Affordable housing in Singpore is difficult to find. The guesthouses must be booked months in advance to insure a room. I booked a room at the beginning of the summer for our October trip. We planned to go at the beginning of October so we could take advantage of the new insurance year. Friends began to tell me about their experiences, and I began to think maybe a week wasn't going to be long enough. I quickly wrote the guesthouse a week prior to our departure asking if there was any way to extend the stay due to a possible knee surgery. They wrote back and said that was going to be no problem, and they moved us to the only ground floor room.
There were small things that happened along the way. Things like standing in a line for an hour at the airport marked for your flight, but seeing a small sign on the top of the counter that said that line was only for another flight and still being allowed to check in. Things like checking in for your international flight, not having enough money to pay the airport tax, the ATM is on the other side of the airport, and a kind stranger says,"Tell me how much you need." Things like all you can drink Dr.Pepper with cherries served to you or fast internet. Things like finding the brand of deodorant Josh uses. (Thank the LORD we found that one! He was running out!)
There were also big things that happened along the way. We brough MRI results that we had done in Indonesia, but the doctor said they must be looked at by a radiologist and have a report completed. We didn't have the report, so he recommended trying to get a doctor trained in reviewing MRIs to try to make a report. The specialist couldn't tell which leg it was and the picture splices were not of all the angles they would have liked to see, so she suggested we get another MRI done there. (It was a totally different experience, I'll just put it that way and leave it at that!) The next day we visited the doctor to discuss the results. He said there was no damage to my meniscus or my ACL, so there was no need for surgery. Everyone was so excited, except for me. If there was no damage, then why was it hurting? He went on to explain that there was a bad sprain in my MCL, and that was the source of my pain. The procedure was easy: two shots to the knee and gradual exercise. The following day I spent the morning mentally preparing myself that I was going to get two shots. I hate shots and needles.
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| Getting psyched up. |
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| This is NOT a time for pictures! |
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| Right after this one nurse put her hands over mine and said." It's okay but don't look." |
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| Ewwwwww |
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| A photo for memories as they say in Indonesia |
So far the pain hasn't returned, and I'm hoping that walking daily will help strengthen the muscle around the knee and MCL.
Another incredible way the Lord was amazing was that there was "glitch" with our insurance. The doctor's office called in things, but I thought it would be wise if I called them too. I needed to know about different payment options. After spending almost an hour on Skype (wow, the internet was quick enough to spend an hour of uninterrupted time using skype!), he looked up our insurance type. We were quite concerned. He was telling us our insurance was still on the old plan that had higher out of pocket pay. The insurance agent tried to make the change on the phone but said he would need atleast 24 hours to do this. Wait, what? 24 hours? We're in Singapore, things change quickly in 24 hours here! We sent an email to our employer explaining the situation, and then I stayed up and called them. My social security number was entered incorrectly, so the insurance company didn't make any changes and kicked back the request. The error was ammended and pushed through for a quick correction in their system, allowing for immediate use. When I woke up the next day we received an email and a phone call informing us the problem was corrected. This was definately a "God thing". Seriously, working with insurance, having situations corrected in your favor, and remaining calm the entire time!
We enjoyed our time in Singpore (after the shots of course!) but were happy to return to Sentani. Thank you for praying! The situation could not have turned out better! :)
