FYI

Some of you have asked for an update, so here goes.

I have been back at home for two weeks and am feeling much better.  I went straight to my doctor with the Ghanaian x-rays and she told me that to confirm any injury, I would have to have an MRI. 
I decided to try an alternate route first and have been going to a physiotherapist twice a week.  During the day the pain subsides provided that I don't walk or stand for too long .  At 3 am the aching pain starts and I have to get up, eat something, take an anti-inflammatory and pain killers and lie on an ice pack until I can fall asleep again.  This gives new meaning to "a pain in the butt."  We are working on the assumption that it is my sacroiliac ligament that has been torn, according to the type of pain that I have been having.  If it is that, then the healing time is at least 4 - 6 weeks. So, we're nearly there.
Last Monday I told the physio that lying on my "inversion bed" in Ghana seemed to really help, so she gave me some traction.  That was not a good idea, as it set me back about two weeks.  Since then she has just been massaging, needling me and has given me exercises to do at home, as well as advised me to do lots of resting. I have been trying not to take medication but since the relapse I have decided to take the anti-inflammatory for a week and see how the healing progresses.
Again my friends have been marvellous with offering to bring heater pads as well as driving from Durban to drop off a proper "inversion bed" for me to borrow.
I had a good day yesterday (Tuesday) but woke up this morning and had to take pain killers again!  Ugh!

I won "a movie evening with Emma" at her kitchen tea by being very quick to produce an object from my handbag. (Absolutely no cheating!)  So last Friday night Kell and I took supper over the  Nicholson's house (where Emma is staying while her new husband is in Germany) to go and watch one there.  It was "The Notebook" which I have seen three times already and I sobbed again!  It's ridiculous, it gets me every time. What's the matter with me?!

Roger was here the other night and wanted to ask Joyce a question.  I phoned her on my phone and passed it on to him.  Tiki and Scruffy were lying quietly on their beds until they heard him speaking Zulu.  They shot out of their beds very confused, looking at him and then the door and back at him, and started to half-bark, but with confusion even in their voices.    I promise.....ask Kelly!!!  They could hear Zulu but they couldn't see one.  It was so funny!
When we lived at Tygerskloof, the dogs, without barking, came to my bedroom window at 1 am and whined for me to wake up.  I got up and opened the front door to see what the problem was and they ran inside the house, past me and stood and whined, smelling something under the tea trolley in the dining room.  There was a cane rat! (Grass cutter in Ghana).  They had access to the dining room by themselves but they'd chosen to call me first. It must have come in the back security gate that we left open for the dogs to get out if they wanted to.  How clever are my girls?  I have the best pets in South and North West Africa, if not, then the world.

Robs came down to Durban with me last Friday as I had an appointment with the oral surgeon to see whether my wisdom teeth are impacted or not.  I am supposed to have my last two wisdom teeth out this coming Monday!  The surgeon is flying back from overseas on Sunday and if his flight is on time, then I'll have them out as planned.  If it is delayed, then there is another appointment for the 10th June. I have opted to have them done under local anaesthetic so, although it might be more traumatic at the time, I won't be recovering from them as well as from the general anaesthetic, which can be worserer.  What with the loss of memory from pregnancy and babies, (which I don't think has fully returned, maybe it has, or perhaps it hasn't, I can't remember) dying brain cells and only having three wisdom teeth to start with, I now have two and those are to be removed, I shudder to think of how I'll end up!

Andre` and Sandra Nel came down from Vryheid this last weekend for Cars in the Park.  The three of us had supper with them as well as other some other friends, Des, Harry and Di.  Another fun-filled evening with much hilarity and learning moments.  Harry taught us that the word "O.K." derives from the name Otto Kusel who worked for Henry Ford.  He was the last person to inspect the finished vehicles and signed his initials to them if he was satisfied.  True or not, I like that story.  You live and learn!

I didn't take a photo on the evening.

 

 

It has been wonderful to have the first class care that I am receiving here at home but I am really missing Porks and my Gunds and Genie.  I have been persuaded to remain in South Africa until Porks comes home in early July.  I would have flown home a few weeks earlier than he anyway, so it makes sense just to stay here and wait, recover fully, and then fly back with him when he goes back mid-July.

I'll keep you informed!

Bedridden

On my way to my birthday dinner on the way back from the airport, I received a call from a friend of mine from America who has known me from the time I was 13 years old.  My family had been on a holiday to South West Africa (Namibia) and we met a bunch of under 15 rugby team players from a Durban school who were travelling back to South Africa on the same train.  Ronnie has been my friend ever since, for 43 years. He married an American girl and he is one of my friends who has so kindly offered (and is so willing) to send me anything that I might need in Bantama. It makes no difference how far away or how seldom ones sees ones friends, if they are true friends, they are friends for a life time and will go out of their way to make a difference in ones life and to make ones life easier.  Thank you Ron, really! It amazes me no end how caring people can be and I hope that one day I can repay all the blessings and love that have come my way to all the special people who have made my life so wonderful.

These two and a half weeks have gone by in a bit of a haze! (Not you Haze unfortunately, I mean a bit blurry!)

I have tried hard to take the doctor's advice and stay bedridden although it has been virtually impossible.  Theresa goes home at about 9am and comes back for an hour in the afternoon and Porks is away at work. There are things that I have to do and can't stay in bed to do them although I have tried to be good. Where is my Joyce when I need her?  I know that she would be preempting anything that I need and I would be cared for better than in any hospital!
"Bedridden" sounds like I've been riding my bed - I wonder where that expression came from!?

