Week 96 Ocotopeque

Well we made it to write today so it is all fine, good to hear from you. My comp is still getting better he can walk but not too much but we came in a motto taxi to write.

Well on Thursday we went to la Entrada we left at 5 am we walked out in front of the house and no big buses came so we walked and found out that there would be none for a while then my comp put his finger out and a semi stopped and he picked us up ant took us there like 3 hours in a semi. Then we got a ride in a milk truck and the guys bought us a juice to get part way back. It was good and we didn’t spend much. We got to know President. this day and it was good he is really funny it was nice to finally meet him. 

Well you sure had us going this week with your charges on your debit card in Guatemala.  When did your comp start feeling sick?  Friday at 4 in the afternoon he started feeling sick, He couldn’t walk and was just laying down crying in a fetal position. The nearest hospital is 3 hours away in Honduras. Or San Salvador El Salvador 2 Hours, and in Guatemala it was only about an hour to get there so that was the best choice.  It was the only thing you could do that is what everyone from Honduras does. Did you talk to the mission president, or decide on your own.  We looked for a ride and the mission nurse asked for permission.  We didn’t go with anyone just with the guy that dropped us off. We had to pay him 1000 HNL but that was the only way that we were going to get there. He helped us into the hospital and then went back home. We went to Esquipulas Guatemala and it was a fairly large city. The border going to and from Guatemala isn’t protected there is just free pass. I was legal because I had my residency but my companion didn’t have any legal documentation but no one was going to stop us. We paid a guy in a truck to take us there and you don’t even have to stop on the border.  They helped my companion immediately and called the doctor he came and did some blood tests and felt around my companion’s stomach and when he pushed down and let off of the area of the appendix my companion had lots of pain. So they got him ready and took it out at 12 that night. We got there at 9 so it was really fast. All I know is that it worked out good. I have never been so long without a companion because he was in the surgery for about an hour and well during this time I was talking with a lab technician guy and come to find out he was an elder in the church but he was inactive but I truly had a companion while he was in the surgery. The hardest part was that we couldn’t call with our phone so I had to go and use the phone at the front desk or nurses station. It was a really small hospital but they did a good job. There were only 2 patients the whole night and there were two nurses to attend them, it was good.  Did they do it open or a scope?  He has an incision of about 2 inches so I don’t think they used a scope. He was put out so he has no idea.  Did you sleep in a chair at the hospital; no they had a futon that was really uncomfortable. Another problem was that I just wanted to be able to go and buy food by myself but I couldn’t. So you fasted for your comp instead of eating. Why didn't you go with the lab guy?  I also didn’t have quetzals in this time to pay for it. The elders from that area did come and visited us. They came at like 11 at night.  It wasn’t that expensive of a surgery, hospitalization, doctors and anesthesia it was cheap compared to the U.S.  It was the best there was because it was a privately owned hospital.  Yes Guatemala is nice, and the Spanish is a bit different but not much at all.  We got home on Saturday night.  How did you get home?  We had to pay a Guatemalan to bring us back home. Do you go back to Guatemala for a follow up with the doctor? We should go back on the 11 but I don’t know if we will.  Yes you go back so they can make sure it is healed enough to pull the suture. How much will a planned trip cost on a bus.  It would cost like 5 dollars.  With an appendix you can get infection in the skin so watch for swelling pain and redness

How is your stomach feeling?  It is feeling better. I am tired because I didn’t sleep Friday night and that is killing me so I have slept in the last few days. How is your back feeling?  It sill hurts a bit but the best part is that neither of us can carry anything now. Who told you not to carry anything or does your back hurt that bad that you don't want to?  if I take a heavy bag, I get to the point I don’t want to carry it anymore because it hurts fairly bad. So no back packs how are you going to teach? We will use really light backpacks, but for a couple more days we will just be in the house recovering. What are you eating in the house or picking up food and taking it home?  Yesterday we had soup and grilled cheese and chicken breast and mashed potatoes and a lot of Jello and today we went out to eat. 

Well my time is up, love you all and have another good week. Thanks for everything and all that you do. Have fun with the sod.