After 3 months of living with Celiac Disease, I have finally found a doctor who is willing to take me on. Originally I had found one here in Indonesia, about 30 minutes away(or 2 hours, depending on traffic), and I was excited because not only was he recommended by someone I feel is trustworthy, but he can also read German. All of my diagnosis were made in Germany and are therefore ALL written in German, including the bills. Apparently, however, Sprue and I have scared him off, because after one visit and some emails back and forth, he has not responded further to any correspondance I send. Hmmm.
No worries, though. I have connected, through a good friend, with a doctor in Singapore, and she seems more than willing to discuss this disease with me, and hopefully guide me in the right direction. I admit I get discouraged by people who tell me that someone they know was feeling better within a few months of their diagnosis. Some blogs I read make it sound like it was an overnight turnaround for them. That's not the way it is for me and I'm curious to find out why.
I find out today, hopefully, when I am to go. My hope is that it'll be within the week, and that I'll find out even more about how to live with Celiac-Sprue. What I know so far is that I eat with extreme caution, I eat mostly at home, I stay away from all dairy when I feel at all poor (although I've been able to eat chocolate on a good day lately), if I exercise hard one day I need to expect to be worn out the next, and that I need to give myself a break and realize that I will be frustrated and even grumpy now and then. That's what bugs me the most...I feel borderline irritated all the time and I'm not sure how to change that, except to continue to keep my mind focused on God's word and promises rather than my own imagination.
Today is a hot day, I've already had an opportunity to practice a little tennis with a friend, and now it's time to head to Jakarta to get my very-dead Mac notebook fixed. I'm also on my way to get my eyes checked, because my experience here has, again, been very frustrating and I just want to have glasses that I can see out of. Sometimes I think that if there's one thing that will cause me to head home, it's the medical system here, because it seems that with everything that goes on here, that's what irritates me to the core.
Thanks for reading.
4 hours later: what may be even more frustrating than the medical system is living in a society where one (namely, me) has to depend on another person (namely, our driver) to tote me around Jakarta anytime i want to go somewhere outside of our village. Some might think it a luxury, and I admit, not having to park is truly a luxury, but now my driver is sick, I stayed at home and will have to find another convenient day to head to my appointments (why a driver? There are many stories that scare a foreign women into not driving alone in the city of Jakarta...). Ultimately, why am I complaining?? I ended up resting 'for a moment' and slept 1 1/2 hours of my morning away. I think Haris being sick was actually a blessing in disguise as my body is trying to tell me something. I think I need to listen...
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