21 January 2012

It seems a long time since I have made an entry.  We made the trip to Perth on Thursday with some trepidation about my ability to endure, and nervousness about making the appointment on time, since Perth is such a large city, and we don’t know it well.  Thank goodness for our GPS!  The doctor was Chinese, and seemed sort of impatient to get this done.  I know he had other patients waiting, and he tells them that he expects them to be on time.  For this reason, I felt when we got through that I would like to have had a few more minutes to ask questions of him.  $260 in cash was required before we could even see him!  He said nothing about another appointment, so I guess we call when we need something.  We’ll call on Monday and ask the nurse about a few things.

All that being said, we still felt that he really was a good doctor, and  very discerning.  It didn’t take him long to change some of the things the hospital doctors had done, putting me in the end on an increased amount of Lyrica only.  I have meds twice a day, and in between the doses, he said when I have pain, I must be patient.  It will take a few days for the medication to build up in my body.  In the meantime, I am very dizzy and wobbly, I can tolerate little talking or eating yet (which is actually a blessing), and I sleep a lot.  My mouth is still so sore that I can’t brush my teeth with toothpaste yet, but the thrush is much improved, and I have managed to use some mouthwash a couple of times.  Today I can feel that things are improving, but my face is still very sensitive, and I have mild shocks when I talk too much or move my tongue.  Even my face is too sensitive to hug someone on that side.

So that’s the way things stand at the moment.  The people here in Albany have been much concerned for me, and though I haven’t seen any of the emails, or been able to speak with my family for a while, Ray says that they have been supportive as well with prayer and fasting.  I thank you from my heart.  This has been a real trial for me, but I have no back pain!  I am beginning to see the blessings that have been poured out from Heaven to me so abundantly.  I love my Heavenly Father and feel unworthy of so much.  It is not clear yet how much of this whole episode we will have to pay ourselves, but I know that the Lord is even helping us there.  He prepares the way in all things if we put our faith in Him to accomplish what He asks.  I feel so grateful that I will not have to leave my mission, and that I will get better still.