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 November 26, 2001

I'm in Quito tonight


I'm in Quito tonight...along with Ellyn and Dustin. Don't panic, don't call up the local prayer chain, but Dustin is in the hospital here. He has an infection in his right knee and we came up to see a specialist. We admitted him into the hospital in Shell on Sunday at 5 PM so they could start him on an IV with antibiotics. We're doing more of the same here, and need to see what 72 hours of antibiotics will do. Dustin was really hoping to avoid coming to Quito and spending so much time in bed, but it's important. If we don't take care of this properly he could suffer knee damage that will bother him the rest of his live. Some sort of arthritis.

Quick overview. Dustin fell during PE and sat on his leg, bending his knee back. Wednesday he noticed it was sore to bend it all the way back. Thursday he was lethargic and fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon, something he never does. Friday night he spikes a high fever and Ellyn takes him to the ER. They want him to bed rest and take motrin, something we had him doing Friday anyway. Saturday he stays in bed all day. He knows that if he does this he might avoid having the knee tapped. More fever. Sunday he's no better, with high fevers. In the late afternoon we take him to the ER again, where Uncle Roger draws 8cc of yukky looking fluid from his knee. We admit Dustin at 5 PM so he can get some IV antibiotics. Papa spends the night with him in the room. Also the cockroaches were with us. Just after noon on Monday we fly to Quito on an MAF flight. Taylor stays with Uncle Sandy and Aunt Trish. He's ecstatic, because he knows Aunt Trish will spoil him.

We've spent the afternoon and evening giving the history of this four times. The first in english, the other three times in spanglish. I've started taking some spanish lessons, and I really need to spend more time working on that. My lack of spanish is quickly becoming the thing I dislike most about living in Ecuador.

Posted by David at November 26, 2001 08:21 PM

 

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David and Ellyn Hoffman
c/o Alas de Socorro • Casilla 17-11-6228 • Quito, Ecuador • South America
dhoffman@maf.org • http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/index.html