Warning: The following content may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs. Actually, they're not that bad. I've left those pictures out. But I wanted to illustrate one of the duties of the mission president's wife. When a sick missionary calls, I determine if they (1) hang in there and get back to work, (2) take two aspirin, drink lots of fluid and go to bed, (3) call the area medical advisor, who can prescribe over the phone or (4) go to a doctor.
There are more than 30 elders and sisters who ride bikes every day, so bike accidents are fairly common. Fortunately, most of these don't result in injuries - just a few scrapes and bruises that are cared for at home.
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| Elder Benke's forearm heals fine with TLC from his companion. |
But other times, the missionary has to see a doctor.
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| Elder Fawcett hit a tree root and flew over his handle bars. Fortunately he was wearing his helmet. |
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| What a way to spend the Fourth of July! Elder Vakalahi's bike was hit by a car, sending him flying. Guess the driver wanted to see the fireworks because he took off, leaving Elder Vakalahi with a sore back, ankle and of course, elbow. Fortunately, Elder Krugman, his zone leader, was nearby to drive him to get checked. |
Other cases are not obvious until the missionary describes it. For example, Elder Stewart was playing basketball on preparation day. One of the other missionaries called asking permission to take him to a doctor. My first reaction was that it was probably a jammed finger until they told me that his finger was pointing in the wrong direction. Eww. With surgery and several pins later, Elder Stewart is now fine.
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| Elder Stewart shows off his new hair net and of course finger splint. |
You have to remember that these wonderful young men and young women are used to playing athletics. So preparation day nearly always includes some sort of sports - like soccer. One day a missionary called to ask about taking Elder Edwards to see a doctor after going for a header, I asked, "Why do you think he needs a doctor?" The missionary replied, "Because his arm is hanging at a weird angle." Yeech.
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| Elder Stewart's soccer and basketball days were limited for a while. |
Recently we've also had a number of skin ailments. Dr. Mikesell, the area medical advisor, has me take photos and send them to him. He talks to the missionary, who describes the symptoms, and then the doctor looks over the pictures. See how close you come to the right diagnosis.
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| Shingles - even in a twenty-something year old. |
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| Eczema |
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| Poison ivy one week after playing ultimate frisbee on a preparation day - in a state park. |
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| This missionary spent time in the water helping people clean up their yards after Hurricane Irene. This is what poison ivy looks like after two weeks. |
Missionaries are often known for their good handshakes. So when Elder Rodriguez developed a cyst on his right wrist, it was important to remove it so he could go back to giving firm handshakes.
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| Cyst on wrist - before surgery. |
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| OK, Elder Rodriguez would have you believe that he was really suffering over this, but... |
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| After out patient surgery, he was treated to home cooked treats by Elder and Sister Bushman, the senior couple assigned to the Anacostia area. That seemed to help his wrist even more than the surgery. |
Others
