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| Ferro-cement frame ready for cement |
Overall, I’ve been fortunate to enjoy good health during my
Peace Corps services. I had a nasty case of Inka Revenge when I first got to
Peru and a 4x by-pass surgery between my 2nd and 3rd
services. But other than that, no medical issue of note. Until now.
The last six weeks have been a cavalcade of medical
problems. It started when a young lad passed me on his bicycle in Changuinola.
There was a stick of some sort strapped to the bike which clipped my hand and
damaged a tendon in my thumb. I wound up getting a wrist brace and taking
anti-inflammatory drugs. Then, a routine filling replacement turned into a
painful and swollen infection, 8 days of face pain, culminating in extraction
and replacement.
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| My special passengers - tapeworms |
The 10 day course of anti-biotics may have caused the trifecta
to manifest – tapeworms. So now I am on parasite medication for a few more days.
All the trauma and medications have left me weak and woozy. Add to that the
numbing effect of 3 trips to Panama City (12 hour bus ride each way). I’ll be
glad when it’s all over.
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| The village kids always cheer me up |
Despite the medical problems, I have gotten out to the villages
for inspections and planning sessions. Both communities have done a superb job
of going on without me. We also managed to demonstrate ferro-cement technology
by building tank and spring box covers in both villages. I like this technology
as it uses far less materials and is easier to build than concrete block or
cast concrete tops. The tops are also easier to move. A video of the process
can be seen at : Click here to see video
