First of all I know I have a ton of typos in my posts...the internet goes in & out here so I type way too fast, dont proof etc but hopefully the ideas are still communicated :)
It was a GREAT first day...we got the same room that we had last year as the recovery room. At first they wanted to split us into 2 rooms but fortunately it all worked out. They gave us 6 beds but it was too crowded so we took one out. As some of our local helpers moved the bed frame I grabbed the mattress & as I held it on its side about 60 cockroaches of various sizes all came crawling out...Chris who is in PACU with me screamed, I started stepping on them & it was all pretty comical. They took the mattress away & a custodian/bug man came & sprayed just abut every inch of the floor & room. I am fairly certain it was not good for anyone to breath. The room started out smelling stale & gross & then like bug spray...it was quite a start...note to self...next mission bring room freshener. insect bombs & cockroach traps!!!
We got the PACU all set up, had our mock code (good thing I just renewed my PALS!) & they started the first cases about 10:30. I gave out a few CHOC lanyards so I am repping CHOC all the way in Ethiopia!!! Dan who I knew from Kenya didnt get one so I gave him mine.
Today we did surgeries on all the people from Somalia. I got quite a few pictures. There was one boy who was 12 & wearing very tattered & much too small pink crocs. I went to hand him a pair of flip flops & he was such an honest little boy he motioned to me that they weren't his...thru the interpreter I explained they were for him - he smiled from ear to ear...I gave him a pair of flip flops from the dollar aisle at Target & you'd think I just gave him a new car!!!
By 2 pm we had only done 6 cases so it was clear this would be a long day & night but we were all ready to work. I am in the PACU with 2 nurses from Sweden Chris & Sevlay (no at all how it is spelled) they are both great. Our 2nd round of patients were all babies, 4 mos, 8 mos, & 4 mos so I was able to give them all layette clothes & blankets & they were so grateful. Baby 103 was the little 4 mos old age deviation baby we did Tuwerya - she was pretty sleepy for us in PACU but was so stinking cute - She became 'my baby' & I held her & enjoyed every minute she was there. I was able to give the 8 mos old blankets from Leslie & boy clothes from Cheri in Boise.
We had 2 nursing students who will graduate next month & they were REALLY good. I enjoyed doing alot of teaching with them & took them on a break & shared my pnut butter with them ;0 They told me that a nurse in Ethiopia will earn 1700 Birr/month for 40 hours of work that is like $95 & that the least expensive housing that is not in a far away village costs 500 Birr or about 1/4 of their earnings & usually they are supporting extended family. It was as always very humbling . They took down my facebook info so we can become FB Friends :)
We had about 10 more patients come to be screened today & added 5 of them to the schedule so I became the "Gatekeeper to Go" & finalized out their charts. Our team leader took about 6 off the schedule - adults over 30 with palates where the risks are just too great - they will get obturators (like retainers) to cover their clefts so they can eat more easily.
We finished about 9:30 - earlier than I thought we would. We did 24 cases all lips no palates for our start up day. I am on call tonight so it should be a quiet night. In walking back to my room in the dark - I rolled my ankle & thought this cannot happen!!! I loaded up on Motrin & am hoping I will be better in the morning - I am sure I cant be the one to run to an emergency but I can do everything else!!
I am using the internet at the hotel & pretty sure I am single handedly paying for her internet bill as I have been on my CHOC email etc but I am just so happy to have access :) Off to bed!!!!
I am SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE!!!
It was a GREAT first day...we got the same room that we had last year as the recovery room. At first they wanted to split us into 2 rooms but fortunately it all worked out. They gave us 6 beds but it was too crowded so we took one out. As some of our local helpers moved the bed frame I grabbed the mattress & as I held it on its side about 60 cockroaches of various sizes all came crawling out...Chris who is in PACU with me screamed, I started stepping on them & it was all pretty comical. They took the mattress away & a custodian/bug man came & sprayed just abut every inch of the floor & room. I am fairly certain it was not good for anyone to breath. The room started out smelling stale & gross & then like bug spray...it was quite a start...note to self...next mission bring room freshener. insect bombs & cockroach traps!!!
We got the PACU all set up, had our mock code (good thing I just renewed my PALS!) & they started the first cases about 10:30. I gave out a few CHOC lanyards so I am repping CHOC all the way in Ethiopia!!! Dan who I knew from Kenya didnt get one so I gave him mine.
Today we did surgeries on all the people from Somalia. I got quite a few pictures. There was one boy who was 12 & wearing very tattered & much too small pink crocs. I went to hand him a pair of flip flops & he was such an honest little boy he motioned to me that they weren't his...thru the interpreter I explained they were for him - he smiled from ear to ear...I gave him a pair of flip flops from the dollar aisle at Target & you'd think I just gave him a new car!!!
By 2 pm we had only done 6 cases so it was clear this would be a long day & night but we were all ready to work. I am in the PACU with 2 nurses from Sweden Chris & Sevlay (no at all how it is spelled) they are both great. Our 2nd round of patients were all babies, 4 mos, 8 mos, & 4 mos so I was able to give them all layette clothes & blankets & they were so grateful. Baby 103 was the little 4 mos old age deviation baby we did Tuwerya - she was pretty sleepy for us in PACU but was so stinking cute - She became 'my baby' & I held her & enjoyed every minute she was there. I was able to give the 8 mos old blankets from Leslie & boy clothes from Cheri in Boise.
We had 2 nursing students who will graduate next month & they were REALLY good. I enjoyed doing alot of teaching with them & took them on a break & shared my pnut butter with them ;0 They told me that a nurse in Ethiopia will earn 1700 Birr/month for 40 hours of work that is like $95 & that the least expensive housing that is not in a far away village costs 500 Birr or about 1/4 of their earnings & usually they are supporting extended family. It was as always very humbling . They took down my facebook info so we can become FB Friends :)
We had about 10 more patients come to be screened today & added 5 of them to the schedule so I became the "Gatekeeper to Go" & finalized out their charts. Our team leader took about 6 off the schedule - adults over 30 with palates where the risks are just too great - they will get obturators (like retainers) to cover their clefts so they can eat more easily.
We finished about 9:30 - earlier than I thought we would. We did 24 cases all lips no palates for our start up day. I am on call tonight so it should be a quiet night. In walking back to my room in the dark - I rolled my ankle & thought this cannot happen!!! I loaded up on Motrin & am hoping I will be better in the morning - I am sure I cant be the one to run to an emergency but I can do everything else!!
I am using the internet at the hotel & pretty sure I am single handedly paying for her internet bill as I have been on my CHOC email etc but I am just so happy to have access :) Off to bed!!!!
I am SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment