Curious Dawne Goes to the Hospital

I shouldn't have been so curious! I've driven past the fancy Royal Phnom Penh hospital and wondered what it might be like inside...curiosity almost killed this ol' cat.

My story starts with the need to get my hair done. There is a Toni and Guy salon at the big mall, on the other side of the city and is run by a UK expat name Lincoln, whom most women (and probably men) swoon over. I had an appt and in order to get out of my house and gate, I need keys to open everything up. My tuk tuk had arrived and I couldn't find my keys to save my life. I eyed that big ol' gate up and down and decided I could conquer it. It must have looked like a scene out of Melissa McCarthy movie! The Khumer neighbour across the road was dying laughing and brought me a high stool to help me get over the gate. I had to hold my body at the top, and I questioned if I was damaging any innerds in doing so. My sweet neighbour had no problem communicating via hand signals that I was a little too pleasantly plump to conquer climbing 9 ft gates with guard dogs on the other side waiting for me. I felt like a Ninja warrior ready to fight for my Lincoln time!

During my appointment, where I had a pedicure whilst waiting for the hair dye to set in, I began to feel quite achy in my legs. By the time I got home, I was going to cancel our dinner guests but I plowed through making dinner before we went to an opening reception at the health club. Visiting at the Club, I simply said I couldn't walk another step and I had to go home. From there, my condition worsened until our wonderful friend David took me to the ER. 

After examination by a young Thai Dr., I had an ultrasound and a CT scan which showed an enlarged appendix. I was to have emergency surgery less than 3 weeks after arriving in Cambodia! What?? The ER laughed hysterically as I sang, "I'm in heaven", as I was pumped up with morphine. I had laparoscopic surgery and I felt immediately better the next day. Then, I died. Or, at least it felt like I had.

High fever, severe body rash, dangerously low platelet counts, crazy head aches, nausea all set in to wreak havoc on my body. The nursing staff and Dr's were in and out of my room every hour monitoring the situation and I began wondering if I could just get well enough to make a goodbye video for my precious kids. The Dr's began to suspect meningitis, so I had a lumbar puncture test. The Dr. could not find liquid and kept saying my skin was too big for his Asian needles. It was about then I started to lose hope. I screamed out in pain and he would scream, "It's not your legs is it?" I couldn't take it much longer as he kept hitting bone and nerves and so I said I'd rather die than continue. My diagnosis was never 100% confirmed. I cannot believe I lay in that kind of pain for almost a week. Despite a confirmed diagnosis of anything, I was pumped up with antibiotics both intravenously and orally.

Greg would post updates on Facebook and every single comment people posted brought me to tears. To fathom that I was being upheld in prayer all over the world was humbling. The encouragement from every message was a stepping stone to the river of healing waters. 

I know not everyone believes in God and prayer the way I do and that's okay.  I know the prayers that were spoken on my behalf on Sunday - full churches in Toronto and elsewhere lifting my name before God - and that's when I started to turn the corner. To those of you who were part of that, thank you for stepping in the gap. 

After my fever had broke, I began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I was able to eat a few bites of food, which by the way, were outstanding. If the third world can serve up meals like they are in the hospital, what is wrong with Niagara? Seriously! Eventually, my headache disappeared and my tummy was less and less nauseous although I did puke while talking to my kids on Skype. My blood work began to steadily improve and I was sent home with a gift bag full of meds, which made me howl. My dressing was changed, follow up appointments made for next week and I was a free bird! Our bill, covered by insurance, was just over $10,000 USD. And to think I was complaining about my $2,000 USD yearly insurance fee. Not anymore!

The best part of coming home was that it felt like home. Even though we've only been here a month, it felt like my stuff, my bed, my smell, my sheets - home. I wasn't expecting such a strong sense of home. I like Phnom Penh. I like our new home. I like seeing Greg so happy. I like my new friends who not only visited but brought magazines, books, groceries, dinner, baking, lip gloss - we are where we're supposed to be.

We are planning a trip to Kampot for November's holiday. I will NOT show the least bit of curiosity in the famous prison there...