It is unusual to start a surgery week on Sunday but her we had to do it to get space at the hospital. Today was BUSY!!!! perhaps because the 3rd recovery room nurse Barb started feeling sick last night when we were setting up and wasn't able to be there today so it was a 2 woman team with me & Carol & our wonderful PI Julie. We were supposed to have 2 local nurses but we didn't so we WORKED HARD!!!It made for a crazy busy day!!! that started at 5:30 and ended at 10 pm - yep 16 1/2 hours. Good hing I was well rested when I started but now I am beat!!! and even thought I cant post my blog I am writing it on my computer so I don't forget as every day is filled with experiences I don't want to forget.
Before I tell you about today here is the follow up to the teaser from last night... as of 10 m we weren't even sure if we would be able to start the mission today as we didn't have safe oxygen cylinders from which to run the anesthesia!!! The hospital was supposed to get them 6 mos ago after the initial small mission at this location and they didn't...they sent them to Addis yesterday for repair and refilling and they wont be back until Tues - day #3 of surgery. At the risk of "calling off the mission" ( I don't now if that has ever happened before?) they were able to get 5 tanks from somewhere in the country that were set up & ready to go this morning....unbelievable. Also Sara our coordinator was bringing several of our narcotics in her luggage and they were taken from at customs so we have very limited pain and sedation for all of our patients an some limited anesthesia....so goes mission medicine and nursing & we just adapt because even the little e have is far more than what is available here.
We did 24 cases today - hence the late night in recovery as we are the last to leave after we send our final patient to post op - the post op nurses leave about 8 when the night shift comes in & surgery eaves after their last case. Usually the 1st day is a lighter slower start but not this mission we hit the ground running - the needs are tremendous.
Many of our patients today were part of the group that came on a 3 day bus ride from Somalia....stories of great distance traveled and sacrifice to get to the mission site are ones I have heard before but still each time the faces are unique and situations heart wrenching., I think there were about 20 or so on their bus and 9 or 10 needed surgeries...they were scheduled at the beginning of the week so that they can be housed at the shelter and get some follow up before returning to Somalia. There was a translator just for them as that speak a different language her ...their dress is very modest and nomadic and the women's hands are all black & covered with henna (a beauty ritual) and ALL their feet are weathered and rough. I really cant imagine their life or the 3 day trip here. It is interesting that many of them are here with their fathers rather than mothers as the travel her would be too dangerous for a woman and a child which makes sense, only 2 or 3 had mothers with them. I thought of those mothers so far away from their children not sure what is happening to them & how amazed their will be when they return with beautiful new smiles - I am sure tearful joyful reunions will occur.
My 1st patient had the sweetest dad ho cried openly when he saw his son - I expect to see oms cry but dads crying was a whole separate experience. and made me ore emotional. I did gt some photos with that dad :)
There was the absolutely most darling 3 year old who had the worst bilateral cleft lips I had seen - also from Somalia who was repaired today...he looked like a completely different child. His was a long 3-4 hour case for the extensive repair - cant wait to post pictures!!!. He was with his mom who was pregnant and after the stress of the ravel here and the emotion of the surgery she got sick...really sick in the recovery room with him, so we had 2 patients in his bed. After a few hours and some food and drink she was better - she hadn't eaten much in her travels or since arriving, had no one with her and I was able to give her some TLC and support :)
Another special fiend Makala was a beautiful 7 year old girl from Somalia also with hr mom and the mom us cried and cried and kept pointing to my heart and her heart to express gratitude - yes heart to heart we communicated.. When it was tie fr her to go to post op instead of putting the little girl in a wheelchair the mom wanted to carry her on her back. Carol has bee on LOTS of missions an had NEVER seen that before...we both got a little teary & those are the moments that make Missions amazing. after all this mom did to get her daughter here sh e wanted to carry her up on her back up to post op...yes a parents love for their children is universal and transcends all cultures but it seemed t manifest itself a little ore purely between Makala an her mom - yes photos were taken.
There was a really FUN dad who I of course couldn't communicate with but he just kept giving me the "thumbs up" sign each time I went to care for his son - and he had a GIANT SMILE on his face the entire time. I thought the people here have a REALLY HARD LIFE but here he was so genuinely happy - made me think about the little things I sometimes let bother me.
The PACU/Recovery room is basically periods of complete noise and chaos when all 5 beds are full of crying children each with a parent plus the 3 of us and maybe 1 or 2 other volunteers all in 250 square feet of space...then every now & again we get 15 min of calm with only 1-2 patients.
Sometime this evening there was a huge cheering and when I asked out translator what it was he told me Ethiopia just beat Sudan in soccer - foolish me I asked if the stadium was near the hospital - it was that loud!!! But NO...apparently t was on TV & probably every TV in the hospital was on that channel (didnt even know that had TVs thee) and it was ll people at the hospital cheering. Apparently Ethiopia played another Sudan team recently in Sudan & lost so this was the rematch and determined who would go to the African Cup & Ethiopia hadn't been there in 31 years - most of these peoples lifetimes . SO for those of you who are sports fans - rivalries are alive and well all over the world!!!!
