Well I found out yesterday there is an internet cafe across from the hospital & you can use the computers there for 10 Birr/hour...about 50 cents...so I ventured over yesterday to start this post & then had all the power go out mid way - yes that is not something that has changed in the last 6 months - power here goes out often.
Anyway it was a busy but manageable day here in Mekele - we had fumigated the room with bug spray at the end of the night last night so we returned to some dead cockroaches but not too many live ones. The challenge today was flies...they were everywhere - we could have used 2 people i recovery just to fan the flies off of the kids and honestly the locals & parents dont seen to mind just us...perhaps they are used to it???
Our days always start early with wake up at 5:30, breakfast at 6, team mtg at 6:30 & head to the hospital at 7. Yonas the local nurse & the 2 students Solomon & Tihhas (Titi) were back this morning. Titi is a super sweet girl - she volunteers for Op Smile during the day & we send her home at 4 cause she is working nights from 10 am -6 pm. then sleeps three hours from 6-9 am & comes back to the PACU because she wants to "help the children of her country & also to learn". Wow what a blend of compassion & motivation in that young girl :)
My 1st patient was Behre a little 5 year old boy with a Cleft Palate who was here with his dad. I took some pictures with him & gave him a blanket & some flip flops. The calm start lasted about 20 min & then the typical chaos started as the PACU was in full swing & we got 3 other patients all babies all at the same time & all needed IV's restarted which just added to the craziness. I did remember to give out blankets and took a few pics but at those times it is all about the patients & the care they need & not about the photo ops.
Another sweet patient was Melkea a darling 7 mos old girl who was a difficult intubation & had some resp problems afterwards - she got a cute pink layette & blanket set. Another baby we anticipated was a child with Pierre Roban syndrome that even in the states would need a series of surgeries- they weren't sure what they would be able to do - he was "tongue tied" & had never been able to properly move his tongue to suck so he got a frenulectomy - something we do at birth & they also removed some extra "skin tags". Hopefully that is enough to help him grow & and perhaps get more care in the future from OSI or other organizations.
Another favorite baby was pt #04 from screening day - the tiny 4 month old in the striped hat who was also an age deviation cleft lip. he baby was brought to the PACU after surgery still well sedated & limp & a litle pale & his poor sweet mom went to the floor in the hallway thinking her baby was dead - it was awful & we got the translator in there quickly & her in there quickly & in about 2 min she went from complete devastation to exhilaration!!! That is the challenge of our loction we are in a room away from the OR off a very public hallway in the ER...but all is well :)
At the end of the day a group was going to dinner at the Axom Hotel - I was tired but decided to join them & was glad I got a little ime to visit with Craig & Vice my 2 friends from my Bolivia Mission.
Based on some schedule changes they have put all the patients on Wed & Thurs instead of us having a half day on Friday. We may still need to pack up on Fri but we will see & the final party is Fri night then some of us may head to Addis for the day Sat before our late flights home (min is midnite) so adventures await but for now its all about the patients :)
I gave away LOTS of "stuff" today....and when I got back to the hotel I noticed that one girl pair of flip flops & one boy pair of flip flops both had 2 left feet - at the shelter tonight or somewhere in Ethiopia there are people wondering what that crazy American nurse was thinking giving them 2 right feet in a pair of flip flops...oh well maybe I can send the others to the shelter & it wll get sorted out :)
We are still working on help for the mom & 3 week old. I will update tomorrow but its looking good!
Be grateful for the little things...hot water, clothes, electricity, clean drinking water, beds, towels, transportation...all the "basics" we use from the moment we wake up until the the time we go to bed really dont exist here for these people.
Anyway it was a busy but manageable day here in Mekele - we had fumigated the room with bug spray at the end of the night last night so we returned to some dead cockroaches but not too many live ones. The challenge today was flies...they were everywhere - we could have used 2 people i recovery just to fan the flies off of the kids and honestly the locals & parents dont seen to mind just us...perhaps they are used to it???
Our days always start early with wake up at 5:30, breakfast at 6, team mtg at 6:30 & head to the hospital at 7. Yonas the local nurse & the 2 students Solomon & Tihhas (Titi) were back this morning. Titi is a super sweet girl - she volunteers for Op Smile during the day & we send her home at 4 cause she is working nights from 10 am -6 pm. then sleeps three hours from 6-9 am & comes back to the PACU because she wants to "help the children of her country & also to learn". Wow what a blend of compassion & motivation in that young girl :)
My 1st patient was Behre a little 5 year old boy with a Cleft Palate who was here with his dad. I took some pictures with him & gave him a blanket & some flip flops. The calm start lasted about 20 min & then the typical chaos started as the PACU was in full swing & we got 3 other patients all babies all at the same time & all needed IV's restarted which just added to the craziness. I did remember to give out blankets and took a few pics but at those times it is all about the patients & the care they need & not about the photo ops.
Another sweet patient was Melkea a darling 7 mos old girl who was a difficult intubation & had some resp problems afterwards - she got a cute pink layette & blanket set. Another baby we anticipated was a child with Pierre Roban syndrome that even in the states would need a series of surgeries- they weren't sure what they would be able to do - he was "tongue tied" & had never been able to properly move his tongue to suck so he got a frenulectomy - something we do at birth & they also removed some extra "skin tags". Hopefully that is enough to help him grow & and perhaps get more care in the future from OSI or other organizations.
Another favorite baby was pt #04 from screening day - the tiny 4 month old in the striped hat who was also an age deviation cleft lip. he baby was brought to the PACU after surgery still well sedated & limp & a litle pale & his poor sweet mom went to the floor in the hallway thinking her baby was dead - it was awful & we got the translator in there quickly & her in there quickly & in about 2 min she went from complete devastation to exhilaration!!! That is the challenge of our loction we are in a room away from the OR off a very public hallway in the ER...but all is well :)
At the end of the day a group was going to dinner at the Axom Hotel - I was tired but decided to join them & was glad I got a little ime to visit with Craig & Vice my 2 friends from my Bolivia Mission.
Based on some schedule changes they have put all the patients on Wed & Thurs instead of us having a half day on Friday. We may still need to pack up on Fri but we will see & the final party is Fri night then some of us may head to Addis for the day Sat before our late flights home (min is midnite) so adventures await but for now its all about the patients :)
I gave away LOTS of "stuff" today....and when I got back to the hotel I noticed that one girl pair of flip flops & one boy pair of flip flops both had 2 left feet - at the shelter tonight or somewhere in Ethiopia there are people wondering what that crazy American nurse was thinking giving them 2 right feet in a pair of flip flops...oh well maybe I can send the others to the shelter & it wll get sorted out :)
We are still working on help for the mom & 3 week old. I will update tomorrow but its looking good!
Be grateful for the little things...hot water, clothes, electricity, clean drinking water, beds, towels, transportation...all the "basics" we use from the moment we wake up until the the time we go to bed really dont exist here for these people.
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