teeth

As my friends know, I've got that bone problem nobody knows what it is (and many doctors tried to find an explanation for it for 31 years already, but that's another story).

The German Wikipedia tells me that teeth are not the same as bones but since I had to have my first filling shortly before I turned 4 years and later the dentist detected caries on an outgrowing back tooth that was still 90% covered by gums, I think there must be a connection between the existing disorder of bone metabolism and my teeth.

My teeth act funny anyway. The one that was initial for my actual problem started hurting AFTER the dentist found a spot of caries on it and had changed the filling. Not only this, after a while it started ulcerating as well. Only a bit but together with the pain it was really annoying. After I had changed the dentist, got a crown on that tooth and the same story of pain and suppurating started again I decided to say good bye to that rebel. I had a space for at least 2 years now because I couldn't decide for what to do next.

Behind the space I've got another crown so on this side a bridge would have made sense. But the tooth on the other side of the gap is one of the last teeth that has only a small filling, no inlay, no crown. For me, it's like a crime to destroy a nearly healthy tooth just to have a support for the bridge.

That's why I finally decided to have a dental implant.

Surgery was Thursday around 9 o'clock (if you are strong enough, peek at how it looked after the surgery) and I got a doctor's notice for that day and yesterday to stay home.  Right before I went to the check up yesterday afternoon the wound started leaking. But the dentist said that's normal. And it stopped when I got home.

Later in the evening, maybe 9 p.m. it started to bleed really bad and didn't stop during the night. I had to get up at least 4 times to spit all the blood out and I have no idea how much I swallowed because this morning I feel really sick. Let alone the nasty taste of blood... (I have no idea how some people can do this by choice).

My dear friend Kris recommended to try the salt water trick and so every time I got up last night I cleaned and washed my mouth with salty water. This morning, when I got up and not much had changed, I just took some salt water in my mouth and let it be there for a while (one or two minutes). I did this at least 4 times, basically to get rid of the awful taste. But surprisingly, every time I "changed" the salt water, the amount of blood that came out with it decreased! And now it really seems the bleeding has stopped!

I did some research now on the internet and all they say is after dental implant surgery you should not wash your mouth to avoid bleeding and when bleeding starts one should put some gauze on the spot and bite on it slightly.

Honestly? I prefer the salt water trick!! Thank you, Kris!

first post in 2010 - update

I haven't been blooging for weeks and I just want to give you a short summary why.

Last summer some friends and I booked a vacation trip to Tenerife for 2.5 weeks starting late October. Unfortunately I had one of my usual joint problems - a piece of cartilage broke off in my rigth knee early August. So I went to have a arthroscopy to have the piece(s) taken out. The doctors where really shocked about how damaged the cartilage was in my knee at all and highly recommanded to have a knee replacement surgery. As I know from the time I had the same on my left knee, it wouldn't be healed by October so I decided not to have the replacement surgery that moment.

It went well for 4 weeks. After that my knee was suddenly worse than before. One night in early October it was so bad that I couldn't sleep and not even move the whole leg without supporting it with my hands. The next day, a Saturday, I could not get up. During the day I had to admit that I was not able to go to Tenerife and with a heavy heart I called the friends who had booked the flights for our group. I wanted to know if they could ask the airline if someone else could take my place so that at least the money wasn't lost.

To make a long story short: the money was lost and the worst thing: when I got up on Monday (I had stayed in bed the whole weekend) my knee was fine - better than all the weeks before! I was SO frustrated! At least "my" group had someone to take them to the airport when they flew to Tenerife - me.

I had my knee replacement surgery on Dec. 14th and after that I could not sit at all and as I don't have a laptop I couldn't do much PC stuff - including blogging.

So, that's all for today. The story isn't over yet, I will come back tomorrow.

Hospital Mission

Friday two weeks ago, something cracked in my right knee just when I took the second of four small stairs getting to my appartment after work. It was such a bad pain that I couldn't walk the whole weekend, so I stayed 2 and a half days on my sofa. The following Monday I went to the doctor, got the knee x-rayed and they said it looks that much damaged that they can not tell me what the actual problem is.
As this story is nothing new to me (it happens again and again since years on different joints like ellbows, wrist joints and since one year on my finger joints as well) I "knew" that some cartilage must have broken off, blocking my knee. The doctor and I agreed to have an arthroscopy for more details, which was last week Tuesday (my facebook friends already know).

