As
a volunteer, you want to experience everything that Peace Corps has to
offer. Except for medical
evacuation. Nobody wants that. My back started hurting 3 weeks ago and then
progressed to a sharp pain down my left buttock and leg about 2 weeks ago. Then one morning I sat down to
breakfast and wham! Excruciating pain
was upon me and there was almost no position I could put my body in to relieve
it. It was unbearably painful to walk and my left
foot and calf immediately started to lose feeling.
Three
days later, I was with my boss Santiago, his girlfriend Ximena and their dog headed
to the hospital in Guadalajara in agony. After a three-hour drive we made it just in time for the last appointment of the day with a spine specialist who even spoke English.
I’ve never had that kind of pain in my life, so I was extremely thankful when a)
the doctor said that I needed to go to the hospital right away for pain meds
via IV and an MRI, and b) Santiago said “of course we’re going to drive you
there and take care of you.”
First ever overnight hospital stay.
I'm telling you, the hospital food was really good, with lots of fresh fruit.
Santiago
and Ximena helped wheel me through the hospital admission process and got me
set up in my own private, hotel-like room with an en-suite bathroom. And thus began my day of firsts: my first
ever hospital IV (which took 4 tries to insert because my veins are just so
dainty), my first ever overnight stay in a hospital, my first ever meal of hospital
food (which was actually really good), and my first ever MRI. A strong rain storm hit just as I was about
to start my MRI, so the tech decided we should wait until it passed due to fear
that the power could go out and we’d have to repeat it.
If
you’ve never had an MRI before, here’s the scoop: you have to remove all metal from your body
before you are wrapped up like a burrito and inserted into a tube where you
cannot move – at all – for 45 minutes.
The machine moves you down the tube in regular intervals while lights
flash and you listen to noises reminiscent of Close Encounters of the Third
Kind. The tech gave me soothing words
of advice to help me make it through a very unpleasant and claustrophobic process (take deep breaths, make patterns out of the noises, think about movies, think about songs, think about literally anything else than being in this tube).
I was starting to sweat a lot in my blanket burrito, and on the cusp of squeezing the emergency exit ball in my hand, when the process mercifully came to an end.
The first thing the tech said to me was “So, have you had surgery
before?” which I figured that was not a good sign.
My super modern hospital room, which had a long couch for guests to sleep on.
My first ever IV.
Sure
enough, the spine specialist came to visit me at 10 pm with some MRI pictures
and said that I had a herniated disc with a pinched
nerve and that I needed surgery as soon as possible. I ended up spending 2.5 days in the hospital
before my doctor from our Peace Corps Mexico office showed up to fly with me to
the US. It's going to take a little time to
recover from the back surgery, so Peace Corps thankfully let me fly home to Arkansas where my family
could help take me to appointments and help me with rehab.
A
few days later I was in a wheelchair having a VIP experience maneuvering
through airports, security and immigration with the help of Dra. Ines. I cannot say thank you enough to the
incredibly kind people who helped wheel me everywhere I needed to go. Even the TSA agent who had to pat me down
while I whimpered in pain during the standing part of my security exam was kind
and sympathetic.
I’m
currently scheduled for surgery next week and will then have about a month to
get medically cleared to return to my service in Mexico. By some miracle, my Aunt Sandy happened to
have a wheelchair at her house and my brother and his wife had a shower seat,
so I’ve been able to move around and bathe! That's been good news for me and everyone around me.
Silver lining: I finally got to meet my new niece!
Silver lining: I got to see my sister who is currently 7 months pregnant!
Silver lining: I got to see my brother, niece and cousin's daughter enjoying the summer weather.
Silver lining: I get to see my twin nieces as well!
My aunt has made me dinner every night, although I have to admit I could not eat all of this plate of America.
