China Day 610 ...and then there was none.

It has been a whirlwind two weeks here in the 'jing.  As you know from Facebook posts, my grandchildren, Ava & Eli, have been here visiting, along with my friend, Stephanie, who was their travel companion.  It is safe to say they are all world travelers now!  I am so proud of all of them, and how they adjusted and managed to a life that is so incredibly different (and at times difficult) from what they know back home in the United States.  China can be overwhelming, and at times she can break you, but each of them took it in stride.  I was so proud that they all kept their eyes and ears, and thoughts and hearts, wide open to this strange new world around them.  I know they all learned so much in their stay here, lessons that will hopefully reveal themselves even months and years to come.

They were incredible travel buddies, and we crammed as much as humanly possible into their 12 day stay here. In fact, it nearly broke Mimi down!

I'm still standing.

but barely.

on crutches, that is.

So bear with me as I attempt to catch up on blogs of the last few weeks.  I want to remember all the funny stories, crazy new experiences, and the very touching moments of these last two weeks while they are still fresh in my mind.  I will likely be working my way backwards through the photos!

I did up three loads of laundry yesterday, and packed the kids suitcases last night. Over our last meal together, (the kids ate Mimi's chicken curry and naan- they became brave in trying new foods, too) we laughed like never before.  Eli and I both had to get up from the table a few times just to catch our breath.  Nobody can understand the experience of a Chinese public squatty potty unless you have lived to tell it.   I even let them say a few bad words, because you just have to in order to describe a squatty potty in all of it's nastiness. We laughed until we cried.  It felt so good, y'all, to share in the laughter with them.

And then I cried some more, but none of them knew the reason why.

My granddaughter Ava's facial expressions and her belly laugh are just like her Aunt Carissa's.  This is my second oldest (step) daughter who I am now estranged from.  Seeing and hearing Ava laugh until she cried was like watching her morph into my daughter Carissa when she was a preteenage girl. I was reminded of the thousands of meals we had together as a family with all seven of us at home.  I miss Carissa so much that it physically hurts, and tonight it got me. 

I had to remind myself that though I am apart from her at the moment, she remains in my heart forever, and seeing Miss Ava bloom and grow is like seeing a part of her Aunt Carissa once again. I always felt especially close to Carissa, particularly because I was there to see her through her own growing pains as a teenager and young adult.  In spite of those times, Carissa brought me so much joy in being her parent.  So the fact that I am still a part of Ava and Eli's lives now, I am especially grateful. I continue to pray that one day things with Carissa and Michael may change; there is always hope.  Until then, I cherish any time I get with any of my family members.

In the meantime...laughing until we all cried was the perfect ending to our perfect time together <3

I hailed a cab for the last time for them, gave
the instructions to the cabbie, and they were soon
on their way.  They got this travel thing down!

Goodbyes are the WORST.

Off they go! Thankfully it was a beautiful day
for flying.  I pray all goes well on this final leg
of their adventure.  It took me a moment to
collect myself, and then I hailed a cab to the doctor.

As many of you are already aware, I tweaked my right knee repeatedly when we hiked the Great Wall over a week ago.  It was the only day of rain we had during their stay here, and it flat poured all day long.  We were all soaking wet and cold.  Our scheduled hike was 10km, but with the rocks and loose gravel being so slippery and wet, the guides cut the hike short after 6.5km.  Unfortunately for me, the damage was already done.

If I had been able to ice my knee down and let it rest, I might have escaped a worse injury. Unfortunately, this happened at the very beginning of their stay here, and I was not going to have my bum knee get in the way of all the sightseeing and adventures that I had planned for them.  I had made a 'calendar of events' and I was determined to stick to it.  We did it all- most days over 20k steps a day, and I was hobbling before we ever left for Tianjin this past weekend.  

I knew the damage was pretty bad, as I have felt this pain before (I tore my right ACL and had reconstructive surgery about 15 years ago).  I was just holding out until I could get the kids safely on their way home.  

They left at noon, and my doctor's appointment was for 1pm.

I am very blessed to have the best insurance in China. Ping An insurance is like the BC/BS of Asia.  The 20% copay is pennies on the dollar, and I am so grateful to have this insurance.  Given my pre-existing conditions and the cost of healthcare in the US, it is one of the reasons I chose to stay on for another year next school year- I am afraid I simply cannot afford healthcare in the US :(  It's a stark reality.

I knew I would need an MRI, and unfortunately I could not get it scheduled until 9am this Friday.  In the examination, as they manipulated my knee, something popped which I know was not good.  

Not good at all.

Tears sprang to my eyes, and the pain went from a 7 to a 10.

So, the waiting game to see if it is a torn MCL, ACL, or both, is complicated by the fact that I cannot take any ant-inflammatory medications, since I only have one kidney.  I can ice it (frozen peas on the knee), stabilize it (I am in a sleeve), and elevate it (it's up on a pillow), and that is about all for now.  I was placed on crutches, and given a topical pain reliever ointment to rub on my knee.  It gives me relief for about an hour, but I can only use it three times a day.  I am on crutches and ordered to bed rest until the MRI is complete and they can assess the damage.  Given the pain level, my doctor asked if I was willing to try TCM (traditional Chinese medicine).  I figured I have nothing to lose, so why not give it a whirl.

I was escorted upstairs to a Dr. Hao, who
is an acupuncturist. My Dr. Dong swears
by him, so it was worth a try.  Soon I
had needles in my left hand, neck, left
shoulder, spine, hip, knee and right foot.
First he did the back side, then the front.
After the needles were all inserted, he
turned on a heat lamp, and I laid there
for about 15 minutes.  I think I fell asleep!

Next Dr. Hao did 'cupping' which is also TCM.  This was
a little more painful, not going to lie.  I have had some
nerve pain in my neck and radiating to my left shoulder
since I returned from break in February. He felt confident
that he could correct my problem, by pulling the 'wind' from
the tender areas in my neck, back and shoulder. Hmmmm...

Today I am bruised from the cupping (which is
essential to the treatment), but I have not had
the 'hot knife stabbing, tingling, or numbing
pain' at all today...so maybe it works afterall?

All I can say is my apartment is strangely quiet....and lonely.... today.  I do not cope well with bed rest.  Even if I am in pain, I am a girl who likes to be on the move.  The fact that this has all happened on the heels of the kids leaving China makes today seem especially.....boring..... at the moment. My friend Tom is bringing home my textbooks and some Thai food for dinner, so there is that to look forward to :)

Fingers crossed that two days of bed rest will give me a more favorable MRI result on Friday morning....until then, I see lots of movies in my future, so long as my internet connection and VPN hold out.

G'nite, y'all!

PS.  I received a text from my daughter Jennessa a bit ago, and the kids are on their way home from the airport, talking a mile a minute and talking over each other with all of their stories to tell.  I'm not surprised! 

And Jennessa, I am just going to offer a blanket apology now for the days of jet lag you have coming ahead...the kids will seriously have their days and nights completely turned around for awhile :( Hang in there!  I love y'all.  so much.  xoxoxoxo, love, Mimi