I would like to begin this blog entry by thanking each and every one of you for your prayers on my behalf. The power of prayer is a powerful thing, and reaches across time and space. I'm hoping most of you saw Jim's blog, in which he posted where I was, after a harrowing 24 hour period of not knowing where I was.
I'll try to give the Reader's Digest version, but it's probably already too late for that.
On Sunday, the pain in my foot was so bad that I couldn't stand it any longer. Soaking in hot water was not working, so I hobbled to a pharmacy a few blocks from my hostel, hoping to find a doctor who could help me--no luck. Then I hobbled to a nearby restaurant to get something to eat, and the kitchen had just closed. Frustrated, and in excruciating pain, I hobbled back to the hostel. Although the woman who runs it does not speak English, she's very caring and could see I was in much pain. She insisted that I go to the hospital, because they don't go to doctors here--I guess they're all in the hospitals working. I was crying from the pain and frustration, and her son drove me to the nearest hospital. I waited in the ER for around 6 hours--at around Midnight I was seen. Doctors who looked at my foot made grave faces. One who spoke a little English said they would have to get the infection out. One nurse started digging at a spot on my foot--without anesthetic--I was screaming!!! She got part of it to drain, then they put me on a gurney with a saline solution IV. The English speaking doctor told me that I had a serious infection, and would need to be in the hospital for 4 or 5 days. That was fine with me.
Soon, an ambulance driver comes to get me, puts me on another gurney, loads me in an ambulance, closes the back doors, and drives away, without saying a word. I was terrified because I didn't know what was happening. It turns out that he was taking me to a different hospital and, as soon as I saw the crucifix on the wall, I was okay, I was safe.
Jim and I are using Viber to communicate with family while over here, but that only works with wifi, and neither hospital had it. I couldn't let him know where I was, and the hospital room phone could only receive calls, not make outgoing calls.
I was able to call the hostel where I was staying to tell them what happened, but that was the only call I could make.
I will write more later, but know that I'm still at Nuestra Señora de Regla hospital, and am getting better. Jim and company will arrive in León tomorrow.