Where did November go? Preparing for home leave!

October was terrific with Mike’s 10-day visit here, as well as Pastor Tom’s visit and my trip to Spain. Where has November gone? Happy Thanksgiving, by the way! During this month I have been unable to write because of illness and feeling extremely tired because of it. It turns out that I had a double-whammy of a sinus infection that started 3 weeks ago, and then pneumonia. The pneumonia was not going away, so yesterday they started me on my 3rd antibiotic – this time by IV complete with an IV port – I have had to go to the hospital twice a day as an outpatient. The doctor said it was his birthday gift to me! Yes, 52nd birthday yesterday. Thanks a lot, buddy!

Somehow, with the Lord’s power, I will get everything done before leaving December 14th for home leave/furlough. 2+ weeks is not a long time. I will be staying at Linda Bonsall’s house (number at the bottom of this email). Christmas and New Year’s will be spent in Virginia with my mom and sisters. Email address will remain the same. I will keep you informed as things progress.

So what is the purpose of my trip home?? Besides recovering my health, seeing your faces and going to doctors to get some answers regarding my thyroid nodules and thyroid condition, I believe the Lord wants me to use the time for continuing education. Please pray along with me that I am being sensible – I will need strength and energy to do this. So, health permitting I hope to not only travel to my annual audiology convention in April but also start the first course of my professional doctorate. The professional doctorate in my field is obtained by completing approximately 10 web-based, six-week courses. Yes, everything is on the web. Only until 2007 can we, as audiologists, have the opportunity to “grandfather” into this doctorate. After 2007 I would have to go to the university. In my two years here, I needed to assess whether this was a necessary step. I can now say that the caliber of the program at the hospital that we want to maintain requires me to be up-to-date with diagnostic skills and abilities to teach and pass on knowledge to others. Freshening up my skills can only help.

So, asking you to pray along with me for rapid health recovery and decisions regarding time spent over furlough.

More as things progress.

Moving forward into the hospital!

I am now writing to ALL of you the events of this past month. First, after advice from Dr. Bob Snyder from my church in PA, it was recommended that I get a biopsy done of my thyroid nodules. So, on the 19th of Sept., I headed for Budapest, a 7 hour train ride, to get it done. PTL – just received the results back this week and everything is fine. I am still feeling well and energetic even after being off thyroid medicine for 6 weeks. Go figure! Still on the heart and sleep med, though.

Moving forward now.... when it is the Lord’s timing, it is the Lord’s timing. Transferred all the equipment to the hospital 2 weeks ago and in the last 2 weeks, we have been busy arranging, organizing and setting things up in the room. Have even tested some patients already! The testing is so new for everyone that I have a roomful every time we do it!


The specialized ABR equipment for testing children

October is full of happenings – first of all, it has been two years this month since coming here! I am also expecting my missions pastor, Tom Walsh, this week from the 13-15th. Looking forward to that. Then, on the 17th-22nd, I will be heading to Spain for a little holiday, meeting my good friend, Gail Smith, in Pamplona where her daughter lives and the first grandson just arrived! Then at the end of October, Mike Webb will be arriving with his daughter, Rebekah, for a 2-week visit here in Romania. He had news this week that he is bringing two fantastic pieces of equipment with him. My cup overfloweth!

Also, a little techie advance. I now have a American phone line in Virginia (where my mom lives). If you would like to make a phone call to Romania…all it would cost you is the cost to Virginia. The number is (703) 879-4893 and comes through my computer. Pretty neat, huh?

Plans are still in place for furlough starting in December, sometime before Christmas.

A conference in Holland!

Well, as usual, much has happened since I wrote you last at the beginning of July. In July, I had a nice weekend away to Sighisoara, an old German town 3 hours away from here. Definitely worth a visit! At the beginning of August, I went to Holland for an IT conference with 12 other people in a van and 2 cars. We drove for 24 hours straight across Europe! An adventure, to say the least. Holland is very beautiful and the conference was very beneficial – was able to meet with my American and European IT leadership, which was very nice. A relaxing and refreshing time. I was also able to pick up my replacement laptop in Holland as well, brought over by my IT advisor (Thanks, Jim!). And, have still been seeing patients in my apartment.

The saga regarding the thyroid is definitely not over! Just after returning from Holland, I went through a week of palpitations and increased heart rate. I was able to get in to see another endocrinologist and she performed an EKG (my heart is fine, PTL!) and an echogram/sonogram of the thyroid as well. The echogram showed a slight enlargement of the left side of the thyroid with some nodules. Not what I wanted to hear. So, for right now she has me off my thyroid medication and she has put me on heart medication to calm the heart down. She also said that 80% of ladies in my “season of life” get nodules on their thyroids. This aging process ain’t for sissies! We are now in a “wait and see” hold pattern and I am due to see her again in a month. It is one day at a time right now with the Lord’s grace and power and your prayers.

So, health and energy withstanding, I still hope to move forward gradually with things at the hospital in September. We will see how that goes. The Lord knows! Also, in December, I have plans for a 3-month furlough in the States. I will keep you informed.

No more yo-yo please!

