March 4, 2008

What an interesting day we’ve had! I (Wendy) haven’t been feeling real great. My allergies have been acting up and I’ve gotten really dizzy because my ears are full of fluid. I’ve done this several times before, but not this time of year, so I didn’t bring anything stronger than OTC meds with me. The dizziness has finally gotten so bad that I had to brave going to the doctor. Which is something that we had both hoped to avoid while here. Yesterday I talked to the doctor at the orphanage and she told us where to go. So this morning we get up and head to Public Hospital #1. (It’s all you are thinking and more…) We aren’t sure if they will treat me since I am not a Ukrainian citizen, but somehow, they agree. Sergiy leads us to the ENT area of the hospital and the doctor checks me out. She looks in my ears and up my nose with tiny silver funnels using a microscope and a desk lamp whose light is reflected into my ears/nose by a mirror worn on the her head band. It was different to say the least. She then proceeds to press on my sinuses and decides she wants to see an x-ray of my face. I think this is odd, but am not surprised. Off we trek to the x-ray lab to take my head shot. We are told the x-ray will cost 5 grievna which is equal to $1. So I pay up and sit in front of the x-ray machine, no lead vest or blanket is offered. It shakes and goes on and I am sure that there is no way they will get a clear pic. I expect it to turn out looking like a race photograph taken with 110 film. I am pleasantly surprised when it doesn’t. That means I don’t have to “pose” again. We take my x-ray and head back to the doctor’s office. She sees me right away, as she did before. (The only thing we’ve done in Ukraine so far that doesn’t take lots of patience and waiting!) She looks at my x-ray and explains that my sinus cavities should be black but they are cloudy, not with gunk (my translation) but swollen almost closed (it appears) and I need to be admitted to the hospital. My response is an immediate, “Nyet!” I have never heard of being in the hospital for allergies. Her next suggestion is that I come every day for shots, of antibiotic I am assuming. I explain through Sergiy that I have had this many times before and my doctor in the states just gives me pills to take for a week and sends me home. She isn’t happy about it, but writes me prescriptions for 5 different meds. One of which is Nasonex. Something I recognize and am thrilled with that. I’ve had it before and it works wonderfully! I also have another nose spray, an antihistamine, an antibiotic, and another sinus medicine. So, I am still dizzy, but have the drugs to fix it. Hopefully I will be feeling much better by tomorrow afternoon.

We came home and I took a nap until it was time to go see the kids. They wanted to go eat pizza so off we went. (It was fish night at the orphanage and they tell us it isn’t so great.) We had a blast with the kids and didn’t want to take them back. Every day it is harder. We are counting the days until we never have to leave them there again. One week from tomorrow we will pick them up for good!!! We are all so excited! We planned a get together with their family here. We are to have lunch with their grandmother, aunt, uncle & 2 cousins, brother, sister-in-law and nephew. We are hoping to have this lunch on Sunday, March 16. They all support the adoption, but I have a feeling it will be a hard day for all of us. This is their birth mom’s family. We don’t know anything about their bio dad’s family. Please pray with us about this. We hope to learn some family history at this meeting. We also hope to ease any fears they may have about us and them allowing them to be adopted to the States.

Well, that’s all for now. I’m off to drug up and hopefully sleep thru the night!

I have another great story, but I’ll save it for another day.

Until then, blessings!

Wendy