However, 3 weeks prior to our departure date, I got sick. It started with pretty severe joint pain and about a week later, fever and bad headaches compounded the joint pain. I use a doctor in internal medicine as my regular doctor, and he ran tests for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The tests came back clear, so he decided I had a "viral arthritis" that he had seen in several women. This diagnosis came before the fever and headaches started. I went to see him again after the fever and headaches started because I remembered that a woman in our church had the same symptoms for 3 MONTHS a few years ago and it ended up being the adult form of fifth disease. I asked him about this, and he still said it was a viral arthritis. I felt like he just blew me off, and it really disappointed me.
Everything got worse, and I began to think I was just crazy. I was up for 2 and a half hours one night with my legs and knees hurting terribly. Hydrocodone didn't even completely take away the headaches. Around that time, I seriously was considering that maybe it was all psychological, and I really was just crazy. One evening I was so miserable, Adam took me to a Mediserve walk-in clinic. The doctor I saw was an older man who used to be a flight surgeon in the military. I liked him instantly. He was kind, had a sense of humor, and started a plan of action for figuring out what was wrong. He said, "We're going to test this... and if that is clear, we're going to do this and this...." Mono, negative. Flu, negative. CT scan (because of the headaches) and bloodwork for tick-borne diseases ordered. I asked him if he would go ahead and add the test for fifth disease, and he said, "Sure, but I've never seen that last for more than a few days." Then he was making jokes about parvo (fifth disease is human parvovirus) and coyotes or something... But I liked him.
So a few days later, he calls me back to "chat" about the test results (this is now the Friday before I was to depart for Ukraine on Saturday). Lyme disease, negative. Rocky mountain spotted fever, negative. A couple more tick diseases, negative. "And your fifth disease.... very positive." Ta-DAH!!! I know what it is! I could've saved myself several co-pays and lots of test costs by diagnosing myself and sticking to what I thought. No treatment aside from treating the symptoms (which I knew from reading about it), but I didn't care. I wanted to KISS the man for telling me what was wrong with me! And I was so thankful because I knew it would eventually go away (though it can last up to 3 months for some people).
During the week before I was to leave for Ukraine, I wasn't able to work at all. I didn't get the postive test result until that Friday. I had to make the decision to not go to Ukraine because there was absolutely no way I could go, go, go like we do while we're there and be that sick. They wouldn't want me there that sick - they're very particular about people/visitors in the orphanage being ill. When I decided not to go, a wonderful occupational therapist, Abby, stepped in and took my place - with LESS than a WEEK to plan for going. Abby had already been on a therapy mission trip to Guatemala in September, but she secretly had a huge desire to go to Ukraine as well. Apparently upon leaving one of our Ukraine planning meetings, Abby went home and told her husband if there was any way she could go, she would go. Well... God works things out for all involved. And praise the LORD, as soon as Amy and Abby were off to Ukraine, my horrible symptoms let up. The last awful day I had was the day the flight left - I ran a fever all day and could barely get out of bed. The following day, I had no fever, no pain, and no headaches!
Having to make the decision not to go was so hard for me. I love doing what we do in Ukraine. I had soooo looked forward to being in the orphanage for a week before the rest of the group joined us, being able to establish relationships with the caregivers and work with those precious kiddos. I love our translator and her husband, Olga and Alex, and I was so looking forward to seeing them again. I cried and cried about not going. But God has since given me peace. I hadn't let myself be still and listen to His voice. I was just running full-speed ahead with planning and preparing for the trip. Maybe if I had listened a little more, it wouldn't have taken me being SO sick to finally realize that my plan was not God's plan this time. I'm so thankful that God handles things to get His work and plan accomplished!
It worked out great for a speech therapist and an occupational therapist to work together that first week, rather than 2 speech therapists. More of the motor issues were able to be targeted. In addition, Abby was able to help make things happen that I would NOT have been able to do. Abby has a lot of medical knowledge and was able to intellectually (but compassionately) speak with the neurologist at the orphanage about getting a little girl moved from isolation into a room with other children. This little girl has arthrogryposis, and until our trip last year, the orphanage workers were not aware of this diagnosis. They believed the girl had cognitive deficits (though cognitive deficits do not accompany this diagnosis), and then reported that she was having seizures. For this reason, they had kept her in isolation. Through Abby's knowledge (and God's power), the neurologist signed an official document moving the girl from isolation into a room with other children. A HUGE change in this child's life!
Read the TEAMworks Ukraine blog from the 2 week trip here.
No comments:
Post a Comment