First stop on the Thailand Trip : The Emergency Room in Frankfurt Airport

At exactly 04:30 this morning, the alarm went off and our day of traveling started. I had 30 minutes to shower, shave and finish packing before my mother showed up to drive us to the airport. Shaving took longer than expected, because I hadn’t shaved in a month and a half (Norway is cold in winter and I figure that any insulation, even my haggard looking beard, is better than no insulation). The 30 minutes flew and an extra 15 had also passed before we were on the road. The roads to the airport and the airport itself were almost deserted, so even though we thought we were late, we were early.

We got on the plane and were surprised to get a morning snack (a muffin) with coffee and juice. These days it seems like you need to pay for everything on a plane, but Lufthansa pleasantly surprised us 🙂

When we got to Frankfurt we had a little over 5 hours before the plane to Bangkok was scheduled to leave and since we were flying on Business (thanks to an awesome point buying scheme US Airways have), we headed straight to the business lounge to chillax. We started out by sampling the various foods: some mixed cocktail nuts, a turkey sandwich and a pickle washed down with a Becks draft. 10 minutes into the meal, I utter the words I’ve never uttered before: “Kjersti, my throat is tightening up, I’m having difficulty breathing”.

It rapidly got worse, so Kjersti ran to the lounge reception, who called the medical team. While we waited I laid down and I have to admit, my palms were wet from sweat, because I was scared. When the Emergency Team got here, I was swamped by 6 white clad medical professionals. Before I could flinch, they had me on a drip and were pumping medicines into my veins. Then we walked down to an ambulance, I refused a wheel-chair or stretcher, a sign I wasn’t dying.

Then we headed to the medical center, where the doctor wanted to know what I had eaten. They wanted to put more NaCl into me, but I said I’d rather drink beer, so they let me leave and return to the lounge, where I am now. Drinking beer, feeling very happy: I’m guessing that the drug cocktail they gave me enhances alcohol, so I’m going to be one happy camper on this coming flight 🙂 Speaking of which, it’s time to get to the plane that will take us to Thailand ….

As a side note, not being able to breathe is excellent practice for free-diving. Trying to relax and breathnormally, when your throat is constricting is … A true challenge. I’m looking forward to getting to Thailand where I can be more in control of my free-diving practice.