Dan and Pris Gollan

Here’s a photo posted in honour of a new family.  All went well.  Pris and the kids and I went down to School #1 for the ceremony which was very nicely conducted by Sergei Susidko.  Lena and Sergei were much like any other young couple getting married – slightly nervous and excited.  Pris and the kids have gone on down to the reception now, from which I’ll “wisely” stay home.  

As we stood up the back, I said to Vlad (of court-house fame) that I’ve had just about enough of care and concern.  He rightly informed me that it is just people showing that they “love”.  (Must watch my attitude.)

A funny thing happened to us last night.  I woke up to Priscilla screaming.  Now, Pris doesn’t scream… particularly not at 11:30 at night!  We aren’t sure of the sequence of events, but she screamed and I grabbed my pillow and waved it through the air above her.  I suspect that I waved it in the air first and made her think that someone else was in the room.  But I could have done it immediately after she screamed?  Anyway… that scream woke me up good and proper… we chuckled about it for a good few minutes.

Today is a week since I started this relaxing stint.  Wow!  It’s gone slowly.

Luba is a great neighbour to have when you get sick.  She worked as a nurse for 20-odd years and has the skills and the sweetness to make the process of getting intravenous drugs as good as it could possibly get. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her over the course of the hour it takes to get the Ceraxon and Actovegin, (for those of a medical bent), into my system.  Actovegin, btw, is filtered calf blood!  Fascinating!

I’m feeling a bit better – more “with it”, I guess.  I’m still sitting/lying around a lot – 23.5 hours a day!!!  (Surely, I walk around the house for 30 minutes!)  I’m starting to get tired of doing not much… another week should be enough.  I certainly hope so!

I just called Lena and told her I’d be right to walk her down the aisle for the “Chaban” wedding.  I’d hate for the attention to be on me this Saturday – things should go smoothly.

It is Wednesday morning 7:11.  The guys are praying upstairs without me and I don’t mind a bit.  Interacting with others right now is something I don’t mind skipping or at least having in small doses.

Gav took me to Kiev yesterday.  (Thanks, Gav.)  Had an MRI done on my head, which indicated that I’d had a stroke.  A Dr., who seemed to feel that looking people in the eyes was impolite, showed us on the MRI a part of my head which had a darkened patch on it which he said was either a blood clot or thickened blood. 

We took the MRI to the doc who had seen me last Friday and walked in on a class of students.  She used me for a live example.  It was amusing.  She confirmed the news, and then said that I’d need to 1.  have complete rest for 7-10 days, 2.  stay out of the sun and not do any strenuous physical work for the next three to six months, and 3.  take medication.  The only thing I heard was no work for three to six months.  Yikes. 

In an hour or so, I have a neighbour coming to give me two different drugs through a drip for 40 minutes.  The drugs are meant to work healing on my damaged brain… if I understand it correctly.

I’m still talking slow and stumble over words.  My coordination is not crash hot, either.  It is assumed that if I take the medication, those things will improve again over time.  How much time?  Not sure.  For some reason, I expect that it will be a few weeks.  I’ll keep posting.  Time is something I have right now.

Talk about a bother!  I’m relaxing though!

Yesterday morning I awoke and instead of walking unsteadily to the kitchen for a coffee, I staggered to the kitchen for a coffee.  It wasn’t long before I suspected something was wrong.  I drove down to the bazaar with Pris and nearly had three accidents.  I talked to people with an exaggerated drawl in Russian… because I couldn’t do anything else.  It didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that I’d had another stroke… with this one affecting my motor skills and speech instead of eyesight.  If it wasn’t so serious, it would be pretty funny.  I sound… like a Texan!  I guess it’s one more adventure! 

Bruce took me to the Dr’s in Kiev and she confirmed suspicions.  True to form, she suggested hospital, but also true to form, I declined that adventure.  I’ll rest at home and should be getting something through a drip all this week and an MRI on my head Monday.  A neighbor used to be a nurse and she’ll come down each day. 

The ladies are having whatever the female equivalent of a buck’s night is upstairs tonight.  They sound like they are having a wild time!  80’s theme.  Wish I could post some pics, but I doubt they’d let me near them with a camera.  Not sure I want to see more than I already have, anyway. 

Today, the lads went off to another town to play soccer.  Jesse came home and reported that the foreigner team lost all three games they played.  He enjoyed himself though.  And it was good for the guys to spend more time with the students.

Time to do some more relaxing…