A Brush with Surgery

I hope I never have another weekend like this last one! My physiotherapy on Friday (so little work done there!) escalated the nerve pain to the point where I thought I would go mad - all the time, stronger than ever, no position that brought relief that lasted more than 10 minutes.

Saturday was horrible. Saturday night I got little sleep - keeping the girls awake, who kept Michael awake :o) A party night :o}

Sunday we managed church all the same - I needed it!

Sunday night we all slept wonderfully.

Monday morning I wake up with next to no pain -- but a leg that won't obey me. We moved our Tuesday physio appointment to this morning to find out what is going on. She explained that the realignment she did on Friday must have relieved pressure on the disk which allowed more "jelly" to spill out and press on the nerve. She did some stretching and "electrical massaging" to try recover sensation and movement in my leg. Of course, with reduction of the pressure, back comes the pain. I am glad that I can now feel and move my toes, but I find it hard to be thankful that I hurt again :o} But it does mean we still are avoiding surgery at this point.

Aunty Christina was here this weekend, so Grace and Jasmin have still had lots of fun. Grace especially liked learning about the markers, play dough substitute, and pipe cleaners Aunty brought with her!

Back Update

The chiropractor in Vancouver did a few tests and slow stretches with me. His diagnosis was that "they will probably want to operate".

But, the Doctor we saw here said "let's begin with physiotherapy and I'll put you on the list for surgery just in case". He upped my pain medication (Tylenol 3 instead of 2), but I'm using it very sparingly because I don't like being dizzy and/or dozy ...

I began physiotherapy yesterday. ( How wonderfully quickly things are moving despite our fears of long waits! Thank you God!) It gave me some hope that I can get better :o) I had a pretty bad night last night with pain and this morning is not much better from the work we did, but hopefully it is pain in the right direction :0} The physiotherapist found that my pelvis is misaligned again, which is compounding the pain and limiting movement. This news was both encouraging and discouraging. Encouraging because it means all the pain isn't from nerve entrapment; discouraging because I thought this problem had been corrected months ago.

She also said recovery is usually 12-16 weeks, so hopefully our original plan of moving to Halifax in the Fall will still be possible.

Yesterday we got to play outside :o)
Grace and Jasmin were quite hesitant at first, not knowing quite what to do with uneven ground covered in grass and dead leaves. But once they got going... we had lots of fun! After that Grace didn't want to come in, so we spent a lot of time on the deck where mommy could lie down and still be involved. We saw chickadees, a woodpecker, nuthatches, and even a cardinal! That pleased mommy a lot, and Grace was intrigued too - especially by the nuthatches creeping up and down the tree trunks.
Grace concentrating on sweeping the deck of winter debris


Jasmin commenting on a wet prickly doormat

We are thankful that Ottawa is much warmer than Langley was! Grace can get away with no socks and shoes as she is accustomed to, though long sleeves and pants are still necessary.

We stayed the weekend in Langley,BC as Michael had a few meetings there. We stayed with some friends who host a house church. So, "at church" we met a family who are translation consultants with our organization and a massage therapist who is interested in short-term trips to Cambodia to help at a burn unit! In fact, she had actually stayed in out house in Phnom Penh while we were in Thailand for Jasmin's birth! So, we had lots to talk about and we felt at home :o)

This therapist managed to get an appointment for me with a chiropractor she knows who specializes in disk injury recovery. So, just before we headed back to the airport to fly to Ottawa, we snuck in an appointment. (more about this later)

BC was very cold! We were unprepared for it... but Grace and Jasmin still enjoyed a walk with our hosts on Monday morning in borrowed coats:

And now for some travel pictures! God was very gracious to us: despite hiccups with ticketing and checking in, once on the flights, we were well looked after. Four seats offered to us on the long flight, and extra leg room and fast asleep girls on the last flight!


Trying to manage without a stroller at all Phonm Penh to Chiang Mai. Sorta worked - but only because we were traveling with some friends who could chase Grace and hold Jasmin as necessary :o)
We spent a night in Hong Kong on our way through. A good break, despite the fact we couldn't access the resting rooms as they were in the secure gate area and we arrived too late to check in. Grace and Jasmin slept most of the night in their stroller, but in the early morning transferred to mommy...
...and daddy. When they finally woke up, we attempted breakfast...
and a change of clothes. Just after we took this picture Jasmin decided to check out the sink...
...the sink has motion sensor turn on...
She was fascinated...
Then she fell in...
New clothes needed! Since we are short on cool weather clothing, we had to dig in our big suitcase, and redress them both - Jasmin wore Grace's pants and Grace wore some too big for her...
Then she would have tried again with the sink!! Oh help!