When I saw the doctor in Kumasi, he sent me for x-rays, glanced at them and then without manoeuvring me or my limbs in any way, made the diagnosis. (In less than a minute!) I would be less sceptical had he asked me to bend over, lift my leg, turn sideways or something but he just watched me hobble into the room and sit down on a chair - about 2 meters away! I would have believed him if he had told me that I had a broken back, I was so sore and so sorry for myself! Perhaps it is a slipped disk but I still feel the diagnosis was incredibly quick.

My friend Barbara's (Bo) son is a Chiropractor and according to our question and answer communication, my symptoms are muscular and not a slipped disk. He drew pictures and sent photos on whatsapp and with his questions, I agree with him and am therefore treating it that way.  Porks is rubbing a "deep heat"-like cream on the swollen tight muscles on my gluteus very, very "maximus" and "medius" and although it is painful, I know that that is what is required.  I am also doing the exercises that he has suggested - thank you Brett! Don't you want to come and live in Bantama? (But please bring your Mom with you!)

I still have to be careful though, because if I stand too long or walk too much, it is agony again.  I am sitting on a plastic chair to shower and trying very hard not to cook!  (That's sooo difficult though!!!! Wink wink!)
                                                     
                                                              The view from my bed!

                                                                                                    Genie cuddling into my hair.

And kissing her Mommy better!

 

Gundi and Genie want to be with me wherever I go. Here Gunds is sleeping on my tummy under the sheet. (I'm wearing my birthday dress Robbie - so cool and so comfortable, perfect Robs, thank you!)

This was bought in Kumasi as ox-tail! After Porks cooked it for 8 hours in the slow cooker, we still didn't eat it.
It hasn't taken long to miss Roger's fantastic fish!



We had a lovely storm and cool rain early last Friday morning and because the electricity didn't go off and it was still cloudy, it was a lovely day. The storms here come out of no-where, bucket down so hard that one can't hear the TV or have any conversation and then stop just as suddenly with silence.  Two minutes later, its thunderous again and then deathly silence....quite different from the lovely Natal storms. I had the fan going with the door open and the children were cuddled up in the bed with me.

I am in the process of knitting some picnic blankets for Kelly's friend's new babies while lying on my back. (Thank goodness Kelly sent up some wool in that package.)  Porks is home for lunch and I'm being brought coffee by my personal butler/physiotherapist/cook and TV remote "controller", (the TV is on but just as I'm getting involved in one programme, the channel changes - does this happen in every household?), and generally being loved and cared for.

Its been two weeks since I went to the hospital and things haven't improved dramatically yet.  I still wake up in the early hours of the morning in agony and come through to the bed in the lounge, so as not to wake Porks, and lie with an ice pack (or a pack of frozen sweet corn) on my back, leg and hip and groan to myself, which really seems to help. (The ice pack and sweet corn, not the groaning!)

Brian Dales (my g w a p) sent up a sketch of a spine stretcher bed to ease the slipped disk (if there is one.)  Within two days, Porks had managed to get one made (a miracle in this place, thanks my Porkles!) and I have been using it regularly for the past three days.  I don't know if it is helping yet, but I do feel as though my spine has less pressure on it.  Thanks Brian!

Here is the "bed" - I would love one of these at home too.

 

Gundi and Genie even come and lie with me while I am stretching my spine.

I have been home for two and a half weeks and my children are following me all the time.  Because I have a bed in the lounge with a "ladder", they are able to come and go as they please, but spend 98% of the time in/on the bed with me.  If the air conditioner is not on Gundi is happy to lie on my chest or shoulder and snuggle but if it is too cold then he climbs under the sheets.  Genie prefers to be under cover most of the time, cold or not, lying on my tummy or near some part of my body. We have found out that both Gunds  and Genie enjoy eating pieces of apple when we can get them, but only Genie likes pineapple.

BOTH of them are now sleeping in the bed with us at night.  Genie squeaks loudly at our door (she has also started to make a spitting sound as well when looking for us) and I cannot leave her on her own in the lounge anymore.  She does worry us during the night though, being nocturnal, but fortunately she sleeps most of the time.  Otherwise she is playing with my hair, licking my face or crawling around under the sheets.  I can now speak Genie too, and know when she wants to be covered, cuddled or fed.  She also calls for me when she can't see me and then comes when I call her.  So I have my two little animals both speaking to me in their own languages and I have to answer them and try and get them to understand me.  They both understand "Come Gundi/Genie" though.

Hans and Sean (Gundi's dad) will be coming up tomorrow (Friday) to spend the night, so that's something for us and Gundi to look forward to.

Thursday morning.
Porks has decided that I am not healing quickly enough and need to go home.  He will drive with me to Accra on Sunday and then I'll catch the flight to Johannesburg with wheelchair assistance (granny!) and then the connection to Durban. It would have been preferable to fly with Hans and Sean when they go back on Saturday but we decided too late.

Saturday morning.
Hans, Sean and a new employee (yay) Gordon Grieves (ex-British, now Ghananian), came for supper last night which was another lovely change. Sarah (at the office) had made chicken and fried rice for us and I worked up enough energy to make a pudding with Porks' help, appropriately called "Lazy housewife's Tart"!  The more people that join the company that are able to communicate in English, the better for us socially and psychologically.  There are rumours that another South African guy is joining us soon.

I am not looking forward to leaving tomorrow.  I am starting to feel stronger, although it still comes and goes but Porks is insisting and won't let me cancel my ticket.  I am also going to miss my "children" terribly again.  I rely on them (and they on me) so much for love, communication and comfort and it'll be a while before I see them again.

If I could be healed by osmosis (Is that the word Em?) from loving thoughts, smses, bbms, whatsapps, emails and phone calls, I'd be jogging round the house again by now......thank you so much!
I reiterate.......I have the best family and friends and animals in the whole world!

This wasn't ever going to be an interesting blog but its something for me to do and some of you insisted that I keep you informed - sorry!