August 10

Woke up still nauseated.  Dr. Hong is no longer my doctor.  It seems he left this morning for an extended stay in China.  My new doctor is Dr. Mitra who is Indian.  I ask him to discontinue the intravenous pain meds he is giving me.  He thinks I am nauseated because of the pain.  I say bah humbug.  He is going to give me a nausea med, and change my pain medication to pills. I hope that will take care of the problem.

Scott has been taking pictures of the wound each day and so he saw the surgery wound today.  He says it is huge!  It is funny, but I do not care as long as the gangrene is gone and I do not have to go home.  I will probably care later, but not today.

I am taking between 8 and 10 different antibiotics.  It is difficult to tell as they do some from a drip and some they just use a syringe to deliver into the catheter in my hand.  Those always burn.  By noon I needed a new catheter.  The GP they called in to do it said that the antibiotics were so strong that they messed up the rubber part of the catheter.  Is that what they call the thing they put in your hand or arm so the fluids get into your blood stream? 

This is going to sound like I am complaining, but really I am not.  I am grateful for the quality of care here in Fiji.  I absolutely do not want to go home.  OK so here it is.  Something they are giving me makes my eyes wiggle.  I can not read.  What is one supposed to do in a hospital if one can not read and there is no television? 

The nausea continued into the afternoon, so this afternoon I told the nurse I refused to have any more pain medication.  Interestingly enough by the time I was ready to sleep the tight band feeling around my head was gone as was the nausea.  My eyes are still wiggling, however.

Visitors today included Sister Suliana, the R.S. president.  She came in this morning.  Tonight Olive, Louisa,  and Ron came with fruit.  These three always make me laugh.  Kami, Sosi and Anirudh also visited.  Kami, Sosi and Anirudh asked me specifically where the dog lived and what kind of a dog it was.  My guess is they are going to get rid of the dog since they are sure the police will not.