There Should Be a Warning Label

By now I know what to expect but the first time it happened, I nearly died of a heart attack. I was in Hong Kong alone suffering travel sickness. I had traveled to Hong Kong with my friend Jackie after which she planned to go to Thailand and Southeast Asia before heading back to Canada. My plans included China, the Trans Siberian and Europe. On the day of her departure, I woke up in the cheap fleabag we were staying feel very wonky. We decided that I should upgrade to a better class of fleabag while in Hong Kong the next 2 days alone. The next few hours were spent in search of a hotel that I would feel moderately safe entering on my own and some tummy medication including Lomotil and Pepto Bismol. The grips of travel sickness were gradually tightening; by the time Jackie got off to the airport, I was in pretty bad shape.
I popped a couple of Pepto tablets and fell into a sleep that only sick people have. Time drags by as awareness of how sick you are pervades your consciousness. Sleep is uneasy and fitful. After a few hours of discomfort in the bed, I drug myself to the bathroom--blessedly not shared with a hall of other people now--wondering how there could still be anything in my system. I finished my business, went to the sink, looked at how sick I was in the mirror. Inspected my tongue and almost scared what little sh** I had left out of me. MY TONGUE WAS BLACK!!


I raced back in panic to my guide book, looking for the dreaded black tongue disease. I though Bubonic Plague--I have that, it turns your tongue black...when you're dead...I am I dead? No, what is this? Do I have to fly home? I don't want to have an awful illness alone in a foreign country...please please please...
I gradually collected myself, went back to the bathroom mirror for another inspection and realized that the black scrapped off. What a relief. I realized that the Pepto did this. I rationalized that it was because I was dehydrated and had only had a little Coke that day and somehow the Carmel coloring stayed.
I have since learned that this is a reaction that some people have to Pepto and generally stay away from it. Apparently Pepto + sulfur = black tongue. But recently my niece was here with an upset tummy so I got her some Pepto. Last night, I woke up with an odd bout of acid reflux, so I popped a couple of her leftover Peptos. Result was as expected--black tongue. No bubonic plague. Sigh.