My nearly last patient after the soccer celebration was a 7 year old from Somalia also there with a mom who had her other child a 2 year old on her back!!! The 2 year old seriously seemed to know when I pointed my camera at her & she smiled!!!
we got back to the hotel at 10 om - lots of the team was there eating -I was equally tired and starving so I joined them and actually had some yummy pasta - 1st thing I have eaten here besides the pizza!!! I need to shower and get to bed its almost midnight & my 5:30 door knock wake up call will come sooner that I'd like...even thought it was a busy day and I worked hard I thanked Sara for inviting me on this mission...wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now!!! even thought I miss my family like CRAZY!!!
Before I tell you about today here is the follow up to the teaser from last night... as of 10 m we weren't even sure if we would be able to start the mission today as we didn't have safe oxygen cylinders from which to run the anesthesia!!! The hospital was supposed to get them 6 mos ago after the initial small mission at this location and they didn't...they sent them to Addis yesterday for repair and refilling and they wont be back until Tues - day #3 of surgery. At the risk of "calling off the mission" ( I don't now if that has ever happened before?) they were able to get 5 tanks from somewhere in the country that were set up & ready to go this morning....unbelievable. Also Sara our coordinator was bringing several of our narcotics in her luggage and they were taken from at customs so we have very limited pain and sedation for all of our patients an some limited anesthesia....so goes mission medicine and nursing & we just adapt because even the little e have is far more than what is available here.
We did 24 cases today - hence the late night in recovery as we are the last to leave after we send our final patient to post op - the post op nurses leave about 8 when the night shift comes in & surgery eaves after their last case. Usually the 1st day is a lighter slower start but not this mission we hit the ground running - the needs are tremendous.
Many of our patients today were part of the group that came on a 3 day bus ride from Somalia....stories of great distance traveled and sacrifice to get to the mission site are ones I have heard before but still each time the faces are unique and situations heart wrenching., I think there were about 20 or so on their bus and 9 or 10 needed surgeries...they were scheduled at the beginning of the week so that they can be housed at the shelter and get some follow up before returning to Somalia. There was a translator just for them as that speak a different language her ...their dress is very modest and nomadic and the women's hands are all black & covered with henna (a beauty ritual) and ALL their feet are weathered and rough. I really cant imagine their life or the 3 day trip here. It is interesting that many of them are here with their fathers rather than mothers as the travel her would be too dangerous for a woman and a child which makes sense, only 2 or 3 had mothers with them. I thought of those mothers so far away from their children not sure what is happening to them & how amazed their will be when they return with beautiful new smiles - I am sure tearful joyful reunions will occur.
My 1st patient had the sweetest dad ho cried openly when he saw his son - I expect to see oms cry but dads crying was a whole separate experience. and made me ore emotional. I did gt some photos with that dad :)
There was the absolutely most darling 3 year old who had the worst bilateral cleft lips I had seen - also from Somalia who was repaired today...he looked like a completely different child. His was a long 3-4 hour case for the extensive repair - cant wait to post pictures!!!. He was with his mom who was pregnant and after the stress of the ravel here and the emotion of the surgery she got sick...really sick in the recovery room with him, so we had 2 patients in his bed. After a few hours and some food and drink she was better - she hadn't eaten much in her travels or since arriving, had no one with her and I was able to give her some TLC and support :)
Another special fiend Makala was a beautiful 7 year old girl from Somalia also with hr mom and the mom us cried and cried and kept pointing to my heart and her heart to express gratitude - yes heart to heart we communicated.. When it was tie fr her to go to post op instead of putting the little girl in a wheelchair the mom wanted to carry her on her back. Carol has bee on LOTS of missions an had NEVER seen that before...we both got a little teary & those are the moments that make Missions amazing. after all this mom did to get her daughter here sh e wanted to carry her up on her back up to post op...yes a parents love for their children is universal and transcends all cultures but it seemed t manifest itself a little ore purely between Makala an her mom - yes photos were taken.
There was a really FUN dad who I of course couldn't communicate with but he just kept giving me the "thumbs up" sign each time I went to care for his son - and he had a GIANT SMILE on his face the entire time. I thought the people here have a REALLY HARD LIFE but here he was so genuinely happy - made me think about the little things I sometimes let bother me.
The PACU/Recovery room is basically periods of complete noise and chaos when all 5 beds are full of crying children each with a parent plus the 3 of us and maybe 1 or 2 other volunteers all in 250 square feet of space...then every now & again we get 15 min of calm with only 1-2 patients.
Sometime this evening there was a huge cheering and when I asked out translator what it was he told me Ethiopia just beat Sudan in soccer - foolish me I asked if the stadium was near the hospital - it was that loud!!! But NO...apparently t was on TV & probably every TV in the hospital was on that channel (didnt even know that had TVs thee) and it was ll people at the hospital cheering. Apparently Ethiopia played another Sudan team recently in Sudan & lost so this was the rematch and determined who would go to the African Cup & Ethiopia hadn't been there in 31 years - most of these peoples lifetimes . SO for those of you who are sports fans - rivalries are alive and well all over the world!!!!
My nearly last patient after the soccer celebration was a 7 year old from Somalia also there with a mom who had her other child a 2 year old on her back!!! The 2 year old seriously seemed to know when I pointed my camera at her & she smiled!!!
we got back to the hotel at 10 om - lots of the team was there eating -I was equally tired and starving so I joined them and actually had some yummy pasta - 1st thing I have eaten here besides the pizza!!! I need to shower and get to bed its almost midnight & my 5:30 door knock wake up call will come sooner that I'd like...even thought it was a busy day and I worked hard I thanked Sara for inviting me on this mission...wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now!!! even thought I miss my family like CRAZY!!!
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