So it seemed like a short night...even though I was SO SO tired I didn't get to sleep right away & the 5:30 alarm seemed like to went off not long after I fell alseep. When we got to the hospital we went to post op to see yesterdays patients - little Milagros was there with her sweet mom, Mario was there with his son & out little boy who had to go back was there with his mom & looking good :) I took some pictures.
When we went to PACU the 1st 5 patients of the day were there lined up in seats with a mom or dad & waiting to go into surgery. I did a little teaching with the moms re coming into recovery etc. Many of the moms were very tearful waiting for the surgeries...they want that surgery but it's a scary thing to hand your baby off to someone.
A quick follow up from yesterday - Steven the 20 year old also has had hearing problems - not sure if it is unrelated to his lip or what but he has had to always sit in the front row at school & learned to read lips. Mike & Bonnie May's daughter is a Dr of Audiology & on this mission to honor her brother & has been working with the speech therapist - but typically there is not an Audiologist - much less one with hearing aids available for free!!! Today she fit Steven for a hearing aid & I was told he got tears in his eyes as he could hear clearly for the 1st time in his life. What a tender mercy to have her here to help him. She is also fitting some others including a sweet 80 year old nun from an orphanage that brought some children here for cleft repairs.
One of the patients from round #1 was a cute 5 mos old boy Fredy - his dad is professional soccer player here in Guatemala - but still didn't have the resources to help his son or perhaps was told to bring him to Op smile - I didn't get to ask.
Because there were so many palates & those are 2 hour or more surgeries it was a slow morning & we only recovered 5 patients by 11 am so we knew we had a busy afternoon ahead of us. Jim the MD who broke his foot went to get his cast spilt before he flies home tomorrow - so we were without a specific Dr in the Pacu for a while but had plenty of support.
Pt #30 Carlos was a 2 year old who apparently had a lip repair last mission but it opened up or something went wrong after the mission so he needed a lip revision & WOW what a difference in his pre & post photos. He was a patient that one of the students followed from screening thru surgery so she was very excited to share his story & also bring the family into recovery to see him.
The dad of one of our palate patients almost passed out at the sight of the bloody drainage from his sons mouth so that called for some quick work on our part so he didnt go down...also I posted this on FB & Instagram but one of my patients Jose who was 9 came thru & had a black pair of Toms - thru the translator I asked his mom where he got them & she said they were given out free to some children in her home area - so it's true they do give awy shoes to kids when we buy them! We had a couple of tough palates early afternoon - ones that needed lots of pain meds, oxygen, suctioning etc.
I got to lunvh at 2:30 today but the fried chicken & rice was not on my top 10 list of things I wanted to eat so I opted fro peanut buteer & ritz & some of the snacke my friend Cheri sent with me :) I alos found out the donuts are delivered at 2 om & I successfully passed by them today.
One of our last patients was a 16 year old Cleft Palate patient who had a repair last year and had total recall of the surgery etc - I dont know the details but he was scaird for the small revision he had today. Bonnie said that everyone had talked to him to help him be less anxious but when he went in the OR & they were getting ready to start with just the IV etc & he was on the Operating table he told the surgeon & anesthesia to wait he needed to pray & he sat up & said a beautiful prayer for himself & the surgical team - apparently there were a few teary eyes as they got started.
It was a busy day with lots of work - I didnt take many pictures or get as much patient contact but really I am here to "do the work" & that in & of itself is rewarding.
A few new fun facts before I go to bed:
1. Kids here are out of school Oct-Dec so we have LOTS of great high school volunteers here helping the children & families of their country
2. It's very green here because there is a few months of a rainy season
3. They are getting ready for Christmas in the nice areas with lights & trees - it is very festive
4. We had a sponsored dinner tonight at the intercontinental hotel which is literally 2 blocks away 6 of us asked if we could walk back & we were told no it just isnt safe but they would call us a cab. This safety thing is real - Naive me just found out today that in adition to the policia on our buses to protect us we also have a "Follow Car" that follows behind us & at the hotel tonight we counted visuble just as you walk in 8 security agents with earpieces. so the message is Op Smile is VERY SERIOUS about our safety!!!
5. There is a holisitc group here offering us & the parents 10 minutes of therapy that will help blood disease, immunity etc so in a lull Rachel & I went out there it was 5 min of one finger on your head & one on your neck & no real pressure then 5 min where they held both your big toes...I am not sure I felt anything but just sitting still for 10 min I didn nod off...
Time for bed tomorrow is another day. I love getting little info from home when I can get onto Facebook or get a text - its only 5 cents for me to receive & I am on my CHOC Cell 714 337 7917 so hearing from Doug & the kids is a boost to my day :) so feel free to send me a text if you want!!!
