Chapter 9: Nomsa is still at the hospital.

I really can’t believe that I am writing this blog today, only 24-hours after I told you that Nomsa was coming home.  Brooke and I went to pick her up today and things went very badly.

When I arrived she was all packed up.  I brought her a suitcase that was large enough to put all of her small bags in. She had already given away the food that  I had brought her to help improve her health (peanut butter,  cereal, milk, peanuts etc) to the mother of Baby Rahab, trying to encourage her to eat and live. 

We took all her things to the car, she said her goodbyes to her friends. They all walked her down and gave hugs and kisses with promises of a visit soon. All we needed were the pills that she would continue to take to finish her treatment to insure that she didn’t “drop out” of the program again, as she had several times since she started her TB treatment in September 2011.

The nurse came out with bags of medication and many vials of what she would need to inject each day in to her hip.  That is when the red flag went up.  Injections were only given to patients who were still infectious.  When I asked the question the nurse confirmed that she still needed them and someone would have to go to her isolation room each day to give her the injection and pills.

STOP!

What did she mean isolation room?  Infectious?  Nomsa was moving to our Farm Manager Building where the rooms are open to each other above the wall. 

I asked the nurse how she could have been discharged under these conditions and she took us to the nursing room and showed me the papers.  They said, “Discharged at the patient’s request”.  Oh, Nomsa. 

Three hours later we had met with nurses and the Senior Doctor himself to find out what the situation was and how it was that they were discharging her.  In summary, Nomsa really wanted to leave the hospital (and who can blame her).  She pushed and pushed (I understand that) and finally convinced them that she could continue her treatment at home.  They went to her file and called her brother (next of kin contact) and asked if she had an isolation room to go to at home. He said yes.  They asked if she was welcome to go home.  He said yes.  They discharged her, with hesitation, but they agreed.  What they didn't know what that there is no one at that homestead (which is why she is welcome to stay there in isolation – it is empty).  There is no way to get food, medical treatment or support.  But most importantly, that is not where she was planning on going. 

I believe what happened is that she convinced them she had a place to go, they didn’t ask where (why would they – they would assume “home”) and they got enough confirmation to agree.

It was devastating.  And there is more.  She still needs to wait to get a “NEGATIVE” Culture in order to be discharged (another month of waiting), but they are concerned that because of her past drop outs and behavior and positive tests that she will be XDR-TB positive, which is the last stage and worst of Tuberculosis.  We pray that this is not the case.

She sobbed and sobbed and demanded to go home.  She said she would run away, which is a death sentence in and of itself.

The nurses were wonderful and spent a long time counciling her, encouraging her and trying to get her to understand.  Finally, I went down to the car and brought all her things back up to her bed.  Unpacked her, put the photos back on the wall and then found her crying on the staircase. 

Please pray with me for her desire to continue to live, her obedience to stay in the hospital until her test comes back, and her assurance that God has a plan for her life.

I came back home and slept for two hours, absolutely emotionally exhausted.   Now that I am up again, I am reminded that His plans are not our plans and while I desperately want her out of that hospital because I would feel better about it, I must want her to be there if that is still a part of His master plan.

Thanks for reading and praying with us.

Janine