I will be leaving Germany two weeks from tomorrow. That, my friends, is bizarre. Before that time comes, however, there will be a wee bit of action regarding some exciting, albeit not-so-great news concerning my health.
This past week I started experiencing pain in my mouth, and after locating the source of the pain, I gave a self-diagnosis that I was one of the few people in the world who had a second wisdom tooth coming out of the same socket. A panicked dentist visit later, I am corrected by an actual professional who determined I did NOT have a second wisdom tooth, but instead a herpes blister... which they (only partially) removed. I may need to go back and have them finish the job.
More exciting than THAT, however, is the return of the incredible stomach pain. The first time I had it was Christmas 2008, followed by April of last year, with a third appearance this past December and, finally, last Thursday. I decided on Thursday night that I just needed to get to a doctor the next day, even if the pain was gone. The pain was (mostly) gone the next day, but I did still go to a doctor... and he found a gallstone. He isn't convinced it's the source of my pain, so tomorrow I'm heading to a hospital for second go around. I believe it will involve another talk with another doctor, possibly another ultrasound (if the picture of my gallstone baby doesn't satisfy the Doc) and then an endoscopy. If they can find something wrong with the stomach itself, we'll go from there... if not, I'm looking at surgery for gallstone removal, or even possibly the removal of my entire gallbladder. Oo-de-laley.
This is, of course, perfectly timed. My contract with this family is up on the 8th, so this is my last work week. The doctor recommended I get this taken care of immediately instead of waiting until my September return to the States, and it needs to happen before I leave Germany. I was planning on visiting a friend in Hamburg this weekend, followed by a few days in Berlin... so if I end up having an operation, I won't be able to visit these two major cities - and even more upsetting, I won't be able to visit my friend.
Although I'm eager to do whatever it takes to have this pain go away, ne'er to return again, it does put a kink in my plans. However, if I do require surgery, I should be back on my feet with plenty of time to hit my big trip starting on the 17th.
In other, though related, news... I'm starting to really realize that my time with these kids really is limited. I put Linus to bed tonight, and it kind of broke my heart. I've grown the closest with him, and it feels so amazing to have him fall asleep on my shoulder as I sing to him. I think leaving him will really break my heart. I've also started bonding a lot with Jakob lately, and leaving him won't be easy, either.
So, here are my prayer requests:
-That the doctors will figure out what's wrong with my stomach and fix it.
-That I will get on the ball to ship my things home and send my luggage ahead of me to Italy (I can't very well travel with three giant suitcases on trains by myself).
-That my last two weeks with this family will be very pleasant, and we will go our separate ways while thinking fondly of one another.
-That God will comfort me as I not only say goodbye to Jakob and Linus, but also to Sara and Simon (who I will see before leaving)... not to mention as I say goodbye to my friends here in Germany.
Alles Liebe,
~Julia~
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