All this was in a "nursing" room, so we could tackle it together. The room had window panels to the hallway... we provided a good show for the people waiting in line for the nearby bank machine :o)

We're in Hong Kong!

Meaning we have survived:

Leaving Chiang Mai (our airline want to make us pay for changing our tickets when it was them who moved us because they combined two flights and then uncombined them later! We didn't have to pay in the end)

Changing airports in Bangkok (that same airline has a poor website which misled me so the very thing I wished to avoid happened: an expensive 45 min taxi ride across Bangkok)

A 2-and-a-bit hour flight to Hong Kong with two girls more than fed-up with travel

Hong Kong immigration (so many people, such a long line!)

Some of the reasons why we survived so well/ umpteen reasons to be thankful:
460. We didn't have to survive airports without a double stroller
461. The double stroller pushes SO easily - it is like a jogger!!
462. Our airline had a bigger weight limit per person (40 kg total for the 4 of us instead of 30) so we were not overweight
463. The taxi was big enough that I could lie down enough to rest my back
464. We had enough time to gracefully make our flight connection through 2 airports
465. We had enough Baht left over for a expedited taxi because the previous owners of the stroller refused payment for it
466. Our airline gave us 4 bulkhead seats without being asked between Bangkok and Hong Kong
467. That same airline gave us meals for the kids free too
468. I survived a day's travel without being out of my mind with pain the whole time
469. Jasmin finally fell asleep on the plane
470. Both Grace and Jasmin fell asleep in the Hong Kong immigration waiting line
471. they are still asleep 4 hours later!
472. Despite not being able to get into the resting rooms here in Hong Kong, we are getting sleep - in shifts :O)
473. People helped us all along the way
474. We received our stroller back AT THE GATE in Hong Kong, when I knew I could not face a walk without it to lean on - and for the girls, of course
475. Michael makes a great packhorse ;o}
476. Grace and Jasmin didn't have any meltdowns
477. Love-gifts from the Father have been so many, and we have been able to acknowledge and thank as we experienced them
478. Free internet here in Hong Kong airport
479. Pain pills that work well :o}

Sorry no pictures this last week. It's been rather hard to think of pictures :o} We'll post some from conference when the shared picture DVD is given out.

Conference was the rest week that we needed despite everything that happened. Best of all, all the lying around I did really helped my back and I have more mobility and less pain. Hopefully our journey home doesn't destroy that!

Our first day at conference:

I'm lying on the stage to the side of the auditorium for the sessions and people are beginning to comment/ask why. While explaining to Alan, we get talking about our trip home... and he tells us that the airline for our longest hop went bankrupt 2 days ago!! So we had to go hunting for internet so we could find out about our tickets... All gone of course. It took us three days to find and book alternative tickets!! But in the end perhaps it is best:
We can ask for special help
We can gate-check the double stroller in Hong Kong ( former airline said we would have to baggage check it)
We now have a layover, breaking up the hardest part of the journey for me

Those first few days were rough, but as the rest began to lower the pain (I could lie around all day, the girls were in child care most of the day, and I could get in the pool for some relief) things began to look up again. Not that is isn't a fight sometimes to give in to self-pity (I was really looking forward to joining in this conference!), selfishness (I hurt - I'm allowed to be grumpy), or self-beating (What did I do wrong? I should have... It must be my fault somehow...). The theme of conference this year really helped. So many of the talks, story sharing, etc. have been great reminders to us on how to face this from a God perspective.

We are delaying decisions on treatment, etc. until we arrive in Ottawa on the 22nd. We'll update when we know what is next. Needless to say our next months' plans are all up in the air again!

A quiet nurse beckons me to follow with a shy smile. She leaves me at the x-ray department where another nurse motions me to follow. We exit through an unmarked door and down some scruffy back stairs to what seems like an entirely deserted basement wing of the hospital. Reception, waiting areas, diagnostic rooms, etc. all gleemingly brand new looking but with not one person and dead quiet.

