The Black Lung

Well I probably don’t, but that’s what it feels like. In reality I have something much worse. I have “Mad-Fish-Disease”, and I am fairly certain that I caught it from a fish last time I was Scuba Diving. Mad-Fish-Disease started in the late 90’s when money minded fish farmers fed “fish by-products” to their crop. This eventually spread to the ocean, and is now the number one risk for divers. In cases like this you always say, “It will never happen to me, my immune system is stronger than a team of oxen plowing the field for next year’s harvest”. Of course, like most communicable diseases this could have been avoided. We were on a reef in Ft. Lauderdale swimming in about 65 feet of water. Now typically infected fish are only active in much warmer waters, but this type of thing isn’t uncommon. I have a bad habit of getting in fish’s faces, most don’t mind but some like their space. Couple this with a disease that makes them prone to a bad disposition and you can have a mad fish on your hands in a matter of seconds.

It’s funny how helpful people are when you are sick. Everyone has their own personal remedy that will heal you in a matter of hours. They say, “Levi to stop your cough, mix the root of Ginger with hot tea leaves, and add a dash of cinnamon for taste”. I’m thinking “Is that all? I’ll just go dig some up right now”. Others say to me “Levi, take this magic pill that heals all aliments in less than 48 hours”. And I’m thinking: “WOW, I have been sick for 3 weeks for nothing! I’m going to tell my doctor about this so that the world’s sick can be all but healed!” Oh course I have my own version of a cure all. Its called “The Virus Pwner”, and consists of eating lots of ice cream, sleeping, and filling every waking hour with online gaming. I like to start with a Vanilla and work my way into something like a Butter Pecan, when you can no longer blink because your eyes have dried out, simply go to bed.