4/15/19 - Dang it, got DENGE!

All my companios have teased me for being nuts about bug repelent. I always use bug spray. Always. Lots of times during the day and I sleep with a bug spray thing plugged in. Even still I always end up full of mosquito bites and my companions don't have any... and they don't use bug spray. All in all, I don't know how but I wound up with Dengue. Let me break this down for yall.

Wednesday -  I woke up with pain in my chest and thought it was the pleurisy I got every once in a while before the mission. I took some meds but halfway through the day it got a lot worse so I went home to try and get over it.

Thurday - I woke up again with the same pain, took more meds and went to work normally. Again I had to come home early again beause I wasn't able to walk more than 10 minutes without having to stop and take a break. I tried to go asleep at 8:30 pm but was shaking so badly with chills. I pulled out my thermometer and it read 38.4° The other sisters started freaking out and that made me nervous because, gente, Brazil is crazy and I had no idea what was happening. We called Bishop Gamez 10:30 pm to take me to the hospital. While we were waiting for him my fever got up to 40° C (104° F). Our TLTs (SLTS of the SLTS, S. Gamarano and S. Almeida) took me to the hospital and Sister Matias stayed home to sleep. Bishop pulled a mario kart and sped me to the hospital. They put me into the priority section and told me I likely had dengue. Before I went to do these tests Bishop Gamez gave me a blessing and that was exactaly what I needed.  They sent me to do a whole bunch of tests, blood, urine, xray etc. It was nuts. I don't do well with needles and blood but, I was poked and prodded all night. I was sitting in the medication room getting a whole bunch of medication shot through an IV feeling horrible, nervous and homesick being 10,000 km from home and trying to communicate medical terms in Português. I was praying and totally felt Christ by my side and not only him but his angels, or my ancestors too. That was awesome. We spent a bit waiting for my exam results. Bishop brought us 3 grocery bags full of food because he didn't know how long we were going to have to stay there depending on how bad it was. We joked about how Sister Alemida and Gamarano looked funny as 2 church ladies in skirts accompanying this pale girl in sweats and a vasquez futebol jersey (Thanks Bernardo). When the results came in they said it was dengue or another infection. They gave me a perscription for this other infection and said if my symptoms didn't go away I needed to come back. We got home at 3 am.

Friday - I spent all day at home writing my recent converts, playing treta and getting a lot of scripture study in. My fever went down but I still wasn't feeling great. 

Satuday - I woke up better but not great but we had Genailson to baptize this week so I said a prayer and made a promise with the Lord that if I left the house to try and run after a few people we needed to come to church sunday that I needed his help finding these 2 specific people at home. He sure helped us out and we got to make a few visits. That night my fever came back.

Sunday - Bishop Gamez bore his testimony about the blessing he gave me and how the priesthood is powerful. He said he wasn't expecting me to be at chruch. He said his hands were burning when he placed them on my head, but as he said, "it doesn't matter our body temperature The savior can heal all kinds of sickness, physical or spiritual." All the members flipped telling me I shouldn't be there that I should go home and rest etc.. and I was going to.. but baptism and the sacerment are important to me so I wanted to come at least for that. Genailson was baptized and it was aweome! I was still short on breath so I went back to the hospital with Sister Gamarano. They sent me back to do all the same tests in addition to a few others like a ecocardiogram... but get this.... this time they PUT ME IN A WHEEL CHAIR! Like what? I thought that was a little ridiculous, but it was fun as Gamarano wheeled me everywhere with my ukulele, (sang at the baptism), and all our bags on my lap. We spent forever waiting for results again and it's confirmed. Dengue. BUT the worst is over. I just will have to stay home for a few days but by Thursday I should be back to normal. My only symptoms now are shortness of breath, weakness and pain in my joints. They said I'm out of breath because denge drains you and I didn't rest, (because they said it was a different infection), tudo bem.

The members are being great and bringing lunch to our house. 

It was such a miracle in the middle of all this we were still able to baptize Genailson. I know that Christ's grace is amazing and when we make an effort no matter how small, he'll make up the rest and it will all work out. But on the plus side I got to make a bunch of awesome contacts in the hospital this week and I learned a bunch of new medical words in Português! I'm so thankful for the priesthood. I know that I'm healing quicker than normal because of the blessing I recieved. 

"...believe in Christ and be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by His grace that we are saved after all we can do." - 2 Nefi 25:23

Anyway, I'm fine! I'm happy! I love Brazil and I love being a missionary. Thanks for all your prayers!

Beijos,

Sister Barlow

 

1) Hospital Adventures

2) My week in a nutshell

3) Genailson's Baptism

4) WHEELCHAIR!