If any of you have ever seen “What About Bob?” I am sure you are familiar with the part where he rips off the “phony” (actually real) bombs from his neck and screams out a glorious, “I’M FREE!!!!!!” He has just figured out how to untie his knots both inside and out and is now free to move about and go wherever he would like. He throws off what is entangling him and is FREEEEEE!!!! I don’t know if any of you have been in a hospital bed for six days, but being set free from that is just as liberating. I am screaming, “I’M FREE!!!” on the inside and never want to go back!!
For those of you who didn’t know, I had dengue fever the past week and a half and was just released from the hospital yesterday. It all started back on Monday, September 27th, when I came down with a fever, some intense chills, an awful headache, and just body aches ALL over- behind my eyes, my back, my shoulders, EVERYWHERE. I was worried right from the get go that it could be dengue because the symptoms seem to point right to the illness. I continued to feel the same awful way for four days, and my fever was not going away. It kept consistently reaching 102-103 degrees. So, on Thursday afternoon, our contact at the mission, Ron Domingo, came to bring me to the doctor. Now, I pictured getting a check-up and maybe some pills or something. I didn’t have ANY idea this was turning into six whole days of being in the hospital.
Well, anyways, when I walked into the hospital, Manilla Doctors Hospital, I suddenly became soooooo queasy that I had to run to the bathroom to try and puke. However, I hadn’t eaten much and had nothing to throw up. They wheeled me to the ER, and once there I was asked to fill out paperwork. As I was doing so, I got VERY nauseous again, however, and this time threw up in a container they had given me. My strength was totally zapped, but they had to wait to give me something to eat until I was literally on the verge of passing out. The whole world was actually spinning by the time they gave me some Ramen noodles to slurp down. At this point, they had shoved an IV in my hand, taken a skin test, taken a blood test, and scared me with all sorts of needles. (If you know me, you know I HATE NEEDLES!! Even after having the pins in my hand in the spring I still cannot tolerate them.) After a variety of tests, they came and told me that I did in fact have dengue fever. (I knew it!!!) I had to have gotten it sometime in the past two weeks from a mosquito bite. They proceeded to take me to a waiting room, and three hours later, they brought me to my own personal room. Here I would spend my time for nearly a week. There was a TV (which I actually didn’t even turn on for the first 4 days), and I had my friends bring my Bible and journal and new IPOD filled with Mark Driscoll sermons that a friend gave to me. I mostly just wanted to sleep, but I LOVED listening to the sermons while there. It made me dizzy to read, although I did that sometimes, but the sermons were easy to listen to and all about trials, which was perfect considering the circumstances. I also sang A LOT by myself. And the funny part is most of what I sang was from a Psalty musical I was in back when I was four years old. Hehe. (“I cast all my cares upon you . . .”)
On about day 8 of having dengue, my fever went away. I was still nauseous, and my legs and arms were now red with an itchy rash, but at least I wasn’t burning up any more. My platelets were still low, however, and that was the bad part. They are supposed to be at least at 150, but ever since I had come to the hospital they had gone from 106 to 101 to 88 to 58. One lady asked me how I felt about blood transfusions, and I wanted to faint. Oh PLEASE NOOOOOO!!!!
Luckily, later in the day when they told me my new reading, it was 68. They said that if it was over 70 by the next day, I could be free to leave. Seriously?????
Well, on Tuesday, October 5th, my platelet reading wasn’t just 70 something, it was 95!!! YES!! As soon as Stefan was free to get me, I was free to go!! I was free to leave behind the nauseating rice and blah chicken, the room I had been trapped in, my IV with the yellow dripping liquid, and the constant checking of my vitals. Yes, I had met some incredibly sweet nurses, specifcially Lona and Bart, two people who bent over backwards to help me, but I was going to get to go back with my teammates. I had enjoyed the time alone, but it was time to go. Finally!!!
So, you may all be thinking I am now free to work and jump right back in with my team, but that is just not the case. I still need to rest up for 5 days and hold tight with ministry until we go to Malaysia. Please pray my platelets continue to rise and that my immune system continues to strengthen. I still am very hot and tired and lightheaded, but I am on the road to recovery.
I just want to thank you all SO MUCH for your prayers. Oh, and for my friend, Kelsie, she didn’t end up having dengue and got better pretty quickly last week. Well, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!! SMILE!!! Be free!!! Be like Jesus!
