Thursday, March 18, 2010
Time in South Africa
I am here in South Africa 1 week after my operation and I am recuperating well. I arrived last Sunday, met with my doctor on Monday had an MRI on Tuesday and he operated on Wednesday. It has been a whirlwind to say the least. My doctor replaced 1 disk with a stainless steel artificial one and fused 2 disks together. I stayed in the hospital until Friday and have been recuperating since. I am still very sore, but progressing daily. I am enjoying my time here - it does not feel like Africa at all. There are malls, movie theaters, McDonalds, KFC and lots of signs in English. There are Christian bookstores too. Very weird. The nurses here are great allowing me time to do some retail therapy as well by dropping me off at the mall for a few hours to walk and shop. It is nice to be able to shop in English and not have to barter for the price. I have a follow up appointment next week and hopefully will be cleared to go home next weekend. Ron is coming on Saturday to spend the week with me and celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. God is good and although I have some post surgical pain, the pain in my back and leg are gone. The doctor is pretty confident that I have not suffered permanent damage in my leg and is relatively sure that I won't continue to have a drop foot after a few weeks. I can notice a huge difference in my walking and only notice my foot when I get severely fatigued. All in all although I miss Ron, the kids and the dorm guys I am so glad I came and had the surgery - it has been a huge success. Thanks for all of your prayers - they mean a lot!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Update on happenings
A lot has been happening around here - our guys (including Ron) went on an outreach to 2 villages. Ron was part of the medical team - he signed everyone in and recorded their ailments. It was a great opportunity to practice his language and interact with lots of people. He came back with many interesting stories and an encouraging time with language. We also had spirit week at the school - any time that the kids can dress up is always fun. Below is a picture of Faith during the "fake injury day".
We also had another event - "Senior Cafe - Night at the Library". They had singing and skits and a costume contest, where kids dressed up as literary characters. Luke dressed up as Quasimodo and Faith dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood. Luke was in a skit where he was Patrick from Sponge-bob. I was once again reminded that I am not an crafty Mom when they asked me to make a costume, especially without a Walmart or Michaels craft store nearby! Ron was in a skit "Ramona the Pest" - It was a really fun night!
Another update is that I (Chris) will be heading to South Africa to have an appointment with a orthepedic back specialist. I have always had back issues, especially while cleaning houses, but just thought it was just part of getting old. Well, about 5 months ago after exercising I woke up and could barely move. I rested it for a few days and it seemed to get a little better. But every time I over did it - it would flare up. It affected my leg as well - numbness in the knee and ankle. I didn't really think it was too serious, but it was still very sore. Well, three weeks ago I played softball in a tournament and things quickly went downhill. First day of the tournament my knee on that same side really started hurting and then the following day, my foot went out on me and I fell and twisted my ankle. We made the championships and I couldn't play - I went to the dr. the next day and he sent me for an MRI and an xray. The doctor said that I have 2 herniated disks and my sciatic nerve is severely impinged. Surgery is necessary. So right now I am walking with a limp because my foot is almost completely dead. My mission wanted me to go to South Africa right away. They choose South Africa because the care is amazing, it keeps me on the field and the care is MUCH less expensive than the United States. We have an amazing group of workers there as well. I fly out of Dakar on Sunday and have my appointment on Monday and have another MRI Tuesday and he will determine the course of treatment. We will continue to update the blog when we have any details. I thank you all for your prayers for a speedy recovery and healing.
So, Ron will be with a dorm full of teenagers by himself for 2 weeks. Our school has a spring break starting March 19th so that will give him a little reprieve. We are not sure what the timeline will be for my being in South Africa. We are not sure if he will be able to visit me or not due to the cost of airfare, etc. but we will see how it all plays out when I talk to the doctor on Monday!
Thanks again for following our adventure!
We also had another event - "Senior Cafe - Night at the Library". They had singing and skits and a costume contest, where kids dressed up as literary characters. Luke dressed up as Quasimodo and Faith dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood. Luke was in a skit where he was Patrick from Sponge-bob. I was once again reminded that I am not an crafty Mom when they asked me to make a costume, especially without a Walmart or Michaels craft store nearby! Ron was in a skit "Ramona the Pest" - It was a really fun night!
Another update is that I (Chris) will be heading to South Africa to have an appointment with a orthepedic back specialist. I have always had back issues, especially while cleaning houses, but just thought it was just part of getting old. Well, about 5 months ago after exercising I woke up and could barely move. I rested it for a few days and it seemed to get a little better. But every time I over did it - it would flare up. It affected my leg as well - numbness in the knee and ankle. I didn't really think it was too serious, but it was still very sore. Well, three weeks ago I played softball in a tournament and things quickly went downhill. First day of the tournament my knee on that same side really started hurting and then the following day, my foot went out on me and I fell and twisted my ankle. We made the championships and I couldn't play - I went to the dr. the next day and he sent me for an MRI and an xray. The doctor said that I have 2 herniated disks and my sciatic nerve is severely impinged. Surgery is necessary. So right now I am walking with a limp because my foot is almost completely dead. My mission wanted me to go to South Africa right away. They choose South Africa because the care is amazing, it keeps me on the field and the care is MUCH less expensive than the United States. We have an amazing group of workers there as well. I fly out of Dakar on Sunday and have my appointment on Monday and have another MRI Tuesday and he will determine the course of treatment. We will continue to update the blog when we have any details. I thank you all for your prayers for a speedy recovery and healing.
So, Ron will be with a dorm full of teenagers by himself for 2 weeks. Our school has a spring break starting March 19th so that will give him a little reprieve. We are not sure what the timeline will be for my being in South Africa. We are not sure if he will be able to visit me or not due to the cost of airfare, etc. but we will see how it all plays out when I talk to the doctor on Monday!
Thanks again for following our adventure!
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