I need more data points to be sure, but I'm starting to believe that whenever Link sails the seas in The Legend of Zelda, I become horribly ill.  You may recall my story about how I spent months confined to my bed while awaiting surgery and how I played through The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker to pass the time and give me a reason to wake up in the morning.  At the end of that article I said this:

I haven't returned to Wind Waker, however.  There's a whole second quest to explore now that I've finished the first quest, but I just can't get myself to go back.  The game is so intertwined with the dreadful memories and painful feelings of the time that, two years later, I'm not ready to go back just yet.

Someday I'll sail the seas again, but not today.

I still haven't been back to Wind Waker, but recently I finally got around to picking up the direct sequel to Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS, in which Link once again goes to sea.  A day or two after starting the quest and sailing around Hyrule, my health crisis from last year flared up again after several weeks of smooth sailing.  Resting at home today, I'm propped up in my recliner and plugging away at the Temple of the Ocean King when I realize the connection: here I am with health problems again and I'm using Link's maritime adventures to pass the time.  I can't decide if this is an amazing coincidence, something that was bound to happen eventually, or just another case of events coming full circle.  Just to be on the safe side, however, I think I'll stick to Link's land-based adventures for a while.