[password] grace40

[position] 19 06.483s 178 34.809w

[status] 0800 hrs 5 September 2019. I'm back. I hear your groans all the way in remote Fulaga. Did you miss me? Maybe not. The reason for my absence is for the past 6-weeks I've been recovering from a Fulaga war wound. After I describe my terrible injury and painful recovery, you'll forgive me for not writing sooner. Maybe not. In the last week of July (I don't remember exact date), Leilani and I were walking the foot path from the dingy landing to the village. The path gradually rises up from the landing and about half way to the village you reach the summit. Then there is a gradual downhill to a flat that leads into the village. The path is tramped down sand & dirt wide enough for walking single file. Under normal conditions the village walk takes about 20 minutes. It had lightly rained the day before so the path was a bit damp. Just as we crossed over the summit, I slipped on the damp, slick path. My left foot shot out in front, my right leg crumpled under me so I initially fell in a squating position on top of my bent knee and then tumbled and rolled down the path calling out the whole way, "Oh sh-t, oh sh-t, oh sh-t." I knew right away I hurt my back. Once I came to a stop, Leilani had to help me stand. The pain in my low back was immediate and intense. It felt like someone stabbed me with a 12" butcher knife and it was still sticking in me. I was having a hard time breathing because of the pain. My right knee felt like it'd been clubbed with a baseball bat. In short I was in bad shape - to go along with being old and out of shape. Being the trooper I am, I hobbled bent over to the village. The first hut arriviing in the village is the nurse's aid station. Outside is a wooden bench - the waiting room. I sat, and the nurse immediately noticed something was wrong. I think it was the mud all over my clothes and body, and me continuing to mumble, "Oh sh-t, oh sh-t, oh sh-t." After describing my injury, she went into the hut and came back with some paracetamol tablets. I thought, bring me some real drugs. Like, is there any of the 38 kilos of cocaine found on the beach last year left over? Anyway, I took the paracetamol, shuffled back to the dingy taking twice as long as normal, returned to the boat, and starting downing codeine like it was candy. For the next 4-weeks I laid in bed or on the settee, popping codeine, applying ice packs, and rubbing voltaren cream on my back. During my entire recovery period Leilani took care of me by doing all the cooking, laundry, and cabin cleaning. This is compared to before my injury when she did all the cooking, laundry, and cabin cleaning. Hey, I did an oil change while recovering. I'm now on the mend. The last couple of weeks I've been swimming around the boat which is great therapy. I expect being able to make more regular posts in the future now that I'm off codeine. Maybe not.

Sototale, John

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