Where I've Been and Wedding Update

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Isaiah 40:29

Well the past two weeks have not at all been what I was expecting them to be.

Last Sunday morning I woke up feeling normal.  I had my coffee and a banana with peanut butter.  I got ready for church.  But as I was getting ready my stomach started bothering me and a headache was coming on.  I laid down for a few minutes and drank some water, waiting for it to pass.  Already late for service, I decided to just tough it out and I walked over to the church.  But as I sat, trying to focus in the hot sanctuary that seemed to be getting hotter and hotter, I just felt worse and worse.  Finally Joseph told me I should go home and lay down.  I slept for a couple hours, but woke up to a pounding headache and nausea.  Joseph suggested we go to town to check for typhoid and get some medicine, and he called our Madam Peace to see which clinics would be open on a Sunday afternoon.  Peace came into my room to check on me as I tried to get myself ready to go into town.  The nausea was getting progressively worse as she asked me how I was feeling and tried to think of what could be causing me to feel so bad, but mid-sentence I had to run to the bathroom.

  
Once I had some time to get myself together, Joseph took me to town to try and get into one of the clinics and check for typhoid. Since it was 3:00 on a Saturday, there was only one clinic open, and they were out of typhoid tests.  We went home to try and wait it out until Monday morning when we could go to a clinic.  Joseph tried to encourage me to eat, but I wasn’t able to keep anything down.  I made it through the night, but by morning I was completely dehydrated and feeling miserable.  Teacher Kalokola sent us to town with the school car first thing in the morning.  Thankfully there wasn’t much of a line at the best clinic in town.  I checked in at the reception desk and told the receptionist that I needed to see the doctor.  I paid the $4.00 fee and waited to be called into the triage room.  After about fifteen minutes my name was called.  The nurse asked me what was wrong and how long I had been having symptoms.  She asked me to step on the scale.  

“You are very fat.” she said.  (It is very common for people to comment on my weight or size here.  While I’m running, walking through town, even colleagues at school.  Of course, it bothers me.)  

“I know.” I replied.  
“Your weight is very large.” she continued.  
“I can see.” 
I was done.  I sat down and wiped the sweat from my forehead.  She put the blood pressure cuff on my arm and I waited as it tightened.  
“Do you have a history of high blood pressure?” she asked me. 
“Not until I met you” I thought to myself.  
“No.” I said.  
She took it again.  
“Normal.  But you look so weak.  And you are sweating.” She observed.  
“I told you, I haven’t been able to eat or drink since yesterday morning.”  
“Wait here.” She said before leaving the room.

I called Joseph and asked him to sit with me.  I was on the verge of tears and was fuming with frustration.  

The nurse returned and told us that she wanted to give me some IV fluids.  She walked us to a private room and opened the window before starting an IV.  She also gave me some anti-nausea medicine.  

I texted Madam Peace to let her know that they were giving me fluids, and we waited another thirty minutes or so before the doctor came in.  He told us that he wanted to get a full blood picture as well as urine and stool samples.  Unfortunately, they were also out of typhoid tests.  Knowing that my stomach was totally empty, Joseph went to get me some bananas, bread, and juice to try.  The fluids were perking me up a bit and I was able to eat without feeling sick.  

Madam Peace arrived as I was eating.  She immediately noticed all of the little things that had been bothering me.  “Why are the lights so bright? Can we turn some of these off? What is that beeping noise? It’s very disturbing to people who are sick.  And the noise from outside.  There’s no AC? Only a window? Why is the IV dripping so slowly? Where is the nurse? Let me go and check.” 

Peace suggested that we ask a technician from a neighboring lab to come and draw blood for a typhoid test to be sure that wasn’t the issue.  Joseph walked around the corner to check, but the lab told him that someone at the clinic should draw the blood and he could bring it there to the clinic for them to check.  Peace went to call the phlebotomist and he performed another blood draw.  He put the vile into a rubber glove and tied it shut for Joseph to take to the other lab.  After giving the technician my samples, we waited for the results.  While it seemed like we had only been there a couple hours, it was three o’clock before the doctor came in with the results. 

“Blood is normal, typhoid test is negative, urine is clear, the problem is amoeba.”  He rattled off the treatment quickly in Swahili.  I was only able to pick up bits and pieces.  The last thing he kept repeating was, “You’re going to be fine.”

Of course the big question is where did I pick up this "amoeba"? It's hard to know.  This kind of infection can be caused by bacteria found in food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces.  Since Joseph and I eat pretty much the same things, you would think if it was because of food or drink, he would've gotten sick too.  Maybe his body is just more immune to these kinds of bacteria, or maybe I came in contact with something.  Who really knows?

Joseph went to the pharmacy to pick up my medication and we finally, at four o’clock, headed home. The medicine I was given was just one dose of two 1000 mg tablets.  I took them after eating some rice and then headed to bed for the rest of the day.  I slept pretty much continuously all through the night and the next day.  I woke up a couple times for maybe thirty minutes and tried to eat a little before crashing again.  My head was pounding from the nausea medicine and dehydration and I had absolutely no energy.  I hadn’t felt that sick since my chemo treatments back in 2015.  Throughout those first few days we had countless visitors.  Staff members came bringing fruits and offering prayers, assuring Joseph to call them if they needed anything.  