I was put into a two-bed bedroom Monday (17th) but stayed there alone as no other patient came in until Thursday. So the new patient and I spend only almost one day and a night together because I could leave the hospital yesterday morning. My roommate, Frau Seifert, is about my mom's age and very friendly. I don't know why but I strongly felt all the time to share the gospel with her but somehow I didn't find a way to start a conversation like that and so I just prayed for her and for the right moment. But yesterday morning the nurses came pretty early to pick her up for her surgery and we actually had not really much time to say good bye to each other. Then my mom came to pick me up and give me a ride home. Before I went I at least left something to read (how to find God) on her bed table but I felt like this was not enough anyway...
In the afternoon, when I was taking a shower at home, I suddenly thought of her and prayed that if we wouldn't meet again I'd really love to meet her eventually in heaven.

This morning I woke up, I don't know exactly, but it must have been around four o'clock. I felt extremly bad at all not to mention that something was wrong with my knee! I've never had that kind of pain before (I am so much used to some sort of pain that I normally know what the matter is without seeing the doctor). But this one was new to me! About 60 horrible minutes passed when I finally decided to call my mom. She said, well, I think I should take you back to the clinic, someone should be there to help you although it is Saturday.
NO!, I cried. Wasn't it Klara who left a note on my facebook saying "for I am the LORD, who heals you" (Exodus 15:26)??? I do NOT need another doctor again!!!
After a while I gave up, closed my eyes and saw me going back to the clinic, where they would say something like "Bummer! too bad you have to come back, but you can have the same bed in the same room as no one else came in yesterday because it's weekend." When I saw this picture in my had, being back in the same room, talking to my roommate again, the pain in my knee was GONE like someone had switched it off! Just as it never had been there before!
I said to my mom, "Mom, the pain is SUDDENLY gone. I NEED to go back to the clinic and talk to the lady!!! God want's me to be there and there was no other way to make me go again."

So I waited for a proper time to get up, took the bus and went back to the hospital to visit with Frau Seifert. She was pretty surprised to see me again ("my" bed was de facto not taken!) and we had such a good talk! She told me she got married at the age of 19, lost her husband because of cancer when she was 23 and later her daughter at the age of 9 because of an accident! She kind of believes in God and hopes to see her relatives again some day but she's not saved. As she doesn't come from this area her (second) husband will only visit her at the weekend and so I promised her to come back Monday afternoon when I left after almost an hour. Please help me pray for Mrs. Seifert she'll find the truth!

Wiesbaden Church News etc

Last week Monday Uli Walker called from Arkansas and told me, that her husband James Jr. (who is deployed to Iraq) suddenly had major physical problems in his left arm and they brought him to a hospital where they couldn't help him (only to find out it was NOT a heart attack) and flew him to another hospital in Iraq where they again couldn't help him. Finally they flew him out to Landstuhl (Kaiserslautern Area) where he is since a couple of days. He has to undergo a lot of tests. He thinks now that they will fly him home to the U.S. because the options for diagnose are better over there.
Klaus, Sigi, Ricardo and I went yesterday to visit with him after church and had lunch together. We had a wonderful day, as it was Klaus' birthday yesterday, too.

We also had a new family in church, the have two boys and they were so super friendly. Klaus and Sigi had prepared a quick coffe brake - to "celebrate" Klaus' birthday - right after church with German chocolate-cream cake (yumm!) and they stayed for awhile. But I think they will look out for another church because of the boys - I don't know how old they are but the smaller one I would guess is about 5 years old and the older one looks like seven years. They would be the only kids there and I think they will try to find a chuch that has a kids programm... But we will see! We had some really good conversations and it seemed they felt comfortable.
We still meet together (English and German) for worship and lessons and it turns out to be quite professional with translating and stuff. Yesterday we had Brother Klinke over for the lesson, he translated himself. This is sometimes a bit confusing but as I know both languages I didn't miss the message.

We also heard the Harker baby is born, her name is Shelby Grace. Judy had prepared a neat card that we signed for the Harker family, because they moved back to the US this summer.

My arm is a little bit worse, I've got some more pain because all the muscles are gone and so everything is very weak around my shoulder... If you can not move a joint like the shoulder which is usually the part of the body that is the most mobile (it has the highest radius) it causes a lot of pain. But the six weeks that I was supposed to not move it are almost over and I will start my rehab programm next Wednesday and I am really excited about!

just glad

i am glad to be back from hospital the 2nd time, even if i am not allowed to move my right arm until sept. 1st!
At least being home gives me time to study the bible better and prepare some things for the Lord's work (ESR and church stuff).

Thanks a lot for your prayers again, the surgery went about 2,5 hours and everything is well so far.

12 weeks plus one day

If it wasn't for a bad reason I would say I'm having the longest vacation I ever had. The team of surgeons I had to consult again about my shoulder came to the conclusion I actually had before the surgery 4 weeks ago: I need a shoulder replacement.
I had a CT last friday and the material is being fabricated during these two weeks. They appointed the day for surgery on Tuesday July 22nd.

