "You will have to be put on antibiotics, however. And there is one thing that you must know." She realized that she was only worrying him more, but he needed to know.
"People who have giardiasis often have a long term gastrointestinal disorder of some sort," she said. Len's mom furrowed her brows in concern.
"What sort of disorder are we talking about?" she asked.
"Well, some people keep the symptoms they have when they get the disease, some people have IBS, and others have lactose intolerance," she explained. "But I can vouch for quite a few people who say their symptoms are much less intense after treatment and grow used to it over time to the point where it hardly bothers them anymore."
Len frowned. "You mean I'm going to be like this for the rest of my life?" He couldn't imagine living like this.
"No, you won't feel like this forever," she explained. "The symptoms you'll be experiencing long term are likely to be bloating and gas on occasion, usually when you consume dairy products. But I guarantee you it will not feel nearly as bad as it does now."
Len couldn't help but frown. He was glad to know what was wrong, but the thought of having to deal with this for the rest of his life was too much for him to handle. That pain...forever? He couldn't bare it.
"Are you okay?" the doctor asked. He'd grown considerably quiet after hearing the news. Len sighed and stared at the floor for a while.
"Is there anything I can do to help it?" he mumbled. The doctor sat down in her chair and thought for a moment.
"Well, you can try to avoid really fatty foods like hamburgers and other junk food, which you should be doing anyway since you're on the track team," she said, trying to get him to smile a little or cheer him up in the slightest. She wanted to show him his lifestyle wouldn't have to change much and that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. "And you can't have milk or cheese."
"I don't like cheese anyway," he said. The doctor smiled.
"Then this is going to be easier than you thought," she said. He shrugged. "What is it about this situation that upsets you the most?" Len looked up at her and furrowed his brows.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"What makes you the most upset? Is it that you'll have to be careful about what you eat? That it's embarrassing?" she asked, offering suggestions to help make her point clear.
"It's that I'll have to feel this pain for the rest of my life…" he said, staring at the ground again.
"Once the antibiotics clear things up, I promise you that you won't be in as much pain as you are now," she said. "It's really bad now because the parasite is still inside you. Most of your symptoms will go away, I promise." Len nodded, not really believing her.
The doctor said she still needed a stool sample, so she printed out instructions to take home and then they left. Len sat down in the backseat of the car and sighed. He was not going to have a good day.