It has been much too long since my last post. I'm not going to attempt to make up for that
gap in time and space other than to acknowledge it and ask that you be patient
with me. I have been in a season of
intense hurts ranging from the physical to the emotional, and God has been
walking through these things with me. I often wish I was the type of person who
could blog in the midst of those things, but I am generally not. This post is a portion of my musings from the
past month or so. May it encourage and
challenge you.
Anyone who has talked with missionaries knows that health
concerns are one of the greatest fears/concerns that we have. Here in Mpanda we are 2 days (or one 12-14
hour day!) drive away from Mbeya, the nearest town where we could get decent
medical care. Perhaps I should define my
terms, since you don't live here and don't know what I mean. In Mpanda, we have clinics and we have a
hospital. I would never plan to go to
the hospital here. There are tons of
sick (and very contagious) people everywhere, and I would never subject myself
voluntarily to that type of situation if I could at all avoid it. I've been in a Tanzanian hospital before (in
Mwanza) to see a particular doctor, and the experience gave me nightmares and
panic attacks. The doctor (from the US)
was great, but seeing horribly wounded people wheeled through the waiting room
on stretchers uncovered or barely covered... it was too much for my
overprotected western eyes. So that's
how I feel about hospitals. Clinics are
generally better, but depending on the setup can be a similar situation. Also, there is no guarantee you won't wait
for hours and still not see the doctor. We
are thankful here in Mpanda to have a couple clinics, one of which (TMC
Dispensary) is rarely busy. But for anything
requiring quality testing, ultrasound, extensive blood work, or other more
complex treatment, we need to go to Mbeya.
And they can't treat everything in Mbeya, so from there we'd go to one
of the bigger cities-- either Dar es Salaam or Nairobi. Obviously if there is an emergency, we are
able to get a medical evacuation by plane, but the situation and outlook need
to be very severe before that is a viable option.
I've had a number of health issues in the past few years,
most of which have been treated or I am still undergoing treatment from a
distance. Nothing that I have is
life-threatening in the sense that I can't be living out here doing the work
we've been called to do.
On April 2, I had an accident. We had gotten home from the office and it had
just started raining, and I was headed to open the gate so Tim could pull the
car into the compound when I slipped on some wet tiles. I fell.
Hard. My right leg went forward
and scraped and bruised the back of my calf.
The other leg went backward and my big toe struck a rock with great
force, causing a deep gash in the skin and pain in my toenail. I must have put my hands out to catch myself,
twisting in the process. I thought I was
broken. When I realized that I was hurt
but nothing seemed broken, I picked myself up and continued on (with my sore
leg and gashed toe) to open the gate. I
would need Tim's help getting cleaned up.
I did get cleaned up.
I was able to get my cut (a deep cut on the end of my toe) cleaned and
dressed. I also noticed bruising under
my toenail and bruising on my calf. It
wasn't going to be easy, but all in all I felt ok. Sore, sure, but ok. I didn't need to be flown out.
Then the next morning came.
I woke up with the most AWFUL pain in my neck, back, and down my left
arm. It was nerve pain-- a type of
searing, stabbing pain that I am all too familiar with! I had nerve pain for about 6 weeks in late
2009. I wanted to die then, and I wanted
to die now. There is no end to it, no
matter how much ibuprofen or aleve you take!
Granted those things can help sort out muscle spasms and tension, but
not the nerve pain. Nothing cuts the
nerve pain. I had two straight weeks of
intense pain. I couldn't sleep more than
an hour at a time, and it hurt to lay down or lay still. I spent a lot of time talking to God and
wrestling with Him over a few things I had been thinking about.
The nerve pain is not gone, but it has been reduced. I was able to talk with a physiotherapist
friend from Canada who walked me through some stretches over the phone. I also talked by email with a D.O. friend from
the US who helped me sort through some of the medications and muscle stretches
(in addition to the ones from the physiotherapist). Between past experience, internet research,
and my expert-friends' opinions, we figured that I had at least two vertebrae
in my lower neck or upper back that were twisted, which was pinching those
nerves. So I stretched. And waited.
And ate healthy food/snacks. And
waited. Eventually (now) I'm able to
sleep a bit more and the pain is more of a dull throbbing instead of a
stabbing. By God's grace I will beat this
thing.
