'Eye Eye' Captain!

So it’s been about a month since I’ve written and a lot has happened, a major thing being that my computer crashed, hence the reason I haven’t written. But for a quick overview things have been pretty awesome. My work sites have been working out I love all my counterparts and I’m really excited to change over to NTA. I started 1 day a week there last week and it was wonderful.  I’ve also started a collection of activities to keep myself busy, which have all come together really nicely. First I went on my first Hash 2 weeks ago, which I love! Hashing is basically a quick hike through the bush and then a social after. It has a big rugby following which is pretty awesome and has a very similar vibe. You get a hasher name, you exercise, and you party. Basically it’s the same thing. I also Joined the SSU boot camp. About 10 minutes from my house is the Special Security Unit (SSU) army base. Through the ministry of health they started this boot camp program which means that the base holds work out classes every day at 5. I went to my first class last Monday and it was great! It’s broken down into beginner, intermediate, and advanced, so you can chose how hard you want to work yourself. Then on days off they do hikes and hashes. They did a hash to Hog island last week that I went on. Everyone was really nice and welcoming. My landlord also goes in addition to another teacher from my school attachment. It’s a good way to have my face seen and meet people. I also started taking this stain glass window making class which is awesome!!! And guitar lessons are coming along. Basically things have been working out pretty well until some recent unfortunate events…

At this moment I am sitting in New Jersey, with an eye patch on, squinting at the computer as I try to tell this story. It all happened very fast, but the story starts last Friday.  I went to work as usual but at around 10am my eyes started becoming very bothered by the light. I was straining to keep them opened and becoming very tired. I eventually asked to go home early, assuming I had put my contacts in the wrong eye or they were just being weird. I took out my lenses and passed out. When I woke up 2 hours it was time to get ready to head into town, because I was meeting the other volunteers at the other end of the island to go turtle watching.  I put in a fresh pair of lenses and headed on my way. I had no problems throughout the two hour bus ride to Sauters however almost immediately upon exiting the bus my eye began tearing and had turned red. When all the volunteers saw the situation they all began making jokes of pink eye, as most would do when they see a pink irritated eye. At this point I didn’t think it was anything serious so I took ym contact lenses out, put on my glasses, and began the 30 minute hike to the secluded beach we would spend the night.

Upon reaching the beach we began setting up our tents. The irritation in my eye aws coming in waves. The reoccurring discomfort was making me nervous so I thought it was best to call Jeremy, our Peace corps Medical Officer (PCMO) and let him know that something was up. Based on my symptoms Jeremy was not concerned and reassuered me that he’d call me the next day and we’d go from there. At this point I was relieved and remained excited about the possibilitiy of seeing a turtle that evening. However only hours later, my eye swelled shut, and I began to feel extreme amounts of pain. Granted the environment I was in was not ideal, being surrounded by sand and all.

Making it to morning was definitely a struggle, but as soon as I heard stirring around from the other tents I got up and informed another volunteer, Jack, that I needed to go to the hospital. She immediately took action in finding me a ride. AS everything began to come together we realized that we still had to figure out a way to hike me back through the bush unable to see. At this point I had a sweatshirt wrapped around my head to block the sun light out, and basically looked like a drunk mummy. As my friends guided me out of the bush we were met at the other end by the wonderful man who would drive me to the hospital.

My experience at the hospital was a quick one  a Dr. Avichi saw me and concluded that I had a bad case of conjunctivitis, aka pink eye, so he prescribed me a steroid/antibiotic drop and sent me on my way. AS the pain subsided I began to feel relieved, however it was not until the next day when I lost all vision in my left eye that I began to freak out.  From this point things began to move very quickly. I saw an optomologist on Monday who corrected my first diagnosis and said that I had an Ulcerated Cornea. I was prescribed new drops and sent home.

That white circle is a hole directly over my cornea.
aka it's not suppose to be there 

As this new information began to  spread to Jeremy, my parents, and eventually DC, it took only a matter of hours for them to decide to medically evacuate me from Grenada. I was a flight first thing the next morning, final destination DC.

My experience in the airports was a mixture of publicly laughing and crying to myself.

Moment I laughed: walking into a pole in the middle of the cafeteria in the San Juan airport while wearing an eye patch.

Moment I cried: having to emergency land in the Bahamas on our way to Miami because the Miami airport had been shut down for weather conditions. 

Moment I laughed: being put in a wheel chair after my flight to DC and being brought to my baggage like an actual disabled person.

Times I cried: being put in a wheel chair after my flight to DC and being brought to my baggage like an actual disabled person.

Moment I laughed: Walking into the men’s bathroom

Moment I cried: running to my gate in Miami and being told I was not on the flight.

aka an emotional roller costar. Also known as the story of my life. 

As soon as I got to DC I began seeing doctors. The doctor in DC sent me to John Hopkins. From there I will be referred to someone in NY and from there I will be flying to Miami to see a specialist who does special amniotic graphs for this specific problem.  Conclusion being: I WILL GET BETTER!  AND I WILL BE GOING BACK TO GRENADA!