This was definitely a low point of the last 3 weeks. Both boys started off 3 weeks ago with fevers and general lethargy every other day. Then finally they both crashed, Sunday, 2 weeks ago with vomiting, no appetite and incredible fatigue. We tested for malaria and they both tested positive, so we started a round of meds. They had trouble keeping these down. When we finally finished a 3 day treatment, and they still weren't any better, we had blood labs done in Dimako (the closest town about 5 miles away) at the Catholic clinic. Asher's malaria level was 2+ (that's pretty high) and Boaz' was 3+ (very high!), and that was after treating them already. They also found various bacteria in their gut that we needed to treat as well, thinking it was causing the vomiting and diarrhea. So, they came home and our nurse/teammate Jennifer started them on a quinine drip for the malaria. That's what this picture is of. There was still over a week of throwing up, and Boaz had sever pain in his stomach area that wouldn't let up.
They were slowly getting a little more energy, and were very tired/bored of not having the strength to go outside and play. At one point, I put on a movie for the boys and after a few minutes, Boaz asked, "Mama, can you PLEASE just turn that off?" Just when I thought one of them was turning the corner, they would have a bad night or be in pain or throw up again. Nathan took Boaz to the clinic again this past Friday, and got another round of meds for yeast in Boaz' gut. The nurses thought maybe this was causing the stomach pain. After 2 days of those meds, Boaz hasn't complained at all about his stomach. Both boys are outside right now, running around with the Baka kids. It's good to see. Asher has much more color in his face, and Boaz is looking a lot better too. They both have lost weight, their pants are loose and their ribs are showing. You can even see it in their faces how thin they look (I'm not posting a picture, I don't want to scare grandparents!).
Now that they're eating again, I'm not putting any limits or restrictions on what they want for the next few weeks...though they'll still have to eat the good-for-them stuff along with the chocolate cake and hot cocoa. :) Fatten these babies up!
Thank God with us for the medical help we do have available out here. Thank Him for carrying us through this crazy time. We even had visitors from the US for a few days, on a field visit to explore the idea of coming to Cameroon long term. Lets hope we didn't scare them off! We have currently upped our dosage of malaria prophylaxis. If you remember last year about this time, Boaz got malaria and it kept recurring until January. Thank God that things are getting back to normal, we only missed a week of school for the boys (plus some extra assignments that fell through the cracks and we aren't looking back). Thank God with us that Becky Novak is here until the end of December to tutor the kids. This has been a huge blessing! The Lord has even blessed us with a relaxing weekend, fairly quiet, not many demands and time to hang out as a family and team. Thanks again for all of your prayers!
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