" Change all your clothes. Everything." my nurse escort tells me, waving at a change room with hospital PJs and lockers as she retreats back up the hall. I change slowly, hoping for some cue as to what to do next. No one shows up, no sounds beyond the second door, nothing. There is a notice in Thai on that door. I wonder if I'm supposed to follow some instruction. Hesitantly, I reenter the main room/hall. No one appears to tell me what to do so I slump into the nearest chair. Very occasionally I hear a hurried step or a closing door, but see no one. Was I supposed to know what to do? Was that sign in Thai telling me? Then I spot the MRI sign and settle to watch the nearest door for activity.

Finally it opens and a technician waves me in after he wheels out an elderly lady to the suddenly present nurse. I am laid on an extremely narrow table and covered with an unnaturally heavy blanket. The position is surprisingly comfortable, as there is a foam mold behind the knees and the table is padded. A good thing, as I am told it will take a good 30 minutes. The table rises and slides into the tube. It is white, lit, and not as close as I expected.
As I am sliding in, the technician says with a half-smile, " The machine, it is very loud." Indeed.

Not exactly a half-hour nap opportunity. Like trying to sleep next to a diesel generator, a sick fire alarm, a humunguous bubble-jet printer, and a drunken drummer in random and quick succession. At least there are moments of relief once in a while. All the same, I did drowse some! As well as occupy myself with listening for words in the sounds of the machine. One was an obvious "sorry, sorry" but right near the end was my favorite: the machine distinctly admonished me to " praise God, praise God". I guess He knew I would need that reminder that day.

After being set free, dress in my clothes again and escorted back to the main floor, once again I found myself at a loss of what to do. I attempted to call Michael (he was packing up for conference and supposed to arrive with our ride to pick me up on the way.) to tell him I was ready early with no success. As I had been told the results wouldn't be ready until after conference had started, I tried to arrange an appointment after conference and paid for the MRI. Then I lay down (sitting is most painful) and began composing this blog in a small notebook. Presently a nurse came to tell me the Doctor had my results and would I like to see him straight away? Of course I said yes.

As the Doctor began showing me the MRI slides and explaining them, I longed for Michael to be there with me, asking the right questions I would forget, absorbing the shock with me, and thinking ahead so much better than I could. I had barely finished thinking this and in walks Michael! Such a love gift from Our Father!

The results floored us: a very ruptured disk in the lower back. The Doctor talked of fiber and paste, and showed us on the MRI where the paste had leaked out of the disk. No wonder certain things hurt so much!

He gave us two options: pain control or surgery. Neither very optimal, so we are waiting to get more Doctor advice once we reach Canada.

That was Thursday last week. Not exactly how we planned to begin conference, which we were looking forward to as a stress-free time of rest and recuperation!

Much of the packing is done now, and the girls have just one or two toys/things to do left out. Since Grace is quite intent on learning to color inside the lines right now, coloring is what I have left out for her to do. She is doing it a lot. Enough that Jasmin thought it must be a fun thing to do...


other than the small fact that she let no marks on the paper, she did a pretty good copycat job!

I've gotten tired of the same two bouncy pigtails for Grace, so I thought I'd try something new. I was highly impressed she sat still long enough for me to try french braiding her hair. Not bad for an almost-2-year-old, eh?
This is the secret:

She loves to watch Khmer karaoke videos!
I was doing her hair because we were going out for supper with some friends for a goodbye time. There were 10 or so of us, and it was a great evening - all the more because the restaurant had a play room for the girls! We had to do some improvising with the highchair though. Jasmin was climbing onto the table all the time till we wedged her in with pillows!

An unfortunate result of the evening was a broken night with Jasmin crying: after two she and I didn't sleep a whole lot. All she ate was bread, so why an upset tummy??? Ah, but she did have a straw-full of blueberry-banana-soy shake....

Three days left in Cambodia...

Today was the day to pack up and clean the living room. Grace enjoyed helping mommy wash the walls... (but actually she preferred to wash her beloved fridge box. It's a good thing we are nearly done with it - I don't think it would last much longer with all the things she does to it!)

...and then clean up the mess she made since she would not squeeze the water out of her cloth. Our mop handle is retractable, so it was more or less the right height for her. But, it is pretty heavy - especially full of water!
Then the reward for all the hard work! A Khmer version cartoon of the Good Samaritan:
Sunday we said our first formal good byes to some Khmer friends of ours over a meal at a local restaurant. Grace kept herself busy rearranging the place:


Nearly all the chairs for at least half the restaurant ended up in our corner! Thankfully the staff thought it was cute and stood around commenting and laughing. Fortunately there weren't that many customers either.