I
believe in the power of positive thinking and am ready to be the best patient
you’ve ever met, so I am hopeful that I can get back to Mexico before the 5th
of November, and that I can get back to walking without pain. I’m also hopeful that I can continue to be
patient with this whole process and try to cope with the culture shock of unexpectedly being back in the US. It’s one thing to
come back to the US on vacation. It’s
another thing to come back in this state of limbo and to suddenly be surrounded
by TVs, politics, traffic and people.
It’s
hard to express how weird it feels to be here, but it’s easy to say thank you
to everyone who has helped me out during this process.
- My counterpart Santiago: he officially wins the award for the best Peace Corps counterpart ever as he drove me to the doctor and the hospital, stayed with me at the hospital late every night, and said he wasn’t leaving Guadalajara until I did. He showed a level of care and compassion that you only get from people who are like family, and stressed that we weren’t saying goodbye – just hasta luego.
- My counterpart’s girlfriend Ximena: Not only did Ximena give me cookies and a pear on the trip to the hospital (my only food till about 9 PM that day), she was also a huge emotional and physical support. She soothed me while I cried in pain, she bought me a Krispy Kreme donut and toothpaste, she helped me tie my hospital gown, and she gave me lots of encouragement RE: positive thinking and how I would get back to Mexico.
- The spine clinic and hospital doctors: the doctors I met with all gave me their cell phone numbers, were super responsive to any requests and continued to message me after I was in the US to see how I was doing and if I was feeling better.
- Dra. Ines: Ines is one of the medical doctors in our PC Mexico office and she was in constant communication with me, helping to ease my fears and get me to the US as soon as possible. She helped me successfully navigate 3 airports and 2 flights to get from Mexico to Arkansas, and was a much-appreciated and caring travel companion.
- My neighbor Elena: I could not return home from the hospital before flying to the US, and I only had 2 pairs of capris and 2 shirts with me, so I really needed some things from my house. Elena got a spare key from my landlord and packed a suitcase for me with some essential items for a month away. She also took out my trash, cleaned out my refrigerator, and agreed to both take care of my plants and pay my rent in my absence.
- My coworkers Fabricio and Poli: Fabricio went to Elena’s house to get my suitcase on Tuesday night and then Poli drove it 3 hours to me on Wednesday. Then he had to drive another 3 hours back home, so you know I was grateful for him taking that much time to give me some essentials for international travel.
- Doña Lupe and Silvia: I received 5 visitors in my 2.5 days at the hospital and you simply cannot say thank you enough for a visitor during a hospital stay. My good friend Silvia came to visit for over an hour and helped me make a list of all the items I needed to have packed in my suitcase. The next day, Doña Lupe - an 80+ year old woman who participates in our project – came to visit and bring me raspberries to eat. They both gave me lots of words of encouragement and provided friendly faces which you can’t put a value on.
- My siblings: My sister Zoe brought me some great food with processed cheese my first night and rubbed my head. My sister Katie has come to visit almost every day, printed out medical forms I needed, and brought me delicious coffee and a book to read. My brother Winslow and his family came over so I could meet my new niece Wessyn and see my beloved niece Maci. My brother Amery and his family gave me clothes to wear, brought me coffee and Italian food, and let me sleep in their bed.
- My cousin Magan and family: they let me stay at their house for the first week of my visit, which is enough said. Imagine if I came to stay with you for 1-6 weeks with only 2 days of notice, needing help with just about everything that takes place in a normal day. I’m not sure anyone could be as gracious and welcoming as they have been. The kids have drawn me lots of pictures and filled up my water cup countless times. Magan's husband has helped me get to/from cars for appointments and rearranged things in their house for my wheelchair to maneuver.
- My Aunt Sandy: She picked me and Dra. Ines up at the airport and then drove us straight to the ER where I got some much-appreciated pain killers and an appointment with a neurosurgeon. She also gave me her bed to sleep in and has been my personal nurse, helping with seated showers, daily meals, laundry, picking up prescriptions, daily hugs, etc. She's poured me cereal every morning and cooked me dinner every night, and given me access to a TV to watch the Great British Baking Show nonstop. I love my aunt and will never be able to repay her for her love and hospitality during my time of need.
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