Monday chaos at the MTC clinic

Well this is not for the world to know just my own personal journal.  We determined today after seeing so many missionaries that this must be a norovirus.  Between yesterday and today Dennis saw officially 30 plus and Dr. Gill saw 55 today.  However there is the unofficial count that we don't know about.  I would see a missionary on the campus and ask how he is doing and he would say he was sick but didn't want to come it.  There must be dozens of those situations.  At one point today all the exam rooms, treatment rooms and counseling rooms were full and the waiting room was full also.  I had missionaries coming in for non virus  needs and we simply couldn't see them because we had such sick missionaries to take care of.  This virus causes dehydration and at one point there were 4 missionaries with IV's.  We did have to take one sister to the emergency room because she was so sick that we wanted her to have cultures.  If we sent specimens to the labs it would take 2 or 3 days whereas if we sent her to the ER she could come back in 8 hours and hopefully give us some information about what the rest had also.  It is not over yet but I do hope the second wave will not hit as hard. Since I am not a nurse or a doctor I had the golf cart driving duty to go to the homes of these missionaries and pick them up because they are too sick to walk into the clinic.  I would pick up a sick missionary and their companion and then took home the ones that had just been seen.  This went on all morning for hours. We have about 385 North American's and at least 90 or so of them have been sick so far.  It is interesting that the Latino missionaries are not getting this virus at all.  Maybe one had a little nausea but nothing to speak of.

I am so impressed with the charity and love the companions and other roommates have for the sick ones.  Both elders and hermanas are amazing and compassionate when it comes to taking care of their companions.  They stay up all night with them and hold their hair when they are throwing  up, they wrap them in blankets when they are chilled, they support them as the sick companion walks back to the golf cart and into their casa.  They teach them the lessons they are missing in class because they are too sick to be there.  They sacrifice going to eat at the comodor because they need to stay with their companion.  It is truly a Christ like service offered by the companions.  I hope tonight will be more quiet and everyone here can get some sleep.  Dr. and Sister Gill will not be going to the temple clinic tomorrow because they feel like they need to stay and help here at the CCM.