Pretoria and a Pain in the Back: December 6

As is has been alluded to in our previous posts, Kelli had been suffering from pretty consistent back pain for the last three weeks. Finally deciding that the problem was not going to go away on its own, we made a trip to Pretoria to see our friendly PCMO’s (Peace Corps Medical Officers). In an attempt to add a little more adventure to our lives, Joe decided that we should get off the bus a few stops early. It was a simple mistake, but knowing our sense of direction, let’s just say it took us quite a bit longer than we thought it would to find the PC Office. Once there, Kelli was evaluated by one of the PCMO’s and then advised to get some X-rays taken at the nearby hospital. Forgetting to alert the X-ray technician of her metal implants, Kelli got a good laugh when the woman could not hide her surprise after checking the X-rays for quality. The doctors got the last laugh however, as Kelli had to get more X-rays to get a complete picture of the implants. Everything seemed to check-out with the X-rays so the PCMO advised Kelli to schedule three appointments with a Physical Therapist for the following week.

Deciding to take full advantage of our trip into Pretoria, we met up with some fellow volunteers at Menlyn Mall. Besides stocking up for our upcoming hiking trip, we enjoyed some good food, laughs and air conditioning. Figuring that one transportation adventure was enough for the day, we opted to pay more money to take a taxi home instead of testing our luck with the bus.