Thankfully, Wednesday morning I woke up feeling much more normal.  I was able to stay awake the whole day and eat small meals, taking it easy.  But Thursday brought more stomach discomfort and exhaustion.  Friday I felt pretty good, and Saturday was even better.  We actually spent most of the day Saturday outside.  Joseph worked with some of the students to build a firepit in front of our house and we planted some small bushes.  It felt so good to be out of the house, out of my bed, getting fresh air.  Joseph built a fire and we sat outside with the pets enjoying the cool night air.  Sunday morning Joseph and I accompanied the school choir to a local church where they would be singing as a sort of advertisement for the school.  Teacher Kalokola and Madam Peace spoke about KEMPS and passed out information to interested parents, considering where to send their students for the 2021 school year.  When we returned home and had breakfast, my stomach started acting up again.  The rest of the day was spent in and out of the bathroom, and by Monday morning I was feeling weak and dehydrated.  Any time I met with a staff member around campus they gave me their advice for stomach bugs.

“Drink lots of water.”
“Boil water with lemon and ginger, drink it three times a day.”
“Ma Esther can give you some local medicine and boil it with water.  Drink a whole liter!” (Ma Esther indeed already had brought her local medicine and insisted that I stop taking my other meds and drink hers only.)
“Rest lots.”
“Eat lots of fruits.”
“Don’t eat bananas.”
“Eat breads.”
“If you have a fever, don’t eat rice.”
“Make sure Ma Esther washes all of your linens in hot water with bleach.”

I tried to go to class, but I just felt so crummy and really needed to be close to the restroom at all times.  I came home and got into bed as Joseph arrived.  I told him how I was feeling and that I thought we should go back to the clinic to check and see what was going on.  

We arrived and it was the same routine.  Check in at the front desk, pay the fee, wait for triage, meet with the insulting nurse, and then wait to talk to the doctor.  When I told him what was going on he suggested we check again for amoeba.  Back to reception to pay the lab fee, head back to the lab, give my samples, wait for the results, back to the doctor.  Three hours after arriving, the doctor called me in to discuss the test results.  

“Everything is completely normal. Maybe your stomach is just trying to remove all of the rubbish inside.  Just make sure you drink a lot of water.”

I hung my head, frustrated.  There was no way I could drink enough water to keep me hydrated at this point.  I went home, hoping that things would improve, but as time went on and I tried to eat and drink, the more time I spent in the bathroom and the weaker I got.  

Wednesday morning when Joseph got to my house I was beyond frustrated.  Going on ten days of not being able to eat or drink normally, not being able to anything without breaking out in a sweat, being unable to do my job or interact with the kids, especially after things seemed to be improving over the weekend.  Joseph went to talk with Teacher Kalokola who immediately contacted a local doctor who he trusted who prescribed another medication as well as the Tanzanian version of Gatorade (it’s very salty, a little sweet, with the slightest hint of orange flavor).  Willing to do just about anything to kick this bug, I started the new antibiotic right away.  They quickly took a toll on me.  The nausea and headache set in and I crawled back into bed and tried watching YouTube to distract me from the discomfort.  Thursday and Friday were pretty much the same.  I went back and forth from the couch to my bed, sleeping and watching TV, taking pain killer around the clock trying to dull my headache.  

With my new medication finished, Saturday once again brought some welcome relief.  While my stomach was definitely still fragile, I had more of an appetite and more energy that I had in over a week, and yesterday was an even better day than the day before.  I can only pray that I am close to the end of the tunnel of this two week long stomach bug and I can start to function more normally this week.  I ask for your prayers as well. 

When I thought about posting my blog today, I considered not going into all the details (some TMI, I know) of what has been a miserable couple weeks, but I thought aside from the sickness, it may be interesting to hear the experience of being sick in a completely different environment than we are all used to.  While this sickness has definitely affected me physically, it affected me mentally even more, and writing about my experiences the way that I do every week really helps me to process them.  This sickness made me so homesick.  It made me crave all of those comforts of home that I can’t just run out and get here - chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese, vanilla ice cream, purple Gatorade.  It made me miss my doctor and my pharmacy, where things are organized and clear and where I know that I can get care at any hour of the day or night.  And it made me really miss my mom and dad, the best caregivers in the world (Joseph is a very close second).  This experience, among others, reminds me that while I know God has called me here for a reason and Joseph and I will always have a home here, my home is back in the States.  I don’t know yet how we will manage our life between the U.S. and Tanzania, but I’m trusting that if God could bring me all the way here and introduce me to the man He chose for me to spend the rest of my life with, He’s got all of that figured out too.  

Mungu akubariki,
Allee

Wedding Update: 
During this time our lawyer let us know that Immigration is indeed still processing our application and we won’t hear for another month or more, which means our November 21st wedding date is once again cancelled.  We haven’t started making any other arrangements yet, but are discussing having a wedding here over the holidays and waiting to set the date for our U.S. wedding until we get a definite response from Immigration.  We are so thankful to our vendors who have been extremely flexible and understanding during all of this.  

If you would like to donate towards my work in Tanzania, you can send donations electronically using: 

Venmo: @Alison-Gomulka

Cash App: $AlisonGomulka

PayPal: PayPal.Me/AlisonRGomulka

Zelle: alisonrg24@gmail.com

If you would prefer to send a check, you can mail it to:

Alison Gomulka

15601 Shady Brook Lane

College Station, TX

77845

The fire pit Joseph built for us