Open Wound

CAUTION: The following email is exactly what the title implies.

I really don't know where to begin in explaining what happened to me this week. It will probably be one of the craziest stories I'll take away from my mission. 

It all started on Monday. Because I was being transferred I wanted to say goodbye to all the families that have meant so much to me in Lelystad. As I was going to one such family, (on the very rainy Monday), I was going down hill and made a sharper left than I had intended; my back tire ended slipping on mud and I fell, with my bike on top of me, and skidded down the pavement for a few seconds. 

Long story short, the damage was just a scrapped knee and chin. Or so I thought. I woke up Friday morning and it was extremely painful to walk. Mind you, I've been walking with a limp since the incident happened. So, we decided that I needed to go to the emergency room (spoedgevallen - in Dutch -- a new word I learned trying to find out where it was). 

Just a small note - Belgian people are SUPER nice. I love it here! 

So we got there at around 10.50 am and wasn't able to a doctor until about 12. It was pretty nice because my new companion, Sis. Fleming, and I got to have a really nice heart-to-heart chat about our lives during our wait. Anyways, in that little room, they checked my knee and informed me that it was infected. I had to get x-rays to make sure none of my bones were broken - none were.

This is where the story begins...

So at about 12 we were moved into an examination room. A nurse comes in and tells us that everything is going to be okay but because it was infected, they needed to clean it. She could've stopped there but the nurse proceeded to give us a very vivid description of what would happen. \

Nurse: "I'm going to clean you knee." 

That seemed normal. 

Nurse: "So, what I'm going to do is, I'm going to give you a fresh wound." 

(Me in my head: "what?") 

Nurse: "Do you understand? I'm going to tear the scab off and then I'm going to take this brush and I'm going to scrub your knee down." 

(It's actually kind of hard to write this because I'm remembering the trauma.) 

The words were bad enough but I also had to watch her motions of what she would physcially do to me! As she was explaining it, I had my hand over my mouth, squeezing my face so I wouldn't scream. When she left I immediately turn to my companion - "okay! nothing's broken so we can leave now." I proceeded to get off the bed but Sis. Fleming said very calmly, "it's going to be okay. Just hold my hand, you can do this." 

The nurse came back in. And I began to freak out a little, while trying my hardest to be outwardly calm. 

Nurse: "So, I'm going to give you anesthesia so you won't feel it." 

I glanced over at the huge needle but I'm pretty sure that my terrified eyes magnifed it to about 3 times the actual size. 

She proceeded. I started to freak out. 

Zr. Fleming: "It's okay, it's okay. Talk to me. Talk to me." 

Me: "No, I don't wanna talk!" 

Zr. Fleming: "How many lessons did you teach?" 

Me: "I don't know!" 

Sis. Fleming: "Okay, tell me about our investigators. What are their names?" 

Me: "Ah! William, Evelien....Ah!" 

Sis. Fleming: "It's okay, you're doing great! look at me, what's your favorite lesson?" 

Me: "3rd Lesson! Ah!" 

Sis. Fleming: "okay, why is it your favorite?" 

Me: "Because it talks about the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" 

That went on for a few more minutes until I asked for more anesthesia. The anesthesia didn't work that well. I could feel her ripping off my scab. 

Nurse: "Okay, I'll give you some more. But it is working, you would feel a lot more pain." 

She proceeded to inject me again and I see Sis. Fleming's eyes move toward the direction of my knee and then back at me. As she looked at me, her face started to turn white and she said, "I shouldn't have looked." 

Sis. Fleming: " I think I need to sit down." 

Me: "you are sitting down." 

Nurse: "how about you sit on the floor." 

Sis. F: "that's a good idea." 

As she sat down the nurse suggested she lay down on the floor because she was really really pale. 

Nurse: "Here, put your feet up." 

Sis. F: "yeah, that's a good idea." 

As she layed down, and I was completely confused at the moment of what was really happening. Sis. Fleming's eyes went crossed-eyed and she fainted. 

Nurse: "it's okay. She'll come back." 

After about 45 seconds she woke back up and we all decided that it was better to have her keep her eyes shut for the rest of the procedure (even though I told her to leave the room). The nurse began to take the brush and scrub my knee. 

Nurse: "can you bend your knee up?" 

Me: "No, I can't" 

Nurse: "yes you can. here you go." 

Me: "ahhhhhh!" 

After it was all over the nurse lifted up my leg and made me look at it. I wanted to vomit. Blood was dripping down my leg. My leg was cleaned and bandaged and I was good to go. We were both given yoghurt and sent on our way. We couldn't stop laughing on the way home. I don't know my brain could fully comprehend the trauma of what I just went through. 

So that was my week. I haven't figured out the spiritual significance of it yet hahhahh :p I'll get back to you all later. Although, after the few days of talking about it, I realize how much of nerds we are. In an extreme/ traumatic expereince we managed to revert to talking about missionary work. Any mission president would be so proud of us lol. 

Love you all! Hope you have a great week!