Colombian hostages say life in jungle grew dire

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Parasites and illnesses
Two of the Americans were infected with the jungle parasite leishmaniasis, which causes often painful sores on the skin, with raised red edges and a central crater.

Thomas Howes, of Chatham, Mass., suffered from severe headaches after hitting his head in the crash-landing that led to his capture, according to Luis Eladio Perez, a former hostage freed in February, who spent months chained by the neck to the same post as Howes.

All three Americans were described Thursday as being in very good physical condition and high spirits by a U.S. Army team leading their readjustment to everyday life.

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Medical treatment was scarce, although Betancourt, a dual Colombian-French citizen, said she was able to get some care because the rebels knew "France was behind" her so they had to keep her alive.

William Perez, who studied nursing in the military, said his background helped him treat ailing hostages, including Betancourt, whom he fed with a spoon at one point.

He gave serums to those suffering from fevers that were likely caused by hepatitis, but mostly had to make do with aspirin.

Betancourt told France 2 that she fell ill with "a series of problems that piled on top of each other. I couldn't nourish myself, I lost weight as you saw, I lost the capacity to move, I was prostrated in my hammock, I had trouble drinking."

She credited Perez with saving her life.

Overall, the hostages said, their lives were miserable.

"Life here is not a life," Betancourt wrote to her mother last year. "It is a complete waste of time."