MOST CRAZY DAY

i

The biggest Papaya I have ever seen.  This picture was taken right before Sunday night soccer.

Sunday night soccer at the International School is a highlight of every week.  Aubrey and Andrew enjoy playing with other English speaking kids.  Though they also really enjoy playing soccer with their Indonesian friends most afternoons.  The Indonesian children are quite skilled with foot work, and all other aspects of soccer so the boys are thriving. 

 

I enjoy Sunday night soccer, because I mingle with the Mom’s.  Tonight I learned that “Jody” spent many of her visits home (she was a Missionary Kid “MK”) to England.  So we enjoyed sharing our favorite English traditions.  Then I was talking with “Sherry” and we were discussing the Philippines (where she grew up as an MK) when Aubrey approached me with the “I need you now, look”. 

 

Apparently, while playing goalie the ball somehow jammed his little finger, left hand.  It looked broken and his pain was a “10” on the 1-10 scale.  After getting him settled, I began looking for help.  The way the clinic staff work here, is  the 3 nurses, 1 NP (nurse practitioner) 1 Dr. are all on call 24/7.  If you want time off, you don’t answer your phone.  So I was getting no where with the first 2 nurses I tried.  Then people led me to the NP, Michelle, who had just come out of a meeting.  She agreed to meet us right away at the clinic, which is right at the school.

 

Michelle felt like it was not dislocated, but strongly thought it was broken.  Splinted it.  Gave pain meds and wrote for him to have an x-ray in the morning.  Then she prayed with him, which I thought was perfect.  All the time, Michelle is showing me and another new nurse where all the splints are and narcotics are so that we can “take over” in the not to distant future.  Michelle is our only NP and is returning home to America at the end of May.  She will be deeply missed, by the missionary community.  Especially by us new nurses coming on board.

 

Every pot hole on the slow ride home….yielded a comment from Aubrey.  The 2 Tylenol w codeine wore off by 2:30 a.m. when Aubrey awoke me.  It was at this point that I was completely convinced that his finger was broken.  More codeine was administered and my patient fell into a fitful sleep.

 

The next morning I was dilly dallying around.  Taking forever to get breakfast on the table, laundry started and myself bathed.  Finally around 9 a.m. I was getting dressed and almost ready to take Aubrey to get his x-ray when I heard all this commotion.  Upon looking about the house, none of the children were home.  Not even my house helper.  The noise sounded like trouble.  Sure enough I could see many people milling about the gate on the runway, along with the police.

 

Minutes later the children come home and tell me the dramatic story of angry people coming and stealing a lawn mower, pushing the man over that was using it.  Running into our airplane mechanic with a motor cycle, scraping only his leg.  And just creating intimidation and fear.  Darron saw the bad men hand the police some money.  He also heard the police call him a “foreign dog”.  Nice!  Now we know who our advocates are!!!!

 

So now that I was at last all together to go get help for my son.  I could not leave.  Finally around 10, it all seemed to have calmed down.  I snuck out the side gate with Aubrey in the illegal car.  The x-ray technicians took us immediately back and in 5 minutes and $40 later (total)  I had x-rays in hand and the diagnoses needed.  The tip of Aubrey’s L pinky finger was completely broken and displaced.  Michelle, NP.  agreed to see the x-rays in her home.  After looking at them, she decided that we needed to see a specialist in the  big city about 1 hour away (Jaya Pura). 

 

 

Thankfully Darron was taking the day off, so he could drive.  Also Stephanie, (our student missionary) and Lorrie (a local girl who knew her way around town) accompanied us.  We ended up at the Navy base hospital and was shown immediately to a Dr. who was ready to operate on Aubrey in the morning and put a wire in his finger.  I asked where the Dr. was who I had been referred too and discovered that we were at the wrong hospital.  OPPPS!  A few minutes later, we arrived at the Army base hospital and within 5 minutes were shown into the “right” doctor’s office.

 

So “Dr. E” examined Aubrey’s x-rays and finger and discussed with us our two options.  #1 to try wire it, but he really felt it was too small.  #2 to just try and relocate the bone.  Thankfully Stephanie (who is fluent) was with me and able to translate.  “Dr. E” really was more in favor of simply relocating the bone.  With that decision made… Aubrey laid down on the table across from the Dr’s desk.  Without washing his hands or without wearing gloves.  Dr. E washed down Aubrey’s finger with alcohol (hopefully) and then injected lidocaine (I think) into the joint.  After about 30 seconds he pulled and we all counted to 10 and heard the most distinguishable “pop” sound.  Aubrey was in great pain, but he bore it well and did not make a sound.

 

 

We then went for a follow up x-ray.   The x-ray technician was bare footed and her bare footed child played ball in all the examination rooms.  After seeing the results I’m not convinced that the bone is properly set.  Darron sent the images off to 4 or 5 different experts for their opinions the following morning.  However, Aubrey’s pain is significantly less….indicating that the position is better.

 

We finally dragged home  at 7 p.m. after stopping at the local pizzeria!  Not sure what exhausted us more, the energy needed to get Aubrey the help in a 3rd world or the ugly encounter on the air strip earlier that day.  Thankfully a dear friend came over and while the younger two children fell asleep and the older boys entertained themselves, I was allowed to share my heart: my fears, my frustrations, my joys, my peace.  She fed me the best brownies I have tasted since leaving America.  And even though it was one of the more crazier days since arriving in Indonesia….I can still say, “We are so blessed”.  “Blessed to have received the help we needed, to still be safe, to have friends and each other, and to know that God will protect us and that is all the assurance I need.”

 

Thanks for praying.  We need it!

 

P.S.  We have been in touch with a hand specialist in America.  The doctor recommends that Aubrey has the bone pinned.  Meaning we would need to fly out of the country with him.  Please pray that we will have wisdom and that things will all come together.