And if that weren't enough.... about 12 days into all this
neck/back pain mess I started having pain in my knee. Who knows where it came from or why, but I
got my very first boil. And like any
sickness/illness/injury, I went all out and got a big collection of them. I think technically it's a carbuncle, though
it's still treated the same as if it were a singular boil. I started out treating it at home with warm
compresses (experimenting with salt water, garlic, and baking soda at various
times), but I knew right away that I was out of my league. It was growing. It was becoming massive. And I needed help. So we went to the local TMC Dispensary
(clinic). They started me on antibiotics
and said to come back the next day so they could squeeze it. Uh oh.
That doesn't sound good. It hurt
to walk or accidentally bump it, I couldn't imagine having it squeezed ON PURPOSE! Plus, everything I had read warned that
squeezing the boil could cause the infection to spread. Yet, I knew that in putting myself under this
doctor's care that I might not 100% agree with the treatment plan either
because of the meds or the approach. But
I prayed for wisdom and felt that God had led me here, so I would follow the
dr's instructions. I went back that next
day and he saw me right away. He
confirmed that it was indeed a boil (at least 3, actually), and he used both hands
to squeeze that thing from the base until a thick, nasty brownish-yellowish-reddish
pus drained out of it. It hurt like
nothing I've ever felt before.
Nothing. And I've been through
childbirth and a painful, 28 hour labor when I had Micaiah. And I think this might have been worse. Maybe it was because it was unexpected, maybe
because I was feeling overwhelmed from all the pain in both my neck/back and
now my knee... whatever the case, it hurt like crazy!
The next day I had to go back so he could drain it
again. I was having anxiety attacks that
morning out of sheer fear of the pain I knew was coming. But what other choice did I have? So I went back, wore my bravest face, and let
the doctor squeeze my boil. And squeeze
he did! He got a ridiculous amount of
pus and fluid that second day of squeezing!
I couldn't believe it! And that
was the point where my leg started to feel better. The core of the boil was about 6cm by 3cm at
its largest, and the redness area wrapped all the way around to the sides of my
leg. I'm guessing the redness area was
something like 24cm from left to right and 16cm from top to bottom, all
centered around the boil, which was a few cm below my kneecap. Yes, I definitely think that was the midway
point, and I'm praying that from here on out it is falling action. :)
I went one more day when they squeezed it again, and that
brings us to today. When we went in
today the doctor was able to dislodge what he called the "tissue
plug".... gross. It's this big
yellowish blob that looks like an overgrown booger. It came out of the boil, leaving a big crater
in its wake. Well, I should clarify that
about 75% of the tissue plug came out.
The rest is still in there just hanging out. But from what I understand, that will
dissipate and drain out as the skin heals and the wound starts to close. But for now I have a big crater on my knee
that continues to ooze! Reminds me of
when we went to Ngorongoro Crater here in Tanzania... well, except the oozing. I will have a scar. And it will be large.
I've been thinking a lot about wounds. The ones we carry in our bodies and the ones
we carry in our hearts. Dealing with all
these health issues has led me to ask God some very difficult questions. I've read through Job. I've read through Habakkuk. I've considered Jeremiah and many of the
other prophets... why doesn't God protect His people? Why are sickness, illness, disease, and
injury allowed to happen and to affect His people? Is it the enemy's work? Is it spiritual warfare? Is it my sin?
Is it something I've done to offend Him?
I've wrestled with these questions and more. I got a few answers (or pseudo-answers), and
a lot more questions. I was comforted by
the words in the "Streams in the Desert" devotional (by LB
Cowman). I was challenged and comforted
and sometimes angered by what I read in the Scriptures.... who is this God I
say I love and how will my understanding of Him change through all of this?
Wounds. They go
deep. They ooze crazy pus. And there is only one Healer. I don't know why He does what He does, but I
know that He is good. And I trust that
even on the days I don't understand, that I will someday see and
understand. I just pray that my faith is
strong enough to get through the now and to not lose hope.
Oh, and a heads up -- I plan to post pictures of my boil in
my next post, so if you are not one with a strong stomach, I'd recommend you
avoid that one like the plague.... hehe.
-JLR
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