Believe it or not: I can't wait for that day!

crushed again

After a long time I had to stay at home and after my shoulder surgery I felt fine enough to go back to work this week. I have a special program set up by my doctor that I can start halftime for two weeks, then 3/4 for another two weeks before I go back to my fulltime job.
Nice plan, uh?
So see what happened Monday morning right after I got up: I wanted to feed my cat and moved my arm to reach out for the cup as a loud crack in my shoulder was heard followed by a strong pain. I thought I was in a bad dream! Must it happen just the day I want to go back to work?!? I had troubles to take a shower and to get dressed, but after ten weeks at home I "desperately" wanted to go back to work. I did. But it was not such a good idea.
I went home around noon and saw my doctor yesterday, who gave me another doctor's note to stay at home.

I already have an appointment to see the doctor (who made the surgery) next week on Monday morning.
The rest of the day (Monday) I was really frustrated and I really do not know the reason (for me it doesn't make sense), but I know that God is in control and there must be a reason. I just can't see it now. So beside the pain (which is stronger now than before my surgery 3 weeks ago) I feel ok. And I am so grateful for the great colleagues I have, who call me, support me and try to cheer me up!

Back from Hospital

After being prepared for a leastwise 3-weeks stay in (different) hospital(s) I couldn't believe when Wednesday the doctor said right after surgery I could go home Friday or Saturday.
I will have to go back in awhile for more examination, but it is not urgent for the moment - I just have to wait and keep an eye on my shoulder.

THANKS A LOT for your prayers!!! One wouldn't believe if it was not experienced, but a stay in hospital really can be a blessing.
All the honor and glory be to our Lord, who reigns the universe as well as our lives and who always is in control!

Latest Health News

I am right back from the Clinic in Mainz and I've got an appointment for surgery on my right shoulder next week, Tuesday 7th. I will have to stay in Mainz approx. 10 days and from there I will be transferred to Bad Kreuznach (rehab and more body checks).

I actually wanted to tell you more about the spring ESR and I try to do it during the next days because I think I won't be able to be at the computer for a longer time.

Pray that I find somebody willing to stay with my cat and also that everything I have to prepare before leaving will be done right in time.

best colleagues of the world

It is five weeks ago that I could go to work and I am still having some health issues, so I think I will be at home for the next week, too. I will see the doctor again on Tuesday (in Germany on Monday is a holiday: 2nd day of Pentecost) and I've got a doctors appointment on Monday 19th at Mainz University Clinic to obtain a second opinion and then I'll see.
Anyway: What I actually want to tell is, one of my colleagues, Sandra, was visiting with me on Thursday. She wanted to cook for me an Indian dish and it was SO delicious! It was fun, too, because she made a kind of cheese by cooking a lot of milk and then put some vinegar in. It was so cool to see how the milk turned into lumps and finally we had that kind of cheese.

When she arrived at my place, she had a huge flower bouquet in her hand and a cute "get well soon" card and some very fine chocolates! I was really surprised, 'cause she told me all colleagues of the section had collected some money to buy that stuff!
Aren't they the best colleagues of the world?!?

the ankle that made me bake some cookies

As some of you know I have some strange problems with my bones and joints. So it happens more or less every year in fall/winter (depends how cold and humid it is) that my joints hurt and/or do strange things. That happened on monday.

My right ankle was already hurting during the weekend but I am used to some kind of pain so I just stayed at home last saturday and had a cosy time watching TV and drinking tea instead of going out together with A. and H. to a movie and checking out a new pub that had opened last week.

I really thought that would help so far for my ankle to calm down but on monday, right after I arrived at work it turned so bad that I couldn't even step on my foot without pain like hell. I waited (and worked) until noon, because I knew some colleagues would leave work at that time and could give me a ride home (I wasn't able to take the bus). Miss K. was so friendly to drop me in front of my house when she went home after work.

I was a good girl and went to bed and put a hot-water bottle on my foot because that's the only way I feel a little better. I stayed at home on tuesday and thought I could go back to work on wednesday but my ankle upset my plan and turned worse again late tuesday evening. So I called the doctor on wednesday to come over.

And I stayed in bed.
Only got up to eat something or drink.
And to reheat the water for my hot-water bottle.
Reading one book after the other.
And did some little blogging stuff.

I hate times like these because they make me feel bootless... Yesterday I was fed up with that "hanging around" and I decided to bake some cookies for christmas. I had all the ingredients I needed at home and I made sure to sit the most time : so I made some Ginger Cookies, Schmalz Taler ("lard thaler" lit. translated) and my favorite christmas cookies: Vanille Kipferl (there's not such a word like Kipferl in english. It looks like tiny little croissants), see picture. This is how they look like BEFORE baking -->
and this is how they look like AFTER baking: