This post will be short and not too exciting, as I am exhausted and worn out.  This past week has been an interesting one though.  I got some backlash but also a lot of support stemming from my last post.  I went to DC to visit some friends.  I got a cute little Mazda 2(shout out to Josh Vey at John Kennedy Mazda),

tentatively named the grinch mobile or the green skittle due to it’s VERY green color.  I have needed a car since I moved to LA.  Furthermore, walking to and waiting for the bus was starting to become hazardous to my health.  Getting and shipping the car has been a whole ordeal, with a lot of setbacks and issues.  I officially own the car though(with the help of my grandmother, thanks Mom Mom) and it should be in LA within the next two weeks.

I got back to LA last night and am excited to see all of my friends.  I am also ready to get back to my normal routine and get my health straightened out.  I had a doctors appointment today to deal with the numbness in my hand.  It has been a month where I have had varying degrees of loss of sensation in the left side(palm, little finger and ring finger) of my left hand, from almost normal to completely numb.  Apparently I have some ulnar nerve compression with an unknown cause at the moment, but no nerve damage yet.  The doctor did not investigate the cause, which bothers me because you should know the cause in order to determine the proper treatment. This doctor requested that I wear a wrist brace for a few weeks, take ibuprofen, and if it gets worse then come back.  I feel like that was pointless and disagree with the course of treatment, especially considering my past medical history and the fact that POTS is deals with the nervous system.  I will be sporting this brace but probably will be returning to the doctor’s next week to sort this out further.

Although I am back in LA, I really miss South Africa.  I had to take a break from my internship but today I am back to completing my internship hours.  Below are the links to the albums(all albums were updated) that contain about 1,000 pictures I took in the almost 9 weeks I was in SA.  Enjoy!

Soshanguve/TIA: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98566613@N04/sets/72157634540747609/

Cape Town/GDX: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98566613@N04/sets/72157634556294576/ 

East London/Game Reserve/SHE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98566613@N04/sets/72157635262792371/

Joburg: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98566613@N04/sets/72157635395705277/ 

~Natasha