Good Health

Lately, I don't really have so much in my blog although there are lots of ideas in my mind to write... we don't have internet connection also since 24 December so... At first, I felt a bit homesick before christmas... I mean, this is the first time that I would have my christmas here in Holland, I'm excited of course and happy because first christmas also for me and my husband together with our daughter..... But every now and then the christmas in Manila keeps on coming in my mind there's really a big difference with christmas celebration here....

But on Christmas day itself, I realized that we should always look on the blessings around us... more than receiving material things as a gift... we should not forget that having GOOD HEALTH is a gift itself... and to spend the christmas day just in the house together with your family is a celebration itself....

Actually my husband is on sick leave now because of BACK PAIN, sound simple and common pain but I think what he had is not a simple back pain... Last 23 December, while he is changing his clothes to working uniform, he felt suddenly an intense pain in his lower back while lifting up his left leg to wear his pants. After that, the pain in his back and leg stays but he had managed to still go to his work...

24 December, in the morning he felt that the pain in his back and left leg are still there but he could still walk and drive a car... We attended Holy Mass on 6:00pm then we went to the house of Klaas and Ivy (my filipina friend who's living near to our house).. Then at around 10:00 pm Ron felt such pain in his back and left leg to the point that he could not stand straight any more and could not almost walk, so we went home...

We don't have a chance anymore to celebrate for Noche Buena (Christmas eve) because we went to bed as early as 10:30pm. But actually we almost don't have sleep that evening because Ron's back and left leg was so painful then... I asked him to call his doctor but then it's not possible because of Christmas holiday so his doctor was also in holiday.... at 1:00 in the morning (25 December) he called a Doktersdiensten Groningen, because that's the only way he could talk to a doctor even it would cost (Euro) 0.10 cents/minute. Oh! I thank my sister-in-law Marjan, who came here at 3:30am and bought the medicines that the doctor recommend for Ron... so at 4:30am Ron finally take a medicine for his pain but it's sad that the medicines seems to be not working because the pain stays...

So on Christmas day, at 9:00 in the morning, Koos (our neighbor) brings Ron to the St Lucas Ziekenhuis (Hospital). They recommend Morphine (10mg) and Lyrica medicines so Ron would not feel the pain but actually the pain stays even after taking those medicines... So on Christmas day we put an airbed here in the living room for Ron to make sure that me, Ron and Mireille are together to celebrate christmas.... In the evening, we almost don't have good sleep again because even he took those medicines, it seems to have no effect to Ron's backpain and leg too.... so at around 4:00am Ron called the Doktersdiensten again to ask if it's okay to take 2 tablets of morphine and the doktor said okay...

Christmas day here are 2 days, and 26 December is what they called here the 2nd Christmas day... we have observed that taking 2 morphine tablets seems to have no effect so at 2:00 in the afternoon, our neighbor Evert brought Ron to the hospital again... They made some xray in his back and it's good. It seems to be just lower back pain but they suspect that it's possible he has Spinal Disc Herniation (or Lumbar disc herniation). So they gave a letter that Ron will show to his doktor to recommend an emergency MRI to detect if he had hernia and to know if Ron needs an operation in his back right away.

Somehow the medicines work good, Ron had a chance to have a good sleep although waking up every now and then because of pain, it is better than the past 2 nights then that he almost don't have sleep. But on 27 December when he woke up, he don't feel anymore in his left knee, then on lunch time, he got fever... So he called again a doctor, it's unbelievable, the doctor just said, oh fever, that could be a start infection, then oh you don't have feeling in left knee that could be a sign of hernia, please call again if you don't have any feeling also in the legs...

Yesterday, it's a bit better, because at least he don't have fever anymore.. At night he had a good sleep.. Today Ron receives a phonecall from St Lucas Ziekenhuis (Hospital) to say that they cannot promise that Ron can have an emergency MRI this year, so i hope at least next week, Ron could have a chance to have MRI or as soon as possible...