Good night from Guatemala
When we went to PACU the 1st 5 patients of the day were there lined up in seats with a mom or dad & waiting to go into surgery. I did a little teaching with the moms re coming into recovery etc. Many of the moms were very tearful waiting for the surgeries...they want that surgery but it's a scary thing to hand your baby off to someone.
A quick follow up from yesterday - Steven the 20 year old also has had hearing problems - not sure if it is unrelated to his lip or what but he has had to always sit in the front row at school & learned to read lips. Mike & Bonnie May's daughter is a Dr of Audiology & on this mission to honor her brother & has been working with the speech therapist - but typically there is not an Audiologist - much less one with hearing aids available for free!!! Today she fit Steven for a hearing aid & I was told he got tears in his eyes as he could hear clearly for the 1st time in his life. What a tender mercy to have her here to help him. She is also fitting some others including a sweet 80 year old nun from an orphanage that brought some children here for cleft repairs.
One of the patients from round #1 was a cute 5 mos old boy Fredy - his dad is professional soccer player here in Guatemala - but still didn't have the resources to help his son or perhaps was told to bring him to Op smile - I didn't get to ask.
Because there were so many palates & those are 2 hour or more surgeries it was a slow morning & we only recovered 5 patients by 11 am so we knew we had a busy afternoon ahead of us. Jim the MD who broke his foot went to get his cast spilt before he flies home tomorrow - so we were without a specific Dr in the Pacu for a while but had plenty of support.
Pt #30 Carlos was a 2 year old who apparently had a lip repair last mission but it opened up or something went wrong after the mission so he needed a lip revision & WOW what a difference in his pre & post photos. He was a patient that one of the students followed from screening thru surgery so she was very excited to share his story & also bring the family into recovery to see him.
The dad of one of our palate patients almost passed out at the sight of the bloody drainage from his sons mouth so that called for some quick work on our part so he didnt go down...also I posted this on FB & Instagram but one of my patients Jose who was 9 came thru & had a black pair of Toms - thru the translator I asked his mom where he got them & she said they were given out free to some children in her home area - so it's true they do give awy shoes to kids when we buy them! We had a couple of tough palates early afternoon - ones that needed lots of pain meds, oxygen, suctioning etc.
I got to lunvh at 2:30 today but the fried chicken & rice was not on my top 10 list of things I wanted to eat so I opted fro peanut buteer & ritz & some of the snacke my friend Cheri sent with me :) I alos found out the donuts are delivered at 2 om & I successfully passed by them today.
One of our last patients was a 16 year old Cleft Palate patient who had a repair last year and had total recall of the surgery etc - I dont know the details but he was scaird for the small revision he had today. Bonnie said that everyone had talked to him to help him be less anxious but when he went in the OR & they were getting ready to start with just the IV etc & he was on the Operating table he told the surgeon & anesthesia to wait he needed to pray & he sat up & said a beautiful prayer for himself & the surgical team - apparently there were a few teary eyes as they got started.
It was a busy day with lots of work - I didnt take many pictures or get as much patient contact but really I am here to "do the work" & that in & of itself is rewarding.
A few new fun facts before I go to bed:
1. Kids here are out of school Oct-Dec so we have LOTS of great high school volunteers here helping the children & families of their country
2. It's very green here because there is a few months of a rainy season
3. They are getting ready for Christmas in the nice areas with lights & trees - it is very festive
4. We had a sponsored dinner tonight at the intercontinental hotel which is literally 2 blocks away 6 of us asked if we could walk back & we were told no it just isnt safe but they would call us a cab. This safety thing is real - Naive me just found out today that in adition to the policia on our buses to protect us we also have a "Follow Car" that follows behind us & at the hotel tonight we counted visuble just as you walk in 8 security agents with earpieces. so the message is Op Smile is VERY SERIOUS about our safety!!!
5. There is a holisitc group here offering us & the parents 10 minutes of therapy that will help blood disease, immunity etc so in a lull Rachel & I went out there it was 5 min of one finger on your head & one on your neck & no real pressure then 5 min where they held both your big toes...I am not sure I felt anything but just sitting still for 10 min I didn nod off...
Time for bed tomorrow is another day. I love getting little info from home when I can get onto Facebook or get a text - its only 5 cents for me to receive & I am on my CHOC Cell 714 337 7917 so hearing from Doug & the kids is a boost to my day :) so feel free to send me a text if you want!!!
Good night from Guatemala
No comments:
Post a Comment