Got Scabies?

So, bad news...I contracted Scabies from holding the kids at the orphanage. I thought they all just had flea bites, but it turns out, they have scabies. Now I do too. I have it on my back, legs, stomach, and worst on my neck. Three of us girls have it for sure, but since it takes 3-4 weeks after you get it to have an outbreak, the other girls probably have it and just don't know it yet. We were given some really stinky, toxic cream that we have to rub over our entire bodies to kill the mites, and have to soak all our sheets and clothes. The most depressing part, is that even though we can keep killing the mites with treatments so the bites don't get worse, we're going to keep contracting more scabies until we leave. Then I'll have to do a final treatment about a month after I get home. We can't just stop holding our kids, so it's something we just have to deal with.

What is Scabies? (From a website)
Scabies is a contagious disorder of the skin caused by very small, wingless insects or mites called the Human Itch mite or Scabies itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis (Hering). The female insect burrows into the skin where she lays 1 - 3 eggs daily. A very small, hard to see, zigzag blister usually marks the trail of the insect as she lays her eggs. Other more obvious symptoms are an intense itching (especially at night) and a red rash that can occur at the area that has been scratched. The most common locations for scabies are on the sides of fingers, between the fingers, on the backs of the hands, on the wrists, heels, elbows, armpits, inner thighs and around the waist (belt line). If untreated, the female will continue to lay eggs for about five weeks. The eggs hatch and the new mites begin the cycle all over again. The mites themselves are too small to be seen without magnification. One of the great problems with scabies always has been misdiagnosis. Scabies is spread by personal contact, e.g., by shaking hands or sleeping together or by close contact with infected articles such as clothing, bedding or towels. It is usually found where people are crowded together or have frequent contact, and is most common among school children, in hospitals, and in childcare centers. Scabies can be spread by the insect itself or by the egg. Prompt action is required to rid a person of the insects and eggs. Sulfur has been used (6 - 10% in lotion or cream) since Roman times as a scabicide, but you might be allergic.

Picnic With the Branch

Us girls with some of our Romanian Friends

Today we took the tram to Dacia and had a picnic with the branch. It was right behind the Dacia 7th floor apartment where we work, and out past the gypsy camps in the hills. It was such a beautiful day. Up in the hills, there are cows and horses grazing around and everything is so green. The sister missionaries were the only ones who couldn’t make it. Sora Rosenwall was bitten by a street dog and couldn’t get the right rabies shot she needed here. They had to go all the way to Germany to get it.

We ate pizza and juice, not much of a traditional picnic, but the last group got really sick from the food they had at their picnic so they wanted to play it safe. After we ate, a few people went out and rode Genina’s four wheeler around and the rest of us played ultimate Frisbee in the field. The grass was really tall and stickery, not to mention we were all in shorts and flip flops, so it made it kind of interesting. Someone would be running to catch the Frisbee and suddenly start screaming and jumping around after realizing they had run into a giant weed patch. Besides losing my sandals a million times and feeling all itchy, it was tons of fun. We had a huge group playing with us.

The scariest bridge ever...

After the picnic, we decided to hurry back to the city to catch “Indiana Jones” at the theater. We had walked back to the tram in two separate groups, and thought the other group had already gotten on the tram. We saw it leaving and sprinted to make it on just in time. When we got to the theater, the other girls weren’t there, so we assumed they decided not to see it after all. We walked to the Buc apartment, but they weren’t there. All of the keys to that apartment were with girls in the other group, so we couldn’t get in. We ended up sitting out in front of their building for 2 ½ hours. We found out later they were on the next tram after us and still went to the movie. At first we were annoyed waiting so long, but in the end, I think I had more fun sitting outside their apartment than I would have at the movie. We ate gogosi then talked about everything from most embarrassing moments to what everyone thinks our husbands will be like.

Hospital Pics (more added)

Florine being a stud. He got to go home!

Hanging out with the boys. We had a movie day and watched Spider Man 3 on my laptop.

Me & Whitney ready to get to work!

Taking Florine outside. He had five lei and we took him to the store across the parking lot to buy candy.

Me & Florine (not the Florine from previous journals- he went home) This florine has severely clubbed feet and cannot walk, but he loves to go outside.

This little boy, Marion, has failing kidneys and cannot get a transplant. The doctors said he is slowly dying. We don't know how long he has, but he sure has fun playing just like any normal toddler. Right before this picture, he was counting with me, yelling "Doi!" meaning two, and suddenly fell asleep mid-sentence!

Nothing is wrong with Marion's hand. They've just been doing blood transfusions from his hand and keep it wrapped up after.

Marion before he fell asleep.

Alex, Florine, and another boy in their same room had the greatest time playing a computer game on my laptop that Alex got in the Happy Meal we brought over to him. Then they were distorting their faces on Photo Booth and laughing so hard they cried.

The baby in the middle is the one I grew most attached to in the hospital. He didn't have a name, so I just started calling him Octavian and it stuck. He recently left the hospital and we don't know where he is now. The two older kids on the ends are sisters, Alexandra and Roxanna. When I first started playing with them, I thought they were boys. They keep all the kids hair short for hygienic reasons. The two girls were only in the hospital a few days, then got to leave. Alexandra on the left, gave us 1 lei (which is about 40 cents) and asked us to buy something for Octavian. Here, Orthodox Saints are expected to be charitable and give to the needy. No one asked her to, and I was impressed by her strong desire to help out.

Octavian & Roxanna

Me & Alexandra