In the hospital... AGAIN!!!

5/17/2010

Dear Family,

Wow… what a week! Well I hope you guys are ready for this one. I have had a very interesting week. Last Tuesday I had a pretty normal day. But right at the end of the day some stuff happened and I soon became very ill.

I didn’t think it really was anything too bad, but I went home early Tuesday night and went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling very sick. I had a lot of pain in my lower back and was very sweaty and very cold. I knew that I definitely had a fever. I did the best that night to just be comfortable, but I really didn’t get any sleep. The next morning I was still feeling like I had a fever, so I took my temperature and it read 103. So I definitely knew then I was sick.

We called the branch president in our branch (he’s a doctor) and he soon came over and gave me some medicine. I did my best to just rest and get better, but in the night I began to throw up and have really bad diarrhea. I was super sick. On Thursday my fever went away, but I was in the bathroom every 15 minutes, which wasn’t good because I hadn’t eaten since lunch on Tuesday. So I just continued to be sick and rested in the house the entire day. When I woke up on Friday, it was the same story. Hermana Da Silva called me in the morning to see how I was doing and to see if any of the medications I was taking were helping. I said no. She told me to get to Montevideo and check myself into the hospital as soon as possible.

So Elder Haws and I went to Montevideo. I got checked into the emergency room around twelve. I was definitely dehydrated. They hooked me to an IV right away.  Then all the doctors that came in said I had appendicitis and that I needed to plan to have another operation to have it removed. Ha-Ha-Ha… I couldn’t believe it! We called the mission president again and I think he and Hermana Da Silva just about had a heart attack. Luckily they did a blood test and sonograms on me.

They made me spend the night in the hospital and on Saturday morning the same surgeon who did my hernia surgery walked into the room. The first thing he said was; “John! Wow! Long time no see!” Ha-Ha-Ha. He then informed me that all the tests came back negative and that an operation wasn’t needed. He said in the blood work they had discovered I had a virus that attacks the bowels and that’s exactly what happened. I went home on Saturday. I have had a special diet now for a few days, but all in all I’m definitely getting way better.

I’m also sending you pictures of the scripture covers that I had made. They are Awesome! Some other pictures are of me in the hospital that Elder Haws took. And the other one is of me this morning at our district meeting in the church. I thought I would send it to you so that you knew that really I’m doing alright, maybe a little skinnier but I’m still alive.

You can let Aunt Sissy and Grandma know that their prayers are definitely helping. I believe that this was another one of those miracle things. Sometimes things like this just happen but I know that because of all your support, I’m better off and I can feel the comfort of our Heavenly Father.

Thank you all so much… I love you all.

Elder John P. Sluder