21 months already in Romania!! Over the past year, regarding the regulation of my thyroid, I say, “Enough with the yo-yo already!!” That is what it has felt like! Since I last wrote, I NEVER believed that I could get worse!! But, yes, I did! I went down on the medication, as advised, and I was unable to do anything! Finally, I had enough of going up and down on the medicine and I decided to take charge. I did my own research on the web and found out that when a thyroid condition like mine combines with my season of life, things go whacko! Well, they sure did! I decided to switch my brand of medication and, amazingly, started feeling better in 6 days! Some sleep medication helped as well! I am continuing to get my energy back every day, with symptoms decreasing, and am now catching up and organizing things here at home to get ready for the hospital. There’s nothing like being able to THINK! I hope you don’t hear anything further on this subject of my thyroid!

While I was unable to do much of anything, the Lord was working miracles for me! In this period of time I received two (2!) terrific pieces of fantastic, top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art equipment AT COST – one from a company in the States and the other from England. The rep in England even contributed some of his own money for the purchase! I now have a hearing aid programming box, which I needed, and a pediatric visual conditioning unit to use in the booth at the hospital! I am overwhelmed at His goodness! And, there was money there to cover them!

So, we will see what the month of July brings as I continue to feel strong and am sleeping better. Stay tuned…..!!!

The month of August has an IT conference in the Netherlands planned. I will be traveling by car with the Timisoara team. The trip there and back will encompass a week or so. Never been to Holland before, so I’m looking forward to it!

I will most likely be replacing my laptop soon. Portability will be key, as well as being able to program hearing aids with it. Will continue to seek what the Lord has in mind as things unfold!

I will keep you informed.

Like a roller coaster - exciting and never dull!

What a roller-coaster ride it has been in the last 6 weeks! It began with those hills and valleys of hoping and praying that I would have my laptop back, but, alas, it was not to be, I am sorry to have to tell you. It was apparently not “a bird in the hand”. It took a while to adjust to the assault against my privacy and property, but the Lord has been teaching me loads regarding better security and backing up of information. My new desktop really is an upgrade with loads of storage capacity – have spent much time reconstructing files and accounts lost. We will see when the laptop should be replaced – it would still be handy for programming hearing aids and travel etc. Two of those weeks were in sickness (so, what’s new?) – a cold and then a sinus infection (no fun!). Added to all the other fun, thyroid situation returned - it is still not in balance and I am again waking up every 2 hours. I’m hoping that with another blood test this week we will be further along in solving this once and for all!

After catching up with patients, I have been concentrating on preparing for things in the hospital – studying and setting up testing protocols for 4 unique tests that we will be performing. The fancy equipment was giving me some trouble, but I think we have the bugs out of it thanks to some good technical support from Denmark. I will be practicing the tests on whomever I can get to lay down quietly for a half-hour! Any takers? The timing for starting in the hospital is obviously in the Lord’s hands.

Anyone ever experienced 2 Easters in one year? My first was in Austria during my family vacation and then 6 weeks later here in Romania on May 1st. Everyone was out beating their rugs in preparation beforehand (a familiar sound around here)! Received about 7 dozen in eggs and some lamb and baked goods from all my generous patients!

Weather has still been pretty cold – spring takes a while to get here once and for all. Romania has received quite a bit of rain with flooding occurring in many areas. Many people have lost their homes. A sad situation in a country that is already so poor.

Appreciate your prayers for health and strength and His timing for ALL things, as well as prayer for those Romanians in the flooded areas.

US, Austria and a challenge in Hungary!

Had a wonderful time back at the US for our missions conference in February and then had an equally wonderful time with my Mom, 3 sisters, a brother-in-law and a friend of his in Austria over Easter week. We met in Vienna, Austria and the 7 of us had time in Vienna, traveled to Salzburg, then Tirol, skied, then returned to Vienna and spent Easter Sunday there. We all departed on Easter Monday. A fantastic time! Happy Resurrection Day to you! (Cultural tidbit: Romania celebrates Easter on May 1st this year!)

As we all knew, my life here in Eastern Europe was never going to be dull. Well, the latest thing is …. my laptop was stolen from me on my way back to Romania on the train from Budapest! Nothing happened to me, PTL! I purchased a replacement desktop computer last Saturday with loads of memory on it to take me into the future. My computer guy, Ottila, had reported the computer stolen over the web to other computer people and last Monday he received a call from another computer person here in Romania that they had my computer!! Someone was trying to sell it and he will be returning it to me! The miracle is that the laptop showed up in Romania and not another country, and that they did not erase the hard-drive! I am now waiting to receive it - I was told it would take a week. Someone told me the Lord must have wanted me to upgrade!! Please pray that the Lord continues to protect it until I have it back and that this miracle will speak to the heart of Ottila, my computer guy. Thanks!!

Yes, thanks for asking - health has been good - feeling much better.

I have a little visitor at my home for the next 10 weeks - I agreed to look after a friend's Pekingese dog while they are away in the States. I am getting a few more walks in than usual and he is nice to have around!

Things are now gearing up for starting at the hospital this month! Loads to organize and do as we go forward in this next phase!

Piggy Day - Christmas 2004

A true cultural experience! Just before Christmas they kill their pigs with neighbors and family to help! Of course I had to experience that!