Week 8

Please include Mary Anne in your prayers this week as she continues to heal from an infection in her arm.

Well, pues si, the arm story saga what have you continues.  I was released form the hospital and my arm was smaller but then it had three abcesses, two round like the third just hard.  I called Hermana Cordon and the next day we went to see an Infectologist in San Salvador - out of our mission.  Well before that let me give you background.  Before I came in the mission the mission always used the hosital in San Salvador, but then we got a new AMA or area doctor that said the hospital in Santa Ana would be sufficient.  But we learned from my experience that it is not.  They said they swabbed my arm for a culture, but they didn´t.  They used antibiotics that were not affective and changed them offen.   LIke they used an antibiotic one time.  Anway we wish we could have changed that but we can not.  Anyway then we went to the infectologist.  He didnt want to cut it open and take a sample so he just tought oh because you are a nurse in the united states I think its MRSA.  MRSA is the big daddy of infections.  But I dont feel really sick, I have engergy just my arm is still swollen in three places.  So we started Zyboz (Linezolide) Intravenous.  They don't have IV machines here so its just drip.  I recieved the frist dose of 4 in the hospital and then I admistered the 3 remaining ones ever 12 hours in my house.  We have a nail in the wall that acted as my IV pole.  My arm did get better. We saw the infecologist again, and then after a surgeon who said he doesnt think it is MRSA that basically we are killing an ant with a cannon with the big gun antibiotics.  Anwy way I have to run the day has been crazy.  But I cant work and my arm has to be in a sling.  All is well dont worry about me my President is good at taking care of me.

Week 7

Dear Familia Bryce,

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I MISS YOU, my bday present is to work on my spanish so we can talk when I get back.

 

NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So...The whole story about my arm.  I got a misquito bite, thats not new.  It looked bad, I scrubbed it, put neosporin on it, and bandaged it and it was better.  But then we had service and I lifted a ton of bamboo, and probably a ton too.  I got dehydrated, what else is new.  Then on Sunday morning this bite started to get redness and swelling around it, thats a sign of infection.  But it was coming on really really fast.  I marked it with pen and within hours it grew inches and inches.  I showed a nurse in my ward at the beginning of the morning and we decided i needed antibiotics, but then I showed her after it had grown inches and inches and she said you need IV antibiotics I will take you to the hospital right now.  But I have to have permission to do that.  I called and told the nurse thats what the other nurse that and my arm was huge, but the doctor didnt say I could go so i stayed at home.  Iiced and heat packed it for two days and took atnibiotics by mouth.  I went to the office on Tuesday like normal and the nurse drained like a cup of pus from it.  At this point my arm was swollen from my wrist to my shoulder and had been like that for two days.  I was feeling like the doctor wasnt getting the points so I measured it again, I had been measuring it often, and sent him the measurements.  Then my comp and I had a meeting with all the zone leaders and district leaders.  I was in so much pain I was trying to hold back tears and breath slowly.  I would look at my district leader with big eyes and say, it hurts it hurts.  Then the Presidnts wife Hermana Cordon who said she wanted to take me to the hospital the next day saw me and said, lets go right now.  She gets things going I like her.  So we switched companions and I have ad the nurse as a companion for almost a week now.  I spent tuesday, wednesday, thursday, and friday morning in the hospital with IV antibiotics and pain meds.  The first night I had the chills but the other nights I got good sleep.  And they had good food.  Then we went back to the house of the nurse and the doctor said I have to rest for no less than one week.  He is loco because I am so bored!  I went crazy yesterday because I hadnt seen the outdoors for so long and I needed to see the sky.  Anyway for the nurses I had rofefine in the hospital, we switched that antibiotic, and we switched it again, so I am on my fourth or fifth antibiotic right now.  Good thing I have diflucan for those who understand what that is.

 

Anyway ths the story.  I was a big girl and only cried once when I couldnt see the sky in the nurses house and was going crazy and i thought about dads bday and I missed Celiese because there was a child acorss the street that sounded like her.  I got a blessing from president when I entered the hospital and asked him to call my parents just to let them know whats up.  So my arm still hurts, but I am feeling a lot better now that I can get out of the house.  Today I am working in the office as the nurse getting ready for the new missionaries.  But I get to return to my area tomorrow of which I am excited because we have a BAUPTISM!!!!  My Pablo is getting baptized.  His wife is the nurse and he is the one the Spirit told me was in the road to Damascus.  And we read the story in the bible and I told him that Christ wanted him to get to know him, and I wanted to know why.  I am excited.  I hope they go to the temple in a year.  He is really smart and I love their family.  I am excited to also teach a new investigator named Germes.  He was a reference that we contacted really quick on sunday morning before church to invite him to come out.  He said okay all i need to do is wash up and get dressed and I will come.  THAT never happens, and he actually came!!!!  I had to go to the hospital so I didnt get to teach him but my comp Hermana Duarte said that he told her that he had a dream, and they really believe in their dreams here, but he had a dream about my face (my face) and he wants to listen to what we have to teach because he dreamed about me.  Kind of creepy but kind of cool, so I am excited to get back and tell him I am a representative of Jesus Christ and I am good news for him. 

