Elizabeths piece

Here goes for my 2nd piece on the blog, sorry if it repeats some of what Emile has written.
We have had a wonderful time with Mum, Dad and Vivienne over for 10 days, minus a few hiccups!! Three visits and a stay in the hospital with Talia. Thankfully it happened when we had some babysitters or I don’t know how we would have coped. Talia had been unwell for a couple of days with a sore throat, and in New Zealand it would probably just have taken its course, however come Sunday morning she awoke with a firey red rash all over her body and face. It was definitely time to seek medical assistance, no after hour’s doctors here, so you just present at the emergency department and wait. I think we got extra fast treatment either because she looked so bad or because we are palagi (white), anyway within minutes she was getting slapped on the bottom with two injections to follow, then placed on a bed with a curtain as a sheet, we then waited an hour or two, in which she seemed to be improving. We left at about lunchtime with medication and relieved to be getting out of the place, however she didn’t improve on the medication in fact her temperature seemed to increase and the rash got worse, so we returned the next day to be told they thought she had scarlet fever, but they hadn’t seen anything like it in Samoa, once again we went home to continue with the medication, yet by 7.00pm on Monday night she was worsening, so another trip back to the hospital and she was admitted to the children’s ward. On our return we discovered that nothing is provided, you have to provide bedding, plates, cups, water, juice everything, right down to the toilet paper. You would usually carry all these things with you when you present at the doctors for a routine check up aye. As someone else has since said you should also go with your disinfectant spray to clean everything before you touch it. When they showed us the bed the nurse commented we don’t want you going down to that room because we have typhoid and meningitis down there!!! The staff at the ward were actually really good, however it is just beyond comprehension what the place was like compared to what we are used to. In the meantime they had lost our file with the blood results. It is at about this time, which was 11.30pm, Emile has gone home to get supplies, that Talia and I have our crying competition as she later explained to Nana!! A plane trip home at the end of the week with Nana Grandad and Auntie Vivienne was looking extremely inviting. Thankfully the IV hydrocortisone began to work and Talia made steady progress through the night while I attempted to get comfortable to sleep on a wooden mitre long stool, finally giving up and sleeping on the floor. Emile didn’t join the other fathers sleeping outside the windows, on the ground he opted to return home to look after the others. The pedeatrian the next morning was really good and when Talia requested to go home to see Nana she obliged, but we needed to return at lunchtime for the medications, we then got discharged as the rash was continuing to improve. They are unsure as to what she has reacted to but she has continued to make steady progress and we now have our energetic, talkative, bouncy Talia back again. Praise God, although we don’t want a further visit to the hospital I would be a little more prepared if it was necessary although I think we will just go to the private hospital eventhough our insurance says you are not meant to go to the private hospitals, I’m sure in Samoa it will still be reasonably cheap compared to some countries.
Despite a rather stressful few days, we managed to pack a fair but into our days with Nana, Grandad and Viv. We swam at Paradise Beach, visited the Robert Louis Stephenson House and Museum, attended the Siva Afi competition (firedancing), Aggie Grey’s Fiafia night, Maleina and Leilani stayed a night in a Fale on the beach with Nana, Grandad and Auntie Vivienne and went snorkelling in the reef. Due Talia’s sickness we didn’t make it across to Savaii, but they did have a night in a Fale on the beach. We also saw huge Turtles. I think Leilani is having second thoughts about swimming with them for her birthday. We also managed some shopping at the market!!! Now it will be back to the school books and writing letters to all those children from room 4 who sent lovely letters to Talia and Latia. Special thanks to Gaye Kemp who sent books and treats for the girls. That is all from me for now, hope all is well with you and yours, keep praying for the Grey’s we obviously need it.