Dec. 11-17, 2017 Cool weather Hospital stay

Our Christmas decorations. 

We inherited a table-top Christmas tree from the Framptons, Robert and Nancy, who finished their 18-month medical mission and went home to Salem, Utah. We will be moving into their apartment by Christmas, to make way for a missionary couple unable to negotiate stairs. 

We bought this manger scene at an artisan market downtown for Q150 ($25). 






Daytime temperatures plummeted to the low teens C (50 F), so Larry and Babette hired a taxi, went downtown, and bought long-sleeved shirts and shawls — things we left in Calgary, thinking we wouldn’t need them down here in paradise. People tell us it’s much colder this winter than last year. Humidity makes the temperature feel even colder. We went downtown, instead of shopping more locally, so we would have more of an adventure on our Monday day off. There is no central heating in our apartment. All we have is a small space heater (see photo). Larry probably recognized the cold because he’s been ill since his tooth extraction on Nov. 8.


In hospital 


Larry was in hospital Wednesday through Sunday. He was diagnosed as having Ludwig’s Angina. According to Wikipedia, this is “a serious, potentially life-threatening, connective tissue infection, of the floor of the mouth, usually occurring in adults following dental infections. If left untreated, it could obstruct the airways, requiring tracheostomy.”

The swelling of tissues also nearly closed off Larry’s ability to eat by locking his jaw, which prevented him from parting his teeth more than a centimeter. He had a significant chronic headache and could not swallow without severe pain. Chewing was painful. This condition developed from a tooth extraction on Nov. 8. 




  

Babette kept working at the temple and taking taxis to visit him in the mornings. It was a very tiring and stressful week for her. It was not so tiring for bedridden Larry. He laid around all day. 
Larry was impressed by the professionalism and courtesy demonstrated by all staff at the Herrera Llerandi Hospital. His doctor there was Boris Castillo, who spoke English and had a calm, friendly, dignified manner, putting Larry at ease each time he visited. 

The cornflakes and papaya went past Larry’s tooth barrier, but the breakfast roll did not. It had to be sliced in half lengthwise. More widening needs to be done. Larry went home Sunday morning, but he will have to return Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for additional doses of the antibiotic. 


The Normans were very helpful in the decision to go the hospital. Thank you very much. 



Handling what life gives you
On the way to the hospital, we saw a street juggler performing
for us and other cars. Temple President Norman is always ready 
for situations like this, keeping coins in the van. See the video on 


Comments

  1. Unknown18 December 2017 at 07:59

    IV Vancomycin. They hit you with the strong stuff. I hope you keep getting better!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dec 4-10, 2017 Kekchi sealings, dry socket, temple sewing, Zone Conference, Zeballos conversion, Escuintla Stake Conference

Image
One of the 10 families sealed over two days. (Photo by Temple President Norman.) Temple joyfully speaks Kekchi Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 were busy days at the Guatemala City Temple with ten  couples  sealed together for eternity, in the  Mayan language of Kekchi (also spelled “Q’eqchi”).  Seven couples came from the Senahu Stake, traveling many hours.  With these couples were 22 children . Many other saints came with them to participate in the sacred experience. The sealers spoke in Spanish and then Stake President Cuz, read the ordinance in Kekchi.  These were not the first Senahu families sealed together for eternity. There have been others before them. And there will be many more to come.  Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve organized the Kekchi language stake in June, the first of its kind. A second such stake is in the making in Chulac.  The Senahu Stake Presidency... L to R: 1st Counselor Bol, Temple President Norman, President Cuz, a...
Read more

Nov. 6-12, 2017 - Outdoor Map, Crazy Address, Molar Pulled, Conversion Story, Guatemalan Conference

Image
Larry’s strange Monday day off While Babette and the other temple missionaries visited the tourist city Antigua, for the second time, on our Monday day off, I, Larry, had to see a dentist about pain in a molar.  The dental missionaries’ clinic is located near a huge city park containing a gigantic outdoor “Relief Map of Guatemala.” I took a taxi to it at 10:30 am (the first taxi ride I’ve taken alone here). My dental appointment was at 1 pm. I had lots of time to see this marvel.    Lots of walking around At 11 am, after viewing the Relief Map, I started walking to the clinic which had an address of 6-96 7A Avenida. I had been told that the clinic was 4 or 5 blocks away from the map, so I was confident I was going the right way. When I got to that location (about 9 blocks away) there was no clinic. The clinic was supposed to be easy to find: white stucco  with a painting of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. I had seen it once when we picked up a missionary from ther...
Read more

May 14-27, 2018 Halfway, busy temple, Family Search,Janelle grad, watercoloring

Image
Like climbing a hill, the downside of our temple mission in Guatemala will go faster  and easier  than in the first 9 months.  We know the  Spanish ordinance words of the  temple and can  say them as  fast as we want  (fast, however, is  not done).  Our personal conversations in  Spanish, in contrast,  are still slow and  simple,  but we usually  can get  our messages  across.  We have seen  various parts of  Guatemala and  have others we  will experience.  We’ve learned to cook meals  with the foods we  have here. Many items are not  available here.  We are comfortable with the people. We love the climate. We could live down here for the rest of our lives, were it not for family.  Family home evening Monday, 21 May 2018 We missionaries visited the Records Operations Center (ROC) where they oversee the contracts for digitizing government and religi...
Read more