 

Anyway, I have been learning more about the nursing job and sometimes I am overwhelmed with what the future holds.  Also Hermana Allen spoke in english to me so my spanish is failling fast, so I am glad to get back to El Espino.  I miss my ward and people. 

 

But I gotta run.  Have a wonderful week everyone.  PS I am not sure, communication is iffy around here but apparently we can call home for mothers day anytime from now till sunday for 40 minutes, and no skypeing.  So i have to find a phone to do that.  I will call and set up a time.  Sorry thats vague.

Dear Family,

 

I think its week 6 I do not know.  This week has been really rollercoaster like.  I will explain.

 

We are excited because we asked Roberto to be baptized the 7th of Mayo his birthday and he has excepted.  At first we were not sure if his answer was firm, but on Sunday him and his wife were looking at the baptismal font and he said, I want to be baptized.  He is the brother that I felt was in the road to damascus.  So I am excited for that.

 

We also got to go to the temple in San Salvador this week!!!!  It is a beautiful temple, really nice of course.  I like a painting in the front of Christ with a nephite and lammanite girl one on each side. 

 

Then on Saturday we did service from 7 in the morning till 230 in the afternoon with the whole district for a family in one of our Elders area.  We chopped o macheted bamboo large and small and cleaned the branches off with machetes (dont know how to spell).  Then we bundled them and carried them about a mile or so to the hut of the family we were serving.  The logs are long and heavy.  Most the elders could only carry 5 in one bundle.  It takes two people to carry one bundle.  But me and an Elder from Mexico took 10, and then I returned and carried a large log with my comp, and then I returned again and carried another 10, and THEN I returned again and carried 15 with a Elder Taylor.  Elder Taylor said if you do this I will have so much respect for you, I said you dont already after 3 loads.  I went for the most trips and carried a lot each time.  The husband of the family and his friend were so amazed.  I didnt understand all that he said but he said something like I have never met any woman with as much physical or spiritual strength as you.  I think the friend asked me if I was married, but he was kind of drunk I think, the family didnt really want him around. And the wife gave me a really big hug for a long time.  The huband gave me a hug too, but I didnt hug him back because its a rule, so i just said de nada and hoped he would let go haha.  They are a really nice family.  So of course we are all sore from the service but its nothing compared to the next story.

 

So I have a misquito bit at the middle of my arm, my elbow pit.  Its exactly where my backback strap hits when I put on my backpack, so who knows how many germs it has seen.  It started getting infected and I scrubbed it and put neosporin on it and bandaged it.  Well it didnt hurt all of Saturday during service.  But that night it started to hurt so I thought tomorrow I will call the nurse.  Well it was about the same in the morning but during church which starts at 8 it started going crazy and its swollen, hot, and red.  I called the nurse because I needed something right away.  The doctor thought mabe I had an allergic reaction so he had me take antibiotics and benadryl.  The benadryl was awful I couldnt walk, think, just sleep.  Well it turns out with all the drama that the nurse had me take half as much antibiotic as I needed because she confused it with another antibiotic.  But I was so out of it I just couludnt think about it.  But when the doctor called me last night he was mad.  He asked me why I was taking half as much and I will no engergy could only say because thats what the nurse told me to take and he said you know better you are a nurse.  But I couldnt think I was so drugged up.  I would cry but I just dont have the engergy.  My arm is like an elephants.  It hurts so bad.  I got a blessing last night and after my fever broke.  But then the doctor called and was mad so I couldnt sleep well because I had sleeped all day and I was worried about him being mad at me.  I am not mad at the nurse though, I should of said something and she was in church at it was just loco. So yes my arm has a staph infection, welcome to Central America.  My blessing said that I will be able to rest to day and work on tuesday so I am having faith in that.

 

Anyway for this reason I dont realy feel like writing or doing anything.  Well I want to but I have no energy.  I really am having a good time.  My district leader asked me how many missions I had been on, and I laughed and said how old do you think I am (this is before he had seen or met me it was over the phone).  He said it was because I had adjusted so well to the mission that it was like I had been on one before.  Sometimes I am frustrated, but for the most part I am happy.  Its just this one incident with my arm that puts a damper in my week.  I thought about not tell you all about it, but I want prayers so I did. 

  

Anyway I dont feel much like sharing more details of my week, I am so tired.  I have to switch cold and hot packs on my arm and it hurts.  So I wont send pictures this week just sleep.

 

Love you all, I hope to recover quickly and get back out there.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Mary Anne Bryce